Minnesota!

[ejb3810]

Ralphie, One thing is for certain. Guineas do whatever they do on their own terms. I don't believe that anyone is going to train them to do anything they don't choose to do of their own free will.

 

[lalaland]

There are natural wormers available. Some people do a mixture of cayenne and raw pumpkin seeds. I add cayenne to my feed all winter, and the table scraps around here are pretty spicy all year round. In the fall, I cut a lot of pumpkins I've grown for the chickens in half, they devour them. I use these as preventatives, though. For a suspected infestation, where you don't want to go the chemical route, there are wormers specifically for poultry using effective concentrations of herbs. At least on that front, that's what I've heard from others - I haven't had a worm issue yet to test them on. The name of the more popular one eludes me, though.

Lalaland - do you know what I'm referring to? and have you ever used it? Vet-something.

I have no problem using conventional medicine for the family or pets or livestock when necessary, but I do try the natural route first in most instances. Using common sense, of course.

There is a camphor based thing called vet-r-x but I don't think it is a wormer - good for scaly leg mites and respiratory things in chickens.

I've used an herbal chicken wormer - molly's herbal wormer - it is a 2 part thing. You add the wormer to the feed and then a weekly dose of a maintenance/booster set of herbs to the feed. I had heard good things about it, and its about time to do it again. its all herbs. http://fiascofarm.com/herbs/wormer.htm

getting the link, I just read you aren't supposed to quit using it in the winter! oops

 

[lalaland]

about those cream legbar hens - mine came from tripell too - and she lays a teeny tiny blue egg, maybe 1 or 2 x a week. I've never looked into it to see if that is normal or not....I'm sure if you were breeding them you could select for egg laying.

Ralphie, are you sure your cream legbar rooster is virile? You might want to actually open an egg and check...there are pics to show what you are looking for on byc. how old is he?

 

[lalaland]

sorry, had another thought. I wanted to complain about chickens.

came home and the little buggers had flown over the run and gotten into my gardens, ripping up the tulips that were just poking through, and rooting out the peonies. blast the little rats. I'm trying to tell myself to be grateful that they are safe after free ranging all day. I'm gonna have to do some fencing this weekend. As if there isn't already a giant chore list, you know, its spring! (saying that even though there seems to be sleet pelleting against the windows).

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Ralphie pumpkins and cucumbers contain a chemical that temporarily can paralyze worms apparently making them easier to slough out of the digestive tract. I believe that's their mechanism. Garlic, nasturtium, and cayenne are also touted.

I may look at some of those natural remedies (ready prepared) down the road. Check their price, how I need to use them to see if it works for us.

Neosporin applied locally to an open wound until healed is a good way to get that foot healed. Applying locally doesn't bug me as much as systemic approaches.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

All this guinea talk.... Lol......SCREEEEECH!!!

I've said it before I'll say it again. Chickens only at this chicken ranch.

Iowa getting hit now in their chicken barns with A I. Makes me sad. We need to rethink these big operations but I don't know how else to keep prices dirt cheap.

Talking with my Dad and Uncle who both raised pasture beef cattle in SE Mn. Dad said, " I sure wanted top dollar and 'didn't get enough' when I took cattle to the sales barn. And now when I go to buy a steak I sure don't want to pay for that beef." Lol. At least he recognizes the double standard, but think people are looking for farm fresh egg signs in their neighborhoods and there's a tide turning with our food a bit.

 

[Cearbhael]

I have a question for you folks. I have been getting these strange ideas in my head...not really so unusual for me! So, if you have white legs, white beaks, you end up with white skin. Yellow legs and beaks, you have yellow skin. I discovered there are two black breeds that have black feet, black beaks, black combs, black skin, black meat and black bones. (Just can't picture a black breast of chicken on my plate). So, what about the chickens with green legs or blue legs? Do they have green and blue skin? Is that why those white legged chickens put on white sheets and terrorize them? Someone needs to take those pullets in hand and teach them equality and tolerance!

 

[Dandelioness]

There is a camphor based thing called vet-r-x but I don't think it is a wormer - good for scaly leg mites and respiratory things in chickens.

I've used an herbal chicken wormer - molly's herbal wormer - it is a 2 part thing.  You add the wormer to the feed and then a weekly dose of a   maintenance/booster set of herbs to the feed.  I had heard good things about it, and its about time to do it again.  its all herbs.  http://fiascofarm.com/herbs/wormer.htm

getting the link, I just read you aren't supposed to quit using it in the winter!  oops 

You're right, Molly's is the one I was thinking of - I like that she has an educational aspect to the page so you can make informed decisions about when and whom to worm. I don't know why I was thinking VetRx.

Do you think, if you're feeding cayenne and occasional garlic/ACV water and seasonal raw pumpkin & cukes, that you'd need to use the maintenance formula? I suppose it will vary by the parasite load present in the ground.

In any case, I'm glad to hear you've used it with success!

I've found that deer netting set up floppy around the garden and around spring beds until things get tougher is helpful. I can do it myself without bothering DH, and you don't notice it because it's so fine. But the chickens cannot stand getting their toes caught in the netting and find easier pickings somewhere else.

We are landscaping around our foundation and will be employing this method around the house & newly seeded lawn areas this spring as well.

But it is one more thing, isn't it?

I refuse to discuss the ice pellets.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Ralphie it might save you some heartaches to upgrade the incubator.

Here's what you need:
https://www.google.com/search?q=bri...agon-20-eco-with-auto-crade-772-p.asp;600;600

 

[duluthralphie]

Trying to remember it all..

Lala he is fertile, I had a nearly developed chick in one egg and a starter in the other. I will break these tomorrow night, I know they will have nearly or fully developed chicks.

I have ordered 4 more thermometers, so I can have two in each incubator. I am also going to get the fan kit for the hatcher. I have found the variation in temperature unacceptable. (variation within different areas in the incubator)

I am not going to do much more for Bert, except make him comfortable. My DW and I have decided it is nearly the end for him, he started breathing hard and sounds like he has pneumonia. Tonight his whole body is "shaking" for lack of a better turn. We are hoping for a miracle, but are realistic too. The sad part is his foot looked better tonight. The swelling was down a tad and the redness was gone, but then his comb was not the bright red it normally is either. I will miss him, I tired CX's are just hard to keep alive for a long time. He was a cool bird.

Guineas are Guineas, that is all you can say about them, they are entertaining , aggressive and eat ticks...

BogtownChick, maybe you should try a Guinea Creamette hybrid.

My chickens ate so much pumpkin last fall they will be wormless for years. I am actually planting pumpkins for them this spring. If I plant enough my grandkids will ge jack-o-laterns, if the shed door stays closed. I have Cayenne pepper, I got 20 pounds from Amazon for the birds. I am not adverse to using drugs if need be in the CL's as I have no intention of eating them or their eggs. The others I want to keep it out of because they are food and pets at the same time.

Caerbhael Chickens are not democratic, do not believe in equal rights, or justice. If you pass out and fall down cutting your arm so it bleeds on the way down in the chicken pen they will eat you in a matter of minutes. Leaving bones, unless they can get the marrow out of them, in which case you would simply disappear. They are all mini-T-rex's.