Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[chippysmom327]

That being said, I just thought to myself "If DE doesn't work, and sevin is unsafe, then what are we supposed to use?" Then it hit me: essential oils. Bugs hate peppermint. Maybe by putting a few drops of peppermint essential oil under the vent/under the wings and rubbing it in could eradicate the lice. I don't have lice right now, but is there anyone out there that has lice and peppermint essential oil and is willing to try it?

The other answers are:
a) Permethrin - available at TSC as both a liquid to mix and spray, and a powder to dust like with Sevin.
b) Ivomectin - also a dewormer, though some worms have become resistant to this. A few drops on their skin on the back of their head, like "Frontline" to kills fleas on a dog, is supposed to be extremely effective, and likely safer than Sevin or Permethrin. I believe this drug was developed for internal use in humans, and I'm quite sure the others are not prescribed for people to ingest. It is pricy though, compared to the others.

I should have clarified, since permethrin is potentially harmful, and ivomectin is pricey, what is the most natural and cost effective way to treat the lice?

e
First EVER peachick just hatched !!
I was not expecting them to even lay this year, let alone be fertile (they are still young). And peafowl eggs are harder to hatch than chickens.

This one gets super spoiled, I want a "rediculously tame" peafowl. Now, what to name it . . .
Our first turkey poult is named Pilgrim, maybe something Indian for this one (as in the peafowl's native country, not the native Americans).

Congrats!

I posted this a page or so back but I'll post it again since everyone's talking about bugs.

2 Oz water
2 Oz white vinegar
15 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops peppermint essential oil
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
10 drops tea tree essential oil

Seems to work really well but it doesn't make a whole lot. I quadrupled it last time I made it and it covered a good bit but I ran out of lavender oil lol.

That's exactly what was looking for, thanks! Saving this recipe.

got some baby goats tonight, but they are from the 2nd goat to be bred, not the girl I've been waiting on all week. Better pics tomorrow.

Congrats! I've been checking almost hourly to see if the babies have arrived!

 

[Reyvaughn]

Ivomectin pour-on is only $15 for a bottle big enough for years with a flock of 100+...
While I would love to mix a natural remedy like what was posted, I know those oils from the local natural shops run $3-8 a bottle.

Sorry, cheap Ivomectin is $15.17:
http://www.jefferspet.com/products/agrimectin-pour-on-250-ml

 

[LisaYolkUm]

First EVER peachick just hatched !!
I was not expecting them to even lay this year, let alone be fertile (they are still young). And peafowl eggs are harder to hatch than chickens.

This one gets super spoiled, I want a "rediculously tame" peafowl. Now, what to name it . . .
Our first turkey poult is named Pilgrim, maybe something Indian for this one (as in the peafowl's native country, not the native Americans).

so happy for you! enjoy..........way to go ...............way to go!

 

[SilkieSensation]

I HAVE BABIES!!! My bf bought me an alpine doe with newborn (maybe 2 days old, tops) twin bucklings today at the auction.

Congrats SS, don't know anything about goats, but, I think a full herd is in your near future!

We have a total of 6 at the moment:
1 alpine mix doe in milk
1 alpine doe with twin bucklings
1 pygmy mix doe who might be pregnant
1 nigerian dwarf buckling

I HAVE BABIES!!! My bf bought me an alpine doe with newborn (maybe 2 days old, tops) twin bucklings today at the auction.

Congrats SS, don't know anything about goats, but, I think a full herd is in your near future!

Wow! That's very exciting!! Still no babies here.

She called me & told me to tell you to quit bugging her & you will get babies sooner...lol

That being said, I just thought to myself "If DE doesn't work, and sevin is unsafe, then what are we supposed to use?" Then it hit me: essential oils. Bugs hate peppermint. Maybe by putting a few drops of peppermint essential oil under the vent/under the wings and rubbing it in could eradicate the lice. I don't have lice right now, but is there anyone out there that has lice and peppermint essential oil and is willing to try it?

The other answers are:
a) Permethrin - available at TSC as both a liquid to mix and spray, and a powder to dust like with Sevin.
b) Ivomectin - also a dewormer, though some worms have become resistant to this. A few drops on their skin on the back of their head, like "Frontline" to kills fleas on a dog, is supposed to be extremely effective, and likely safer than Sevin or Permethrin. I believe this drug was developed for internal use in humans, and I'm quite sure the others are not prescribed for people to ingest. It is pricy though, compared to the others.

I use the ivermectin. Treats everything at once.

got some baby goats tonight, but they are from the 2nd goat to be bred, not the girl I've been waiting on all week. Better pics tomorrow.

