Dixie Chicks

[Mahen100]

Thats a great topic? How does everyone deal with pest management? What do you use what do you look for in pests ? how do you go about treating? do you do anything to help prevent infestations? are there enviromental things that can increase chances of pests? How do you mitigate so you have little to no pests ? what are the dangers of pests to your flock? 

as far as the lice go I just check birds often for any aigns of infestations. I don't really do any prevention other than keeping wild birds away and keeping the barn clean.

These new birds got dosed with a pour on dewormer to get rid of the nasty little critters.

Pests? let me count the ways. Arggg I use the "disposable" hanging fly attractant you add water to and throw away when full.

If I see signs of rodents (my neighbor across a fence "doesn't have any probolem" and his non-problem lives there and feeds here.) This is what I do, labor intensive and a hastle. I "feed" the rats, or mice whatever, in traps positioned in what may be their run ways. When I see they are eating from the traps...THEN I set them all at once...8 or 10 of them, and keep doing that until they are no more. (I have to check and spring traps before I let chickens out in the morning, and set at night...big nasty hastle. for a day or two.

I don't think I have ever had mites, Even though some say "don't" because of possible breathing difficulties, I sprinkle edible DE in the chickens dust bath holes, just a bit, and smear it on walls of their coop. I take care not to breathe it in, or let the chickens into the coop while I treat it.

I have had some harmless snakes, and I relocated one I removed from netting. If you are trying to catch a snake, I recommend a tangle of plastic netting...I have had three get trapped accidentally around blueberry bushes with netting on the ground, bunched around blueberry bush trunks. Sometimes it is impossible to free them once trapped this way.

 

[Mahen100]

Oh...and hawks...just to give you a good laugh. The crows in my neighborhood are my friends. More often than not...when the family of crows start cawing and sounding an alarm...it is a hawk or a raptor of some kind. I run out, beating a pot with a spoon or anything metal to make as much racket as I can. and I stay outside a while and beat the pot repeatedly, or fire bottle rockets into the sky. (and yes, my neighbors all know I am sort of "special."

 

[Mahen100]

vehve, I have used "liquid nails" to afix wood to concrete...it held for years. Is the build you picture for Hilma?

 

[vehve]

Yeah, for Hilma and later maybe a second doe and of course the little ones. I'll build it so that it can be separated in four sections, each about 16-17 square feet but she gets all the space to begin with.

 

[Mahen100]

Here is New Hatch with attitude,

and New Hatch with the older TSC Australorp with long tail:

 

[Amberjem]

@bamadude ! I just got back from the chicken show! and I have three pips I think

 

[bamadude]

@bamadude
 ! I just got back from the chicken show! and I have three pips I think

On which eggs? Im ready to see pics of the babies

 

[Amberjem]

brahma/cross @bamadude soon as it comes out will get pics

 

[bamadude]

They could be blue or splash Isbar x buff brahma. Blue Marans x buff brahma or wheaten Marans x buff brahma...gonna be some cool looking brahmas. Pretty sure the pea comb will be dominate. Feather footed for sure. Gonna lay a cool looking egg

 

[Amberjem]

first one is out!! it looks yellowish so far... I crushed my phone but trying to make it toss me a picture and vidoe