Minnesota!

[AmericanKraut]

I have been told lots of good things about Thieve's Oil.  My SIL LOVES it.  Never thought to use it on the hens.  I am more likely to opt for natural remedies but I do realize that antibiotics do have their time and place.  I have also read up on using herbs and garlic for the hens.  I saved the info for future use if needed.

@Rhetts and @Minniechickmama my midwife sold Thieves and its a good one, too! It's the comparable one to doterra's OnGuard. Thieves is good stuff. Rhetts I also heard some people put dried peppermint and lavender in their coops and/or nest boxes. Peppermint repels insects and lavender is soothing. I might try that yet!

Minniechickmama I love that spray idea, I'm saving that!

 

[duluthralphie]

Where do you get dried peppermint and lavender, What is lavender? I just thought it was a color?


(this could be the one thing I learn today, so if it is,all others hold your educational thoughts until tomorrow...

 

[lalaland]

mint is easy to grown and really makes ice tea fabulous in the summer. it takes over pretty well so to me it isn't a garden plant but I planted it a couple of places in the yard and so always have some. ActuallyLavender is a plant....not so easy to grown in Minnesota as most varieties aren't winter hardy.

There is a co-op in St Cloud, Ralphie, that might be the closest to you. They will have that and other herbs in bulk, and you can get just as much as you want. Also online....

I pick yarrow, wormwood, mint, tansy and clover in the late summer and dry them. They munch on the clover but leave the others alone. I toss a couple of handfuls every now and then in the nest boxes in the winter. You can buy really pretty nest box blends with dried rose petals, caledula, etc but it is very pricey - maybe 12 bucks for a bowlful.

I did buy a forage blend for the chicken run - from peaceful gardens. It has clover, and I can't remember what else.....I'm going to block off an area and seed it, and not let them into it until it is going strong. Then I can block a different area off and seed that. About a mile down the road is a guy who lets his dogs run - has everyone in an uproar and lots of threats to shoot the **** dogs but so far no one has. Anyway, they come up here maybe once a week that I notice, so I keep the chickens locked up when I am not here. A couple of years ago the mother of his current dogs came and killed my entire flock except for one.

 

[duluthralphie]

Interesting..Lala..

Why are said dogs still alive? I am afraid they would just disappear around here.

"I pick yarrow, wormwood, mint, tansy and clover"


I know what 2 out of 4 are. I do not have wormwood here, my soil is way too sandy for it. My Grandpa use to have it growing wild all over his farm between Milaca, Princeton and Foley (Greenbush twp) to those that know the area. (Estes Brooks area)

I am hoping to get some clover established here, but again the dry sand is not great for it. I will have to check the store in St Cloud next time I am there.

 

[Chickenchick11]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/nest-box-aromatherapy

Here's a article that might interest you Ralpie.

 

[Rhetts]

For peppermint: I also heard that it repels rodents. I was told to soak cotton balls in peppermint oil and set them around the house, garage, basement etc perimeter and they will avoid those places all together. I have not actually tried it though. I love hearing about all these good things with herbs/plants and what others do with them. Great info!! And planting some in the runs for the birds: Great idea!! I think I might just do that. What are some plants that are for sure toxic for the chickens so I know not to plant those or use them on them?

On the poop boards Ralphie, I do not have any but I have read that folks just do a quick clean up in the morning like a kittie litter box. I hear it takes like a minute to scoop and drop it in a bucket and then they put it in the compost pile. Should cut down on the major coop cleaning by a lot in my opinion. But again this is only from what I read, I have not tried it but I do want to. I read if you put some linoleum or something like that on the board and then something called PDZ (I know absolutely NOTHING of this product) in the poop board is the easiest, cleanest method. IDK but think I will give it a whirl.
Also your wife should look at Bert's crowing as a good thing, not something interrupting her beauty sleep.

 

[FoxyChicken]

I have a poop board and I love it! I put a layer of Sweet PDZ on there and scoop it every morning when I let the girls out, it takes a minute at the most (although I only have 5 birds right now). Sweet PDZ is a horse stall freshener, it absorbs moisture and ammonia. I've had my coop up for a year and a half now and I've never done a full blown clean out. In the winter when they're in there all the time I'll pull some of the shavings out and add fresh, but it's only a couple times a season.




On another note, it's 35 and raining here and the girls still want to be outside. Now I have a bunch of wet hens! Oh well, it was their choice.

 

[nordicacres]

Thank you for all the lovely comments on our coop. My DH, the craftsman, built it so I cannot take any credit other than painting. We chose to use the poop board because I have a bad back. It is much easier for me to stand and scoop out a board then to stoop over and shovel or rake bedding. We currently have sand in ours, but I'm not loving the way it hardens into a crust and isn't easily siftable. I think I will slowly start to add PDZ until the sand is all gone. However, I'm a little worried about the chicks eating it. I have already noticed them picking around in the sand and eating bits of it . . .

 

[nordicacres]

Is Blackhead a problem here in MN? DH has agreed to getting a few turkey poults. We have no way to raise them separately and honestly no desire to do so.

 

[duluthralphie]

Is Blackhead a problem here in MN? DH has agreed to getting a few turkey poults. We have no way to raise them separately and honestly no desire to do so.

I have raised mine together with no problems, knocking on wood. I have no idea about your area, but from what I have read, heavier damper soil is a more likely place to find it. Also keeping your chickens wormed can help....But this is all hearsay.