Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

Great moxy you have there

Now tell me why I need to get 4 chicks to put under Sophia …. ?

They aren't for you. They're your mother's so they don't count....

 

[Ponypoor]

Mr P takes over prime roost location

 

[Ponypoor]

They aren't for you. They're your mother's so they don't count....

Oh ya that’s not gonna fly with my mum! She is the reason I got rid of the Brahma and Bielefelders

Maybe I just won’t tell her!

 

[Ponypoor]

Brrrrrrr hope the school chicks are ok, huddled together for warmth, the place i moved them is not warm like my office is. Only 7C right now brrrr!

 

[ValarieF]

OMG I had a baby mouse crawling on my arm!!!! We bought those electric traps, I think it just confuses them. Time to call pest control. Hubby didnt hear me scream he was feeding the chooks breakfast.

 

[Ponypoor]

OMG I had a baby mouse crawling on my arm!!!! We bought those electric traps, I think it just confuses them. Time to call pest control. Hubby didnt hear me scream he was feeding the chooks breakfast.

You need to get those snap traps, if you are using any traps you will need to put them in places they run, which is generally along a wall.

I found that if I placed a piece of plywood leaned against the wall like a safe tunnel, leave it a week for them to get used to. Then put the trap there, not armed, so they can all crawl all over it. After a couple weeks arm it and leave it for a few hrs. I arm the trap when I put the chooks to bed, then when I feed evening feed to horses I check the trap, usually have something in it. Rearm it for over night. Check in the morning.

But it takes planning and patience to use the traps - any traps.

Don’t use poison if the mice and rats are running with the chickens- the chickens may eat a poisoned pest.

 

[ManueB]

Hello FBA enablers!
First, I'd like news from @featherhead007 . Sorry I didn't get back to you on the dosage, but you got the answers- I went to bed right after posting. How is your favourite leghorn today ?

I'm posting also today for some educated, or / and fun guesses on our 19 days old chicks. I fear we may have striked a @RebeccaBoyd - I'm guessing out of six, only one is a pullet for sure . Any input would be appreciated! (We can re-home one or two roos, but not five or six.)

Number 1 and 2 have been screaming cockerels since they were four days old. Number 4 is my pullet ; number 5 I think could be as well. I'm on the fence about number 3 and 6. What would you say ?

Numéro 1. I bump chest, have big feet, never do what mum says and hang out with n°2 all the time : 90% boy.

Number 2 : big feet, big comb, always on his own or with n°1. 100% cockerel.

Number 3 : ratty tail and shredded feather but big comb and big in size. 60%male.

Number 4 : tiny, delicate, no comb, always with mum. 90% pullet.

Number 5 : small in size, but big feet and comb. 55%male.

Number 6 : big chick, smaller feet, attitude. 60% cockerel!

And a bonus question. This is the daddy of four of the chicks, he belongs to an elderly neighbour. What kind of rooster do you think it is ?

Thank you everyone, and wishing you all a pleasant Wednesday.

 

[ValarieF]

You need to get those snap traps, if you are using any traps you will need to put them in places they run, which is generally along a wall.

I found that if I placed a piece of plywood leaned against the wall like a safe tunnel, leave it a week for them to get used to. Then put the trap there, not armed, so they can all crawl all over it. After a couple weeks arm it and leave it for a few hrs. I arm the trap when I put the chooks to bed, then when I feed evening feed to horses I check the trap, usually have something in it. Rearm it for over night. Check in the morning.

But it takes planning and patience to use the traps - any traps.

Don’t use poison if the mice and rats are running with the chickens- the chickens may eat a poisoned pest.

this is in my house we have sticky traps that work great.

 

[Ponypoor]

Control of Pests

Flies - these pests will lay eggs anywhere it’s warm dark and wet, which is why your pets bums are so lovely for them, any poop needs to be cleaned off whenever there is poop there.

If it needs to be cleaned off 2 or 3 times a day do it. You do not want maggots on you pets (chickens, dogs, cats, sheep, horses are all prone to this).

Keep all housing areas cleaned of poop and wet areas is you best bet to keep flies away.

Mosquitoes & and other biting pests- I have not found any info on West Nile affecting chickens, even though I know wild birds around here are regularly infected and die. As for ticks from previous chats on here I have not heard of chickens being affected by ticks.

I have checked my chooks but have not seen ticks on them, I think they are large enough the chickens can remove them, so maybe just check heads and chins where the birds can’t reach.

Mosquito/fly screens can be placed in all windows and doorways in the coop to prevent flies & mosquitoes from entering.

Mites/lice/internal parasites - easiest way to treat all these is with ivermectin or an anthalmentic for various internal parasites.

I have used Revolution kitten/puppy strength to treat lice and internal parasites, and treated my flock with Ivermectin for internal parasites.

It’s hard to prevent internal parasites when your chooks are running around eating bugs and slugs and worms. Doing a flock fecal test yearly can be a good choice to check for their presence.

Lice and mites are a bit harder to detect early, easy way to prevent is keep roost areas clean, and remove bedding in nest boxes monthly.

Rats & mice - I have found poison the most effective for getting rid of these critters; unfortunately we can’t use poison if there is a risk of affected critters getting in where the chooks can kill and eat them.

Snap and zap traps, can be affective but they only kill one beast at a time, so you will need many traps set, and these also need to be placed were the chooks and esp chicks cannot get into them. I put mine out in the barn at night when the chooks are locked safely for the night.

For these little beasts the best way to control them is through prevention. Coops need to be cleaned of food daily. Do not leave feed and grain out overnight. Store grains & feed in steel containers away from where the chooks are kept. Also remove water sources. Close up any holes where they can get in. Remove hiding places like garbage and junk; this is also especially important outside the coop area, also keep the grass and weeds trimmed short to prevent sheltered paths for pests to use for travel.

I really like By Bobs suggestion for treating with CO2 - and might try this with my mouse problem in the barn in tunnels.

I have a serious rat / mouse problem and I really have no way to get rid of the monsters - I have a loft full of hay were they hide - very frustrating. I am thinking of using one of those bucket traps someone posted on here. Can’t use poison these days due to my chooks.

Well that is my advice for these common pests- most I have had experience with for years (bugs, mice/rats), I personally have not had any issues with fly maggots (fly strike) but as a teen working as a Veterinarian clinic we dealt with cats dogs sheep etc that had long hair always matted and always full of poop where maggots were happily thriving. Shaving the hair and removing the maggots was the way to treat them.

The take home message is to keep coops cleaned of poop and wet areas, put in screens and hardware cloth, remove hiding areas, and keep feed cleaned up at the end of the day, put feeders away where pests can’t get at it, and remove water. Make the location inhospitable to all pests:

I would appreciate if anyone else has any info on controlling these pests or experienced a problem to add to this.

 

[featherhead007]

Hen-Rietta is still with us. It’s storming and lightning here, but she is warm and comfortable inside with me. She is probably not going to make it through the morning. But if by some miracle she eats something, there’s a chance.