The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[taylynnp]

Ear mites leave a nasty, stinky gunk in the ear canal. Treatment as follows:
1. clean ears as best you can using tweezers, cotton swabs, etc... just don't go to deep
2. pour peroxide in the ear, I used a syringe like a dropper
3. clean again
4. squeeze neosporin, antibiotic ointment, into the ear canal
5. do this daily, only takes a few treatments to clear the mites

The ointment smothers the mites, you could also use coconut oil in the ear.

Thank you! Off to smell some chicken ears. This might be interesting. They are a little miffed at me still from the wood ash bathing.

 

[hotrodflash]

Thank you! Off to smell some chicken ears. This might be interesting. They are a little miffed at me still from the wood ash bathing.

You should be able to smell it as soon as you pick them up. And even if they don't smell, and just have the gunk, go ahead and treat, it won't hurt them. My sisters rooster, Igor, is perfectly fine now and he didn't even fight when we treated him. He actually would go to sleep and give us the stink eye when we flipped him over to do the other ear. Good luck.

 

[armorfirelady]

http://www.nutrenaworld.com/products/poultry/naturewise-poultry/feather-fixer/

Saw this on FB.......was wishing I could find a better list of ingredients to see what deters the mites or encourages faster feather growth

 

[bbdal]

This is my favorite tutorial on butchering a chicken.

Leah's Mom, can you message me the link? It is not showing up in your post. Thanks! Edited to say it is now showing up. Thanks again!

 

[aoxa]

Leah's Mom, can you message me the link? It is not showing up in your post. Thanks!

Edited to say it is now showing up. Thanks again!

This ismy favourite as well. We refer to the gutting part every time we process. Well it's only been three times now, but it still comes in handy!

 

[bbdal]

This ismy favourite as well. We refer to the gutting part every time we process. Well it's only been three times now, but it still comes in handy!

aoxa, didn't you brine yours or at least let them rest? I think I understood they should rest in a cooler of ice for 2 days. Is that when you add other ingredients than just ice water for them to bring in?

 

[armorfirelady]

Ok I have question for those of you with wooden sheds as coops. My friends son loves my chickens. They just bought a new house that has an old shed that housed pigeons. I know it has to be cleaned before letting a chicken step foot in there. Any suggestions on how to clean it? I was thinking vacuuming up all the dried stuff in it & then whitewashing it. But he is 13 and I kind of hesitant on him using the white wash. Any other suggestions on a natural cleaning product a teen can use?

He wont be getting hens till the spring. He knows it needs to be cleaned out thoroughly and fencing up etc, before he can get hens. I am his go to person because I have chickens already & he has chicken sat for me when I am gone. But only feeding them. But I do believe he will do fine with the other chicken work. He is quite mature for his age.

Im just concerned of there are any diseases that can pass from pigeons to chickens.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Our coop is a shed that we bought out of a yard that was going to be torn down due to road widening. This was before I had the chickens and didn't know a thing. So...knowing that...

I got a shop vac and totally vacuumed out everything that would move.
Then I got a bucket of soapy water with bleach and totally washed everything down.

Put a fan in and let it dry out. Allowed it to totally air out for about a week before adding birds do that there wouldn't be fumes.

We did line the wood walls with some stuff that my husband already had laying around. But if we hadn't had that, I still would have done the same washing, etc.

I chose to cover the floor with an inexpensive vinyl flooring because I didn't want the wood floor to rot. Not necessary, but it wasn't expensive and I like low maintenance. When I started the deep litter, I dug up some dirt from the garden and put it on the floor; wood shavings over that and building from there.

I have never washed it again since.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Oh...and if I didn't have the interior wall stuff, I think I would white wash it like you suggest. But I'd thoroughly clean it just like I did the first time - bleach and all - then let it dry thoroughly/air out, then put on the white wash and let it dry and air before adding birds.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
Delisha seems to be the brine queen! She has posted several different ones. Here is one of her posts: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eeping-thread-ots-welcome/19910#post_11842019