well i now have all the knowledge of how to boil an egg. i was about to go to the college to ask. however i could never get a fresh laid egg to peel.
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That is exactly the kind of advice I need, Beekissed. Thanks!!!
edited to ask: what is this roo dance of which you speak? Or will I know it when I see it?
In answer to your question... I think it is fine to use cedar chips IF you have plenty of ventilation. I use them all summer, not in my coop (not all that well ventilated in my opinion, but id hasn't bothered me enough to fix it) but I use it around the edges outside my coop, and I use two or three bales in the run. I love the way it smells, but the flies don't and it helps keep them(flies) at bay. The hens don't seem to mind the smell and get the shavings all mixed up in the dirt where they take their sand baths. I truly believe it helps with mites, lice & other parasites as well. I don't dust my hens all that often, but when I do, I seldom see anything on any of them, and I check often. Those little bugs just give me the heebie-jeebies, and I sure don't want them on my chickens!!So, I have a question regarding cedar. I'm sure this is a classic, but, can cedar be put in the chicken pen as ground cover and bedding? We used to have a guini pig that we had to get cedar shavings for since the store was out of pine shavings and we needed them then. Well, the guini pig has since died of old age and there is a big bag of cedar just sitting in our utility closet. I know for a fact that if I make a thread for this on BYC all the chicken-eers will say that cedar is harmful to chickens do to the oils it contains regardless of any experience they may or may not have. I don't know if I believe that or not. My thinking is that cedar's oils have never bothered me one bit, so why would it hurt a chicken? What are you OT's opinion? I will not be using cedar long-term if I do, just until this bag is used up.
So, I have a question regarding cedar. I'm sure this is a classic, but, can cedar be put in the chicken pen as ground cover and bedding? We used to have a guini pig that we had to get cedar shavings for since the store was out of pine shavings and we needed them then. Well, the guini pig has since died of old age and there is a big bag of cedar just sitting in our utility closet. I know for a fact that if I make a thread for this on BYC all the chicken-eers will say that cedar is harmful to chickens do to the oils it contains regardless of any experience they may or may not have. I don't know if I believe that or not. My thinking is that cedar's oils have never bothered me one bit, so why would it hurt a chicken? What are you OT's opinion? I will not be using cedar long-term if I do, just until this bag is used up.
I've been reading all day and I'm having the best time LMAO, you OT's are a hoot! I haven't been on BYC since Friday.The roos you describe are much too young to be mounting hens or even crowing full time...just practice crows, maybe...maybe the 3 mo. old may be entering that territory but the 9 wk old have quite a ways to go.
Eventually you may have too many roos for the number of hens so you might want to monitor signs of overuse on hen's backs and on the back of the head.
I'd leave your LS alone and see how he develops. If you are confident, calm and assertive in your dealings with your chickens, most roosters won't be a problem. Occasionally a young roo will forget his place and do a little dance towards you in a threatening way~this is when I leave a BIG, over the top impression. The first time is the last time at my place and the correction might take around 5-10 min. depending on how much fun you're having with it.
I keep a light weight fiberglass rod for herding sheep/chickens if the need arises...it's flexible and doesn't cause any damage but it can put the sting on a roo's behind. I also have light, old dead limbs I keep in the coop for this~I call them roo sticks...better to have one and not need it then to need it and not have it. When the roo does his dance at me, I advance towards him until he is running away...then I lie in wait for him to come back in the coop to eat with the rest of the flock.
When he gets his head in the pop door I surprise him with a WHAM against the walls right beside him. If he persists in ducking into the coop, I'll chase him with the stick and either bop his bottom or lightly touch his back every time he stops, or even whack the floor beside him as he frantically runs and dodges to get out of the coop. In other words, I turn the tables until he gets the message....he doesn't ever want to ambush me again because this big rooster isn't content to just let him run away, it lies in wait and jumps him.
Not only is this fun to do and watch, it leaves an everlasting impression in that roo's mind. I've never had to repeat the performance for any particular roo and the total and utter surprise on the roo's face is priceless and good for many chuckles later. It's much more fun than trying to aim a kick at a fleet roo that may or may not connect and it also keeps your legs from getting in the way of his possible retaliation...though I've never had one that wanted to retaliate. They pretty much were content to walk a very wide berth around the crazy lady after those shenanigans!
Oh, the joys of keeping chickens! Every once in awhile it affords one some great amusement that is filled with cheaply won joy!