Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[Fancychooklady]

Once every 6 months I boil up a big pot of water , put 4-5 whole cloves of garlic in it and then put the lid on and turn it off. Let it seep for 24 hrs and then fill up the water dishes with it. They love it. Garlic is high in sulphur. I also use a conventional wormer. The other way to administer garlic is cut the leg off an old pair of stocking place a whole garlic in the toe and hit it with a hammer. Tie the stocking so that it hangs in the water.
I also sprinkle orchardists sulphur round the nesting boxes every time in clean the coops.
These are of course preventative measures, if I find lice or mites I hit them with the ' big guns '. Vaseline on legs, pestine entire body( especially under wings and around vent ). Clean the coops down and spray with coopex insecticide ( available in the garden section at the hardware ). Pay particular attention to the roosts and nest boxes. You have already found the best way to detect lice. Carry your birds around for 10 mins or so and if they are infested you'll have them crawling on you in no time. Don't worry they don't live on humans, have a shower and wash your hair and that will send them packing.

 

[Megans Chickens]

Can anyone tell me if bedadine is safe to put on chickens?? Or what is safe for cuts ect

First time owning chickens and never knew they were so nasty to each other, they are always getting cuts from the others.. And I noticed one of my girls been bitten on her wattle and a big chunk has been bitten off! So wanted to put something on it to stop infection ect

 

[SydneyChickens]

Mealworms send chooks craaaazy! Hehehe mine L O V E them but they are expensive, I buy 100g containers from pet stores that stock reptile feeding products they keep them in the fridge and are $15 to $17. I gave the chicks some but wont do that again, was worried the fighting that went on over the worms will hurt them!

 

[LordStark]

Lord Stork, I have light Sussex chicks the same age as yours, will be 4 weeks on Sunday.

Yeah I saw those, very nice. They look about the same as mine.

We've had steady rain here from about midday, it's really cooled things down too. I haven't measured yet but it should put some water in the tanks. Plus it'll be good for the lucerne. I just wish it was last weekend or next, I was heading to the dam for the long weekend. Beggars can't be choosers though. I'll see what the weather's doing tommorow.

 

[MyHaven]

Yeah the chooks would love that. They peck at my earrings and the chicks will have a go at the engagement ring. Diamonds and pearls mean nothing to them, just feed me!!!!! I have been known to visit the coops in my finery and gumboots but only when I'm pushed for time and were heading to town.

I do the same. I've also been known to pull calves in heels. You gotta do what you gotta do even when ready and heading to town.

 

[Megans Chickens]

Mealworms send chooks craaaazy! Hehehe mine L O V E them but they are expensive, I buy 100g containers from pet stores that stock reptile feeding products they keep them in the fridge and are $15 to $17. I gave the chicks some but wont do that again, was worried the fighting that went on over the worms will hurt them!

I buy mine from Martyns Mealworms!
He is online and posts them to u! A lot cheaper then the pet shops!!

 

[MyHaven]

The old time farmers out here say if you see black cockatoos land in a tree in your yard rain is on the way. I had 8 land in a gumtree near the chook pen yesterday morning.

They also say you will have rain for as many days as there is cockatoos. That's eight days of rain coming up.

 

[Megans Chickens]

I popped into work on Wednesday and yay...chooks still with us! The boss is now talking about a second coop, so I'm going to try to convince her to get some other breeds rather than just Isas. Good layers, but they aren't that friendly. What sorts of breeds would you guys suggest for a school situation? Something friendly and hardy, egg production not so important.
 One discovery that we've made is that chickens LOVE cicada shells. One of the teacher's children were at work with her, and collected a container full from the trees and equipment around the playground. When we gave them to the chickens, they went nuts! We decided they must be the chook equivalent of jelly babies!

I went ahead and ordered the automatic door from Wagner's Poultry....gosh I hope it works!

Oh...one other thing. I think my chickens have mites. This was discovered when I went out to feed them and must have rested my head somewhere because when I got back inside, I realised they were all over ME! Now I seem to be covered in tiny, red bites. Can I blame the chickens for this, or the cat (fleas?)? What's the best remedy? Every morning I wake up with more bites, wheras my husband hasn't been bitten at all!

My chickens had a lot of mites! My friend is a vet and she told me to use advocate 1 drop per chicken! Killed every single more within 12 hours! Never again had a problem! I do this once a month!! It's amazing!

 

[kat79]

Update: my chicken isback to normal after her prolapse.. Thanks everyone for the advice it worked a treat. But now after returning from a 3 day holiday another has gone broody!! I can see I will be working hard this year

 

[Anniebee]

Can anyone tell me if bedadine is safe to put on chickens?? Or what is safe for cuts ect



First time owning chickens and never knew they were so nasty to each other, they are always getting cuts from the others.. And I noticed one of my girls been bitten on her wattle and a big chunk has been bitten off! So wanted to put something on it to stop infection ect

I thought it would be safe enough, but just to make sure I googled it. Apparently it is ok .... but I would suggest you seek further information, either on this BYC site on some other thread to do with health ( search ), or other sites to do with chickens and their wounds. Below is ( copied and pasted ) what I found on " How to treat cuts and wounds on chickens - for Dummies " ... ( not suggesting you are a dummy !! LOL .... just that the book range has everything anyone ever wants to know about most everything, in readable form ! ) And yes, chickens can be very nasty at times - killers if they are super aggressive, or just want to dominate everything around them. If you can pick out the worst aggressor, remove it and put it in a different area away from the others it's been attacking. It is often only one chicken that will do most of the damage, but occasionally others join in just for the hell of it I think !! Not sure how long to keep the aggressor isolated. Some chook owners get rid of a very aggressive bird - for obvious reasons. Occasionally, after a period of isolation, they can be tried back with 1 or 2 birds to see how they react. Please - could someone else on here, help with this idea ? I am not sure how far to go when it comes to aggressive or super dominant birds. Have one myself - she is totally happy with her best friend, but would kill my smaller Araucana if she could get to it ( and she's tried to do great damage before thankfully I was able to step in ) .... 2 live in one run, the Araucana in a separate run. That's how I have handled the situation, but then I only have 3 birds ???

so have had an easy solution.

Anyway - here's the information you might have needed :

If you find a bleeding chicken in your coop, or if you suspect a chicken’s skin has been cut or torn, it’s important to treat the bird quickly. Chicken skin is thin and tears easily, and bleeding wounds are very attractive to other chickens. Whether the chicken caught on something or was attacked by a predator, skin injuries need immediate attention.

1. For shallow wounds, wash the area with hot water and soap and gently pat dry, or clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide.
   If the wound continues to bleed, use styptic powder or pressure to stop it.
2. Flush the wounds with hydrogen peroxide, iodine, or betadine.
3. Place the chicken in a clean, separate area and check the wounds for infection several times a day.
4. If infection sets in, clean the wounds two to three times daily.
5. If the chicken can’t reach the area with its beak and the weather is warm, apply a wound dressing to prevent flies from laying eggs on the wound. The outlook isn't very good with deep punctures caused by animals. Keep the chicken warm and quiet to prevent shock. If the chicken is very valuable to you, take it to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

GOOD LUCK with all this .....

Cheers .......... AB