The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Lacy Blues]

Regarding your broody... they will lose weight. It won't hurt them much. How long has she been broody? If she is determined and you don't let her set, she can lose too much condition for her own good.

During the early part of broodiness, I will make sure my hens get off the nest and grab something to eat at feeding time in the evenings every other or third day just too keep them from losing too much weight. They'll eat a bit, run around and stretch and drop lots of huge stink bombs (watch where you step!) and then they'll get back on their nest.

 

[SherrieC]

She is very determined, even when I remove the nesting boxes she just lies in the corner where they were, it may be 3 weeks now that she has been broody. Everyday I take her box out so she will have a run around and eat etc and also at least every second evening I hand feed her wet mash with some protein etc added. But when I checked her vent I could really feel her bones in that area, wheras I didn't really notice them on my other two Australorps. Do you think she could handle another 3 weeks?

 

[Lacy Blues]

Sounds like she's eating enough.

The bones in her vent area are only the ends of bones that you feel, pubic bones and the end of her keel, which is her breast bone.

If she's been broody with no eggs for three weeks, she will continue for a time and just lose condition. It will be safer for her to give her a few eggs. You can get rid of the chicks after a while if you don't want them but for her sake, maybe let her have a few.

 

[SherrieC]

Ok thanks I will put eggs under her tomorrow, here's hoping some will hatch!

 

[YardBirdMom]

I have just discovered lice eggs on my 3 Australorps. What do you guys treat it with? I really don't want to use pesticides if I don't have to.

Last weekend I discovered one of my new wyandottes was laying fertile eggs so I started saving them up thinking I would put them under my broody this weekend if she was still broody but when checking her for lice I could feel she has lost lots of weight.

I use Diatomaceous Earth. I bought it at a local feed mill & it's the kind considered safe for people & livestock.
I put it where they dust themselves, on the nest boxes with my pine shavings, and around the floor of the coop mixed with the pine shavings.

*knock on wood* I've had NO problems this far.

 

[flyladyrocks]

I feel your pain - literally! I discovered lice on my 3 week old chicks this week. I dusted with DE and wood ash Tuesday but here we are 5 days later and they are still crawling with them. A couple pretty bad and they are not growing like the rest.

Does anyone know how long DE and wood ash should take and how often to dust?

I have read a lot about DE this week and there is a lot of controversy on it's safety especially from a respiratory standpoint for young chicks. But I figured it is better that chemicals I hope. HOWEVER, I also have read that it does not work in all lice - so apparently the lice my babies have it's not working on.

My hubby talked to a guy at TSC who takes a more natural approach and he recommended Poultry Protector so we just bought that. It says it is all natural. The main ingredient is Potassium Sorbate.

I am taking a short break right now from cleaning brooders and relining them with new cardboard - they are pack-n-plays. I hope and pray this works and we don't end up transferring it to everyone outside.

I am going to put some pans in the brooders with wood ash and maybe some DE and hope they will start dustbathing in them.

A warning about using DE outside - you can't use it with deep litter and still get the DE benefits b/c the DE will kill the good bugs that are working at composting the litter.

I hope you can get it under control quickly!

I have just discovered lice eggs on my 3 Australorps. What do you guys treat it with? I really don't want to use pesticides if I don't have to.

Last weekend I discovered one of my new wyandottes was laying fertile eggs so I started saving them up thinking I would put them under my broody this weekend if she was still broody but when checking her for lice I could feel she has lost lots of weight.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I feel your pain - literally! I discovered lice on my 3 week old chicks this week. I dusted with DE and wood ash Tuesday but here we are 5 days later and they are still crawling with them. A couple pretty bad and they are not growing like the rest.

Does anyone know how long DE and wood ash should take and how often to dust?

I have read a lot about DE this week and there is a lot of controversy on it's safety especially from a respiratory standpoint for young chicks. But I figured it is better that chemicals I hope. HOWEVER, I also have read that it does not work in all lice - so apparently the lice my babies have it's not working on.

My hubby talked to a guy at TSC who takes a more natural approach and he recommended Poultry Protector so we just bought that. It says it is all natural. The main ingredient is Potassium Sorbate.

I am taking a short break right now from cleaning brooders and relining them with new cardboard - they are pack-n-plays. I hope and pray this works and we don't end up transferring it to everyone outside.

I am going to put some pans in the brooders with wood ash and maybe some DE and hope they will start dustbathing in them.

A warning about using DE outside - you can't use it with deep litter and still get the DE benefits b/c the DE will kill the good bugs that are working at composting the litter.

I hope you can get it under control quickly!

How old are those chicks that have lice on them?

If I were you, I would get some flea/tick shampoo for pets and bathe those babies, being absolutely sure not to overheat, or chill and to get them thoroughly dry without making them too hot then as well. A blow dryer and a lot of rubbing while you wave the dryer should get them warm and dry. Be sure to get their belly and the top insides of their legs, under their wings etc. In fact, you might let them spend that night indoors just to be sure.

 

[flyladyrocks]

How old are those chicks that have lice on them?

If I were you, I would get some flea/tick shampoo for pets and bathe those babies, being absolutely sure not to overheat, or chill and to get them thoroughly dry without making them too hot then as well. A blow dryer and a lot of rubbing while you wave the dryer should get them warm and dry. Be sure to get their belly and the top insides of their legs, under their wings etc. In fact, you might let them spend that night indoors just to be sure.

 

[Lacy Blues]

The bugs won't bite your daughter so there really isn't any reason she cannot hold them. As long as she washes her hands afterwards to be sure there aren't any on her, there shouldn't be any issue.

You should know by tomorrow if that poultry protector stuff works or not. If it takes longer than that, I would use something more potent. I know you don't want to use poisons and I would use them extremely sparingly on chicks but you might need to in order to save their lives. The shampoo should do the trick rather than putting something on them that will stay. You can at least wash the shampoo off. Then you'll need to use preventive measures. If you haven't already, change out all of their bedding. Cardboard (was that you?) provides all kinds of wonderful hiding places for those little buggers. I'd get clean bedding (shavings) and maybe put some Sevin Dust in them. It would only be temporary, just long enough to make sure that all the bugs are dead and that any that might hatch soon will also die.

After that, perhaps use herbs and whatnot to fend off more of the little buggers.

 

[flyladyrocks]

Thanks for yourchelp. I put the babes in a tote, threw out the cardboard and bedding, cleaned and sprayed the pack and plays, relined the pack n plays and put new bedding down. Then sprayed the babes, dried them and put them in the fresh bedding. There are 2 brooders and 19 chicks. The whole process took hours (i lost track) and it looks like I have to go through it all again but washing them. The poultry protector helped but there still are a few on the ones that were the worst. I won't use Sevin. DH bought poultry dust but I am really apprehensive about that too. The warnings are so long. Keep away from pets and kids but its okay for tiny chicks? I hope I do not have to use it.