Dunking my chicks.

[lighthouse]

Hi there.

When are my chicks old enough to dunk them in water with shampoo for mites?

Thanks in advance.

 

[sourland]

Chicks chill quite easily. If mites are a significant problem, I would use a miticide powder sparingly.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Do your chicks have mites?or do you think this has to be done as a preventative measure?

 

[Compost King]

I can't say the exact age my method works for but definitely after wing feathers have developed. I fill a pillow case (or smaller bag for small chicks) with livestock dust and put the birds in the bag with their heads outside of the bag then rile them up to where they start flapping their wings in the bag which stirs up the dust and spreads it to all the important places. I only have mite problems with chicks when its wet or has been wet that season and they were hatched under a broody. If they are really young I use the dust in the bedding where they sleep and I also do the bag trick with he broody mom which doesn't fully solve the problem if the chicks are too young to be dusted because she will get them again from the chicks but it will keep the population of mites down until I can do the chicks too.

 

[lighthouse]

Chicks chill quite easily. If mites are a significant problem, I would use a miticide powder sparingly.

i see, thank you.

just another question please. is it normal that the hen ignores her chicks after only three weeks?

 

[Acre4Me]

i see, thank you.

just another question please. is it normal that the hen ignores her chicks after only three weeks?

yes, it can happen. Typically occurs between 4-6 weeks, with some happening early, like yours or much later. Our momma hen that raised several batches was always around 5.5-6 weeks post hatch when she was done with raising chicks.

 

[lighthouse]

yes, it can happen. Typically occurs between 4-6 weeks, with some happening early, like yours or much later. Our momma hen that raised several batches was always around 5.5-6 weeks post hatch when she was done with raising chicks.

****ing hell!!!

EVEN my mom had more maternal instincts than my hen!!!

now i have three orphans. luckily i taught the rest of the animal household to respect them from the very beginning...

THANK YOU.

 

[lighthouse]

Do your chicks have mites?or do you think this has to be done as a preventative measure?

more the later.

i’ve been thinking of dunking the grownups for a while but then the unexpected pregnancy happened and now i think it would be pointless to do that only with the adults...

 

[LaFleche]

As a preventative measure and to determine whether there are poultry mites at all in your coop, you could wrap some double-sided tape around the roost bars where they meet the wall to see if mites get stuck trying to get to the chicken at night.