Smart Feeder - Light sensor values

[cats_dogs_chicks]

I have spent the past few nights thrawling through this site and others. My brain is numb.

I have 2 blubelles that are now 9 weeks old. They have been in a pen in the garage for the past 3 weeks. The poultry guy I got them off said they had to stay inside for about 4 weeks. That is fine.

 

They sleep in a cat carrier with a light fleece blanket over it and a larger cover over the pen at night. They have light form an energy saving light bulb all day and I leave the utility door open all day for extra natural light and some radio music for them

They are growing quickly!

 

I live in the midlands in Ireland and am finding it hard to source things. I have no trouble with food or bedding and I can get grit. They will eventually live in a roofed WIR when we get father in law to help

I have a lovely new set up out the back for temporary living arrangements until the eglu can move into the WIR.

Now the questions:

1- At what age can they move out into the eglu?

 

2- I plan on using wood bark/ compost/ earth or what ever I can get my hands on for the floor of their run. What is the difference between Stanoslan F and Diatomaceous earth? I can get the Stanoslan F here but would have to get the Diatomaceous earth from the UK. Which is more important to have or do I need both? Can they be used together?

Should I just get Stanoslan F for the floor of the run and get a small puffer bottle of DE for the chickens and their house?

 

3- What should I have in my 1st aid kit? Purple spray, wound powder, surgical spirit and vaseline?? My local vet doesn't really do chickens(takes all my other pets no probs) so unless its serious I will have to try preventative medication. If they are sick I will definitely take them in to the vet but they just might not be able to help apart from antibiotics or putting to sleep.

 

4- I have read about Poultry Spice, citricidal, ACV, garlic(crushed in water or powder), tonics etc. What do I really need to give them? Is it safe to mix the different things or when will I know to use them? I know the citricidal will help if they have sneezes. I want to keep them in and healthy until I get my supplies.

 

5- Redmite and Lice. I can get a spray in my vet supply store or my pet store to spray in the housing to kill redmite. The vet supply store is still awaiting an order for the powder to put on poultry(2 weeks later). I think I can get a louse powder at the pet store. Should I just order them online and be done with it? If so is there any someone can recommend?

 

6- Worms. Should I order Flubenbvet? Can't get it here. Or should I go with the Verm-X preventative stuff? I am so used to giving worming tablets to my other pets and wouldn't mind doing the chickens around the same time. Are they too young to worm or would now be the best time to start(9wks)?

 

Sorry if his is so long winded. I am just so overwhelmed by this whole chicken minding thing. Reckon my dogs, cats and even the kids are easier than starting this.

 

Oh and can I just state I hate curry poos. I only read about them last night and my girls do plenty of them. Really hits me as I walk out of my kitchen into the utility!! Can't wait till they move into their new home

 

If I have left out something glaring obvious that I need please let me know.

Thanks for reading.

[sadietoo]

Hi...

 

Firstly...take a deep breath and stop worrying.. your chickens are much hardier than you think and the very fact that you are this concerned about them means they will be fine...

 

I have only kept Chickens for about 17 months now, but felt totally overwhelmed like you when I started. Like you I only have two girls and I think a lot of the problems which can arise happen in larger flocks..because there is more opportunity for lice to spread etc....

 

I do like stansolan F for disinfecting once every six to eight weeks when I completely change the bedding in their run (I use Aubiose, and if you can get hold of that or Hemcore then I really would recommend it)....just a light sprinkling before I put the new bedding in...it smells great ( I also sprinkle it around where the dog regularly wees as it makes it smell better there too!)

 

The Diatomaceous earth I sprinkle in the nesting box and mix with the stuff for them to dust bathe in..as I understand it deters mites...however...others will be along with more experience, but I would say it's not an essential as it is only a preventative measure, and if you are unlucky enough to suffer with mite problems then you would need something stronger to treat it anyway, and with two girls you would probably be unlikely to have a mite problem that you couldn't get on top of quite quickly. In short don't worry too much if you can't get hold of it

 

If you have an Eglu my understanding is that you are less likely to have an issue with Red mite in any case, but I do sprinkle Red mite powder around (again about every six weeks sometimes less) or sometimes i spray Poultry Sheild around when I clean out the Eglu..it's a bit laissez faire...but again with only two girls I think you would know if you had a problem quite quickly

 

I keep purple Iodine spray handy in case of wounds..it disguises the red colour and stops them pecking each other..so far I have needed it once when one of my girls managed to graze her leg very slightly ....I sprayed more on the fridge than I did on her, and I am still trying to get rid of it!! and I do have some citricidal, which I add to their water in case of colds however, I have hardly ever used it on the chooks, but have used it on my son a few times!!

 

I think personally that Flubenvet is worth having...

 

So far...the thing most injurious to my chooks' health has been the fox and I have lost three, and so if you haven't done so already think about how you are going to make sure your girls are safe if they are going to Free range..personally I don't recommend unsupervised free ranging ...but I have learnt the hard way!

 

Good luck with your chicken keeping, relax and enjoy it...xxxx

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I agree, take a deeeeep breath . And relax ......

 

You don't really need most of these things. They are all down to personal choice and availability. Remember there are plenty of farms where chickens don't get the sort of personal attention we all talk about.

 

I think you're better off finding out where you can source things in advance and then only buying them when you need them. Get the things you want to use that are easily available to you and don't worry yourself about the rest .

 

I've not got any purple spray (and haven't needed it in 3 years).

[Egluntyne]

....

 

1- At what age can they move out into the eglu?

 

I'd put them out in it during the day, so long as it is in a sheltered position and there is a cover over the run.

 

2- I plan on using wood bark/ compost/ earth or what ever I can get my hands on for the floor of their run. What is the difference between Stanoslan F and Diatomaceous earth? I can get the Stanoslan F here but would have to get the Diatomaceous earth from the UK. Which is more important to have or do I need both? Can they be used together?

