house-elf Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I have just been looking at a website on health / cleaning products for chickens and am now really confused ! Can I use cider apple vinegar to clean as well as a tonic to put in their water ? Or/and do I need poultry spice? If I buy corn with grit mixed in, do I need to provide seperate grit ? What do you guys use to disinfect your coops / eglus ? Can I buy a louse/red mite powder in one tub instead of seperatley ? I think that is everything, please feel free to add your own thoughts on what products you use ? Many thanks ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I have just been looking at a website on health / cleaning products for chickens and am now really confused ! Can I use cider apple vinegar to clean as well as a tonic to put in their water ? Or/and do I need poultry spice? It doesn't clean anything, but is a good tonic every now and then - ACV also creates an inhospitable environment in the gut for intestinal worms. Poultry Spice and the other various tonics are completely different; you don't 'need' any of them, but it's a good idea to add a good quality poultry tonic to their water every now and then, especially in the winter If I buy corn with grit mixed in, do I need to provide seperate grit ? Corn is not fed in enough of a quantity to provide them with enough grit (it should only be fed sparingly as a treat late in the day) I would recommend a coop cup of grit in the run, or adding it to their feed What do you guys use to disinfect your coops / eglus ? I use Barrier V1 disinfectant after I've washed them Can I buy a louse/red mite powder in one tub instead of seperatley ? They are different products, you can use red mite powder for both I think that is everything, please feel free to add your own thoughts on what products you use ? Many thanks ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Apple Cider Vinegar is just a tonic, which you can give them every so often, but it doesn't clean anything. Poultry Spice is just extra vitamins and minerals, which you need to give them when your hens are moulting. It will probably be cheaper to buy just corn and a separate bag of grit, because corn is used as a treat, whereas they need grit a lot of the time. This can be mixed in their food, (you only need a little bit). A bag of grit will last you a long time, I bought a 25kg sack and it lasted 3 years! I scrub out my eglu nearly every week and just use washing up liquid, but you can use products such as Stalason or other similar products on the market, just DON'T USE BLEACH. To start off with only buy louse powder, this is the thing you're most likely to need, as from time to time your chickens will get lice, especially during the summer. Red Mite powder is a different product entirely, and is only used in their house. You can PM me other questions if you'd like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budgies Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Some great advice already, I'll just add my penny's worth! Hens need two types of grit, insoluble which goes into their gizzard to grind food and soluble which helps with calcium (formation of eggshells, building bones and keeping contractions strong). You'll need mixed grit to do both those things, or if you're buying them separately flint grit for the insoluble and preferably limestone flour or oyster shell grit for the soluble stuff. Don't use grit for budgies or pigeons as it's too small. When adding tonic, as Claret says, it's best to use a soluble one in their water. They assimilate most things best when administered in this way. They'll want some after a moult too. Red mite powder CAN be put on the chickens as well as in their house, and I recommend dusting chickens weekly against redmite as they are such tenacious creatures. Use a disinfectant for use with poultry, such as Claret has suggested, or Poultry Shield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Red Mite powder is a different product entirely, and is only used in their house Ermmm, sorry Liz, but Red Mite Powder can also be used on the bird. Neither louse powder, nor redmite powder contain any chemicals and they aren't the best for getting rid of crawlies if you have a bad infestation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Red Mite powder is a different product entirely, and is only used in their house Ermmm, sorry Liz, but Red Mite Powder can also be used on the bird. Neither louse powder, nor redmite powder contain any chemicals and they aren't the best for getting rid of crawlies if you have a bad infestation. Ah, you must use a different product, as I've come across some which you shouldn't use on the bird. This is why things like this are confusing! Just check the labels on the back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