Cuties!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Here's the little brood that this week's hatch ended with

4 of them have different mothers but the same father. The last one had the same mother as another but a different daddy lol. Here they are, side by side. Mamma to both of them is my white silkie Cloud. Daddy to the black one was my lavender ameraucana and daddy to the white one was my bbr oegb roo lol. I'm curious to see how the whitish one feathers out.

ETA: I need a new camera :/

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

@dheltzel. Just spoke to my Aunt this morning. Her chickens are doing quite well. She is suspecting one of the black ones may be a Roo though; she said it has some "curved" tail feathers. She is not upset though. She has wanted a rooster anyways, and this may be a good excuse to keep one.

My chickies are all doing well too.

 

[Debby27]

got some baby goats tonight, but they are from the 2nd goat to be bred, not the girl I've been waiting on all week. Better pics tomorrow.

Awwww...how cute are they!

 

[dheltzel]

@dheltzel . Just spoke to my Aunt this morning. Her chickens are doing quite well. She is suspecting one of the black ones may be a Roo though; she said it has some "curved" tail feathers. She is not upset though. She has wanted a rooster anyways, and this may be a good excuse to keep one.

My chickies are all doing well too.

Genetically, if he's pure black, he must not be a sexlink but a full blooded Black Ameraucana. I tried really hard to keep them separate, but maybe he got mixed in with the sexlinks as a chick. If he crosses with the others, she will get blue egg layers from the blue eggs, and olive eggers from the dark eggs (Welsummers).

 

[emorems0]

Someone I know had a lice problem, and asked me what I used because DE would NOT get rid of the lice, even if they thoroughly "scrubbed" the birds with DE every day. I suggested sevin, and they said that it did the trick immediately.

Thank you @emorems0 for bringing how harmful this product is to everyone's attention. I'm one of those people who likes to do everything holistically, and herbs are a huge part of my bird keeping practices. I always try herbal remedies before going out and buying medicine.

That being said, I just thought to myself "If DE doesn't work, and sevin is unsafe, then what are we supposed to use?" Then it hit me: essential oils. Bugs hate peppermint. Maybe by putting a few drops of peppermint essential oil under the vent/under the wings and rubbing it in could eradicate the lice. I don't have lice right now, but is there anyone out there that has lice and peppermint essential oil and is willing to try it?

Edit: Googled it, and ACV kills lice. They also don't like Tea Tree Oil. Maybe a tea tree/peppermint oil blend will help?

I don't know why I didn't think of peppermint oil! We use EOs on ourselves all the time, but I always forget about using them on our animals. Peppermint is really strong to put right on the skin, when I use it on us I dilute in olive oil or coconut oil so it doesn't burn... I would think you would want to do the same for animals. I wish I would have thought of this before I bought the poultry dust at TSC... maybe I'll try the EOs first and see how they do. The nest boxes are big problem areas for us (I assume, since only the hens seem to be really affected), I think I'll clean them out today and spray down with peppermint/TTO in some water or alcohol. One of my big concerns about using chemicals was leaving a film/dusting on the eggs and the EOs will alleviate that problem.

I posted this a page or so back but I'll post it again since everyone's talking about bugs.

2 Oz water
2 Oz white vinegar
15 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops peppermint essential oil
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
10 drops tea tree essential oil

Seems to work really well but it doesn't make a whole lot. I quadrupled it last time I made it and it covered a good bit but I ran out of lavender oil lol.

Great recipe, thank you! I don't know if I have all of those oils, we go through eucalyptus really fast in the winter and I'm not sure I re-stocked and I know our lavender is almost out because I needed it last week for sunburn!

Palo Santo is a really good one for bugs too... it's one of the best for killing ticks.

 

[dheltzel]

I don't know why I didn't think of peppermint oil! We use EOs on ourselves all the time, but I always forget about using them on our animals. Peppermint is really strong to put right on the skin, when I use it on us I dilute in olive oil or coconut oil so it doesn't burn... I would think you would want to do the same for animals. I wish I would have thought of this before I bought the poultry dust at TSC... maybe I'll try the EOs first and see how they do. The nest boxes are big problem areas for us (I assume, since only the hens seem to be really affected), I think I'll clean them out today and spray down with peppermint/TTO in some water or alcohol. One of my big concerns about using chemicals was leaving a film/dusting on the eggs and the EOs will alleviate that problem.

I have lots of peppermint plants that need to be cut back soon. I think I will put the cuttings into the nest boxes and let them dry and give off their fragrances.