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Egg Washing Brushes
These are my favourite brushes for washing eggs. Nice and soft, easy to hold, and cheap! https://amzn.to/3ikqvhm
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Deworming Poultry
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Deworming Poultry
Yes, you need to deworm your poultry! Ideally at least twice a year, or as advised by your vet. How do you know if your birds need to be dewormed? Well, as a rule of thumb, you’re not looking for actual worms in their feces. In fact, if you do see worms, your birds are already dangerously infested with worms. I once bought a trio of birds and was horrified when I saw their poop the next morning and it was absolutely loaded with round worms. Yuck!! So, besides seeing worms, how do you know they need to be treated with an anthelmintic (dewormer)? Well, you may notice a general…
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WHAT DO I DO WITH ALL THESE ROOSTERS?
Now that you’ve figured out how to sex your chicks, it has become apparent that you have waaaaayyy too many cockerels (roosters under 1 year old are called cockerels). So… Whatcha gonna do with them? Here are some options: 1.) Grow them out and eat them. Heritage breeds may take as long as 24 – 28 weeks to reach a decent carcass size. You will want to separate them from your pullets and run them in a bachelor pen (aka freezer camp). Then butcher them yourself or book them in (book early!!!!) at a poultry processor like Pigeon Lake Poultry Processing or some Hutterite colonies will also process them. (No,…
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Deworming Poultry
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CHICKEN BREEDS I HAVE KEPT AND HOW I RATE THEM OUT OF 10
I’ve kept quite a few breeds over the years. Here are my ratings. *Indicates breeds I currently keep Partridge Chantecler 6/10 White Chantecler 4/10 Buff Chantecler 6/10 White Cornish (pure) 5/10 Blue Cochin 3/10 Silkies (White, Black, Lavender) 0/10 Bantam Barred Rock* 4/10 Barred Rock 2/10 Partridge Rock 6/10 Silver Pencilled Rocks 4/10 Dominique 4/10 Cuckoo Marans 4/10 Houdans 6/10 Lakenvelder 3/10 Light Brahma 6/10 Easter Egger 5/10 Olive Egger 5/10 Barnyard Mix* 5/10 Ameraucana 4/10 Columbian Wyandotte 6/10 Silver Laced Wyandotte 6/10 Australorp 4/10 Rhode Island Red 5/10 Welsummer 5/10 Sex Sal Link Browns* 9/10 Red Sussex* 9/10 Red Rock Cross* 9/10 Cornish Giants* 8/10 Random Bred 1976 5/10…
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Deworming Poultry
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DIATOMACEOUS EARTH AND CHICKENS
WARNINGS: 1. Diatomaceous earth is a Class 1 Carcinogen according to the IARC. 2. Always wear eye and respiratory protection when using this product. Inhalation of this product, even the ‘food grade’ version, causes scarring in your respiratory system. You should also wash your clothes and shower immediately after using this product, as it can cause skin abrasions. 3. Diatomaceous earth will drift and can kill bees, pollinators and other beneficial insects. Be extremely aware of this if you choose to use this product. Diatomaceous earth is mainly used as an insecticide and anti-caking agent. Legitimate uses of this product include mixing it into grain as it enters the grain…
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Deworming Poultry
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PUMPKIN DOES NOT ACT AS A DEWORMER
1.) The substance (cucurbitacin) thought to be effective as a dewormer is found mainly in the roots of some species of pumpkin, and to a lesser degree in the fruit and seeds. 2.) Unfortunately, the cucurbitacin is found mainly in very bitter pumpkins, which are not the kind that have been domesticated and are commonly available.“The bitter and toxic compounds inthese vegetables are cucurbitacins, which are well known in wild varieties of these food plants and their related species. The cultivated forms, on the other hand, have during the time in cultivation been selected for being free of the bitter and toxic compounds.” This is a very good thing, because…
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Deworming Poultry
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CHICKEN HACK FOR COCCIDIOSIS PREVENTION
This evening I cleaned the brooders with my broilers in them. They are now at the age where they eat a lot and poop almost as much! They also look like hideous little half-feathered dinosaurs. It’s not the best stage. Anyway – after scooping out their old shavings and replacing them with new ones, I did something that might seem counterproductive: I scooped some dirt from my outside runs and sprinkled it in the clean brooder. Seems crazy, right? Not so! I chose not to vaccinate this batch of broilers against coccidiosis because I know that in the past, I have sometimes had trouble finding unmedicated chick starter. (Remember –…
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Deworming Poultry
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DUCK CHEAT SHEET
I have had Muscovies for four years and also keep Rouen, Welsh Harlequin, Runner, Crested, and Khaki Campbell ducks. This is a little of what I have learned about keeping ducks healthy and happy. COOPSDucks are wet, messy creatures. As such, you want them outdoors as much as possible. How do you accomplish that in the winter? Well, here is what I do…I have a smaller, insulated building as my duck coop. They can all cuddle in there on cold nights if they want. Be sure to bed it well with straw and replace the straw as needed.Attached to this small building is a BIG tarp garage I picked up…
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Garlic and Chickens
MYTHBUSTING POST! Who is excited? Today, I take on GARLIC. We all know that members of the allium family (onions, garlic, leeks, chives, scallions, etc.) are toxic to most animals. That includes chickens. However, the use of garlic is persistent among chicken keepers, perpetuated by popular “chicken bloggers” who unfortunately, are not qualified to be making veterinary recommendations regarding feeding chickens garlic or anything else, really. In today’s mythbusting, we’re going to look at both sides of the garlic debate. Is it good? Is it not good? Are there things it might actually be good for? Keep reading to find out! **Anecdotal aside** I get a lot of private messages…
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Deworming Poultry
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THE CHICKEN CHEAT SHEET
The Ultimate Chicken Cheat Sheet: Coops 4 sq ft per bird indoors 10 sq ft per bird outdoor run space 1 sq ft of ventilation per 10 sq ft of coop floor space 10″ of roost space per bird – use 2×4’s on the flat 1 nestbox for every 5 hens 14×14 minimum nestbox size for most breeds Insulation is a must!! Keeps it warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer. Heat is not necessary if you keep practical breeds (see below). Use stucco wire for fences, back that up with hardware cloth to keep out small predators like weasels. Use flight netting over top Heat vs. No Heat…
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Deworming Poultry
