Stanley Family in Collie Western Australia

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Stangas

Stangas

Hatching
7 Years
Oct 28, 2012
4
0
7
Hello all..

just found your website, and just started a chicken coop under my 8yr old boys cubby house about 1 month ago.. big cubby mind you.

first and foremost... we know nothing about chooks...

we were given 2 hens and one rooster (silky bantams i think, they look like they been out in the wind with backwards facing fluffy feathers) one hen is white and about 10 months old, the other is black and she seems to be a bit older as her eggs are larger.. and the rooster is white (same age as the white hen).. both hens laying well already at 1 each per day.

the coop is pretty big with plenty of undercover area (3m x 3m) and a raised house looking thing for the laying inside the sheltered area, then plenty of sunny area also (6m x 6m). they made short work of the tall grasses that were there when we started.

i have also been given 3 baby chicks for my boy to watch grow up 2 days ago.. all 3 are black and i dont really know what they are.. LOL... atm the chicks are separated from the adults in a large plastic box (no there is not a lid on it) with hay, newspaper a water container and food dish. They seem very happy and love being picked up and played with. The dog is intrigued to say the least, but she is a gentle labrador that has had the chicks jumping on her head and everything.

I am about to go through your website to get some info.

I do have 2 questions:
1) the baby chicks: my son found some bugs (lice i assume) under the wing of one of them.. whats the best way to deal with that problem
2) one of the hens: has scall on her foot? is that normal?

I am sure i will find the answers, but a quick reference would be awesome if someone cares to respond.

Cheers all


Stangas
 
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and welcome from NC. Congrats on your new acquisitions.
As for your questions you may want to give diamotaceous earth a go. Make sure you get food grade, you should be able to find it at feed/livestock stores. It is about 20 bucks for 50lbs here where I am, and 50 lbs will last a while! Here is a link where it was talked about on BYC https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/food-grade-de-diatomaceous-earth, I sprinkle it directly on my girls and even use it on the dog and cats to keep fleas at bay. I am not sure if there is a age minimum involved but i would guess that since it is food grade and safe for animals (even to put in their food to help with internal parasites) that it should be ok at any age. Just don't get it in their eyes. For sure keep them quarantined and away from the others for at least 30 days, helps prevent illness transmission. Not to mention you don't want the bugs on the existing flock.
Scall? Not familiar with that one, do you mean scab or wound?? One thing to keep an eye out for is bumble foot. There is usually swelling and puss involved with that. Look for pics of bumble foot (google it, check BYC for it) and see if it is what you are describing or not.
Good luck and welcome to the flock.
 
Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan
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Diamataceous earth will not get rid of an active parasite infestation, all your birds and their coop will need to be dusted with a mite powder. The scales on the leg may be scaley leg mites, they respond well to covering the legs with petroleum jelly.
 
cheers all for the advice and the welcome.

well i went home from work yesterday after some reading and bought some poultry dust..

it was all i could find available in our country town.. i was a bit suprised, but then i wasnt either (our town is hopeless sometimes).

Dusted all the chicks
Learned about dust bathing, so gonna build one this weekend.

after some of this Diamataceous earth, but no-one had ever heard of it.. so i might have to go to the city
 
woohoo... bugs all cleared and chicks growing rapidly

have been free ranging the older chooks and wont be long before i introduce the chicks to the pen

one of the older chooks has been sitting on eggs for the last few days... i have been collecting anyway, even though she has been pecking at me when i try to move her.

I am wondering if it is worth letting her have a chick.. can i pick one egg... mark it with a X and then continue to collect the remainder?
How would i know if it is fertilised?? i assume luck?
 

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