Surviving Minnesota!

[Minniechickmama]

I have and I should again, I use cayenne too some. I might just do that and see what happens first. I have some frontline I plan to put on them. I have never done that. Does that kill internal worms too?

Frontline is just for external parasites. It needs to be applied every 1-3 months. I guess it depends on how much you use or something. I only use about 3 drops on a large breed bird.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I just got done sending my entry up for State Fair. I put in for 15 birds. Let's see how the weather looks this time. If it is too danged hot, I won't risk it, but I have some mighty fine looking New Hampshires and some Bucks that aren't too shabby, so I think they will go at the very least.

 

[MinnesotaNice]

Twice a year.
Wazine in Spring.
Safeguard in Fall.

Safeguard the goat dewormer? I'll start them on something this fall when their egg production starts to drop. Both are two week egg withdrawl, correct?

 

[lvie]

thanks Ralph for your honest opinion. I read it word-for-word to the DH. He laughed at the appropriate times. He told me to tell you thanks. Encouraging within reason. He appreciated it.

He sees a trainer with her on Friday. Honestly - the trainer should have been seen 1 1/2 years ago. She is almost three years old. This trainer has two male blk lab starter dogs ready in September. At $3,500 each. Not happening. A person still needs to take time to work with them. My DH works - works - works. Really, honest. During April through November there is some serious remodeling and building going on out there. Like 12 - 14 hours a day. And he has subs that do the work. He does the design and sales. Our son does the project management. Seriously? $3,500 for a hunting dog. Not happening.

Good night.

 

[duluthralphie]

thanks Ralph for your honest opinion. I read it word-for-word to the DH. He laughed at the appropriate times. He told me to tell you thanks. Encouraging within reason. He appreciated it.

He sees a trainer with her on Friday. Honestly - the trainer should have been seen 1 1/2 years ago. She is almost three years old. This trainer has two male blk lab starter dogs ready in September. At $3,500 each. Not happening. A person still needs to take time to work with them. My DH works - works - works. Really, honest. During April through November there is some serious remodeling and building going on out there. Like 12 - 14 hours a day. And he has subs that do the work. He does the design and sales. Our son does the project management. Seriously? $3,500 for a hunting dog. Not happening.

Good night.

I know someone that paid those kind of prices once.........BTW So do you, not one of my brighter moves.... But my dog was the honor student, they just forgot to give me the bumper sticker.

 

[Violetsfeathers]

One of my Cochin bantam cockerels, Blackberry, either thinks he is a person, or I am his lady chicken.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Be careful with Safegaurd in the fall. There is a warning on that particular wormer or fenbendazole for stunted feather growth or fretted feathers. If your birds are old enough for a molt (18 months or older) Healthy Feathers being very important in our region for subzero survival. I would hold any worming products in that class (broad spectrum wormer) until after new feathers are in. I just wormed with Fenbendazole (safegaurd) yesterday. All the old hens got it. Except Sylvia who has about 13 feathers left on her bod. She'll be wormed here a bit later.


Ivie: I've had 3 yellow labs in my time married to my husband who is an avid hunter. So my advice is based on those 3 dogs. The first one, Alex, was protective of food. Would fight other dogs in duck blinds, etc. But when it was settled she was pack leader then the fighting was done. Your DS will need to get over it. Dogs have hierarchy--like chickens have a pecking order. They'll usually settle it on their own. My DH always said that particular dog was a PITA in the duck blind, though being proud she usually came out on top, he would say: you want the dog that's submissive. Nonetheless, She was great with kids, company, strangers and of course, us. She was old and haggard when our twins came along. She nipped my daughter in the hand when my she put her hand in the dog dish. We taught our daughter and son not to do that any more. We figured we could maybe control/teach the kids better than the dog at that point. But we DID have that backwards. The dog needed to learn not to bite when it came to food. Ralphie gave good tips on a high reward food item. Put it on a plate on the floor. Do not let her touch it. Do not give it as a reward when the session is over. Push it closer and closer to her telling her, "no" OR "mine", "leave it". She does not get to have it. It may seem like "teasing" but it is teaching her who is in control of the food. You are. The alpha of the house. DH should be involved with that when he gets home as well...as he'll being giving commands in a duck blind or the field. The butter on the counter is hers she thinks...if she is given dishes to lick or leftovers from the counter. When giving her dog food. Make her wait to eat it until you say it's okay to eat. When going outside or inside. Make her wait at the door until you say she can go out or come in. This all puts her in the right frame of mind.

