Nevadans?

[eggxelent]

I just had to share this, I took this video today of the chickens dust bathing. Boy did they enjoy themselves.

What breed are the hens? Porcelain D'uccles?

 

[sherylreno]

Candy - Yeah, I think the girls are doing just fine! Mortadella wasn't happy at all last night when it came to roost time though, I think she's a bit jealous, so to speak. She wouldn't let the girls roost and she was as close to Alberto as she could get. One finger peck from me and all was fine though.

eggxelent - They're White and Blue Wheaton Am's. I picked them up from Candy for my breeding project I'm doing.

 

[chick-o-stick]

Worming and pest question for all you Northern Nevadans! I have found it very challenging to find information on the internet, so I turn to this reliable group. As you all know, I am new to this. I want to know more about worming my chickens, mites, and other coop/run/bedding pests. We have a unique combination of climate and landscape here and I have found that many things do not apply to us because of it. At least that is what I have discovered with other pets.

Another question, Does anyone combine their chickens and their garden? To be more specific........we live in the desert, has anyone utilized their chickens to help turn the desertclay and sand into fertile garden soil?

 

[sherylreno]

Worming and pest question for all you Northern Nevadans! I have found it very challenging to find information on the internet, so I turn to this reliable group. As you all know, I am new to this. I want to know more about worming my chickens, mites, and other coop/run/bedding pests. We have a unique combination of climate and landscape here and I have found that many things do not apply to us because of it. At least that is what I have discovered with other pets.

Another question, Does anyone combine their chickens and their garden? To be more specific........we live in the desert, has anyone utilized their chickens to help turn the desertclay and sand into fertile garden soil?

Good questions. I have a de-worming program I've been using now for 3 years because of our climate. Because we are not a wet climate we do not have the same issues as other people. I'm on a once a year method, I de-worm my flock once it starts to warm up and the moisture level is still a bit high. I switch the medication so the parasites do not become resistant to any of it. Last year I used Ivermectin from Walmart. This year I used Valbazen (albendazole) from Jeffer's livestock. Ivermectin works on blood sucking parasites but I've noticed over the years it does not work on lice. I use Sevin dust for lice and it works great and the lice cannot become resistant to it.

You'll notice once the temps rises the parasites leave. My coop will get above 120 degrees in the Summer and nothing can live in that heat. I have a thermometer in my coop I can read in the house. I place a hose on the coop's roof after several hours to cool it and open the doors so the temperature gets back down for the birds. This really works for me.

My chickens forage in my garden area when the plants are dying and I'm done harvesting what I want to put away for the Winter and let the chickens have the rest. The chickens forage the garden until I plant again once the weather warms up just enough to pant my lettuce, chard, radishes, and carrots. Then they are secured in their area. I always give them garden matter all Season long everyday, such as weeds, plant thinnings, and plant cleanings. I also have a bowl on my kitchen counter for all vegetable matter for them and they know when I bring it out even before I can see them. There they are standing and cackling.

I also compost all my non-meat matter. I'm using the 3 bin method. I place all the coop material in it as well. I stir it up once a week and water it lightly. The dirt forms about once a month for me and I use the dirt for all of my gardening and potted plants. Clay, sand, and water will make cement and not all areas have earthworms. It's best to find dirt with earthworms in it place them in your garden area once you are using your own dirt, the earthworms will stay there since they can't live outside of your garden in our climate.

That's how I'm able to live here.

Here's pictures I took this morning of my garden so far:


Onions


Strawberries


Carrots and some Lettuce


More Lettuce and Beets


Swiss Chard


Sunflower plants for chickens


Potatoes


Grapes


Garden shot


Chives


Parsley


Oregano

 

[chickee]

Good questions. I have a de-worming program I've been using now for 3 years because of our climate. Because we are not a wet climate we do not have the same issues as other people. I'm on a once a year method, I de-worm my flock once it starts to warm up and the moisture level is still a bit high. I switch the medication so the parasites do not become resistant to any of it. Last year I used Ivermectin from Walmart. This year I used Valbazen (albendazole) from Jeffer's livestock. Ivermectin works on blood sucking parasites but I've noticed over the years it does not work on lice. I use Sevin dust for lice and it works great and the lice cannot become resistant to it.

You'll notice once the temps rises the parasites leave. My coop will get above 120 degrees in the Summer and nothing can live in that heat. I have a thermometer in my coop I can read in the house. I place a hose on the coop's roof after several hours to cool it and open the doors so the temperature gets back down for the birds. This really works for me.

My chickens forage in my garden area when the plants are dying and I'm done harvesting what I want to put away for the Winter and let the chickens have the rest. The chickens forage the garden until I plant again once the weather warms up just enough to pant my lettuce, chard, radishes, and carrots. Then they are secured in their area. I always give them garden matter all Season long everyday, such as weeds, plant thinnings, and plant cleanings. I also have a bowl on my kitchen counter for all vegetable matter for them and they know when I bring it out even before I can see them. There they are standing and cackling.

I also compost all my non-meat matter. I'm using the 3 bin method. I place all the coop material in it as well. I stir it up once a week and water it lightly. The dirt forms about once a month for me and I use the dirt for all of my gardening and potted plants. Clay, sand, and water will make cement and not all areas have earthworms. It's best to find dirt with earthworms in it place them in your garden area once you are using your own dirt, the earthworms will stay there since they can't live outside of your garden in our climate.

That's how I'm able to live here.

Here's pictures I took this morning of my garden so far:


Onions


Strawberries


Carrots and some Lettuce


More Lettuce and Beets


Swiss Chard


Sunflower plants for chickens


Potatoes


Grapes


Garden shot


Chives


Parsley


Oregano

Wow! Your ambitious! I am impressed! Lucky chickens too!

Oh, and you asked when I last wormed the chickens and it was March 16th with Ivomec.

 

[ke_ben]

Hello Nevadans. Just ninja posting to say

. Have a great day.

 

[sherylreno]

Hi there ke_ben! Nice to see you and those dark eggs on here! You have the color I'm looking for, perhaps you'll have some eggs for me sometime.

 

[eggxelent]

Candy - Yeah, I think the girls are doing just fine! Mortadella wasn't happy at all last night when it came to roost time though, I think she's a bit jealous, so to speak. She wouldn't let the girls roost and she was as close to Alberto as she could get. One finger peck from me and all was fine though.

eggxelent - They're White and Blue Wheaton Am's. I picked them up from Candy for my breeding project I'm doing.

They're very cute!

Worming and pest question for all you Northern Nevadans! I have found it very challenging to find information on the internet, so I turn to this reliable group. As you all know, I am new to this. I want to know more about worming my chickens, mites, and other coop/run/bedding pests. We have a unique combination of climate and landscape here and I have found that many things do not apply to us because of it. At least that is what I have discovered with other pets.

Another question, Does anyone combine their chickens and their garden? To be more specific........we live in the desert, has anyone utilized their chickens to help turn the desertclay and sand into fertile garden soil?

For you, I recommend a book called, I think, Free Range Chicken Gardens. It's all about combining chickens and gardens into one healthy ecosystem, and it has some great ideas.

 

[2seth2]

Sheryl what is your project?

My hens are not laying!! I get 1 egg a day from 9 hens!!

 

[sherylreno]

Oh wow Seth! What's going on with your flock there?

I'm doing the Oliver egg project, also known as, olive eggers and of course, my Marans project I've been doing now for 2 years. I have 3 Oliver's that hatched on May 8th and 9th and 5 Marans that hatched out on May 9th. Boy are these chicks active, they are the most active chicks I've ever had.