NY chicken lover!!!!

[ChickPrincess]

I don't have time to catch up on 140+ posts. Sorry.
Peeved this morning. Dd went to put the cooler of eggs outside only to discover our egg sign has been stolen. So if any of you in your travels see a huge, flat plastic white egg (stands almost 4 feet tall) with wood screwed to the bottom as a stand, IT'S OURS.
Off to make a new sign.

 

[Breella]

I don't have time to catch up on 140+ posts. Sorry.
Peeved this morning. Dd went to put the cooler of eggs outside only to discover our egg sign has been stolen. So if any of you in your travels see a huge, flat plastic white egg (stands almost 4 feet tall) with wood screwed to the bottom as a stand, IT'S OURS.
Off to make a new sign.

Have a photo of it? We can circulate it via social networking and shame the pants off of whoever stole it.

 

[Lynzi777]

Morning Everyone,
Need some advice....I want to do a deep thorough clean of my coups today. I planned on cleaning them all out and I'd really like to try to wash out the inside walls/floor of the silkie coop today since I'm letting them free range this morning. I got really skeeved out yesterday when I opened up the nest box to check for eggs and saw these teeny tiny reddish bugs (which I'm assuming are a type of mite) crawling on the door of the nestbox. I can't get my hands on the silkies at the moment to check them for these mites but I'm assuming they must be on the birds as well. Every time I clean out the coops I sprinkle sevin or DE all over the inside of the coops and mix it around with the clean shaving I put in there. My coops are obviously not going to stay 100% bug free as these ARE outside animals and their coops are kept up in the back of the yard near the woods. What can I use to spray out the inside of the coop today. Should I just mix some dawn soap and water and spray out really good? I did manage to dust my birds with DE last time I cleaned the coop and gave some of the lavenders a bath. None of my birds are showing any signs of illness, or have an skin irritations or showing signs that they are uncomfortable in any way, I just want to do this to try to prevent a problem with these nasty bugs now that I'm all skeeved out over this. I think it would be good to do anyway to get all the webs off the screen of the runs too. They just really need a good cleaning and I'd like to know what is safe to use and what would more than likely keep a majority of the bugs away. Thanks

 

[JLaw]

Morning Everyone,
Need some advice....I want to do a deep thorough clean of my coups today. I planned on cleaning them all out and I'd really like to try to wash out the inside walls/floor of the silkie coop today since I'm letting them free range this morning. I got really skeeved out yesterday when I opened up the nest box to check for eggs and saw these teeny tiny reddish bugs (which I'm assuming are a type of mite) crawling on the door of the nestbox. I can't get my hands on the silkies at the moment to check them for these mites but I'm assuming they must be on the birds as well. Every time I clean out the coops I sprinkle sevin or DE all over the inside of the coops and mix it around with the clean shaving I put in there. My coops are obviously not going to stay 100% bug free as these ARE outside animals and their coops are kept up in the back of the yard near the woods. What can I use to spray out the inside of the coop today. Should I just mix some dawn soap and water and spray out really good? I did manage to dust my birds with DE last time I cleaned the coop and gave some of the lavenders a bath. None of my birds are showing any signs of illness, or have an skin irritations or showing signs that they are uncomfortable in any way, I just want to do this to try to prevent a problem with these nasty bugs now that I'm all skeeved out over this. I think it would be good to do anyway to get all the webs off the screen of the runs too. They just really need a good cleaning and I'd like to know what is safe to use and what would more than likely keep a majority of the bugs away. Thanks

do they look like this? here is a link I found http://forum.purseblog.com/general-discussion/we-have-tiny-red-bugs-our-house-what-459678.html they say they aint harmfull to humans/animals they suck moister out of plants.

 

[JLaw]

I don't have time to catch up on 140+ posts. Sorry.
Peeved this morning. Dd went to put the cooler of eggs outside only to discover our egg sign has been stolen. So if any of you in your travels see a huge, flat plastic white egg (stands almost 4 feet tall) with wood screwed to the bottom as a stand, IT'S OURS.
Off to make a new sign.

Sorry about your sign. It sounded nice. Let me know your address when you finish the new one, I don't have a sign yet.

 

[Lynzi777]

do they look like this? here is a link I found http://forum.purseblog.com/general-discussion/we-have-tiny-red-bugs-our-house-what-459678.html they say they aint harmfull to humans/animals they suck moister out of plants.

Yea I've seen those, they're the ones I usually see crawling cement. These are more of brownish/reddish color and they're crawling in the wood. Maybe they're just another type of that red one and arent harmful to animals. Still cleaning these coops out and spraying them down.

 

[ChickPrincess]

Have a photo of it? We can circulate it via social networking and shame the pants off of whoever stole it.

I wish I did. I'll have to look through cell phone pics. I doubt it though. It's one of a kind and you can't miss it.

 

[ChickPrincess]

Sorry about your sign. It sounded nice. Let me know your address when you finish the new one, I don't have a sign yet.

The new one will be brought in every night, that's for sure! I'm asking all my FB friends to share my post. I want to find it!

