Maine

[hoppy]

very cute Joanie!!, cochin baby?

 

[echosrevenge]

That sounds like a really good idea...it wouldn't be too hard for me to crawl into their coop at night with a puffball of dust and get everyone's butts and backs while they're on the roosts (the ONLY thing I like about a coop I can't stand up in...it's easy to reach the roosting birds!). Any concerns about inhaling permethrin if I dust them in the coop at night? I know it's basically chrysanthemum extract, but for the powdered form.....? It would take a long minute for all of them, but not nearly as long as setting up for baths, catching them, bathing them, and cleaning up the bathroom after they've dried overnight! I'm really nervous to get them wet in this weather too, my poor roosters have already lost a couple of points each off their combs from those wicked cold nights we had a few weeks ago (husband was really sick, and the wind tore *just enough* siding off the coop to let some snow in...fixed now, though, and they're healing, but getting them soaked wouldn't help at all...)

 

[CoopChick719]

Awwww! Congrats Joanie!

 

[CoopChick719]

Too cute - congrats! Do you keep Silkies specifically for their bloodiness?

Thanks Gallina Sarda! Not really for the broodiness. When I was researching what breeds I wanted (friendly, gentle) they were on my list. I got her from hoppy's hens at one of the swaps. She is a real sweetheart. Always talks to us when we come into the coop.

 

[littlechick1005]

Hello fellow Mainers!

 

[hoppy]

and she's really a sizzle not a silkie.

Thanks Gallina Sarda! Not really for the broodiness. When I was researching what breeds I wanted (friendly, gentle) they were on my list. I got her from hoppy's hens at one of the swaps. She is a real sweetheart. Always talks to us when we come into the coop.

 

[hoppy]

glad to see you here.

Hello fellow Mainers! Poland here!

 

[Keric]

That permethrin dust worked really well for us. We got a couple of 3 week old chicks and had them in a separate area and noticed that they seemed itchy. It was the first time we came across this and got the "ugh" effect. The dust worked fast and they cleared up in no time. Although we didn't have an infected coop.

 

[echosrevenge]

From what I've read, the lice only live on the chickens' bodies, so cleaning the coop is more just an it's-about-time-anyhow and eew-those-are-gross thing than an actual needs-to-be-done-or-they'll-be-back thing - honestly, I'd scrub it down even if I knew for a fact it did nothing at all, just to keep my scalp from crawling for an hour after I check for eggs. I'd rather be safe than sorry, though, so when I do the coop I'm going to be thorough, and I'll probably mix up a vinegar infusion with tea tree, rosemary, citronella, and a couple of other things to spray down the roosts and walls with and let it dry before I bed it back down with pine shaving instead of straw (read somewhere that straw/hay can be a nice habitat for other mites and things when not feeding on your birds, so no reason to stick with it especially when shavings are cheaper by the week). If nothing else, the coop will smell really nice and fresh for a couple of weeks!

 

[MustardTiger]

Echos, I wore a mask and put on gloves and long sleeves when I used permetherin. I dont think it is at all healthy to inhale or get on you. better safe than sorry. Just remember you will have to do it multiple times to get the entire life cycle of the lice.