The next dog was Jasmine. We had her for 5 years as a hunting dog. Not strictly trained. But she did well with ducks and pheasants. Could care less about fetching a stick or tennis ball or sitting for that matter. Then came chicks and chickens and after a summer of being scared poopless she'd kill them and yet working with her; I let her go and she did fantastic with my birds. Then the test came in the fall --would she still be birdie and hunt?--she was still a great hunter with DH. Much to my relief. Because DH gave me strict instructions not to "mess" his hunting dog up. LOL. Not those words exactly. So for what it's worth I'm poo-pooing your trainer's advice. We lost Jasmine unfortunately at 8 years old to complications resulting from tick disease. She was an incredible family dog. And my chicken chores partner.




Okay so that's fine and well with a dog that's already trained to hunt, you say.

So next is Sadie Mae. A dominant of the litter and also a PITA. I started tucking her in my jacket as a wee puppy and she came down to the coop with me and did chores. When she got bigger she had a leash on her. The chickens still free ranged, the puppy was always supervised, on leash or in my control or eyesight when among the birds. She delved in a little chicken bowling when the leash came off and I think Roger lost a larger Tail feather to her ...but it went well, overall. She was chased with brooms a couple times...when busted.
So she is also a ball freak and loves to fetch anything at home. How would she do with live birds for hunting?

She did great. Retrieving at 5 months old last fall. And if there is a yellow tennis ball in the yard she could give two poops about any chicken this summer...well accept silkies, I guess. She took a run at Dixie last Saturday. But then Dixie is yellow and fuzzy like a tennis ball. LOL. She got a huge verbal reprimand for it...and nothing since then. We are still young and restless I guess. LOL.









This may sound silly or whatever.... But I believe in the methods that Cesar Milan uses on the Dog Whisperer episodes. If you suspect the dog has "issues" . Then I think his methods may be valuable to you.
Exercise (Walks), Control (Leashing), Training with Consistency, Reward/Praise (always last). Laying on the couch with you...Puts that dog on your level. Make her lay on the floor....etc...stuff like that.

I've learned all dogs are different. Some harder and some easier. But the formulas are the same generally. Consistency, energy your using (low diminished energy around your chickens; excited high energy when hunting), Control. Labs are usually easy to convert to the Good side.

Also, not to tick you off on your "Ankle Biters" But some of those dogs are more problematic than the big ones. As they are usually very dominant dogs (sitting on laps and couches puts them in that position of the pack and alphas over you, even) Your labrador may be responding to that sort of dominance and trying to maintain her order in the pack. Just something to watch....

 

[Minniechickmama]

Safeguard the goat dewormer? I'll start them on something this fall when their egg production starts to drop. Both are two week egg withdrawl, correct?

I use the horse tube, it comes in like a big syringe. Yes, 2 weeks withdrawal.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Quote:
I'll be heading up to Grand Rapids this weekend for a week or so. My family has a cabin up that way. Do you got to L & M for feed? That place gets me in trouble. Not only do you walk out of there with tractors and chainsaws, you also have a new jacket, gun, house decor, baby chicks, dog toys, and 20 boxes of cereal. Can't forget this fishing gear, kayak, and flowers. Lol

I like Grand Rapids shopping in the Summer. Less busy than Brainerd. I live in the middle of both. Both about an hour away. I do go to L & M for feed. But I found the chicken aisle a little lacking on their usual array last night. Their prices are a bit higher too...I saw. I like the Purina brand and they carry that along with Nutrena, and Locally Laid brand if I want to get Non-GMO mash. If I end up going to BRainerd then Fleet Farm is the option there. They have Nutrena or their Sprout Brand. I'm neither here nor there with my brands I guess.

Have fun on your trip to GR (as we call it around here).

L & M does carry nice brands of clothing. yes.

 

[I Love Layers]

My grandpa did good in surgery. He will be in over the weekend. His heart started up right away so that was good. My uncle left first to head back to his ranch, then my aunt left cause she has to work, we left later. By Glen Ullin we got hailed on for the second time in a week, in my moms new 2004(i think) pickup.
Got home around about half an hour ago. Depending on how things go we might go back to Bismarck tomorrow