BoroBird

Thanks for the advice - a regular regime of cat combing, Frontline application, garlic powder in the cat food and three cans of RIP Fleas seems to have reduced the numbers of fleas but I'm still getting some live ones when I comb the cats - drowning them is so satisfying!! I'll check out the hens tomorrow when I clean them out - at last count I had 105 bites but fingers crossed the last couple of days has seen the bites go down and I don't think I'm getting many if any new bites (or maybe I'm now immune). I had great plans for going organic and had done really well over the last few years switching to majority of food organic etc - in the last 2 weeks I've ingested so many chemicals that it's not funny. If I get bitten tomorrow I'll know the hens have fleas as well - hope not as I love having laying hens getting 2 eggs a day at moment and don't want to have to waste them if I have to use chemicals. PS Chicken Kate's first egg 82g was a double yoker - worth waiting for.

Thanks for the response -I have not been on the forum for a few days as I've not been able to get to the keyboard without spotting more flea larvae that have to be destroyed (my house has never looked so clean). The cats have now been treated so hopefully that will kill the adult fleas. I'll keep on with the Diatom on the hens just incase. The good news is that Chicken Kate has now started laying - her first egg was 82g Ouch Thanks again

Hi - for the first time in 11 years my 2 house cats are infested with fleas and I am covered in bites. I know it is flea season and fleas can get into the house via many routes but I was wondering if chicken lice/fleas are carried on human shoes and clothing and live happily on cats? I got my chickens about 8 weeks ago. I am treating the cats with Frontline and am spraying the house so I hopefully will cure that problem but am not sure what to do with the chickens who are starting to lay. I'm also worried that if hen fleas can live on cats that I'm going to continue to have a problem. Last Saturday after spending sometime reading the stickies I decided that a touch of Diatom on the hens would do no harm so off I went with gloved hands armed with a tub of Diatom to try to destroy any creepy crawlies that might bite. As the girls just eat the play sand dust bath I sprinkled Diatom on any bare patch of dry soil in the run and tried rubbing Diatom on the girls backs and under their wings - didn't seem to worry Priscilla she's in lay so squats down nicely, Kate started to squat but screamed as if i was about to wring her neck and Ursula (not squating at all) just ran round the pen - no joy there managed to throw a little on her back from a distance. Questions: Am I Ok using Diatom in this way? Can Hen fleas live on cats? Do Hen fleas or lice bite humans? Thanks

Oh yes a little egg dance was performed yesterday - if a second egg arrives today it'll be strictly come dancing all the way to the kitchen I have plans to put some of their eggs in the Christmas hampers for my family so the other girls better get laying quickly.

First egg, first egg, first egg! , By chance I just happened to be working from home today so took the chance to go out to see the girls and give them a corn cob. Priscilla had been looking very grown up (wattles and comb far bigger than the other girls and started squatting at the weekend when I went near) so just in case I opened up the egg port to take a look. Had to take a double look as I wasn't expecting to find anything and there it was a perfect warm egg - 50g exactly. I carefully checked to make sure that there was not a lion mark or date stamp on it as we have some friends laying a new lawn for us and I wouldn't put it past them winding me up but it looked good to me - no red marks. can't wait for Nigel to get home to see it. I think a few fresh turf trimmings will be making their way into the hen pen tonight as a special treat.