How Many Eggs Did You Get Today?

[shortgrass]

I actually tried that first!  A few months ago I butchered an older hen that had moved herself into that coop with the cockerel & pullet.  The old girl had lice, but I couldn't catch the other 2 birds without crawling into the pen on my belly throw the dirt.  I remembered reading about how wood ash kills lice & mites.  So I gathered a bunch of downed limbs and trees from our woods and burned it all, waited a couple of days to make sure it was out & not hot.  Then I shoveled it into the coop.  I did that twice.  I never did see either bird dust bathe in the ashes or the dirt.  I burned another fire pit full of wood and once it had cooled I put it into  a large diameter bowl ( think oil collection bowl).  I still never saw them in the ashes at all.  So I decided to throw food pellets in on top of the ashes so they would HAVE TO get in the ashes.  That worked a little, but I still never saw them actually bathe in it.  At that time I really did not know for sure that they had lice, I just figured it was almost guaranteed since the older bird in with them did.
It wasn't until we had very cold temps combined with high winds that blew the wind barrier ( tarp) off part of the enclosure at night & allowed the cockerel to get frost bitten really badly, that I found out for sure that they had lice.  Yes, I ended up crawling on my belly and squeezing through a small opening ( could barely get my shoulders through) to get inside the enclosure so that I could catch them.  Since they both had lice & none of the other birds/coops do, I had to move them somewhere where they wouldn't "share".  Unfortunately, that ended up being a very large (75 gallon) aquarium in the spare bedroom.  They have been there for over a month now. 

Yikes you've been through ALOT with those buggers!

Thought I'd add a link for using Neem oil for insecticide, since the wood ash and heat didn't work... Been used for centuries for just this problem, among others; head lice. Any soft bodies insect will be affected by the Neem, and not only repelled, but the Neem also stops their ability to reproduce

http://www.discoverneem.com/home-remedy-for-head-lice.html

There are basically 3 kinds of Neem; oil, powder, and extract. We need the " cold pressed" version, Neem oil.

This is the one we have always used, but there are other brands. We like this one because its cold pressed. Watch out for "clarified hydrophobic extracts", as they have had the active pesticide, Azadirachtin, removed, and we need that Azadirachtin to get the stinkers

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0012...8-12&pi=AC_SX118_SY170_QL70&keywords=neem+oil

Because they're in your home, you may want to move them outside for the day if you decide to try it, because its a wee bit stinky lol, like spicy garlicy sunflowers lol

 

[umarson]

34/43 and 12/18 weather is getting hot here in kano. Temp 30-35 on the range.

 

[umarson]

This thread is too long. Can't get to previouse posts easily.

 

[marine43]

So today Our new flock of barred rocks arrive. Went into older hens coop to feed and de poop. They haven't layed eggs since around June. Molting etc... TODAY I found a nice big egg in the nest box, haha

must be getting a little nervous ; )

 

[Daethen]

7/14 this morning. Will see what the afternoon brings. They do not like all the snow.

 

[TJordan]

Only 11am and already got 5/16/17. Lots of rain and they are still shook from the move but here's hoping I get a good haul today.

 

[BY Bob]

2 for 3 today. Still nothing from Lilly.

 

[hje007]

5/7 today. That makes me happy.

 

[MeeMa Brown]

Doesn't DE Powder help...i put it in a knee high toe and tap it on under wings etc.to rid mites.
Got three egg of 9 hens

 

[Daethen]

Ended up 11/14 with one broke in the nest box. Hoping it was an accident as it wasn't a soft shell.