I'm SUCH a bad chicken momma!!!!!

[peeps7]

Chickens do care about us and I think sometimes they know that were just a little busy, but they know that we'll show up sooner or later. Like you said, my chickens all pile up at the gate when they see me coming in the morning with their oatmeal and dogfood. (all day too). Anyways I like to make people feel good cause it makes me feel good too.

 

[Flufnstuffs~FluffySilkies]

No - we all have to deal with it. none of mine had any bugs for several years but once they got them I now have to keep up on it just like everyone else.
I don't have the little black ones that look like pepper flakes but I do have the other kind that I keep at bay With a combination of DE in the yard around the coops as well as seven dust and I put poultry dust on the birds and a bit in the fresh wood shavings everytime I clean the coops.

IN THE OLD DAYS - we used to take the ashes from the stoves in the house and put them in a pile on either end of the property and all the birds would go take dust baths in it. I remember even seeing little wild birds playing in it.

 

[hcammack]

Hey would that still work? I will clean my fire place then and save the ashes.

 

[Flufnstuffs~FluffySilkies]

Yes - As long as you are not using any man made logs or use chemicals to start your fires.
REAL WOOD ash
And a word to the wise
"Yes you have to tell the kids to stay out of it. And the dog if its anything like mine."

 

[seminolewind]

Coty Jo, mine wait at the fence, too, for their oatmeal-applesauce! Karen

 

[aran]

I would rather use the ashes if it really works. As a doc I am concerned about the potential risks of DE to not only my own lungs but also those of the birds...i just cant imagine inhaling or ingesting tiny sharp shards of anything being harmless to the chickens. JMHO but if the ashes would work then I will also give it a try. I have maple,ash,apple firewood that I burn and have plenty of ashes I can put out there. I just light the fires with newspaper so that should be ok. I have checked the birds occasionally and never found any mites but maybe im not looking properly. Do they show any symptoms when they have the mites southern? Do they scratch or sumptin?

 

[aran]

I wonder if I could make a dust bath of sevin mixed with ashes and spread it around inside the coop or would i be better off to make a big pile of it in the coop and let them roll around in it as they see fit?

 

[silkiechicken]

Unless you have a real bad infestation, they won't look any different. Look for bugs by quickly brushing their feathers upwards and checking the skin and feather shafts. Do this on the neck, on the mid of their backs, near their tails, on the bottom side of their tails (vent area), on their legs, on their chest area, and in their bum fluff. Do this once or twice per area per bird and if you don't see anything, you're good.

 

[aran]

Sorry to be asking qs in your post southern. By the way I need to get onto ordering some of your soap for my missus for xmas.

 

[aran]

how did you notice them southern? Do I really need to inspect every bird in the flock or just a random sample of the birds?