 

Stalosan F is a disinfectant powder which has some effect in killing worm eggs.

Diatomaceous Earth is a fossil powder which will have some effect in killing parasites.

 

Should I just get Stanoslan F for the floor of the run and get a small puffer bottle of DE for the chickens and their house?

 

I would.

 

 

3- What should I have in my 1st aid kit? Purple spray, wound powder, surgical spirit and vaseline?? My local vet doesn't really do chickens(takes all my other pets no probs) so unless its serious I will have to try preventative medication. If they are sick I will definitely take them in to the vet but they just might not be able to help apart from antibiotics or putting to sleep.

 

**click**

 

 

4- I have read about Poultry Spice, citricidal, ACV, garlic(crushed in water or powder), tonics etc. What do I really need to give them? Is it safe to mix the different things or when will I know to use them? I know the citricidal will help if they have sneezes. I want to keep them in and healthy until I get my supplies.

 

I'd get some ACV and not worry too much about the other things just yet.

 

5- Redmite and Lice. I can get a spray in my vet supply store or my pet store to spray in the housing to kill redmite. The vet supply store is still awaiting an order for the powder to put on poultry(2 weeks later). I think I can get a louse powder at the pet store. Should I just order them online and be done with it? If so is there any someone can recommend?

 

I'd wait till your local store gets it in.

 

6- Worms. Should I order Flubenbvet? Can't get it here. Or should I go with the Verm-X preventative stuff? I am so used to giving worming tablets to my other pets and wouldn't mind doing the chickens around the same time. Are they too young to worm or would now be the best time to start(9wks)?

 

Sorry if his is so long winded. I am just so overwhelmed by this whole chicken minding thing. Reckon my dogs, cats and even the kids are easier than starting this.

 

Personally I would try to get hold of Flubenvet. You can add Diatom to their feed, which is reported to have an effect on internal parasites, and a beneficial effect on the hens in terms of food utilisation.

 

Oh and can I just state I hate curry poos. I only read about them last night and my girls do plenty of them. Really hits me as I walk out of my kitchen into the utility!! Can't wait till they move into their new home

 

If I have left out something glaring obvious that I need please let me know.

Thanks for reading.

[ISCA]

Hello! I think all your questions have been answered very well in the posts above, so I don't have much to add really. I am new to chickens too, but after a few weeks things get easier I have found. The folk on this site are great in offering sound and reliable advice to us newbies, so there is always help around, so "stay calm and carry on" as they say

 

I had my hens outside, day and night, from 8 weeks of age and they have done fine. Once you get a routine going it is much easier and really, chickens are low maintenence animals/pets/livestock to keep. It just dosn't seem like it at times

 

I use Diatom in their dust bath but at the moment they eat it rather than dust bathe in it!! I use BioDri, which is similar to Stanoslan F, sprinkled in the run and coop to keep things fresh. I use a combination of Hemcore and Miscanthus on the run floor. It works well and I have not needed to change it as yet. I just collect visible poo for the composter and rake it over. It does get kicked everywhere though When I do a big clean out I shall use Poultry Shield or Virkon S as disinfectants. Either one or the other is suitable.

 

I do put garlic powder in their feed as it apparently keeps poo smells down. I have Poultry Spice and apple cider vinegar but have not used either as yet. I don't think any of these three are essential, it's personal choice if you wish to use supplements. I will when they are older and moulting/ laying/ill etc.

 

The only first aid item I keep is purple spray. Not needed to use it yet. I have louse powder but not used it yet either.

 

I have some Fubenvet for worming and again, have not used it yet. Most people seem to think it is the best anti-wormer to use but some prefer to use more natural methods for worm control. Personally I shall go for the Flubenvet.

 

I would try your chickens outside now, I am sure they will be fine.

 

Good luck and enjoy your hens!

[cluckingmad]

Hello Can't really add anything to the above but like you I was anxious to get thigns right when my four girls first arrived... two years later and our numbers increased to 13 hens (!) and I've never enjoyed having an animal so much in my life! Ejoy having your girls, they really do make life better

 

ps I will add my voice to the dislike of curry poos.... and wish to add tar-like dumps to the list of revolting poo that my hens produce!

[cats_dogs_chicks]

Thanks everyone. Its been a busy day yesterday and this morning.

I cycled to town and got diatom earth stuff in a 300g redmite powder container, a big pink bottle red mite total kill spray, some disinfectant tablets that are safe to use with poultry and a free sachet of virkon s, plus 1ltr of tea tree oil shampoo for the dogs, all from the vet supplies(they were laughing). I also got some apple cider vinegar with the mother and citricidal from the health food store. Cue more laughing at me

 

Last night I ordered tea tree oil as we use it at home, eucalyptus oil and citronella aswell as it was far cheaper than getting here in a shop.

 

This morning I ordered Stalosan F 8kg tub and some poultry spice, oyster shell and grit from an online website over here. Then I sourced Flubenvet (and dog and cat flea treatment) from UK site and the purple spray and wound powder from another site just in case.

 

So now I just have to wait for couriers and normal post to arrive. For Sat to come so I can get the bark for the so the girls can move out for the day time. Impossible to get wood chip here locally but I haven't give up. They will end up with mixed bedding I reckon. I have straw for their nest box and they currently love rooting in the wood shavings. I reckon the WIR will have to wait until July when my husband has time off to mind the kids and his dad helps me build it

 

Now I that I have all this stuff I hope I have to use very little of it as I need to sit down and figure out what you use and when. What have I left myself in for. Oh and I am awaiting the postman to bring me another chiken book hopefully this week.

 

Thanks again for all the advice and suggestions.