 

[rancher hicks]

Morning Everyone,
Need some advice....I want to do a deep thorough clean of my coups today. I planned on cleaning them all out and I'd really like to try to wash out the inside walls/floor of the silkie coop today since I'm letting them free range this morning. I got really skeeved out yesterday when I opened up the nest box to check for eggs and saw these teeny tiny reddish bugs (which I'm assuming are a type of mite) crawling on the door of the nestbox. I can't get my hands on the silkies at the moment to check them for these mites but I'm assuming they must be on the birds as well. Every time I clean out the coops I sprinkle sevin or DE all over the inside of the coops and mix it around with the clean shaving I put in there. My coops are obviously not going to stay 100% bug free as these ARE outside animals and their coops are kept up in the back of the yard near the woods. What can I use to spray out the inside of the coop today. Should I just mix some dawn soap and water and spray out really good? I did manage to dust my birds with DE last time I cleaned the coop and gave some of the lavenders a bath. None of my birds are showing any signs of illness, or have an skin irritations or showing signs that they are uncomfortable in any way, I just want to do this to try to prevent a problem with these nasty bugs now that I'm all skeeved out over this. I think it would be good to do anyway to get all the webs off the screen of the runs too. They just really need a good cleaning and I'd like to know what is safe to use and what would more than likely keep a majority of the bugs away. Thanks

Just a couple of thoughts.

Hang a hygrometer in your coop to see how the humidity is.

Much as others may disagree, I don't keep water inside the coop. I do make sure they have more than one waterer in the run though. Lately I've been hanging an extra gallon up high so in the morning there is at least one fresh gallon to start. I get up early and let them out. Sometimes I go back to bed but I have to let them out.

When I clean the nest boxes I do it in intervals. Leaving the newest cleaned empty of bedding and dusted with quite a bit of DE for a day or so. You could use a dry paint brush to get it into the corners. I hang tools up high and on the walls.

I also DO NOT let hens sleep in the boxes. The exception is Frenchy as she is a little frizzle and older. Her box gets cleaned more often.

I do not do the deep litter method in my coops. In the winter I give them extra shavings. I must use at least one big #19 sized can of DE when I clean. It does get dusty but stays dry.

Now for the advice.

1. clean and DE everywhere especially the corners.

2. use vaseline on all legs, and smear it on tops and bottoms of all roosts.

3. DE all birds, especially their butts, between legs and under wings. If you do it at night and in the dark you'll have less trouble catching them.

4. At night use some exprinex on all birds. Use a head lamp and an eyedropper, so both hands are free.

5. If you must put water in the coop, use nipples with a small rubber pan under it to catch any drips.

I wish you success in getting rid of the cooties.

Rancher

Everyone else I can't keep up. In the new Back Yard Poultry magazine is a good article on the use of garlic for worming and other poultry problems. I thought I bought it but didn't.

 

[Lynzi777]

Just a couple of thoughts.

Hang a hygrometer in your coop to see how the humidity is.  

Much as others may disagree, I don't keep water inside the coop.  I do make sure they have more than one waterer in the run though.  Lately I've been hanging an extra gallon up high so in the morning there is at least one fresh gallon to start.   I get up early and let them out.  Sometimes I go back to bed but I have to let them out. 

When I clean the nest boxes I do it in intervals.  Leaving the newest cleaned empty of bedding and dusted with quite a bit of DE for a day or so. You could use a dry paint brush to get it into the corners.   I hang tools up high and on the walls. 

I also DO NOT let hens sleep in the boxes.  The exception is Frenchy as she is a little frizzle and older.  Her box gets cleaned more often. 

I do not do the deep litter method in my coops.  In the winter I give them extra shavings.  I must use at least one  big #19 sized can of DE when I clean.   It does get dusty but stays dry. 

Now for the advice.  

1. clean and DE everywhere especially the corners. 

2. use vaseline on all legs, and smear it on tops and bottoms  of all roosts.  

3. DE all birds, especially their butts, between legs and under wings.  If you do it at night and in the dark you'll have less trouble catching them. 

4. At night use some exprinex on all birds.  Use a head lamp and an eyedropper, so both hands are free.  

5. If you must put water in the coop, use nipples with a small rubber pan under it to catch any drips. 

I wish you success in getting rid of the cooties. 

Rancher

Everyone else I can't keep up.  In the new Back Yard Poultry magazine is a good article on the use of garlic for worming and other poultry problems.  I thought I bought it but didn't. 

Thanks Rancher! I just got done cleaning out BOTH coops. I used a bleach water solution (im sure I'll get yelled at) and sprayed around the bottom of the coops to get all the slimy mud/mildew off. Rinsed them off and let them dry in the sun (which took about ten mins with today's heat!) I rubbed DE all over the walls and floors of the coop, then layed new shavings down. I also moved the spots of both coops. Tomorrow I plan on going out to Lowes to get some sheets of wood and cylinder blocks to raise the silkies coop so they're not on the ground anymore. I hate when they eat all the grass and the run eventually turns to mud. The coop will be about a foot off the ground and they'll be back to having a floor full of shavings.

I do not keep water in the coops, only place there is water is the run of the silkie coop, below their coop. My other birds get water if I don't let them out to free range or the minute they are let out in the morning. Like today, since I had the silkies out first so I could clean their coop, I placed water in the bigger coop until they were let out, then it was removed.

Thanks for all the great tips!!