The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

@lalaland

On repairing beak:

http://beautyofbirds.com/brokenbeaks.html

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/01/repairing-chickens-broken-beak.html

http://www.tillysnest.com/2011/12/how-to-fix-broken-beak.html



Interesting fact:
Super glue was first used during the Vietnam War as a medical supply to glue wounds on the battlefield until they could be taken somewhere to do a more permanent solution.

I'd definitely be careful w/ it on birds, however.. Fumes and ingestion need to be considered....

 

[Leahs Mom]

Sorry to interrupt, but who was it I was chatting with about Squash Vine Borer Control back in Late Winter? I am devastated, I just saw the red mom and now I notice she has already laid eggs on my vines

I pick off those I can, but what do y'all think about taking the mash (leftover leaves & oil) from a Plantain + Olive Oil infusion and wrapping that around the stems? Might it smother the eggs before or during the hatch, plus prevent mom from getting back on the vine to lay again?

BTW, A HUGE Thank You for the Plantain links/discussion awhile back, that is one incredible weed!

There is no such thin as an interruption here!

I'm thinking I'd try it! Hopefully someone else will chime in.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@HollyDuckFarmer

There were a bunch of posts about it around this area: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eeping-thread-ots-welcome/31840#post_13589829


I think it may have been @Kassaundra or @potagergirl that had some ideas on the squash bugs.

 

[lalaland]

@lalaland

On repairing beak:

http://beautyofbirds.com/brokenbeaks.html

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/01/repairing-chickens-broken-beak.html

http://www.tillysnest.com/2011/12/how-to-fix-broken-beak.html



Interesting fact:
Super glue was first used during the Vietnam War as a medical supply to glue wounds on the battlefield until they could be taken somewhere to do a more permanent solution.

I'd definitely be careful w/ it on birds, however.. Fumes and ingestion need to be considered....

thanks! I was searching under "cracked beak" and didn't find any of the ones you cited, and they turned out to be much more helpful. I don't have superglue, but I can go into town later today and get some. Not sure though that I want to seal it in case there is an underlying infection that is seeping out- it is that faint rotting smell that worries me.
still thinking....

 

[armorfirelady]

Sorry to interrupt, but who was it I was chatting with about Squash Vine Borer Control back in Late Winter? I am devastated, I just saw the red mom and now I notice she has already laid eggs on my vines

I pick off those I can, but what do y'all think about taking the mash (leftover leaves & oil) from a Plantain + Olive Oil infusion and wrapping that around the stems? Might it smother the eggs before or during the hatch, plus prevent mom from getting back on the vine to lay again?

BTW, A HUGE Thank You for the Plantain links/discussion awhile back, that is one incredible weed!

@HollyDuckFarmer

There were a bunch of posts about it around this area: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eeping-thread-ots-welcome/31840#post_13589829


I think it may have been @Kassaundra or @potagergirl that had some ideas on the squash bugs.

I believe it was Kaussandra as well.

Tho its to late now I did read over the winter to plant nasturtium plants to keep squash bugs away. So this year I planted them around the entire perimeter of my garden this spring. I am happy to report last weekend when I checked I had no squash bugs. SO fingers crossed it was the flowers that did their job. I also planted marigolds around the perimeter to keep bunnies out. That seems to work to a point. Something keeps eating my strawberry plants but its not touching anything else

I would of thought if it was a bunny it would of just continued to eat the rest of the garden as well. (not complaining just weird )

That brings up another question I had. Ive heard or read that the nasturtium is good for the hens as well. They (except the chicks) have no access to them in the garden. Do you think I could dry them for use over the winter? That's what I am doing with their greens.

 

[Kassaundra]

Sorry to interrupt, but who was it I was chatting with about Squash Vine Borer Control back in Late Winter? I am devastated, I just saw the red mom and now I notice she has already laid eggs on my vines

I pick off those I can, but what do y'all think about taking the mash (leftover leaves & oil) from a Plantain + Olive Oil infusion and wrapping that around the stems? Might it smother the eggs before or during the hatch, plus prevent mom from getting back on the vine to lay again?

BTW, A HUGE Thank You for the Plantain links/discussion awhile back, that is one incredible weed!

You say "laid eggs" and you picked them off, are your talking about squash bugs or squash vine bore???? They are two very different squash plant preditors.

Is this what you are seeing????

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Nope. This is the larva, altho http://m.almanac.com/content/squash-vine-borer mine were much much smaller. The adult is a red and black flying insect, she looks sort of like a wasp.

The eggs are similarly colored to what you posted, but they are not on the leaf, just around the stem. Then you see the yellowish frass.

 

[Kassaundra]

Nope. This is the larva, altho http://m.almanac.com/content/squash-vine-borer mine were much much smaller. The adult is a red and black flying insect, she looks sort of like a wasp.

I was searching for my pics for that one, just found them. lol Vine borers only emerge at one time of the year, for us around mid June, may be different for your area. So if you plant after the emergent time they won't infest the vine. If you catch it early enough you can "surgically" remove them and bury your vine stem a little deeper (cover w/ more dirt). Covering the stem will not harm the plant, but if your plant is already infested it also won't do any good, you would have to do that pre-emergent, and some do use tobacco leaves, tansy leaves, aluminum foil, etc... so your idea might work next year if you do it before they emerge from the ground. Now if they are already affecting the plant you may could bury the stem above the split, it might have enough time and umph to grow roots before the plant dies, I have not had success w/ that. I lost nearly all my second planting to them (unusual for me usually I don't have many of those) but I replanted mid June and now have big healty plants (but haven't harvested any zuchs yet)

 

[potagergirl]

@HollyDuckFarmer

There were a bunch of posts about it around this area: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eeping-thread-ots-welcome/31840#post_13589829


I think it may have been @Kassaundra or @potagergirl that had some ideas on the squash bugs.

Yes I mentioned some ideas. I chose the onions this year and I have not seen one squash bug on any of my squash plants. I also have straw up around each of my plants which may also be a hindrance for the bugs. Now having said that this is my first year for trying the onions and according to some companion charts onions do not get along with summer squash.
My results have been no bugs but my plants are smaller and have fruited later this year. This could be due to weather because we had a lot of rain early on and now going many days without rain. There are a lot of blooms on my plants and right now less then half have squash starting. I'm thinking the percentage will get better in the next couple weeks because more flowers are starting to grow on most of the squash plants. I will take smaller plants and later crops if that is the trade off for no squash bugs.
Next year I will use the onions again and if I can remember I will post my results. Hope this helps,

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Thanks Kass. I just removed all I could see. I thought for sure I'd missed their emergence this year.... We'll see how the plants recover. My idea was that since that Plantain seeds contain cellulose after soaking, that might help the plant at least retain moisture at the incision site. Will update as time passes. (These plants are in straw bales, so I have really been struggling with getting the pH correct all season so far. The bugs are just icing on the cake).

Lalaland, hope your bird improves. I have read abt folks using superglue on injured duck bills, FWIW. And that was a component for a fingernail break too: coffee filter + superglue. Anyone remember when Revlon made the nail polish with Kevlar in it? That would probly work too, altho there I would be quite concerned about toxicity.