The New Zealand Thread

[Marisa14]

It's a bit of a booster, so maybe a scoop today, another tomorrow and that'll prop her up a bit since she's still eating. I just use it to get them over the hump, essentially. In a real sick bird, I may give 2-3 doses a day, but that's when you're getting into tube feeding etc.

Oh great, thanks so much!!!
OMG! Tube feeding? I wouldn’t know where to begin!!

 

[Lizzy733]

Oh great, thanks so much!!!
OMG! Tube feeding? I wouldn’t know where to begin!!

I did a stint with Birdcare Aotearoa, so if you ever 'do' need all the gritty details, I can help. Very familiar with that thanks to drunken kereru bashing up their shoulders then refusing to eat while in recovery.

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

Hi, I thought it might be time us kiwis had our own thread to discuss our unique frustrations and joys , everyone welcome even if you're not from here!

I thought it would be handy to share our knowledge on where to get chicken related things like feed, equipment, great breeders we have had good experiences with etc. Or to bemoan how expensive everything is!

I am in Motueka, top of the South Island.

Heeeeeey! Fellow Kiwis! Great to see you all - sorry I'm late to the party

 

[Marisa14]

I did a stint with Birdcare Aotearoa, so if you ever 'do' need all the gritty details, I can help. Very familiar with that thanks to drunken kereru bashing up their shoulders then refusing to eat while in recovery.

Oh, thanks so much! Hopefully I won’t need to but glad to know someone who knows!!

 

[Mugento]

Asking here as it's specific to breeds and strains available in NZ.

I'm happy with the mix I have right now but am wondering about getting some more leghorns for the future. Mainly for bug control when I eventually move to a larger property and plant my orchard. Any other suggestions for available breeds that are nimble and good insect (and mice) snatchers? I am very happy with my barred rocks for foraging and have added partridge rocks which so far seem even better, but they are big birds as adults and not nimble or much for flying into trees. My araucanas are also excellent foragers and are more nimble, but their egg laying is mediocre and they go broody A LOT.

I do NOT want bantams, guinea fowls or ducks, but i would consider quail. Prefer to just stick with standard chickens.

I just let our hamburgs out to join the rest of the flock and found the lot of them up in the trees. I don't want them flying over the fence into the neighbour's garden so we had to climb up the tree to corral them until they get their wings clipped. Not sure how they do with catching mice but they will happily fly up into trees to get a snack!

 

[Marisa14]

Hi all. Question, has anyone used permethrin spray on your chickens for mites?? I have been treating my bkack orpington, Daisy for about 3 weeks now. I am dusting her with DE but there always seems to be some crawling on her skin. From reading about it I think I have worked out she has northern fowl mites.
She has been eating and drinking but seems to have gone downhill in the last 24hrs.
She is sleeping a lot today and I didn’t get home from work until 1pm today (left at 4am so the girls weren’t up yet) and she was still in the coop which she also has t done before.
She is breathing a little bit funny but not too bad. I gave her some poly aid by syringe about 10 days ago abd was worried it went down the wrong pipe but she’s been ok. I have been too scared to do it again so have been sprinkling some on her food instead…..
Any ideas????

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

Hi all. Question, has anyone used permethrin spray on your chickens for mites?? I have been treating my bkack orpington, Daisy for about 3 weeks now. I am dusting her with DE but there always seems to be some crawling on her skin. From reading about it I think I have worked out she has northern fowl mites.
She has been eating and drinking but seems to have gone downhill in the last 24hrs.
She is sleeping a lot today and I didn’t get home from work until 1pm today (left at 4am so the girls weren’t up yet) and she was still in the coop which she also has t done before.
She is breathing a little bit funny but not too bad. I gave her some poly aid by syringe about 10 days ago abd was worried it went down the wrong pipe but she’s been ok. I have been too scared to do it again so have been sprinkling some on her food instead…..
Any ideas????

For mites I like to use ivermectin from vet, my vet will dispense me a 1ml syringe from the cattle drench bottle. That 1ml will do my whole flock twice (i was told by vet to dropper it onto their combs). If I use pyrethrum/permethrin I use the stuff for use in gardens from mitre 10, I tend to use that in the coop but I've sprayed the birds too if needed.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

Oh and I do use 'natural' products in my prevention, mostly neem oil and some essential oils, which I use in the coop, as well as the mite eating mites for red mites, I release a tube of them each spring into coop bedding. But when I actually have a problem, then I bring out the big guns right away. In my experience DE doesn't seem to work, but others say it does.

 

[Chookwagn]

I use for any mites what was recommended by a show breeder here and yes I understand that they want results and aren't interested in natural products. But I had a real problem with mites of both types...( red and other) I used a cattle drench that you put on the skin and it works amazingly... you apply it according to the chickens weight and mostly I am putting on about 0.1 or 0.2 ml per bird.

This year I haven't had red mite at all and in my books this is far far better than anything else.
DE does not work.

This is just my opinion and I'm not asking for an argument in any way

 

[Marisa14]

For mites I like to use ivermectin from vet, my vet will dispense me a 1ml syringe from the cattle drench bottle. That 1ml will do my whole flock twice (i was told by vet to dropper it onto their combs). If I use pyrethrum/permethrin I use the stuff for use in gardens from mitre 10, I tend to use that in the coop but I've sprayed the birds too if needed.

Yeah, I’ve been using ivomectin weekly for a month, this Wednesday and it doesn’t seem to be touching her! So frustrating because she should be getting better. I’ve got enviro shield concentrate which I spray in the coop every time I clean it (which is weekly)