Woof. What an icky day -- my feathered buddies suffered from both pests and predators today.
I went to clean the coop and OMG! we had a major mite infestation. Luckily, I discovered a Neem oil/soap/water mix last year that you can spray on them and it kills them. The coop is mobile and compact, so I sprayed the heck out of it, especially the dark corners and cracks. Then I rinsed and scrubbed it, and got rid of most of 'em. Poor chickens! Getting gobbled on all night like that. Dang mites were red, fat, and sassy. Now they're dead!
Then, as the day wore on, I realized our sweet EE Gracie didn't show up for bird seed treats, and then the afternoon feeding. Our flock is free range on an acre w/lots of shrubby vegetation, and we know there's a racoon about. My guess is she was laying on some wild nest we didn't know about, and that darn coon got her. We've lost so many chickens over the past 5 years to disease, coyotes, and dogs, and it really hurts. As vigilant as we are, that's what happens to the free-rangers. Yuck. Sadness.
Thanks for listening.
I went to clean the coop and OMG! we had a major mite infestation. Luckily, I discovered a Neem oil/soap/water mix last year that you can spray on them and it kills them. The coop is mobile and compact, so I sprayed the heck out of it, especially the dark corners and cracks. Then I rinsed and scrubbed it, and got rid of most of 'em. Poor chickens! Getting gobbled on all night like that. Dang mites were red, fat, and sassy. Now they're dead!

Then, as the day wore on, I realized our sweet EE Gracie didn't show up for bird seed treats, and then the afternoon feeding. Our flock is free range on an acre w/lots of shrubby vegetation, and we know there's a racoon about. My guess is she was laying on some wild nest we didn't know about, and that darn coon got her. We've lost so many chickens over the past 5 years to disease, coyotes, and dogs, and it really hurts. As vigilant as we are, that's what happens to the free-rangers. Yuck. Sadness.
Thanks for listening.