Maine

[Clover Run]

I will be traveling to the Linneus/ Houlton area in a couple weeks on chicken business. If anyone in that area needs to be NPIP tested let me know - I can combine mileage so everyone saves.

 

[ashandvine]

Clover maybe you could convince Wife to a birdman to part with SS eggs

Noelle, in Lubec, is my go to for now. I have one other source that I know I can count on in NY but my cock was better than his stock... and pride cometh before the fall.


However... know how there's a saying about doors and windows? Well...
THE TURKEYS ARE LAYING... okay well only she is and I have never seen him do his job BUT its a start! Maybe something will finally work out here as I had hoped.

Joanie... thanks for your post about shavings and what not. I find that the dust is a lot of work and doesn't work as well as I would like. I wish I could feel more secure in putting it in the barn. This old house with hits barn has brick floors and 3/4 stone walls. I don't think I could every cover it well enough to get every nook and cranny but I might give it a go. I find the borax and lime work pretty much the same. I also learned that human lice bedding spray is nearly all permethrin so in a pinch I'll spray that in the nooks from now on. I am still so disappointed here.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

If you go to Lubec, remember she also has some nice Nubian goats.

 

[Gallina Sarda]

Oh yes, I did mean ground hog.  What else could a gopher be? 

You know Kinsey, nothing says that all doz would hatch

 

Just an FYI... Groundhogs and gophers are not the same. Gophers are not native to our area and are much smaller than groundhogs. Gophers do not hibernate like the groundhog either. Ground hogs also like to swim unlike the gopher.

 

[wife2abirdman]

Clover maybe you could convince Wife to a birdman to part with SS eggs

Sorry my SS are still pullets and I only have Cochins and a Marans roo right now.

 

[ashandvine]

If you go to Lubec, remember she also has some nice Nubian goats.

I am not bringing stud sperm home in any container for you - ever.

Sorry my SS are still pullets and I only have Cochins and a Marans roo right now.

That just means they fit in a box easier

So about this gopher vs ground hog. I never knew. Now I have to go googling. I am sure the premise of urinating in their territory works on both.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I am not bringing stud sperm home in any container for you - ever.

And I thought you liked me.

At least you knew where I was going with it.

How about putting a goat in your car?

 

[CoopChick719]

I was and still am. We don't know why, but some people just don't understand the time and care I give my birds, and I think the bare minimum food and water was put in the coop. I know chickens aren't supposed to be pets, but darn it, mine are. Even my 2 Roos run up to me when they hear me and eat out of my hand. Still trying to get the hubby to see my point of view....
My hubby says that all of the time. "It was just a chicken. You have how many more out there?" He's starting to be more interested in MY flock. My kids love getting the eggs.

I know that sometimes my family thinks I spend too much time in the coop. It's the first thing I do in the morning and one of the last things I do in the evening. Honestly, I learn a lot just by watching my flock and yes, mine are pets just like my dogs & cat. I got them for eggs & the experience of keeping them. I never realized how much personality they have until my sister got them. My roo is the first to greet me when I come in the coop. If I go into the pen, he comes running right over to me. He's always looking for a treat!

He'll eat a few mealworms out of my hand then bill some out to the floor for the hens & chicks to eat. He's a very good boy!

My hubby doesn't like to admit it but he likes the chickens as much as I do. He is a big softie for animals! I had one hen who was sneezing so I brought her into the garage for treatment. Hubby was on a snowmobile trip for the week. Each night when he called, he asked how she was feeling. I even caught him showing the coop to one of his friends when I went out to feed everyone. They said, "Oh we already did that but they need water."

It was just a run of the mill garden poultry dust it's main ingredient is Perethrin?! My husband got it at TSC I think. It was only $7(no garuntee my husband does not do well on relaying info and never keeps receipts). I thought I had read somewhere to put it in the nest box so I did. But my husband later said I shouldn't have done that. I don't know but it worked, although just to be safe I threw out the eggs for that time being. I don't know why it wouldn't be safe for in the nest box if it's safe to use on tomatoes??!! But I powdered everywhere the walls the floor the nest boxes the roosts. I was not about to have two battles going with lice. One was quite enough. Actually where I had powdered the walls and nest boxes it stayed for quite awhile, not sure if that helped or not. I think just to be on the safe side when everything melts I will put another round in their outdoor pen just in case any of those little buggers survived!

