Hello everyone. After more than a year of thinking about it, months of convincing my husband we can do it, and weeks of coop & run constuction - I now have chickens! I am completely new to caring for chickens, so we just have 2. I got them yesterday from Conner Prairie, a living history museum here in Indiana. I have a Dorking, named Storm, hatched April 14, and a Barred Rock/Leghorn cross, named Rogue, hatched sometime in May. I'll try to figure out how to upload their picture.
So far they are settling in and seem to feel secure in their coop and run. I believe I need to create a dust bath for them to help keep down lice and mites. We don't have any dusty area in our backyard, so I'm thinking of taking a short storage bin of some sort, filling with dirt and sand, a putting in the run for them to use. Should I add Sevin or diatomaceous earth to help kill mites?
Also, I bought layer crumbles, 16% protein, and oyster shell. Do they need scratch grains as well? What about grit? They have access to TONS of green grass, weeds, and the left overs from our salad garden.
Any replies would be much appreciated. I'll try to post their picture. Thanks.
So far they are settling in and seem to feel secure in their coop and run. I believe I need to create a dust bath for them to help keep down lice and mites. We don't have any dusty area in our backyard, so I'm thinking of taking a short storage bin of some sort, filling with dirt and sand, a putting in the run for them to use. Should I add Sevin or diatomaceous earth to help kill mites?
Also, I bought layer crumbles, 16% protein, and oyster shell. Do they need scratch grains as well? What about grit? They have access to TONS of green grass, weeds, and the left overs from our salad garden.
Any replies would be much appreciated. I'll try to post their picture. Thanks.