AFL - I was going to ask how things are looking with the mites. If you are dusting them tonight by hand, could you look and see if you see anything actually on the birds?
I haven't actually done a good exam on any of my birds in months. I keep the general eye on them for things like bright red combs and wattles, look at feet and legs "from afar" while I'm out, etc. Everything looks good, but I have the feeling that things could look good and I might not be able to observe a lice or mite problem.
Those are some happy campers in that compost! Last year when I turned mine out onto the compost pile they decimated it and it no longer exists! Flat as a pancake. I imagine the ground under it is probably very fertile but ...now more compost pile. This year we're going to throw it right on the garden so that when they tear it up, it gets worked into the garden instead of the ground where the pile was
Last night I checked Sophie and saw a white one move. They all have had white flecks in their feathers but none ever moved. I also hadn't checked feathers in awhile but vents I did check regularly and saw nothing. These white ones were near their wings nothing near vents on any of them. I dusted them Sunday. Tonight and tomorrow I'm going to give them all the cool ashes I have. They def do a better job of self dusting then I can. And make ashes a regular thing in the coop again. I didn't all summer because they had their own dirt dust baths areas so I thought they were ok. I'm guessing that's why they got them because I didn't offer ashes. I did some research and the mites just live in the ground. So maybe the dirt baths is where they got them? Who knows. I won't make the mistake of not offering wood ash again.
Off to make ff tho hey probably won't need any with the compost pile lol. And mine won't be gone for awhile there is a lot of veggie plants and grass in there and soon to be filled with leaves.
