I have mites/lice now....must have been transfered from the huge flock of ravens that came in last month. They took over my free ranging chickens best foraging area around the horses. Now I see the horses are itchy too...I'm having to put by hand, all these birds that are roosting on a wood rail fence..are being picked up and locked into a chainlink chicken tractor. .carrying each has caused some to get onto me too.
We've had a bear take 4 chickens in one night....a neighbor shot at it or got it the next night, then the night following we had another missing presumed eaten by another predator before I'd put them in the chicken tractor. ..so I've gone out earlier to move all the chickens in....but one of our little dogs who'd been sprayed by a skunk the week before....ran after something else she'd seen into the night...my husband heard a sharp scream cut off...then nothing. ..we spent thewhole night with flashlights looking but no sign that we could tell what it was...or find our little dog either.
In the light of day my husband found bobcat tracks....
Do you think the added stress to the birds is also making the lice/mites reproduce like crazy?
Wish I could retrain these birds to go in the tractor on their own at dusk/sundown anyone have any ideas that could work? Guess I'm getting sevin dust and pillow case everyone I can get a hand on...as well the fence and perches too. All the bedding/deep litter....I'm wanting to also replace all the nesting boxes with 5 gallon buckets....has anyone tried these with perhaps artificial turf with maybe velcro to hold it in place on the bottom?
Perhaps I'll also use pest strips like McMurry offers...
I have about 20 eucalyptus trees on this property too...perhaps gathering branches and leaves added to fresh litter. I just hope the 'cure' isn't as bad as the louse/mites...
