Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[itsren]

Quote: Comfrey used to be the go-to herbal cure for a lot of issues, but it is a liver toxin when taken internally and should not be ingested, even in tincture form. It's great as a poultice or infusion for muscle aches or sprains, though, and will take down the swelling in varicose veins like nobody's business.

My close friend grows Comfrey and she grows and uses it as an herbal poultice. She's very knowledgeable on the use of tinctures and poultices. One thing she told me about Comfrey is that it speeds the growth of cells, and that is why it helps heal wounds so quickly. But, she also said there's a downside to it - she said if there are cancer cells in the body it can also speed up the growth of them, as well.

I have not been able to confirm that Comfrey does speed up the growth of cancer cells, but the American Cancer Society does not recommend it's use: http://www.cancer.org/treatment/tre...tivemedicine/herbsvitaminsandminerals/comfrey

 

[Slinglings]

Quote:

I tried a natural moss killer that had some sort of citrus oil in it once, and I don't remember it working well.
I think this is what I tried: http://www.lillymiller.com/labels/WorryFree/LM132-02_mossAlgae.pdf

eta: you still have to mechanically remove the moss after killing it, and then do something with the bare soil otherwise the moss will just come back or will fill in with weeds.

 

[Chugosh]

More correctly getting IN is free. But ya may (feel the) need to spend some $$ to get out ! ! ! !

Yeah, I do not doubt. I'm all sorts of busy this Saturday, so no chicken temptation for me. I hope there are more shows like it along through the year. I'll definitely be looking at such with new eyes.

Thanks for the warm welcome, folks!

 

[Imp]

Is there a safe way to remove moss from the grass in an area where the girls free-range? We want to reseed the grass, but I don't want to use moss killer anywhere near the girls.

Rent a de-thatching machine. It will pull out a lot of the moss. But it will come back quickly. I wouldn't use a de-thatching blade on your lawn mower. I had to replace my mower a few years ago after trying that. Lol! Should come with a warning that mowers are not designed for digging.

The best defense to moss is a healthy lawn. I believe that some moss killers are fairly safe- just iron. Spray the liquid on the moss and it turns black within a few seconds. Then pull it out. Hard work.

I (like you) don't use much of anything like that on my back lawn because of the chickens, cats and dog.

I have become one with the moss. ummmmmmmm

Russ

 

[Flaming Chicken]

So glad to see you on here more lady! And thanks for helping Ron out. I am going to go take a look at the hen, but I am not sure what I will be able to do.

Hope that you can help. I usually try to read through the posts but I can get pretty far behind. I'm glad his little chick settled in so well.

 

[Imp]

So, since I've been asking so many noob questions....here's another. Do the chicks go through a feather loss, or molt, before they start laying? I have noticed my two seem to lose a few small feathers a day.

A slow gradual feather loss is pretty normal, as long as the pullets are not becoming bald. New feathers will grow in to replace the ones that fall out.
Usually pullets will go through one or two "mini" molts before they start "true" molting. I've heard at 6 months and 12 months.
True molting is in the fall (since most chicks are hatched in the spring) it is often at about 18 months.

Now that being said... I've had chickens about 12 years now, and have had only 1 chicken truly molt in the fall. And never had a pullet "mini" molt. Just a year round gradual feather loss; with an occasional bald spot.
I've speculated that the mild climate here is the reason, but others have reported the same thing in more extreme climates.

lighting can sometimes effect molting as well.

Russ

 

[CarolynF]

So here's an update on my sick BSL hen -- screech -- scratch -- scrootch -- (sound effects of a broken record)

She's getting Corid for possible Cocci because after endless searching I couldn't find any symptoms that came closer to hers and it's a relatively harmless first step.

Last night when I went out to tuck everyone in I found a couple dozen black feathers scattered in the run and pen. The girl has apparently decided to MOLT. And considering she's 2 years old, it's about time!

In case anyone else comes across this situation I want to share what I've been seeing and maybe it will help them....


First time: Sluggish, egg with paper shell, puffed out feathers.
Back to normal the next day, lays normal eggs on normal schedule.

3 Weeks Later: Sluggish, egg with no shell, puffed out feathers, not interested in treats.
Back to normal the next day, but stops laying

1 Week later: Sluggish, puffed out feathers, sits in nest box for 3 hours
and lays egg with no shell, slight sulfur smell.
Seems fairly normal by the end of the day.

1 Day Later: Started Corid (for cocci).
A little sluggish, feathers somewhat puffy during the day. No egg.
That evening .... lots of feathers are shed.

I'm going to keep an eye on her and continue the Corid. I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks so much to those of you that have helped me with this mystery especially KMHunter and Velvett Fog. You all are the BEST!

 

[Flaming Chicken]

OK if this don't make ya laugh...................... well then I guess ya didn't find it funny Chicken Bath Day (and no they are not mine) Roflmao! And doesn't that rooster look so happy to be at the bottom of the pile.

 

[itsren]

Quote: The best way to get rid of moss is to address the reasons why you are getting moss in the lawn in the first place. (not enough sun, too much moisture, trying to grow grass where it can't thrive) In the PNW, it's easier to just live with it than to try to fix it If I got rid of the moss in the back corner of my lawn, I would just have weeds or bare dirt. So I turned that corner into a shade and rain loving garden. The moss is gone there now.

I get moss in the rest of the yard in the winter only. As soon as it dries out, the moss dies off and I can rake it out with a thatch rake or garden rake. However, this year, the chickens have been scratching it up! It's so easy to clean up.



I tried a natural moss killer that had some sort of citrus oil in it once, and I don't remember it working well.

My husband has gotten better since we've had kids, and now chickens, but he's tends to want a perfect lawn. He used to use chemicals like crazy which would cause huge arguments between us. He's backed off significantly since 2 of our boys were diagnosed with Autism, but the moss is still bugging him. Honestly, I could care less. He's already used a moss killer on the front yard, which I am trying to not get into a stir about. He did it before I knew what he was doing. I flat out refused to let him use it in the back yard. But I'm a little nervous he's going to try and use it in the back yard when I'm not looking. He fertilized the back yard once after I had asked him not to because of the chickens, and I just about had a tizzy fit. I had to keep the poor girls locked up for quite a while. So, for the sake of keeping peace in the family, I'd like to address the moss issue in a natural way before I walk out there and discover he's put the chemicals out again.

 

[KMoran]

Hey guys I still have 5 brabanter chicks looking for a home... They look to be creams... Straight run hatched out April 7th. These are from Hallerlake.