The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

So...let's talk about mites a minute. Del - you might have some input on this. And so might others!

In a different place, AFL mentioned wanting to remove wood items from the coop as she was concerned about the wood items harboring lice.

I didn't think that the issue was WOOD in particular, but in the crevices and edges where they can hide - whether it is wood or not. So any joints where there is darkness, etc., would be a good hiding place whether it's wood or not. Further...I'm also thinking that resins in wood would actually be somewhat of a repellant as well.

So...is wood a particularly inviting harbor for lice, or is the main issue just any dark hiding place away from the light during the day?

 

[delisha]

Two roosters in the carrier at the door ready to butcher for thanksgiving dinner. This is the first time doing this with birds from my own flock(Other than one that had just died when we found her from a hawk attack and shes in the freezer and hasnt been eaten yet). Going to cull some roosters and eat them for thanksgiving? Any ideas on how to prepare them? Their 25 week old heritage rode island red or buckeyes. Someone mentioned you can roast them low and slow for like 6 hours over veggies with water(Wet heat) and it would be good. Others mention slow cooker. Im just nervous because I know they can sometimes be tough and stringy if not cooked right.

The best way is to soak the birds for 12 hours in a salt water and additional flavors bath prior to cooking. I have several recipes posted all over.
Lemon
Rosemary Herb
Honey
Buttermilk

 

[armorfirelady]

So...let's talk about mites a minute. Del - you might have some input on this. And so might others!

In a different place, AFL mentioned wanting to remove wood items from the coop as she was concerned about the wood items harboring lice.

I didn't think that the issue was WOOD in particular, but in the crevices and edges where they can hide - whether it is wood or not. So any joints where there is darkness, etc., would be a good hiding place whether it's wood or not. Further...I'm also thinking that resins in wood would actually be somewhat of a repellant as well.

So...is wood a particularly inviting harbor for lice, or is the main issue just any dark hiding place away from the light during the day?

dang things I liked being an observer on here than dealing with them

That wood I found that is suppose to be insect repellent is tigerwood & IPE wood. My friend thinks he has a piece the size of a 2x4 so I can use that in the coop as a roost.
Its also suppose to be rot & mildew resistant so maybe I am on to something using this in the coop. And its free

(I apologize if any one is sick of hearing about my mites but I am very frustrated. so thanks for your patience )

 

[delisha]

So...let's talk about mites a minute. Del - you might have some input on this. And so might others!

In a different place, AFL mentioned wanting to remove wood items from the coop as she was concerned about the wood items harboring lice.

I didn't think that the issue was WOOD in particular, but in the crevices and edges where they can hide - whether it is wood or not. So any joints where there is darkness, etc., would be a good hiding place whether it's wood or not. Further...I'm also thinking that resins in wood would actually be somewhat of a repellant as well.

So...is wood a particularly inviting harbor for lice, or is the main issue just any dark hiding place away from the light during the day?

any porous surface. It is not necessarily wood
I have brought them in with straw and tree branches I have about 20 feed dishes all over the yard for chicks and I soak them in bleach once or twice a week. I had two inverted dishes in the yard i did not soak and never picked up all week or fed out of since they were hidden under my DH's wheel barrow. Today I picked them up and the inside of them were filled with mites.

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: *sigh* Thanks Delisha everything I saw online said wood probably because most coops are made from it. Guess I need to start bleaching dishes and nesting boxes this weekend

 

[lalaland]

I tried 6 times to fix spelling errors in above post and BYC is not having anything to with it.

So it should read:
I now have 8 grey hens & I am pretty sure I wont have mites either after the girls dusted me with ashes

And my girls are just as feisty after dark roosting as they are during the day........fingers crossed this ends my fight

armorfirelady, you have my sympathies, I went thru that for what seemed like months earlier this summer. What finally worked for me was a combo of adding a pinch of sulphur powder to their feed daily for a week, and doing a sulphur dip. Now I don't know if only one would have worked or not. I also was doing some bathing and nustock on the bums as I had a terrible combo of feathermites, fowl mites too.

any porous surface. It is not necessarily wood
I have brought them in with straw and tree branches I have about 20 feed dishes all over the yard for chicks and I soak them in bleach once or twice a week. I had two inverted dishes in the yard i did not soak and never picked up all week or fed out of since they were hidden under my DH's wheel barrow. Today I picked them up and the inside of them were filled with mites.

What?????? feed dishes filled with mites? what the heck. you mean like those little teeny tiny red dot things? I don't bleach, I just scrub out now and then and often scrub just with sand and water. I"m flabbergasted.

and is anyone else suffering from an attack of those horrible flying and biting orange fake ladybugs?

 

[SallyinIndiana]

at some point I would just break down and seven dust everything. Not the popular answer for natural methods though. But bugs are my eww item. For them I will break out anything needed.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I am NOT sick of hearing about the mites afl! Whenever someone has a challenge it helps me - and all of us - learn!!!

 

[delisha]

The mites I am sure were in my DH's wheel barrel and probably from rabbits, birds, and squirrels. They sit on the top of it and wait for the chicks to move away from the feed dishes. They are all over the place this year since the coyotes this year were a no show. No fox either and we are over run. The coyotes will thin them down this winter I hope.

I do not have them in the coop or on the birds. I double checked after I seen the little critters. I burned a ton of wood and the ash hole is filled again. The birds will not touch it till i add some sand and dirt.

 

[armorfirelady]

I was eyeing up the se in dust at the feed store but I didn't get any. I want to prove natural methods work. It's only been a week.

Like I've said before patience may be a virtue but some days I am very impatient lol I like an immediate response. So I will keep the battle going. I WILL WIN NATURALLY

And the infestation doesn't seem to bad. Yes removing all wood seems a little over the top but maybe this tiger wood and ipe wood will work to deter mites and last longer in the long run. Its free, very hard and durable and won't mold or rot. The roost will probably last till I am 90 lol and maybe the poop won't absorb into it like it does On a Bare 2x4.

Like I said I know creepy crawlies are all around all the time. And I used to keep wood ash available all the time but was lax this summer. That won't happen again. I will be saving all ashes all winter so I have it available year round.
Lesson learned

And my girls are not scratching all the time. All have bright red combs and wattles except red. She went they a hard molt it seems and I am sure the mites are not helping. She is pinker than she was and I've been giving them extra meat protein high in iron to prevent anemia from the mites. They haven't been complaining.

And my DL is starting to get layered so I won't be taking it all out again. If this doesn't clear up in the next week or so I may add some DE to the litter but very little but first I will cover that DL with wood ash because its natural and free