Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[playsndirt]

Congratulations!

I know how that feels. Such a good feeling knowing all your hard work is finally paying off. Have fun.

 

[NovaAman]

Four days to hatching. I'm surprised that the excitement bug is biting me now. Speaking of bugs..... Both brooding hens have little, tiny black mite looking creatures crawling on them. hard to tell how many cause we don't want to put the birds off the nest. Marty, at the local feed store, says D.E. will do the trick. not to use toxins as they are apt to injure the anticipated chicks. What do you knowledgeable BYChickeners do/ and how when confronted with this dilemma? I have,as a matter of course, applied the D.E. I use in the garden to the inside of the hen house. He said use the food grade, so I will.

Also it occurs to me that the chicks will most likely want to eat after hatching, if they hatch. What do they get fed and how does one do that? I plan to keep them in the hen house 4 x 8 ft., one clutch; and brooder cage 3 x 6 ft. the other clutch. Both are in the 6 x 30 ft secure run. Should be safe to de louse/mite the cages shortly after hatching, right?

I have been reading about this stuff but do not seem to find the answers to these questions in my own mind, and I would feel better if i could.

C O N G R A T S ! ! !


Bob, DE, contrary to popular belief, will not treat an infestation of any parasite. It can be considered a preventative, but once they have mites, using it as a treatment will not work. If I were in your shoes, I would treat with Ivermectin Eprinex - why? It is applied topically and will be absorbed through the skin. The Eprinex version of Ivermectin is a specific formula (not all Ivermectins are forumulated the same). Eprinex will kill internal (worms) as well as external (mites, fleas) parasites. The problem will be that the chicks MAY get them as well. Since you have 4 days, I would get the Eprinex ASAP and treat ASAP. Mites/lice/fleas - whatever it is that they have, need to be able to bite their host to survive. They can live 2-3 days without doing so....thus, if you treat right away, those that are not on the bird will die within a few days, and the hatchlings will not be exposed to them.

The chicks will need chick starter, and it's fine for momma to eat that as well.

Well, I was about to give my "SAGE" advice. HAHA, but seems that I have been beaten to it. LOL.

I have said on numerous occasions how I do my broodies. There are people who do things different than I, and that is what makes this forum so awesome.

If you've already got the broodies in their hatching location, You could try and change the bedding as quickly as possible before the hatch, treat with Eprinex BEFORE returning her to her eggs. A good time to clean the nest quick would be when she is out on a trip to eat and relieve herself, snatch her up while she is out, and treat her.

As for food, I use a flock raiser once Mama leaves the nest/coop with her chicks during the day for all my birds. I have too many birds of differening ages to feed a layer mash and grower finisher. I just provide calcium supplements. This has worked good for them so far. While they are in the brooder with mom though, I do use chick starter. This only lasts about the first week. Then mom is so anxious to get out of doors than they go on the flock raiser instead since my broodies show them the way to the other feeders pretty fast.

Again, this is what works for me. I am not saying it's a perfect answer, but it is WHAT works for me.

 

[1muttsfan]

Bottled juice, as the pH is always the same and doesn't vary the way fresh juice can.

 

[Mish]

Have you tried adding crickets or meal worms ....

Okay, switching subjects back and forth from canning to chicken supplements isn't working for me.

I read a bunch of posts about adding lemon juice, adding vinegar, etc and then my brain was still thinking canning for the first part of this post.

 

[Juise]

One of my Uggos did that last month. She laid for a month then went broody. It took about 3 weeks to "break" her. She is good now and her belly feathers are back. I think your girl will be fine by the time winter gets here.

Awesome, thanks. She gave up sitting when I collected the eggs with nothing but a grumble, but I thought I had heard that they only grow in new feathers after molting, so I was worried about that bare belly and the snow.

Okay, switching subjects back and forth from canning to chicken supplements isn't working for me.

 

[1muttsfan]

I suppose since meal worms would be considered a low-acid food you would need to add lemon juice when canning them

 

[Mish]

I suppose since meal worms would be considered a low-acid food you would need to add lemon juice when canning them

What if you use a pressure cooker?

 

[RaZ]

I suppose since meal worms would be considered a low-acid food you would need to add lemon juice when canning them

I like 'em fresh and sauteed in olive oil.

I have the most recent Ball Blue Book guide to preserving and all of the tomato based recipes call for bottle lemon juice. They don't give a reason for why.

The last time I canned tomatoes was a couple of years ago and I used the recipe handed down from my Mom's Mom. I did add garlic and peppers to about half the batch and it didn't kill me. I think this year I'll can some more and check the pH of each jar and experiment some. With and without lemon juice.

I put up 16 pints of pickles recently and I'm not too impressed with the first jar. They are crispy enough but rather bland. I'm not sure if it was the book recipe or the quality of pickle cukes that I got.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Im so sorry to hear of my old friend passing away. She was so sweet and so beautiful and we shared so many memories growing up. I am so sad that life got in the way and that we fell out of touch, and that when I had the chance to reconnect that I didnt grab it and jump in. She had a horrible husband and she would only whisper on the phone, and she had become an alcoholic. He forbid her to go anywhere, so we couldnt grab a cup of coffee somewhere and talk. I had very little patience for when she would talk to me- she whispered, and my kids were loud, my husband loud, my house was always bustling and busy and well, I guess I was too impatient. I made the mistake of thinking there was always time. Time after the kids are grown, or after I dont have to work so much, too busy today to call- housework, homework, work, blahblahblah..theres always a reason to let friends and life slip by. Now, its too late for what I wish I had done. We always think theres plenty of time LATER- but sometimes, there is just not.

Her son was my sons age, and her daughter the same age as my youngest daughter. She was 43. When I heard of her in the hospital and so gravely ill, I promised myself that as soon as she could have visitors, I was going to go there. I was going to rekindle this friendship. Now I would make time. And we would catch up. That was last week.

And now its too late.

 

[Farmerboy16]

Mom2- So sorry to hear about your friend.