There were two things that kept me away from keeping poultry for years: poop and parasites. I've had at least one child in diapers since the early '00s so I really didn't want to add yet more poop management to my daily duties. Thankfully, I found out about using in my chicken coop and it really minimizes the amount of work with manure. That still leaves the parasite part, though. Chickens are prone to getting several varieties of lice and mites, as well as intestinal worms. I don't do bugs. At all. To give you a sense of the depth of my phobia, my parents tease me about the time when I was a little girl and I cried when a butterfly came too near me. I still don't like butterflies. I didn't make the jump into chicken keeping until I was able to resign myself to the fact that a) I would probably see bugs on them and b) I would have to do something about it. Chickens naturally take dust baths as a way to get rid of external parasites. They throw themselves down in a dusty spot and roll around until they get dirt in all their nooks and crannies. Dust baths are very effective but even so, chickens can suffer from lice and mites. But then I learned a way to soup up my chickens' dust baths by providing them with a box filled with pest repellent materials. Here's how I did it. I sent Hubby Dear to a big box pet store to buy the biggest litter box he could find. He certainly delivered.
A king-sized litter box fit for
This is 34.5" x 19.5" x 10". Two chickens could bathe in here at the same time. The depth is the most critical dimension. You want all your bathing materials to stay in the box when the chickens do their thing. (Ever ? They can go kinda crazy.)
Adding the first layer of peat moss
You can fill your dust box with any number of materials. Harvey Ussery recommends peat moss, dried and sifted clay, and/or small amounts of wood ash. I used peat moss (I always have some handy) plus some sand I had left over from another project.
Food-grade DE. Do NOT use any other type of DE with your poultry.
Now for the good stuff. You can add garden lime, food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE), or elemental sulfur powder to really sock it to those parasites. Remember to wear a good dust mask whenever you work with DE. It is really fine and you'll breathe it in and irritate your lungs.
I should mention that Gail Damerow, author of Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, doesn't think you should use DE in dust boxes for parasite prevention. Chickens can be prone to respiratory problems and breathing in DE is not a good thing for anyone. Damerow thinks you should only use DE and other heavy-hitting anti-parasite products when there is an obvious infestation. Harvey Ussery, on the other hand, routinely uses a small amount of DE in . I decided to go Ussery's route and use DE as part of my dust box mix.
I also mix a little DE in with my chickens' feed. Some people claim that feeding DE to poultry will serve as a natural dewormer. Gale Damerow has a negative opinion of that as well. She says that DE only works to kill worms, etc. when it is dry. Once it has made its way through the chicken's digestive tract, it is not dry and no longer has any of the microscopic cutting edges that serve to kill the bad guys. I still do it on the off chance that it will work!
Peat, sand, and DE, ready to be mixed
After I mixed it all together, the dust box had about 5 inches of material inside it. I laboriously dragged the heavy and awkward box outside and placed it in a sunny part of the chickens' run.
All done
After my chickens began spending more of their time outdoors instead of "cooped up", I went ahead and moved the dust box up into their coop. The behemoth does take up quite a bit of floor space, but that's not as much of a big deal now they are outside from dawn until dusk. The important thing is that the dust bath will remain dry so the chickens can bathe to their hearts' content no matter the weather.
References:
1. by Harvey Ussery 2. by Gail Damerow Calling all poultry owners! Do you provide a dust box for your chickens? Do you use DE on a routine basis?
Baby Chicks Order Online in
Gaithersburg, Maryland
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Gaithersburg Maryland,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Gaithersburg
Maryland also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Gaithersburg Maryland, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale,
turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale,
chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Gaithersburg MD.
Baby Chicks And Ducks For Sale in
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Gaithersburg Maryland
catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await
the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and
different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to
their site and request one if you are interested.
Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Gaithersburg Maryland * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Gaithersburg
Maryland * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Baby Chickens And
Ducks in
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries
will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is
necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put
in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce
enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to
buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you
choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship
and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in
Gaithersburg Maryland is easy and has always been a very pleasant
experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks
but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all
those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait
was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Gaithersburg,
Maryland Baby chicks are very
charming and
difficult to resist,
however it's best to plan for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare first
by compiling not only the
correct products, yet
also the appropriate
understanding to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is relatively
simple, you just should supply them with the following: A
clean as well as warm and comfortable
habitat A lot of food and also water Interest as well as
love Habitat Your habitat can be a
simple box, fish tank,
cat carrier, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (without loosened
strings!) to begin, and also after a few weeks use straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing only
newspaper or various other slipper
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could expand
misshapen. You likewise need
something to dish out food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
meal from the feed store, or a pickle jar
lid for food and an animal bird water dispenser from an animal store. Also, as the chicks get
older you could introduce a perch
into the habitat to obtain them
trained on perching. Warmth To
keep your chicks warm you need to
provide them with a warmth resource.
This could be as easy as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile warmth
bulb also work effectively (my
suggestion). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is
changed with feathers (which can occupy to two months). The newly
hatched out require a temperature
between 90 and 100 levels,
as well as weekly this could
be lowered by
around 5 degrees or
so. The heat resource ought
to get on just one side of the cage
to allow chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
opposite edge of your heat
lamp, you need to
reduce the temperature. If
they are surrounding each other under the
warmth (not merely curling up),
you need to include some warmth.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is crucial and also it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Be sure to transform
the bed linen
frequently as well as
always offer tidy
food and water Food and water.
Chicks grow extremely quickly
which requires lots of tidy
food as well as water. Offer
sufficient whatsoever times as well
as check
commonly to
stop parched and
starving chicks. Chick food is different compared
to adult chicken food, as well as it is available in both medicated and non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
very first two months, after that
switch to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for an additional 2 months,
then to a somewhat
lower healthy protein feed or a level feed
(if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a head start on taking
filth bathrooms, while others will not take
up that activity up until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
room, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to shower in.
Attention as well as love There are a
few benefits to spending time with your chicks. First off, they will certainly probably bond with you and
not run away as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily as well as
see their behavior, you could
catch disease or various
other problems previously. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or
various other undesirable
signs. Be sure to
likewise check out
their poop, as looseness of the bowels could cause matted feathers as well
as clogged cloaca.
Lastly, it is important to look out
for social problems, such as the
littlest chick obtaining badgered. Vacant nest disorder So your
chicks are currently totally feathered
and its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your house
as well as move outside into a cage. Have a look at our
part on chicken coops to learn more
regarding coops and
correct coop environments.
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