Multiple issues? - need wise counsel - too much!

[sloanbychoice]

It is further down than probably where you looked.

I've found it fairly easy when dosing birds to have all my syringes ready (filled) when I go out there. Go out early while they are still on the roost. Take each bird in turn off the roost, put them under the arm like a football, grab the wattles with the hand of the arm they are under, pull down. Insert the syringe and give the medication, immediately let go of the wattles and let them swallow. If you have a fairly large dose say like over 1/2ml, then give a little at a time so they don't choke. Once the bird is dosed, put them on the ground and grab the next one.
Alternatively, set up a table and stand the bird on the table, put your arm over them and pull them to your body - you have that hand to control the head/grab the wattles.

If it seems like a lot to do in one morning - then you can "split up" your flock. Say...do all the Leghorns one morning, then the next grab the BR's, etc. just keep up with who and when so you get everyone and know when to retreat in 10 days.

No judgement here - in the photo, they have scratch(?) on the ground? Are they cleaning all that up? No food/scratch left over night where it may get moldy, rancid or attract critters?
I try to only give a little to help keep unwanted critters away - leftover seeds, etc. - mice and rats like that. I've trapped some myself, so now I limit how much I scatter and I take up feed containers at night and bring them in. So far, I haven't caught any more rodents since I started doing this.

I love this! Thanks!
And ya, it’s a lot at one time, but it’s exactly how I treated them for lice. They’re so groggy at 4:30am!! It was, by far, the easiest treatment method.

As for the scratch, they don’t get it that often. I keep their layer feed in the feeders, but throw scratch out on the ground. We recently made one of those chic-nic tables, but they still get it all over.
I actually have a garden tool, hard to describe, but it’s like a little hand tiller thing... I use it almost every day to till up a bit of ground in their run. I usually do it on the spot where I throw the scratch from earlier in the day.
I started noticing that the scratch is growing!! Weirdest thing! Must be some of those seeds in it getting set in the dirt.

We had a horrible problem with mice and the biggest voles I’ve ever seen.
We completely rebuilt both runs with an excessive amount of hardware cloth, and I don’t have near as much trouble now.
Especially from the voles. They won’t climb more than two inches off the ground, the dummies.

I appreciate your advice so much!!