Chicken Chat: First Peep!

Chicken Tips

*If your chicken has a booboo, you can apply neosporin or triple antibiotic ointment, but be sure it's the kind WITHOUT pain reliever. Pain relievers that end in "caine" are toxic to your bird.

*Food Grade Diotamaceous Earth or D.E. is a wonderful multi-purpose, natural helper of chickens.

-mix it with their feed to help prevent worms

-dust them with it to prevent mites and lice

-mix it in their bedding to kill and prevent mites and lice and fleas

-mix with water to white wash coop walls that may be infested with mites or other critters

-use to kill fire ants without putting poison in your grass where your chickens might get it

*Practice Chicken Biosecurity

-have visitors hose off their feet before coming to visit your coop

-protect your flock from unseen diseases by quarantining new birds for 30 days or more - and then introduce only one of your flock to the new bird.

-set aside a pair of shoes that you wear for trips to the chicken coop that you don't wear anywhere else, and hose them off often

**Remember, we can track in all kinds of diseases from other places on our feet and clothes.

Monday, July 26, 2010

First Peep!

Posted by Beth at 8:12 PM

Earlier this evening, we both heard a noise. Both of us looked up and looked around.

James said, "did you hear a MOUSE?"

I hadn't thought of a mouse. I thought that it was our youngest chicken outside, Little Guy, who still cheeps like a little one.

Then it dawned on me.

Maybe i should look in the incubator.

Sure enough!

Our first hatch is a little male black sexlink, and the end of day 19.

I know he looks like he's dead right there. But he's not. He's just a newborn/newhatch, and he's still working to get out of that dadburned shell.

I keep going over to the 'bator and cheering him on. When i do, he perks up and peeps a whole bunch and works some more to get out of his egg. It's great.

Oh, that inspired me to look around a bit, and i have about ten more eggs pipped. I may not sleep for a couple days.