Hence the reason to NOT use hay in coops.

Shavings, poultry dust- forget DE- poultry dust floors before putting in new shavings and mix poultry dust in the nest box shavings

Adams Flea & Tick Spray if you think a bird is starting to look peaked and you need a quick fix.

Bathe with Adams Flea & tick Shampoo if you have the time to use a hairdryer. It will kill all the mites on the birds at ONCE., but remeber there are still mite eggs waiting to hatch somewhere in your coop.

Ivermectin works but you have to be careful not to overdose.

This is the time of year when mites make a comeback.

Thank you for the good info, joanie! No more hay for me!!

Ash, I am sorry for your loss, that's quite a blow.
I haven't lost any, and they dont seem to be having any side effects. I treat them and check and think I got them and the next thing I know the kids or myself pick somebody up and theres the bugs! It's very frustrating! Just to be clear, these are not Lice, and the feather mites went with one dusting and havent been back, it is the Northern Fowl Mites I cant get rid of. I even looked at them under a microscope to ID them.
RE the headlice... we did that dance a couple years ago. The lice have become resistant to the medications. After 2 rounds of the over the counter stuff, we went to the doctor and got a prescription, whick still did not work. It wasnt from reinfestation, there were living lice after the treatments while I was still combing them out. Then I went to the health foos store and found Neem Oil. It is AWESOME. It kills them fast! It is safe, non toxic, you can eat it in fact! It is very thick you have to warm it up a little to be able to use the dropper with it or pour it. I used it directly on our heads for the first treatment, mixed with a little olive oil. You have to get the nits with a comb or your fingers, but combing is much easier with the oil than after the chemical shampoo's. After that you just add a few drops to your shampoo and use it like normal. You will never see lice again because it kills and no bugs will get near you with that stuff on. It even kept the blackflies at bay. Usually they are in my hair and biting my scalp and the back if my neck even after I have come inside, but not that spring! And I do it in the spring now just to keep away the blackflies. It is awesome stuff! It does have a strong odor, like musky garlic, but it is not real noticeable in the shampoo. Totally worth it. Try it, trust me!
I used hay in the solarium this year, and it is the first time I have ever had the mites...back to the bark mulch for sure!
Edited b/c of mobile issues, as usual...

Good info on the NEEM oil especially with blackfly season around the corner!! They really bother one of my dogs so much that he will run & hide in the house while the others are outside. I tried Skin So Soft on him...it worked okay...not great.

 

[chickinpecker]

Quick question and a comment...not necessarily in that order. First off, I am a male and will stand up and say I my chickens are pets as well. Although I may not cry at their death, I do feel horrible and do get very sad. I also spoil my birds rotten and the thought of butchering them turns my stomach. Doubtful I will ever get to that point. It should be noted that I am an AVID hunter, and a definate man's man. Though no one has said it, chicken keeping and caring can be a man's task too!!
Now, my question. I believe I have at least one egg eating hen in my flock. I think I have narrowed it down to which one or two. Anyone have any suggestions??

 

[Gallina Sarda]

I am not bringing stud sperm home in any container for you - ever.
That just means they fit in a box easier  

So about this gopher vs ground hog.  I never knew.  Now I have to go googling.  I am sure the premise of urinating in their territory works on both.

not sure, never tried peeing down either one's hole. What happened to share the earth? Gophers and ground hogs gotta eat too ya know. It appears that what is good for the goose and or fox is not good for gopher and or groundhog .
Btw, very sorry to hear about your roo- hope it doesn't spread to any more of your flock. DE is supposed to be an efficacious killer of any soft bodied mite/louse. Do you think it was a matter of numbers insofar as being an insurmountable infestation? Best of luck keeping it in check.