Savingdogs-Saving the chickens

[Quail_Antwerp]

i was fine until the weather warmed up and the room got hotter.

I was reading in a chicken book that you should only incubate in the spring? I wanted to say to the authors, why?

i incubate spring, summer, fall, and sometimes in the winter. As long as you can keep the incubator in a room that has fairly steady temps and doesn't get too hot or too cool, it shouldn't matter the season.

Brooding is easier in spring and summer, IMO. In summer, I find that I can stop using the heat lamps sooner.

Actually, I have a brooder of 2 week chicks right now out in the chick barn that only use the heat lamp in the early morning hours, when it's cool. I've been shutting it off during the day, leaving it off all night, and turning it on around 7 am. They seem to be feathering in nicely, too.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

The person who bought my chickens (nicely) told me she found a "louse" on them....she suggested I dust them with something chemical sounding and give them ACV for three days (my remaining birds). There has been some persistent feather loss on one or two, and those were the ones I sold her (except for one RIR). I also have some chickens that are plain old molting so it is hard to tell.

Should I dust them all with my DE? How do you dust a chicken, can anyone tell me? I can't imagine they will be very pleased about it. Hold them up and drop powder on them? Wait until they are roosting at night? I just can't quite picture how you dust chickens. What about if I put a bunch of the DE where they take their dust baths?

I tried to post this earlier, but I guess it got lost somewhere. :/

I would add the DE to their dust baths, I would dust all of the chickens with the DE and thoroughly clean the coop and runs then spray it all down. Back in the day I used a chemical insecticide that we bought at the feed store. I haven't had to do it in a very long time, but I would probably use a different mix that I found online these days. Bird Lice Cure

You will need to repeat treatments and the cleaning in two weeks to be sure you have all of the eggs. :/

If the DE doesn't work you can dust with Sevin powder at that time. Sevin is pretty potent stuff so use with caution.

By the way, love all of the pics. That grand kiddo is a charmer!!

Oh! We throw all our stove ashes in the coop and pen, and that helps drastically with bugs!

 

[savingdogs]

stove ashes? that is a great way to recycle! I've already dumped mine for the year but what a great spring project for next year, clean the coop and the ash bin at the same time. No wonder they called it "spring cleaning" in the olden days.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

stove ashes? that is a great way to recycle! I've already dumped mine for the year but what a great spring project for next year, clean the coop and the ash bin at the same time. No wonder they called it "spring cleaning" in the olden days.

We give them the ashes everytime we clean out the stove.
Dust bathing fun all around.
We noticed that the head shaking from the bugs went away within a week or so after starting this practice.

 

[savingdogs]

I just love all the interesting things I learn here!

I'm making the rabbits my project for tomorrow, the lady is coming to pick up her bunny. But after that I'm making the chicken coop clean up my priority and the dust bath of the century for my dear little hens.

My hand is finally almost better and the scab came off my nose today. I just hope I have a non spinny day tomorrow and some sunbreaks, they are of course predicting rain.

 

[Denim Deb]

I so feel for you. On Saturday, I was getting a vertigo attack when we were getting ready to trailer over for our ride. (I had one person ask me if I had eaten. She doesn't quite get it.) I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to ride, and found myself thinking of you. But, the feeling past. I so wish neither of us had this disease, or that at least, you weren't as bad as you are.

 

[savingdogs]

Well I rode horses for many years with MD....it is only the last six months that I would be afraid to, but I haven't ridden now in a few years. I never really did have good balance on horses and tended to fall off alot, but was fine as long as the horse was saddled. I would still love to get a little pony and cart someday.

I sold a bunny today and met a really neat lady, I invited her here because she totally would fit in with us. She bought the little female and will probably come back to breed this one to the unrelated male that I have, she is a homesteader type. I was almost afraid to mention selling a bunny after reading that other thread on here today , but my livestock sales are not going to reach 500.00 for a long time at 25.00 a bunny. :bun I guess I know how many I can sell before I start sending them to freezer camp instead.

I've been moving rabbit poo to the garden and getting ready to plant the rest of the area. I should be pretty free from frost at this point although technically it could still happen, but I need to finish getting everything planted in the next day or so. We are finally having spring weather and the bugs have had no trouble at all catching up with the season and they are out in full force. We are still a little colder than normal but at least I've put my snow jacket away in the closet finally.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

spring? i'm sorry i dont know what you are saying.. we only have "mud season" and "extra hot"
;-)

so...

i'm trying this incubator thing... oh golly.. i hope it works!

 

[savingdogs]

well I came in from outside and my incubator had shot up to 103 degrees. Sheesh, did I just make baked duck eggs? I hope it wasn't that warm for very long. It was holding steady about four hours ago but it got nice and warm here today. It seems kind of hard in my incubator to keep the temperature steady because my room temperature changes.

and we have Paw-leeenty of mud here, but I did have to water the pumpkins. I planted a mountain of em! I also got a bunch more planted today, the garden is coming along. I also spotted a lot of things sprouting that I planted last week so that is always encouraging. if nothing else I have a great radish crop growing. Something came along and ate all the leaves off my beans.

I want to take a picture of my pallet fence garden once the plants are growing in there and post it. My visitor (rabbit buyer) really liked it. She said she has a chicken coop she made entirely from pallets.

 

[sunsaver]

I've been super fortunate. Spring started here in march, and it's been not too hot or cold, just enough rain, few bugs (except giant mosquitos) and i already have ripe tomatos and bell peppers, ancho, poblano, tobasco, squash, chard, brocolli, green beans, cabbage, turnip greens, and will soon have egg plant and henderson lima beans. Not trying to make anyone jealous. Just counting my blessings!