Will putting lime on my yard hurt my chickens?

[Compost Queen]

If you get ticks in your area or lice or generally as preventative, don't forget to include a good pinch of elemental sulfur in their mash on regular basis. Also garlic, lots of garlic. Not the be and end all on ticks but certainly helps. Plant wormwood, rue, tansy around chook house for insect deterrant properties ( check weed potential). When prune, hang from chook roof till dry then use in nesting.

 

[Compost Queen]

Hello, I'm new to having backyard chickens with 11 hens and 1 rooster and they free range as well.
My chickens love to get into the compost pile and I was wanting to spread Limethrough it, the lime I got was powdered calcitic lime, should that be OK? It's 93% calcium carbonate and 1%magnesium.
Also I found food grade diatomaceous earth works very well spread into the cracks and crevices of the coop and will kill any insect with a exoskeleton and it will not harm your flock. Can also spread in the yard in trouble areas and water it to get into the ground.

Yes, calcitic lime will be fine in compost. You only need a couple of handfuls in a metre cubed compost. keep it dry and will last for ages. I don't use DE because it's too expensive here. I use sifted wood ash instead, it's not as good, but it's pretty good. I do put DE in a squeeze type plastic sauce bottle and poof some DE under their wings, around their vents, and everywhere if the look a bit itchy.

 

[Compost Queen]

We are trying to radically decrease our tick population to protect young children. We are planning to get chickens. Folks have also said lime works. I'm assuming it's hydrated lime because other wouldn't be strong enough. If after a few days we can go back on lawn, why couldn't chickens?

Just be aware that in order to manage ticks, you are massacring the general ground dwelling insect population. So regarding the chooks diet, who are omnivores and get a lot of good bacteria ( the gut biome is as imortant in health for chooks, as honey bees, as people, etc) as well as protein from insects when free ranging, why don't you make a few deep mulch areas that the kids can't play in but the chooks can forage in? And although chooks can indeed get ticks, they will also eat them if they can. Good luck

 

[Emmescoop]

I am trying to reduce the Mareks virus load in my coop and run after I lost a hen to Mareks. Should I remove some dirt, put slaked (hydrated) lime on the remaining dirt, then cover it with topsoil? Or will it hurt the chicken feet and skin? Thanks!

 

[GirlsGirlsGirls]

Dolomitic limestone is what I use, too.

Where do you buy that?