The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

So yesterday after the coyote was chased off I decided to keep the girls in their run for the morning .... It gave me a chance to really sit and observe them and give them a check. Well I was shocked when I picked up Pippa my blue copper Marans who looks very good despite molting ... she is heavy her comb pretty red looks good from a far..... well when I pciked her up, all around her vent was swarming with mites!!!! I guess our burst of hot weather last week signaled them all to reproduce! I slathered her in Nu-Stock and gave her an ash bath. I didn't have time to empty the coop again... man I have been battling these little buggers for months! I've whitewashed the coop, neem oiled, nu-stocked, DE'd, wood ashed, essential oiled etc etc ... I can not seem to win this battle. I am at a loss. This is the worst it has been despite all my efforts. UGH.... I have so many wild birds, animals around .....what else can I try I need to kill these buggers??

I just found this in my chicken binder. Someone on here posted it but I dont know who.

Organic solution for mites:
essential oil insect repellent recipe:
in 1 3/4 ounces of olive oil
add 20 drops of rosemary oil
20 drops of lavender oil
10 drops of tea tree oil
5 drops of clove oil
20 drops of neem oil
shake well

you can also try adding orange oil. some people make substituitions of pine needles oil for tea tree . great insect repellent

 

[aoxa]

Woneyeda's eye is back to normal. I can't believe it. She is with the flock and is not blind. She just had a scratch inside the lid that got all swollen up.

 

[mlowen]

I just found this in my chicken binder. Someone on here posted it but I dont know who. 

Organic solution for mites:
essential oil insect repellent recipe:
in 1 3/4 ounces of olive oil
add 20 drops of rosemary oil
20 drops of lavender oil
10 drops of tea tree oil
5 drops of clove oil
20 drops of neem oil
shake well

you can also try adding orange oil. some people make substituitions of pine needles oil for tea tree . great insect repellent

How do you apply it to the chickens?

 

[ki4got]

What would you do if you went out and found your lil bantam missing the meat from the back of the neck? She has nibbled but not eaten. I thought maybe nustock ..but theres no skin

if there's enough loose skin to pull over the 'hole', i might do that. if you don't know how to stitch, and she's not horribly active, super glue works well as a short term fix, as long as the skin isn't super tight. if it's tight it'll just pull open again. i used that to fix a sfh cockerel who'd been stepped on and ripped the skin on his breast, just under his crop. you could see the muscle and crop quite well... few dabs of superglue on the edges (don't get it on your skin! LOL) and he was good to go in a week... unfortunately he didn't learn not to get under the horse's feet again, and got a shattered leg the second time. that wasn't fixable.

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: That it doesnt say but I would guess in a small spray bottle would suffice. Maybe those half sized ones or the trial sized ones?

Woneyeda's eye is back to normal. I can't believe it. She is with the flock and is not blind. She just had a scratch inside the lid that got all swollen up.

 

[chicalot]

if there's enough loose skin to pull over the 'hole', i might do that. if you don't know how to stitch, and she's not horribly active, super glue works well as a short term fix, as long as the skin isn't super tight. if it's tight it'll just pull open again.  i used that to fix a sfh cockerel who'd been stepped on and ripped the skin on his breast, just under his crop. you could see the muscle and crop quite well...  few dabs of superglue on the edges (don't get it on your skin! LOL) and he was good to go in a week...  unfortunately he didn't learn not to get under the horse's feet again, and got a shattered leg the second time.  that wasn't fixable.

I didn't get a great look but there doesn't appear to be anything to sew together. Hoping for a better look when my husband comes in. The only other time I have seen a chicken neck like this was in a roasting pan.

 

[nicole63021]

You all have been great on here, and so helpful and supportive. I have taken a lot from this thread and all that led to this first little egg!!!!!

 

[aaggjg]

So sorry to hear you are battling the mites & lice so bad. You have used everything I have tried.

I dont know what kind of coop you have. I am guessing wood since you white washed. I know I removed the 2x4 roost that I had & replaced with a roost thats bug resistant. Composite wood would work also. I also removed all the wood I could from mine and literally soaked the rest in neem oil. It stank for several days. But luckily it was warm & breezy so it was not to bad for the hens. I dust bathed them in wood ash every other day for about a week than waited 10 days & did it again just in case any eggs hatched. I havent seen mites or lice since. I still check them just because.

Are you using straw or hay for bedding? That may your cause. I also have a lot of birds and squirrels around the coop but luckily nothing has infested them again.

I really believe that since I was lax on leaving a pan full of wood ash out all the time for them to dust bathe in is what caused them to get infested. I always leave one out now. I am saving all the ashes from the wood stove this year so I plenty to last all summer.

Maybe up their garlic intake? I really am just at a lost of what else could be done. Maybe the ots will have more ideas.

Good luck &

you get rid of those suckers for once & for all

My coop is wood with linoleum on the floor covered in pine shavings .... I even tried sprinkling sulfur in the nest boxes and bedding!!! I also added sulfur to the wood ash when I "ashed" my girl today! I need a lot more wood ash!!! It was finally "cold" this weekend so I had a fire going 24/7

but still I only had 1/2 a bucket full of ashes
I've been giving them lots of garlic but I will continue ..... She is the only one that had so many mites OMG SO MANY!!!! I was expecting to see my silkies covered in them as they sleep in the nest boxes but I didn't see a one!!! I'm going to repaint the inside with neem and see if that helps .....

 

[Nomibear]

Me too

I am deeply sinning right now with an open act of covetousness!!!

Me too!!!

 

[aaggjg]

I just found this in my chicken binder. Someone on here posted it but I dont know who.

Organic solution for mites:
essential oil insect repellent recipe:
in 1 3/4 ounces of olive oil
add 20 drops of rosemary oil
20 drops of lavender oil
10 drops of tea tree oil
5 drops of clove oil
20 drops of neem oil
shake well

you can also try adding orange oil. some people make substituitions of pine needles oil for tea tree . great insect repellent

LOL I think I posted this !!! I have used this as well, I put mine in a little spray bottle but it clogs easily. So now I dab it on my hands and rub in around the vent, under the wings and on the back of their necks .... I've even sprayed this into the nest boxes and on the roosts... yep like I said I have tried many things.... Sulfur bath is next on my list but it was too cold this weekend! Where is that 88 degree weather when you want it???