What to do with broody while chickens get wormed and coop gets sprayed

[NHchicks]

A case of bad timing. I have a broody hen who is sitting on unfertilized eggs. I hate to tell her, but those things will never hatch.

Meanwhile, I have Eprinex arriving tomorrow or the next day for dose #2 for mites for them all, and hopefully to kill off any worms at the same time.

And when I give the Eprinex, I want to give the coop a 2nd clean-out and spray-down with maybe Sevin Spray to really get any mites that still might be hanging around.

So. What am I going to do with Ms. Broody and her unfertilized eggs while I dose them all and then toss everything out of the coop and spray it down? I'm thinking I'll carry her straight into the dog crate, maybe nest, eggs and all. She'll probably have a fit, but if her nest is with her, maybe she'll be okay.

And THEN, after I spray the coop and put new hay and shavings in there, with a new hay nest for her, I also would like to put a few bought fertilized eggs in her new nest so she can hatch a few chicks and get it out of her system. She's been broody for about 3-4 days now.

Does that sound like it will work? Will having sprayed the Sevin Spray in the coop affect the broody and her bought fertilized eggs? I could use something besides Sevin, but it has to be strong, to knock these mites out once and for all.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Sounds like a good plan, I use Epernix and really like it, and glad to hear she's is going to have some real eggs to sit on.. [I know she'll appreciate it.

 

[mlward]

I was just wondering the same thing myself, having discovered lice on one of my BO hens today. I have 2 hens setting on eggs, probably fertile, and will need to move them to clean the coop and to dust them. I was thinking of maybe moving them early in the morning before it gets light out, into a crate with their eggs. Then putting them back in their spots after. Will all this transpire smoothly? LOL! I wonder...

Speaking of the dusting process, I tried to find DE today without success. I tried TSC and Walmart. Any ideas? Right now, I have on hand the Sevin 5, some Y-Tex GardStar Garden & Poultry Dust and EcoSmart Organic Insect Killer (a liquid concentrate that says its safe to use around the house and pets). Tomorrow I'll try the farm supply store for DE and then... get started!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi just want to let you know if you have an infestation of lice or mites DE will not work. You'll need to use something stronger to kill everything then if you want to use DE as a preventive do that. Believe me I used DE faithfully for years and then last year we had a mite infestation and DE did nothing, so I used sevin spray the kind you mix with water on the coop that way I could be sure to get every nook and crany top to bottom, then used poultry dust on the birds. But I hate the dust, not because it doesn't work it works great but because it's so dusty, I bought Epernix pour- on and you use it like you do frontline for dogs and cats. it's great. So don't plan on DE killing the pests. I now use it in my can mixed into my feed. Thats is really what it's for keeping feed dry. When I was using DE in my coops I was also using Poultry protector, that was what was keeping the mites and lice to a minimum, just didn't know it until we got the infestation so bad.

 

[NHchicks]

mlward, here's hoping the transition goes smoothly. I'm thankful I only have one broody and not 2.

I don't even want more chickens, but I can't stand to see a broody sit there for weeks and be disappointed. It's heartbreaking. Probably more for me than for her - ha.

About the lice, what I did with the mites was dust them with Prozap, which is what my farm store had on hand. They also had DE, so at the same time, I thoroughly cleaned out and bleached the coop and sprayed it with an enzyme insecticide spray (which I doubt is strong enough for those darn mites) and then I sprinkled DE everywhere, but I don't really know why. I really don't think it does much. BUT, it did dry out the damp floor of my coop, which is good. I found when I cleaned out the whole coop that the spring thaw must have come up thru the bottom of the coop and soaked the bottom shavings.

And then I ordered the Eprinex, because it's easier than the dust (which was a pain) and if they have worms, it should zap those too. And I'll clean out the coop a 2nd time, and this time use a stronger insecticide. That should be that, I hope I don't have to do anything else like this until next year. It's really time consuming.

 

[benjoycei]

I would fix up a cardboard box with her current nest contents in it and then move her to the new nest when everything is done.

 

[NHchicks]

A cardboard box is a good idea, because then she might feel more secure.

I'd love to change the location of her nest anyway - she is nesting upstairs in the coop, and the chicks will probably fall off that ledge anyway. I'd like to move her downstairs. I wonder if I keep her in the box and then set the new box on its side in the downstairs after it's clean, if she would know the difference. In fact, maybe instead of a cardboard box, I'll use a rubbermaid bin on its side, and she can end up with more privacy.

Chicks are adorable, but it's a lot easier when you have a broody pen for them, which I don't. Last year I moved mom and chicks (their own - about 8 of them) to the large dog crate, which was wrapped in tarps, and it became a nursery. Guess I'll have to do that again, and also wrap it in hardware cloth to keep the predators away.

 

[mlward]

Thanks for all the good info, guys. Headed to my local farm supply to see what they have on hand. Would hate to have to order something on line and have to wait on it...

 

[NHchicks]

My Eprinex is supposed to be delivered via FedEx tomorrow. Sure hope they aren't late. By tracking, the package is in CT right now - how do they get it from CT to NH overnight? Amazing.

Anyway - I got the Sevin concentrate today, and a pump sprayer (for the coop). I got new hay and shavings. I've got my outfit all picked out.

I have a phone # to a local woman who sells fertilized eggs, I'll have to call her in the a.m. to pick those up.

And then hopefully it's one-two-three, war on bugs, do the whole switcheroo and by the end of the day, everyone should be happy, healthy, sitting on eggs, and dreaming about worms...