rescue chickens

[RoofTops]

When we power washed the chicken house all the mites came out of the cracks so we knew we had a problem. When dry my wife then plastered everything with creosote - the real stuff which she had hoarded before it was banned. We've not had a problem since. I suspect a good soaking with more acceptable wood preservatives would also work. Look for preservatives which have things in them to kill wood boring critters. Should sort the mites out as well.

 

[victor meldrew]

Like a beehive, blow lamp with fire extinuisher to hand.

John Wilkinson

 

[oliver90owner]

These are proper chicken coops, not the plastic version? They reckon plastic coops can power-washed clean - well, most of them, as some mites get inside bubbles on the surface on some examples, apparently. Now those eggs are likely the most expensive! They might win out in the long run, I don't know - and I am not going to do a costing exercise on hens eggs

Regards,RAB

 

[Frisbee]

When we power washed the chicken house all the mites came out of the cracks so we knew we had a problem. When dry my wife then plastered everything with creosote - the real stuff which she had hoarded before it was banned. We've not had a problem since. I suspect a good soaking with more acceptable wood preservatives would also work. Look for preservatives which have things in them to kill wood boring critters. Should sort the mites out as well.

Real creosote is still available, it's for "professional" use only and you can only buy it in 20/25litre containers, but as poultry are classed as livestock, not pets then that is not a problem, the solvent part of it dissolves the exoskeleton(?). Some of the replacements apparently work too, I've not tried them as I can get the real thing.

Using a blow torch Victor is all very well till your hen house is over 50 years old and had many soakings in creosote, I doubt if it would last long......cure the mite though

Frisbee

 

[Hivemaker.]

Sulphur fumigation.

 

[Brosville]

Here are a few suggestions of natural ways........

* Blow torches can be used around the cracks and crevices but be careful not to set fire to your coop!
* Steamers used for stripping wall paper can be used to get into cracks.
* Pressure Washers can be used to spray into cracks to wash out mites.
* Smearing a mixture of Paraffin and Vaseline into cracks and crevices. Vaseline is used frequently by poultry keepers to get rid of scaly leg mites. It smothers the mites.
* Double-sided sticky fly papers / double sided sticky tape on the underside of the perch and / or around ends of perches.
* Carbolic Soap can be spread in the cracks and crevices to smother the mites.
* Coke poured into cracks to wet the mites apparently works by dissolving the waxy outer coating of the mite which then causes them to dry out, dehydrate and die.
* A dust bath can really help the birds with mites and lice and is their natural way to getting rid of external parasites. Dusting powders can be added to dust baths (like Diatomacious Earth) so the birds get it into the places you have missed. When mites hop onto your birds at night, they will rub against the diatom
* Tea Tree.
* Peppermint.
* Citronella - Often sold to prevent mosquitos.
* Eucalyptus - Trees grow well in the UK and can be bought from garden centres. Crush fresh Eucalyptus leaves and use in bedding to help to deter Red-Mites.
* Lemongrass - Can be grown from seed in the greenhouse.
* Cedarwood Oils.
* Soya Bean Oils.
* Garlic

I have used a few of these for red mite control with success the main two being garlic and diatom.

Garlic has many other health benefits as well as being a natural insecticide.
It is thought that the red mite don't like the smell that comes off the skin or the taste of blood after garlic has been eaten. I crush a couple of fresh cloves into their water, or, if I'm in a hurry, I will use dried garlic granules that I buy in big bags from an equestrian shop but it can also be added to food.
Diatom is very safe to use and can be used in organic farms. If it is dusted around the bedding and rubbed into the perches it can drastically reduce red mite numbers. Diatom has microscopically sharp edges and it works by piercing the outer waxy coating of the mite which will basically dry up and die after a short while. There is no chemical toxicity since diatom controls insects by physical means rather than chemical"

from a natural poultry keeping site.........

 

[Brosville]

you'd probably be best to get hold of some of the dried powdered form (equestrian suppliers) - squashed fresh is particularly messy.
Another good "old fashioned and safe" remedy for leg mites is to paint the legs with linseed oil....

 

[JCBrum]

.... paint the legs with linseed oil....

Tried that, .............. makes yer socks fall down ..........

 

[Hombre]

Linseed oil, raw or boiled?
I'm assuming that it makes a difference; the boiled (which isn't) has additives that make it dry faster, making it more suitable for some applications and less suitable for others.

 

[Brosville]

Either., as long as they're additive free -I use Rustin's boiled linseed for beehives, which I know to be food grade, and additive-free!
(boiled dries faster)

 

[Ixy]

I have a feeling someone's unreasoned prejudices are continuing to give ex-battery birds an unfair bad name. Shell problems probably have far more to do with an ignorant amateur getting the diet wrong than anything intrinsically "wrong" with the birds - for someone on a budget, given the choice of shelling out (intentional pun) £100 or more to get a few pedigree birds, and 50p a head for ex-battery birds, there's every chance that they may not be able to afford to give pedigree birds a home at all.
As for the "argument" that not having ex batts will somehow stop them being bred is utter nonsense - the batteries will buy the birds come what may, all we are concerned with is what happens to them when their dreadful time in an animal Belsen is over. After having been poisoned, cramped, overheated, and likely had chunks of their beaks burnt off, of course they are more likely to suffer an earlier death than a "pampered from the egg" pedigree. I could rail about the problems common to any "overbred to show standard" animals, but won't...
The fact remains that for many people giving a few ex-commercial hens a pleasant retirement is a good, viable, and moral choice, which should not be rubbished - there are just as many reasons to not go for pedigrees - live and let live!

