Lime & Sulfur.

[Black Jaque]

Where do you get sulfur from? And what did you buy it for? As a treatment for lice?

I've heard that straight sulfur is pretty reactive and if the coop has electricity I'd hesitate spreading it in the coop. It catches fire easily.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

They sell it at my local feed store it is like $2.00 Aus for 1Kg. I bought it to put in the nest boxes to prevent lice and mites as the lice powder they sell at my feed store is like $18 for about half a Kg worth of powder and all it has in it is Sulfur and something else in ( i will get the name in a sec ). I don't have any electricity in my coop.

 

[Compost Queen]

They sell it at my local feed store it is like $2.00 Aus for 1Kg. I bought it to put in the nest boxes to prevent lice and mites as the lice powder they sell at my feed store is like $18 for about half a Kg worth of powder and all it has in it is Sulfur and something else in ( i will get the name in a sec ). I don't have any electricity in my coop.

Suphur is great used internally to prevent worms in chooks, also against other blood sucking parasites. When you add the garlic to a chooks mash, garlic is a powerhouse of beneficial phytochemicals, and also is high in sulphur. We feed our sheep with free choice individual minerals and after the seaweed the sulphur is most frequently grazed upon. You can use sulphur internaly for chooks, ( a good pinch per chook) usually in combinatetion with worming and tonic herbs. I don't really see an external use in coop, nor have I ever heard of one.

Lime comes in a few forms. Garden lime, Calcium carbonate, very alkaline, will dry out hands, suggest gloves. Hydrated or builders lime ( Calcium hydroxide) is very caustic, take care, and would suggest wearing both gloves and eyewear. Can use to whitewash or paint chook perches for disinfecting- wait until it's dry before chooks go to bed! These are the only 2 forms I would use. If you have magnesium deficient soil on your block then you could consider using dolomite, but be aware it's not as disinfecting (aka alkaline).

Lime is quite okay in nest boxes, consider also a use for woodash if you've got a fireplace (ash also good in dustbaths). Much cheaper then DE.

Lime will also make the nitrogen in chook poo volatise. As I value the chook poo as a terrific fertiliser, I want to keep my nitrogen investment and so I have an integrated system. I use a deep mulch system in their yard, consisting of autumn leaves (oak good if you can get them), woody mulch, and chaffed straw. I replace it about once every month or two. This way I have a good carbon/ nitrogen ratio and it can be used as mulch or composted down. I scrape yard clean and give it a good lime (Calcium carbonate) dusting while the chooks are out free ranging. Two days before I give them a good worming, and they crap out all their worms into the mulch then next 24 hours. then mulch is removed.

Under perch I put a good amount of straw, or other carbonaceous material, along with some biochar, and top up straw once a week or so, ( to mix and layer C/N) then remove it all every 2- 3 months. (hot composted then into the vegies).

Perches, walls, woodwork etc I do with hydrated or builders lime. Lice more active in winter and don't suck blood. Mites do suck blood and are more prevalent in warmer months. as follows:

White wash

Will help repress mite populations that live in wood and emerge at night to suck chicken blood. Apply in Spring. Wear gloves and glasses if in confined coop space.

• 6-8 cups hydrated lime
• 2 cups salt
• 3.5L of water

Combine with whisk or paint stirrer on a drill. Thickens better after 1 or two hours. Apply with paint brush or roller. Should be about pancake batter.. Repeat in two weeks.