The Pita Pinta Asturiana

[Ballerina Bird]

Hi,  Your girls are so very pretty!  Mine have not entered their first molt, yet.  They are 1 year this month, and still pretty dark.  And, congratulations for Odette winning in the contest! 

Thank you! It will be fun to see how yours change after molting.

 

[caychris]

Lost my oldest Pita girl and one other Pita hen today not sure if its stroke, heat or what. I suspect laying issues because I had been getting some softshells for a bit. Dont think it is disease all the other birds seem healthy

Sad to lose any but at least they went quick hopefully had not been suffering long. Appeared pretty normal a day or two ago so I think something just broke. Well at least I have a few younger birds coming up and a broody on eggs.

 

[Ballerina Bird]

Lost my oldest Pita girl and one other Pita hen today not sure if its stroke, heat or what. I suspect laying issues because I had been getting some softshells for a bit. Dont think it is disease all the other birds seem healthy

Sad to lose any but at least they went quick hopefully had not been suffering long. Appeared pretty normal a day or two ago so I think something just broke. Well at least I have a few younger birds coming up and a broody on eggs.

I am so sorry!

 

[ronott1]

Lost my oldest Pita girl and one other Pita hen today not sure if its stroke, heat or what. I suspect laying issues because I had been getting some softshells for a bit. Dont think it is disease all the other birds seem healthy

Sad to lose any but at least they went quick hopefully had not been suffering long. Appeared pretty normal a day or two ago so I think something just broke. Well at least I have a few younger birds coming up and a broody on eggs.

I am sorry to hear that!

So far I have not lost any to the heat this year. Last year I lost one. The mist system works very nicely for them.

 

[caychris]

I am sorry to hear that!

So far I have not lost any to the heat this year. Last year I lost one. The mist system works very nicely for them.

I seriously doubt it was the heat. This breed tends to be heat hardy anyway. They do not have a thick under-fluf that some other breeds do though many days in a row of heat may have a cumulative effect on them putting strain on organs that may be slightly compromised in the first place. I have been sure to provide shade and water. I have yet to get a mist system up and running. So heat may have been a factor but I think something else was going on. One was still alive for a bit as I was going out to feed them but she passed quickly after I found her.

I moved birth birds out of the coop to feed the rest and by the time I had gotten to them to do something the ants were covering both birds. I need to do some ant control as I'm seeing lots more ants now as summer continues. Between ants and flies my place is being over run. I also am going to have to do something about the rats. I saw a couple last night.

 

[ronott1]

I seriously doubt it was the heat. This breed tends to be heat hardy anyway. They do not have a thick under-fluf that some other breeds do though many days in a row of heat may have a cumulative effect on them putting strain on organs that may be slightly compromised in the first place. I have been sure to provide shade and water. I have yet to get a mist system up and running. So heat may have been a factor but I think something else was going on. One was still alive for a bit as I was going out to feed them but she passed quickly after I found her.

I moved birth birds out of the coop to feed the rest and by the time I had gotten to them to do something the ants were covering both birds. I need to do some ant control as I'm seeing lots more ants now as summer continues. Between ants and flies my place is being over run. I also am going to have to do something about the rats. I saw a couple last night.

For ants I use advion bait gel:

https://www.amazon.com/Advion-Bait-...qid=1467387747&sr=8-4&keywords=advion+and+gel

For rats, this works in about 5 days and has a low secondary kill:

https://www.amazon.com/Just-One-Bit...&qid=1467387820&sr=8-1&keywords=just+one+bite

There is a hole in the center so they fit onto wires inside of a bait station or you can attach a stiff wire to the center and attach the wire to something. Make sure the bait is not in a place that the chickens can get to it.

Rats have been gone from my place for a year now. I have a couple of bait sticks out to monitor for them just in case they come back.

 

[caychris]

For ants I use advion bait gel:

https://www.amazon.com/Advion-Bait-...qid=1467387747&sr=8-4&keywords=advion+and+gel

For rats, this works in about 5 days and has a low secondary kill:

https://www.amazon.com/Just-One-Bit...&qid=1467387820&sr=8-1&keywords=just+one+bite

There is a hole in the center so they fit onto wires inside of a bait station or you can attach a stiff wire to the center and attach the wire to something. Make sure the bait is not in a place that the chickens can get to it.

Rats have been gone from my place for a year now. I have a couple of bait sticks out to monitor for them just in case they come back.

Is this a better product than the Tomcat stuff They dont seem to go for the bait stations if there is feed or other available food near by.

 

[ronott1]

Is this a better product than the Tomcat stuff They dont seem to go for the bait stations if there is feed or other available food near by.

yes, the just one bite is like peanut butter. They go crazy for it here.

For skittish rats, putting it on the wires makes a big difference. If you find a hole that leads to their nest, stick the bait on the wire down the hole. Getting close works too since the will hold the bait in their cheeks and go back to the nest and share the bait.

 

[caychris]

Is there a retailer local

 

[ronott1]

Is there a retailer local

I think TSC has just one bite. I do not know about the advion for ants but they might have it too.