Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Molpet]

Hopefully they won't let you spend future wages on products! You would need a second job to pay for the first one.

That's called a credit card LOL

 

[Solanacae]

In the paper they mention that they don't know why treating birds with sulpher dust works at reducing the mite population on a bird. Rather important that bit.

Oxalic acid is a treatment for the varroa mites that have become a major problem with beekeeping. For years, it was unclear how it killed the mites, though it was clearly effective at killing them. There are several other treatments, some of which the mites become less effective over time because the mites have developed resistance to. Mites seem to be unable to build up resistance to Oxalic acid which is one reason why OA treatments have become popular among bee keepers.

I would suspect that more research into the effectiveness of sulfur would yield not only insight into the mechanism of how sulfur is effective against mites, but also better recommendations for applying it and dosage suggestions. Sulfur dust, like Oxalic acid, isn’t harmless and definitely should be used with common sense.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

good luck with the hatch Are they your own flock's eggs, or bought in for new genes?

My own flock for now. With the death of the breeder I used for all my refreshes, I've got to have a good think about what I'm doing for future genetics. I'm at maximum chicken at the moment so all chicks this season will be sold. Unless there's an absolute standout for personality, I'm a sucker for a character. My most entertaining hens are my araucanas, and they're abysmal layers and go broody as often as a bantam.

Here is the new broody trap box. Picked it up for $100 from facebook, it's very solid and has a lift-up roof. I've bedded it with fluffy pine shavings mixed with dry peat moss, with the linseed straw providing the nest shape. The eggs are wooden. I like to prop up my boxes up from the ground for brooding, to increase airflow in the damp climate. I drop them down after hatch so the hens don't have to wrangle derpy chicks that want to just run under it at bedtime.

 

[Shadrach]

Oxalic acid is a treatment for the varroa mites that have become a major problem with beekeeping. For years, it was unclear how it killed the mites, though it was clearly effective at killing them. There are several other treatments, some of which the mites become less effective over time because the mites have developed resistance to. Mites seem to be unable to build up resistance to Oxalic acid which is one reason why OA treatments have become popular among bee keepers.

I would suspect that more research into the effectiveness of sulfur would yield not only insight into the mechanism of how sulfur is effective against mites, but also better recommendations for applying it and dosage suggestions. Sulfur dust, like Oxalic acid, isn’t harmless and definitely should be used with common sense.

Given the problems everyone who keeps chickens has obtaining drugs and chemicals for whatever problems, an addition to the armoury would seem very sensible. Given the age of the paper (2008) I'm inclined to think any parties interested in the research found a problem.
I miss my blowtorch. None of these chemical application and residue problems.

 

[Shadrach]

My own flock for now. With the death of the breeder I used for all my refreshes, I've got to have a good think about what I'm doing for future genetics. I'm at maximum chicken at the moment so all chicks this season will be sold. Unless there's an absolute standout for personality, I'm a sucker for a character. My most entertaining hens are my araucanas, and they're abysmal layers and go broody as often as a bantam.

Part of the attraction is the broodiness even if it does leave one tearing ones hair out from time to time. I know I'm not playing with a full deck, but I used to part look foreward to the broody season and part dread it. All the hens, between 15 to 25 usually went broody at least once a year. I was a busy man, turfing irrate feather bombs off nests, hunting about in the dark for some nest down a particulalry perilous bank. But, there is nothing like being woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of shell breaking and the hen talking to the chicks as they hatched. I used to just sit in the chair by the nest box with the lights out and watch.

Here is the new broody trap box. Picked it up for $100 from facebook, it's very solid and has a lift-up roof. I've bedded it with fluffy pine shavings mixed with dry peat moss, with the linseed straw providing the nest shape. The eggs are wooden. I like to prop up my boxes up from the ground for brooding, to increase airflow in the damp climate. I drop them down after hatch so the hens don't have to wrangle derpy chicks that want to just run under it at bedtime.

Looking at those fence pales and the tree one can see you get a lot of moisture.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

Part of the attraction is the broodiness even if it does leave one tearing ones hair out from time to time. I know I'm not playing with a full deck, but I used to part look foreward to the broody season and part dread it. All the hens, between 15 to 25 usually went broody at least once a year. I was a busy man, turfing irrate feather bombs off nests, hunting about in the dark for some nest down a particulalry perilous bank. But, there is nothing like being woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of shell breaking and the hen talking to the chicks as they hatched. I used to just sit in the chair by the nest box with the lights out and watch.


Looking at those fence pales and the tree one can see you get a lot of moisture.

I dread and love broody season too! Nothing beats mama hens with chicks. It's like being a kid at christmas with the constant anticipation of what's to come. I hear the cluck cluck cluck of the hen talking to her hatching babies before I ever catch a glimpse of the chicks and I get so excited.

I can't say I understand people who prefer to hatch in incubators. Each to their own, but I like not being able to interfere much - interfering is stressful!

We get a lot of rain. This year has been bananas with storm after storm after storm, but even in a 'normal' year it's about 1000mm per year. That's 1m of rain a year! Technically that's a rainforest . Funnily enough it doesn't tend to rain endlessly for days on end (except for this year) but we do get a lot.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Given the problems everyone who keeps chickens has obtaining drugs and chemicals for whatever problems, an addition to the armoury would seem very sensible. Given the age of the paper (2008) I'm inclined to think any parties interested in the research found a problem.
I miss my blowtorch. None of these chemical application and residue problems.

I know it can not work for everyone but I used 2 parts dish liquid to 8 parts vinegar. Let sit for 30 minutes, blast with water. Repeat in 7 days if needed. Works great on shower tile too lol.

 

[Shadrach]

I got to the allotments at around 5pm this afternoon. Dusk seems to be rushing towards autumn.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good afternoon one and all!

87 mostly sunny 59% humidity feels like 100 with thunderstorms and rain.

Have a great day!

 

[Shadrach]

Wood for the door.

This is the small coop at the back of the main coop which I intend to make habitable.

I'm waiting for some washers of all things.
I've got the first section of the 12mm x 12mm in place. Second piece is cut but I need to sort the door out first and for that I need the washers and the screws I ordered with them.