Wed, 6th August 2008
Ooops,
I really don't know where the time goes you know. I didn't realise it was 2 whole weeks since I posted last!
Well, the turkey news first I think. The turkey babies are now over 2 weeks old, and although I don't know their hatching weights, last week they weighed between 90 and 150 gms, but this week they are between 200 and 260gms! They are doing well, even though we lost 6, but turkeys are harder to rear than chicks as you have to keep the temperature much higher and even a degree can be fatal they reckon at the hatchery! I've also got a poult with sticking out legs like that meat chicken I had.
Poor little thing only weighs 100 gms, and when I found her she was being stood on by another poult! At the moment she is lording it in a box lid on our coffee table, and is eating and drinking fine now she can reach the dishes, but she can't walk. In a commercial setting she would have been killed, but I have a friend on the allotment site who lives in North Wales who is going to have her.
Another friend is going to take her and some young ducks on part of the journey, then there will be a relay until they get to anglesey, where I hope she will live out her life happily.
Here she is in her first box, but the new one is much bigger!
She is quite bright and breezy and is eating and drinking okay now she can reach the dishes.
I almost went upstairs to the box of old Lego and made her a cart out of lego as we have the wheels!!!! But apart from using her wings as oars, she has no means of propulsion.
You can't see from this picture, but her legs are very badly twisted from the knee down, and its not splayed leg, or I could maybe fix that.
I heard today from one of the young couples who had some of our Babcock's that they got their first egg! So that's not bad at 17 weeks eh???? So I'm really pleased about that. They are over the moon too as they weren't expecting any for another couple of weeks! Some more went to their new homes last weekend and another 8 this weekend, so that only leaves 40 to go. Then it means another good cleaning out of that end of the big henhouse, so theAmberlinks can spread out a bit more now they are growing bigger!
The Amberlinks are 6 weeks old now, and 68 of them are already reserved for people, many of whom have already had chickens from us! So that's a good recommendation isn't it? I'm really chuffed that everyone is so pleased with their chickens.
A week ago, our layers shed got red mite in it. It isn't in the shed where the Amberlink chicks are thank goodness, as that is the shed that was creosoted last year. I sprayed inside and outside with Jeyes fluid, then the next day with poultryshield, but they had even got into the metal and plastic nestboxes, hiding down between the rivetted bits where the perches are! So I took them right out and sprayed them several times over a couple of days, then I ran out of poultryshield after another dosing, but new stock arrived today, so that's my first job tomorrow! More Jeyes, more poultrysheild, and possibly putting them into the smaller shed once its been creosoted and aired out, then creosoting the laying shed too! I hate red mite! Makes me itch, just thinking about them!!!!
Still, up early again tomorrow, so I'd better go for now. thank you for bearing with me when I forget to post, I don't do it on purpose, just sometimes I can't think of anything to talk about, then I can't stop!!!!! No pleasing some people eh?? lol
Filed under My Chook Diary by grannieannie
Comments on Ooops, »
Hi just to say i have already had some advise from you via another kind lady. I have recently discovered red mite (I think) and its driving me crazy, have cresoted and jeyes and even bleached the windows, but still i am crawling with them when i come out of the houses, poor chickens, it must drive them crazy! What else can i do to get rid im at my wits end, also, what damage can they do to the chooks and can they live on humans like head lice would?? Help please!!
Hi Amanda, I'm sorry you've got the red mite, they really are little blighters! If you've creosoted (was it real creosote or the new fangled one which doesn't seem as good?) there shouldn't be any redmite where you creosoted. My method is that I wash everything with Jeyes first, wait until it dries, then spray with Poultryshield. (I've also heard that Milbenex from Bowden & Knights is good too, and Duramitex made up stronger than instructions!). The big house I creosoted last year is still good, apart from a few that got on the perches that aren't creosoted. But we've had it in the layer house for just over a week now, and I think I'm nearly there! Yes they do drive you nuts, blooming things! They multiple very quickly though Amanda, and get into the tiniest spaces imaginable! We've got some nice new metal nestboxes with plastic inserts, but they even got into the tiny spaces where the rivets are and the metal brackets that hold the perches. I washed them all down and sprayed with poultryshield, but when I looked yesterdyay they are still there, or rather their babies were! Is your coop house roof covered in felt? They love the big space under there! Can you take the felt off and have a look? then when you put the felt back on, cover teh roof with that black bitumen stuff old by places like Wickes, then put your felt back on. Until I get the layers house sorted properly, and it can take 1 or 2 weeks to get rid properly, I've put 2 small nest boxes in there, but one I dusted with red mite powder, the other one I have smeared cheap petroleum jelly into all the little cracks as its made of plywood, so lots of room for tiny mites to hide. On the large house I also smeared the jelly down all the joins in the ply. the mite can't get into that. The other thing to think about is that when you are spraying mites, they can fall off the house into the grass, then get picked up by other hens and taken back into the house, so yesterday I gave the surrounding area of ground a spray too, and a dusting of mite powder!!! They will NOT defeat me! lol Mites can live without a host body for 38 weeks, and yes, a bad infestation can kill your chickens as they make them anaemic with all the blood sucking, and can make them lethargic and off lay! They do bite humans, and are nasty crawling all over you, but I put on my oldest clothes to go and treat the coops, then come in and throw all my clothes into the washing machine then go and shower. As they get everywhere!! I hope this has helped, let me know how it goes!
Hello all, we picked our Babcocks up just over a week ago and now have our first eggs. One of our 4 chickens has started laying and we are getting into a routine of 1 egg a ay, just waiting for the other 3 to catch-up. Our chickens have a definate pecking order and enjoy the rosemary and other herbs in the garden. The kids love them and we have not had any problems with our 2 dogs….Chickens do not stand for any nonsense! Ours like sweetcorn and follow us around the garden waiting for the corn; we cannot wear flip-flops in the garden any more, the toes are too tempting for our ladies..
We will keep a look out for any mite but will be in touch for some advice if we think we have it; our coup was treated with something before we got it?
Once again, thank you for the Chicks, we are enjoying watching them and now have the eggs to go with it..Nikki
Hi Nikki, so pleased we have another layer! lol hope you get some more eggs soon! We've got about 8 laying now but only one of those is still with us! Someone is coming tomorrow for his 4, so wonder if I can catch the one that is laying for him!!!! lol. I hope you get loads more pleasure from them in the years to come Nikki. Hope to see you all again soon!!!