getting rid of mites naturally?

[casportpony]

Great pictures!

-Kathy

 

[chooks4life]

lol what sort of camera have you got? Black paper might show them up better than your fingertip but still they're nice sharp pics.

 

[Maat]

Great pictures!

-Kathy

Great? I would like that I dont have to picture them.

thx

lol what sort of camera have you got? Black paper might show them up better than your fingertip but still they're nice sharp pics.

Some old Sony camera, I have it for about 10 years.

 

[chooks4life]

I need to get me a real camera, not the mobile phone one I've got, lol... Overdue.

 

[athgus2802]

Hi i would also like to know how to add garlic to diet. Thanks in advance.

 

[chooks4life]

Hi i would also like to know how to add garlic to diet. Thanks in advance.

There's a few ways.

For best results, you'd go the extra mile (extra bit of effort daily) and crush or mince unpeeled or peeled raw garlic, average of a clove per bird per day, and just throw it into their scratch. If they're not used to it they may well be wary of it to start with. Mixing it with their feed gives them a taste of it, even if they avoid it to begin with, and soon enough they will medicate as necessary. Not all garlics are created equal, lol, so if one strain or source doesn't deliver try another. I also regularly give them things like raw onion, cayenne pepper, black pepper, etc to help control any adult worms they bring into the flock, and these spices are also great for general health, being anti-inflammatory etc. I don't scrimp much on them because our health depends in large part on the health of the animals and plants we eat.

I give them a handmade mix including coarse grains and soak it overnight for greater nutrient absorption and less food waste, as it results in better feed conversion, and the grains etc being wet allows the other additives like garlic, kelp, herbs, spices etc to bind to the grains and not be wasted. Fresh raw garlic gives better disease control and prevention than any other form of it.

For good but not the best results you could use pre-minced and dried garlic which you can buy by the kilo at produce stores, where it's used for horses etc. You can also buy it minced and undried in tubs of a kilo or more. When it's not eaten within a day of being minced the Allicin dissipates and that's one of the most powerful natural antibiotics in garlic. Still, there are many in there which survive drying etc, and the sulfur buildup over time is what tackles the parasite issue. The main thing about using raw garlic is that when fresh it's more antibiotic, antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial, etc.

I'd recommend also using pet/livestock grade Diatomaceous Earth or ash or hydrated agricultural lime in their cage floors and any areas they frequent for dustbathing, to kill adult lice and oocysts and hasten the control over parasite reproduction. If they are heavily infested, best to consider using something topical rather than waiting for the sulfur to build up in tissues (you can use it topically too) just in case any become overloaded in the meanwhile by the parasites.

Best wishes.

 

[athgus2802]

Thank you great info. Have now added garlic to all water dishes and will do so dly. My hens have access to to dirt baths that they have created all over my yard. Am trying to save up my ash to make a Wood ash bath. Thanks again.

 

[chooks4life]

You're very welcome. However I would suggest not adding it to their water permanently, or just making sure they also have plain water, as that's important for health. Raw garlic in water tends to make it fizzy pretty quickly and chooks often don't like that. It's an acquired taste. It will still help though.

Best wishes.

 

[tndalexander]

I have not done any of these suggestions about lice or mites because I have not ran into this yet. But a woman swears that if you use ash from a bon fire or fire place ash from any burned wood she said get a big bowl or bucket and at night when they roost and are easy to grab work the ash through their feathers and they will be pretty still all night with the ash working on the mites and lice

Has any one used this? does it work like she says?

 

[chooks4life]

Apparently mot people who've done it reckon ash dusting works, but some ashes are very caustic and can harm their eyes and lungs and even their skin. I've never done it, but I have put ash in their dustbathing spots and they've done it to themselves. I don't burn plastic or any chemicals in the fireplaces so that's another concern I don't have.

You can also give them diatomaceous earth in their dustbathing places too.

Best wishes.