Unreasoned prejudices? I think not - have you done any research on what goes on beind the scenes at big animal hybrid breeding companies, as I have? By supporting any aspect of it, you are condoning what they are doing, not only to the environment and our health, but also to communities (mostly abroad although here too if you look think hard enough) that now have high unemployment, and subesequent social problems. Giving the hens a home may give you a warm feeling inside but whilst people are encouraged to do this, not only are they perpetuating a false economy, but pure breeds are going without a home, and whilst battery hens will still be bred in their millions worldwide, the pure breeds will simply die. When the factory farming system fails (and it will, due to being propped up by cheap oil, the days of which will be over before long, and cheap grain thanks to that and subsidies, the days of which are over very soon) what will we eat? Hybrid animals will not be available, and even if they were they would fail under the traditional systems.

A community that can feed itself is free, a community that cannot is not.

Ignorant amateur? How pathetic. Keep thinking that if it makes you feel better

 

[JCBrum]

I have a feeling someone's unreasoned prejudices .... et cetera .... et cetera ....

Brosville, you speak as if you have first-hand knowledge and experience of commercial, non-hobby, intensive poultry keeping ?

Is that the case ?

JCBrum.

 

[peteinwilts]

my local avian vet, Neil Forbes (infamously known in the avian world!)recommended that I use frontline spray for my birds.

Admitedly, not chickens and have no idea if they will affect eggs, but since I started using it (a very brief small spray on the back of the neck), I have not had a single mite, tic, or anything else.

Also, I am sure this would not be practical if you have a large number of chickens!!

If the mites are not there for the chickens, what are they there for?? Living next door to Somerford Steve, who has mites (his chickens anyway!), my birds do not....

Tempted to give Somerfords chickens a squirt with Frontline, but would not be happy to do so unless we know they will not affect the eggs...

 

[Brosville]

I owned and ran a small free-range and "additive-free" egg farm during the 80's, where I gained many insights into farming in general, and the poultry industry in particular.
As for keeping a few ex-battery birds as being in any way a help or encouragement to the "animal Belsen keepers" is cobblers - if you save a few birds after a life of hell in a battery cage, you are doing them out of business - you've removed yourself from the "egg buying market", and have done positive good in propagating the message of how vile battery farming is by keeping the hens.......
As a footnote, we would like to have been organic, but at that time, organic feed was prohibitively expensive, so went the pragmatic "near as we can get" route - we insisted on feed that was free of all antibiotics, coccidiostats, and synthetically-made colourants, and had a good market in the "allergy" field - we had several people who'd do over 100 mile round trips top buy our eggs for their food-sensitive kids (if you've got a child existing on 5 or 6 food items, to add a source of clean protein is a VERY big deal..) We used to let them go in and collect their own eggs, still warm from under the chooks.
During that period, being one of the very few free-range farms in the area, we had patronising animosity from the NFU, bullying tactics from the Min of Ag and Fish* (who were, to be frank, a bunch of crooks in the pockets of the big agrochemical concerns), and we were lied to by a succession of feed companies ("yes sir, it is a natural colourant" - "is it synthesised in a laboratory?" - " yes it is, but it's a copy of a naturally occuring substance, so we're allowed to call it natural"..............)
Quote from Min of Ag - "you realise of course that you're not allowed to wash eggs, and that there are hefty penalties?" - "yes" - "well, you'll be needing an egg-washer, the bloke at XXXXX Farm has got one going cheap, you can buy the special detergent at Scats......"

 

[JCBrum]

/ ...... egg farm during the 80's, where I gained many insights into / .... / the poultry industry in particular.

/ .... we had patronising animosity from the NFU, bullying tactics from the Min of Ag and Fish* (who were, to be frank, a bunch of crooks in the pockets of the big agrochemical concerns), and we were lied to by a succession of feed companies / ......"

Life must be very difficult for you with so many 'dark forces' training the sights of their 'big guns' specifically on you, ............. I am surprised you have managed to stay sane .....

Kindest Regards, JCBrum.

 

[Brosville]

it was remarkably similar to the reaction experienced nowadays when announcing that you're going to use a top-bar hive............the ignorant and blinkered can't cope with anything outside their limited and naive view of the world.........
In those days battery eggs were the "norm", it was impossible to obtain ready made organic poultry food, and the market for "free range eggs" was a fraction of what it is now - must have been a bunch of nutters who helped force the changes..........

 

[JCBrum]

/ ........ must have been a bunch of nutters /..........

Ahh, yes I see.

JCBrum

 

[Brosville]

Like Lady Eve Balfour, I am pleased to embrace the title of "crank" - useful, efficient - and causes revolutions

 

[JCBrum]

Ah yes, I suppose so .......................... but somebody's gotta wind 'em up !