MJ's little flock

[rjohns39]

Good evening folks

 

[Grammy60]

Good evening everyone

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Digging a hole to China!

Actually, in our case she is more likely to come out somewhere in the UK.

 

[LozzyR]

Actually, in our case she is more likely to come out somewhere in the UK.

I have wondered previously why that is an idiom here, when China isn’t on the other side of the globe from us!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Essential coop accessories

The obvious items are clean and rodent-proof feed and water dispensersand storage, and good roosts

Cable ties - I buy long ones in packs of 100 - perfect for mounting new perches etc

Something to sit on while waiting for the hens to roost

A soup ladle is handy for measuring feed and for adding water to make mash

Scissors for snipping the tail ends of the cable ties

A dust brush


What are your essential accessories and why do you consider them essential?

Essentials:

most of the things you've said MJ plus:

*A kitty litter scoop and bucket

*Rake (they like to scratch all the dirt and mulch in front of the run gate to make it hard for me to get in)

* measuring jug for adding feed to feeders

*grazing frames

* herb frames or plantings against the outside of the run

*dust bath under cover

*perches

*Trees and shrubs for shade (roots protected by wire or stone)

*old logs for perching and finding bugs under

* I also love my chicken observation stools in the run. I have 2 shaped like mushrooms!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Yes in part I think it does.
I wrote an article about dust bathing. I have a few other anecdotal observations of chicken dust bathing and those I know who live with their flocks in a free range setting report similar behavior. In short there are two types of dust bathing and I believe they serve different purposes in part at least.
Part of the science for why they do it is pretty well established and isn't much to do with parasites.
Read for yourself if you're interested.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/why-chickens-bath-in-dust-and-not-in-water.74441/

That's a very informative article Shad. Thank you for the link.

With regards to

"If you’ve tried to clean up spilt oil with water you’ll know it’s a pointless task. The same can be said for trying to wash a chicken in water.
You may remove some particular spots of faeces for example and the chicken will look cleaner judged by human standards of cleanliness, but not by the chickens.
People use soaps and detergents to wash chickens to overcome the problem of removing oil.
This isn’t good for the chicken"

What would be the best way to get poo off a chicken's bum? It pulls on their feathers and irritates their skin, and if left too long they can get fly strike.

 

[BY Bob]

Ohhhh, there are a few more to go yet.

I cant wait to see them!

 

[BY Bob]

Cleaning.
The blue part of the flame from a blow torch kills every known mite and bacteria that troubles chickens. It also kills the eggs.
I prefer not to use chemicals for cleaning. You do however need the right type of coop.
Bee keepers have been using blow torches to clean hives for years.

That is an excellent idea. I never thought of using a blow torch. I would never consider using a torch near straw, burning down the coop and all. If I'm cleaning it and there is no straw in it.........Hmmm. do you do the whole coop or just the roosts, etc?

 

[Shadrach]

That's a very informative article Shad. Thank you for the link.

With regards to

"If you’ve tried to clean up spilt oil with water you’ll know it’s a pointless task. The same can be said for trying to wash a chicken in water.
You may remove some particular spots of faeces for example and the chicken will look cleaner judged by human standards of cleanliness, but not by the chickens.
People use soaps and detergents to wash chickens to overcome the problem of removing oil.
This isn’t good for the chicken"

What would be the best way to get poo off a chicken's bum? It pulls on their feathers and irritates their skin, and if left too long they can get fly strike.

I use my bare hands.
Some of the lumps can set incredibly hard. I've had to resort to pliers to break a couple.
I break the lumps with my forefinger and thumb and then roll the feather back and forth to shake out the dust.

 

[Shadrach]

This is Moon (white) and Hurry.
Moon si the daughter of Mel and granddaughter of Ruffles.
Hurry is the daughter of Ruffles.

This Donk, daughter of Dink, granddaughter of Cheepy. Donk is a complete nutter and gives me more stress than any other hen here atm. She's almost impossible to catch during the day, hardly eats commercial feed and makes nests and lays eggs out of the coops. She's a pro tree climber and incredibly difficult to spot in the undergrowth.

This (L to R) Treacle, son of Cillin grandson of Otic, great grandson of Mini Minx.

Hurry, as above.
Fat Bird.
Tackle daughter of Fudge, granddaughter of Ruffles.
Cillin, son of Otic and grandson of Mini Minx.
Fudge Daughter of Ruffles is at the back.