Keeping Chickens Newsletter

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chickens skin they are mites. Lice are easier to spot because they are larger and are brownish yellow in colour. The act of dustbathing is the natural way that chickens help alleviate pest issues. A lot of chicken keepers dust a little DE (food grade Diatomaceous earth, NOT the pool kind) in their coops, nest boxes, and dust bathing areas as a prevention (it can also be dusted directly on the birds as a treatment for lice etc if needed).

If you do see that some of your chickens are being picked on (and sometimes sore / injured areas can in themselves attract attacks) it seems that putting some vicks around the area acts as a big deterrent (pine tar can apparently work in the same way) - a little goes a long way. It was first mentioned by a subscriber in the July issue as her way of preventing some attacks when she had mixed together two flocks, and since then a few other subscribers have said it has also worked for them. If any blood is drawn it is advisable to separate until healed as blood can have the whole flock attacking the injured, and chickens can be quite cannibalistic.

 

Robert Smith : Hi Gina, Thank you for your very interesting site. Please excuse my naivety:- my beautiful little silkie is now clucky and happily sitting on a couple of eggs. My question is that the rooster has been absent now for 7 (seven) days. What is the likelihood of these eggs being fertile after this time. Regards, Robert

My Reply : At any one time there are usually several eggs in the process of formation. After mating the eggs should be fertile for however long it takes for however many eggs were inside her being formed at that time. Often that can mean the next four or five eggs, but it really depends on the individual hen and the fertility (or should that be virility?) of the rooster. If those are the only two eggs she has laid since the rooster was around then there is a good chance they could be fertile. Good luck!

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