4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[puddleduck]

What does everyone recommend / prefer to use?

[Falkor]

I use all three.

 

Stalsan on the run floor on clean out days

 

Poultryshield to clean the cube, eglu and feeders. And sprayed on then left to dry.

 

Diatom - in the dustbath, in the nesting box, liberally puffed about in the cube and puffed onto the ladies during their healthcheck snuggles

[Space Chick]

OK, call me paranoid but I use:

 

Loftsan (like stalsan) on the floor of the WIR

Diatom in the dustbaths

Red Mite powder in the cube and in the corners of the run

I scrub the cube with an anti bacterial washing up liquid

 

[puddleduck]

OK, call me paranoid but I use:

 

Loftsan (like stalsan) on the floor of the WIR

Diatom in the dustbaths

Red Mite powder in the cube and in the corners of the run

I scrub the cube with an anti bacterial washing up liquid

 

 

why paranoid?

 

I am completely confused what to use and where to use it!

there seems to be so many products!

[Falkor]

You are not paronoid Debs

 

I wash the cube with Ecover before I wash it with poultryshied.

 

Everywhere I sprinkle diatom sprinke red mite powder too!

[laurmurf]

all of the above!

 

stalosan is an anti bacterial and absorbant for the run - brilliant stuff

Diatom (DE) is fab to add to chicken porridge too (supposedly good for cats and dogs too) It also kills red mite and is grand to sprinkle EVERYWHERE

Red Mite Powder (aside from smelling divine ) helps prevent rather than kills red mite

[stoice]

I use all too.

 

I have a wooden coop so am paranoid of a red mite invasion so use diatom everywhere like it's going out fashion. I clean their house with washing up liquid then make up some poultry shield and spray it into every nook. Once dry an use an old clean paint brush to dust the whole house with diatom, paying particular attention to their perches and nest box. (If i have some red mite powder i puff that about too as it smells lovely but as Laurmurf says, diatom prevents and actually kills red mite, and red mite powder just prevents them - i figure that if i DO discover the blighters then I'm armed with a product that'll kill them as soon as i find them) Before i put any bedding down I also sprinkle stalosan F (Iuse this in the house and in the run) to freshen things up and deal with any nasties. When my girls were on soil i also added garden lime (Just powdered chalk really) to neutralise the acid from the girls poop and sweetening the soil. I also spray a little diluted citronella on some of their bedding or to a cloth to deter flies.

 

I find things you can buy to look after your little darlings can really add up so if you bought just one thing I'd get diatom. You can dust it over your girls, in their food, in their house etc. You could use eco washing up liquid and a pressure washer to clean then diatom to guard against red mite. UV light is meant to kill them too so when you wash your eglu/cube it's great if done on a sunny day (Humph, chance'll be a fine thing in this British summer eh?)

 

Hope this helps.

[puddleduck]

thanks for the advice. I actually feel very embarrassed that I asked!

 

until now I have just been cleaning the eglu with a pressure washer/ eco washing liguid and let the girls free range but I am about to increase my flock and have gained what was supposed to be temporary accommodation through freecycle... (its a palace so may well become permanent!) it is wooden so I feel I need to invest time and money to keep things clean! scary and very expensive!

 

thanks again!

x

[JS1]

Puddleduck, I'm pleased you asked; I seem to be buying a different product every week at the moment! This thread has really helped me sort out what I should be doing, so thanks.

[Gelbel]

Puddleduck, I'm pleased you asked; I seem to be buying a different product every week at the moment! This thread has really helped me sort out what I should be doing, so thanks.

Wish I could buy it all in one place though - I can't seem to find a true one stop shop for Diatom and Megazorb or Aubiose and Flubenvet. I seem to spent just as much in p&p or petrol going from place to place (assuming they have the stuff in stock).