Usage of lime.

[NatJ]

I've heard so many conflicting things about a lot of chicken care stuff... like pine shavings are bad, but I also see many people use them... straw is bad, except in nesting boxes... etc. Trying to sift through info can be so confusing! LOL

Yes, it certainly can be confusing! People raise chickens in so many different climates, and so many different conditions, that there is no "best" way for everyone.

For many of the "bad" things, any danger is small enough that people can make a reasonable case either way. And sometimes the other options are even worse, or there are no other options.

Some things work better in one climate than another (like sand for bedding), while other things are just more available in one place than another (hemp bedding, rice hull bedding), and still other things are for treating problems that do not occur for everyone (like coccidiosis, that is a big deal for some flocks and not at all for others.)

People tend to agree on some of the most important things, like providing protection from stray dogs or raccoons, and from rain or hot sun. But even then, location makes a big difference: a "predator proof" pen in different if you're dealing with bears vs. weasels!

I would generally say, if you find much argument about a specific thing, then it's not good enough or bad enough to justify that much fuss. Try if it you want to, and watch whether YOUR results are good or bad, in your particular circumstances.

 

[MamaFox78]

Yes, it certainly ca be confusing! People raise chickens in so many different climates, and so many different conditions, that there is no "best" way for everyone.

For many of the "bad" things, any danger is small enough that people can make a reasonable case either way. And sometimes the other options are even worse, or there are no other options.

Some things work better in one climate than another (like sand for bedding), while other things are just more available in one place than another (hemp bedding, rice hull bedding), and still other things are for treating problems that do not occur for everyone (like coccidiosis, that is a big deal for some flocks and not at all for others.)

People tend to agree on some of the most important things, like providing protection from stray dogs or raccoons, and from rain or hot sun. But even then, location makes a big difference: a "predator proof" pen in different if you're dealing with bears vs. weasels!

I would generally say, if you find much argument about a specific thing, then it's not good enough or bad enough to justify that much fuss. Try if it you want to, and watch whether YOUR results are good or bad, in your particular circumstances.

Thanks! I'm on a big ranch that backs to open space in the Colorado Rocky Mountains... our weather goes from one extreme to another, subzero and blizzards in the winter to roasting and crazy thunderstorms in the short summers. And we have a whole menagerie of wildlife up here: black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, a big pack of coyotes, a few pine martens, and an odd fox or two (mange epidemic nearly wiped them all out a few years back, they're trying to repopulate), red tail & Cooper's hawks, etc.

But our coop is SOLID - it's about 100 years old, all masonry with 2 windows & a door, so nothing is getting in there without breaking a window. So far we've been lucky to only lose 2 free ranging girls to coyotes, they seem to be the only critters that have the cajones to come near the ranch compound.

I've had good luck with sand over the concrete floor in one room of the coop, and sprinkling DE in the room with the soft dirt floor. They can dust bathe in there when it's too cold/ snowy to let them outside. When I adopted my flock, they had an awful case of scaly leg mites, so this was the best way to get them healthy and mite-free... I do worry about them having more bedding for insulation during winter months though, as the sand seems really cold. I don't want to risk mites coming back, but maybe I'll try something else.

Any thoughts on sprinkling FSL instead of DE on straw or pine shavings to control parasites & bacteria??

 

[NatJ]

When I adopted my flock, they had an awful case of scaly leg mites, so this was the best way to get them healthy and mite-free... I do worry about them having more bedding for insulation during winter months though, as the sand seems really cold. I don't want to risk mites coming back, but maybe I'll try something else.

If the mites really are gone, you might try adding some kind of less-cold bedding for the winter months (shavings, straw, dead leaves, or whatever is handy), and then watch to see if the mites come back or not.

Any thoughts on sprinkling FSL instead of DE on straw or pine shavings to control parasites & bacteria??

Like you, I've found lots of different opinions, but so far I have not actually used either one. So I can't give advice either way about mites.

About bacteria, if you are able to keep things dry, you probably don't need to add anything else-- bacteria tend to like moist conditions, and not be an issue for chickens in dry ones.

 

[MamaFox78]

If the mites really are gone, you might try adding some kind of less-cold bedding for the winter months (shavings, straw, dead leaves, or whatever is handy), and then watch to see if the mites come back or not.


Like you, I've found lots of different opinions, but so far I have not actually used either one. So I can't give advice either way about mites.

About bacteria, if you are able to keep things dry, you probably don't need to add anything else-- bacteria tend to like moist conditions, and not be an issue for chickens in dry ones.

That seems like good sense... my coop stays nice and dry, so bacteria shouldn't be much of an issue. I just loathe the thought of mites returning - disinfecting the coop and treating 11 chickens every day for a month was a lot of scrubbing. And now I've got 22 chickens, so I'm super parasite paranoid!

Pic of my coop just for fun.

 

[McChooky]

FSL is what I’m talking about lol

Ah, that makes sense.
Another case of too many things with the same name.
Not only are there too many kinds of "lime," there are even too many kinds of "hydrated lime"!

In the US pulverized limestone can be sold as LIME.

This is not quicklime or hydrated lime.

 

[McChooky]

That seems like good sense... my coop stays nice and dry, so bacteria shouldn't be much of an issue. I just loathe the thought of mites returning - disinfecting the coop and treating 11 chickens every day for a month was a lot of scrubbing. And now I've got 22 chickens, so I'm super parasite paranoid!

Pic of my coop just for fun.

Once bitten twice shy!

 

[ugachickenmama]

I've used it for all kinds of things, in my coop and around my homestead. I have a sand floor so few bugs, no odors, but I sprinkle it around just in case. I use it in nesting boxes, it's part of my recipe for dust baths, I've whitewashed their coop walls and beams with it to limit mites, I've dusted them with it for the same reason, I put some in my dog's kiddie pool and my goat's water bucket to clear and prevent algae, and I use it in my garden to kill bugs on my plants. There are lots of suggestions and videos for it's use on their website. I've had a monthly plan about a year now. I love it.

I know this is an old thread, but I am curious what your "dust bath recipe" is . . . if you don't mind sharing! ;-)

 

[Icie]

I know this is an old thread, but I am curious what your "dust bath recipe" is . . . if you don't mind sharing! ;-)

I just mix up first Saturday lime, sand, and if I have some, wood ash. About a third of each.