***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Cjarvis]

Thanks carl, how would you do it, frame work... i am construction challenged

- but my idea is to rip out the wooden framework i have done, any suggestions are appreciated!

You can make them solid wire with the 1x1 being sides and top a floor of 1/2x1 with poop catch trays if you want them stacked, they are really quite simple just using a 2x4 and hammer to bend the wire where needed, and the little crimp J-clips to join the bottoms and sides. Then put the wire on for the front and back using J-clips as well.

 

[Sooner]

Sooner have you got your bee houses put together?

It is all put together but I haven't finished painting it. I did frames for the hive body & will have to do more later when they are needed but they take up too much room to put them together now.

 

[old*cowboy]

Asked this last night, got no responce. Has anyone heard from GotGame?

 

[Cjarvis]

That is true about the youth's response today, I don't know the answer to getting through to them, except maybe tighter parental control. Just b/c they are legal to drive doesn't mean they HAVE to. Most of the fatal wrecks I've worked over the years haven't been teens though,

Kass,
I would have to agree, on the Prental control, it seems anymore kids are set down in front of video games and TV and left to thier own vices. Parental involvement and proper discipline is critical with kids, without these two things the world is going to very dismal place.
I feel as though everything the kids get to do is a priviledge not a right, and they know thats how I see it here. They earn what they get and will appreciate later in life even if they don't like it now, when they are 30 they will understand.

 

[old*cowboy]

Amen to that Carl

 

[Cjarvis]

Asked this last night, got no responce. Has anyone heard from GotGame?

Nope... Heard he was selling some more stuff though.

 

[Sooner]

Poco, I talked to my friend. He has 1- 4 frame extractor that turns by hand. 1 -2 frame extractor hand crank also. 1 big extractor. I think he said 44 or 244 frames, cant remember I have seen it and it is big. Also has electric knife, a 4o gallon honey storage vat and various other bee stuff. If you are interested holler and I will take some pictures of it this weekend weather permiting.

Once POCO figures out what she is interested in, I may be interested in the manual extractor.

 

[Ksane]

rofl!!!! Now that's the kind of humor I get!

morning guys- looks like winter is finally going to show up...
waiting to go feed and water- need to figure out stacking wire cages, do away with the wooden cages- for the banty gang, only way to deter the mite infestation i think.... the porch has wooded cages- so if anyone knows of some that won't cost a fortune, let me know

You're going about it backwards. There's NO way to deter external parasites, none whatsoever. They come from birds flying over your yard, they're literally everywhere. What you do is make sure your birds are Ivomec'ed or Frontlined, that's all you do and it works.
1st you need to figure out if it's actually mites or lice. I would bet money it's lice. Lice are tiny sand/tan colored specks that crawl fast. Those are the ones you're going to see 1st, mites are even smaller and pretty difficult to see. Lice hang out all over the skin, the easiest place to see them are around the vent. They spend their entire life cycle ON the bird. Wooden or wire cages won't matter. LIterally ALL you need is Frontline or Ivomec. I know Frontline & Ivomec Eprinex (different than just Ivomec) works excellent, those are the 2 I've specifically tested on birds I got elsewhere. I guarrantee you-if birds aren't treated......they have lice (most likely) or mites (less likely).
There's generic Frontline now, called "Fiproguard" on Ebay. I got 3 huge vials labeled for 89-132 lb dogs for $20. Birds only need 3-10 drops (10 drops would be for a 10 lb bird), it comes to about a drop per pound. Keeps lice and mites off them for 3 months. You should read about it, although most people have their info wrong so decipher what you read lol I know I harp so much on worms and bugs on birds that no one really listens to me, but it's my particular interest. Some people like the egg aspect of raising chickens, some like the housing part, some like the butchering part. The part that fascinates me about birds (and fish and dogs and cats, etc etc) is the health aspect part of it.

 

[Sooner]

Robin,
If you will remove the birds from the wooden coops, spray heavily with a mixture of either permethrin or malathion (1-1 1/2 oz per gallon) two days in a row and then again at 5 days you can get the mites out of the wooden coop.

Carl won't she have to do follow up after that?

Robin the cheap hand pump sprayer work great for this.

 

[Ksane]

Robin when you are dealing with mites you have to treat every 7-10 days to get rid of them, that would be treating the bird and the coop/run. Then you can go to a every two week, then to a monthly treatment. Once you have them you will still have them with metal. Until you manage to get rid of them they are there.
Feel free to correct me if this statement is wrong.

That's the way you used to have to do it with Sevin dust. Nowadays you can just use Frontline or Eprinex and be done with it. It spreads through the oil glands on their skin and keeps lice and mites off for 3 months. Although I feel better putting more drops on them every few months.
I don't think it's mites she's dealing with-Robin, what makes you think it's mites and not lice?

I seriously doubt your Silkie boy died from mites (or lice). *All* birds have e. coli (that's the infection I fought last fall). When they become sick from something else or stressed (new home, shipping, etc) it overtakes their system. Honestly-my guess is that's what happened to him. The lice/mites are just secondary.
Keep in mind-lice and mites are *different, have different life cycles. With Lice you don't even have to bother treating their sleeping area-just Frontline or Eprinex. With mites you DO have to treat their bedding. I'll shut up now. I just hate to see you stress over something that's so very simple to treat and prevent.


Vebi, those 2 birds are gorgeous! What kind are they?
I wish pigeons were tame in the way my Serama is. He's the sweetest tamest calmest bird I've ever known.
ROFL!!! Kass, he wore socks on his hands to "remind" him not to chew off his fingers??? lol OMG I feel so flippin' SANE when I hear this stuff.