Chick poop on your eggshell?

More than you ever wanted to know about Diatomaceous earth

The girls have seemed a bit irritable lately….not seriously pecking each other, but pecking and scratching themselves. A pretty good sign of mites. I checked their skin for signs of the little bugs or bug eggs. I did not see any but knew diatomaceous earth (*see below) would solve any buggie problem and would not hurt the chickies.

I put some in a saltshaker and sprinkled it on the girls. I put it under their wings, on the back of their necks and around their vents, (read, a-hole). Actually, for those who don’t know, chickens have only one rear exit. It serves for both excretion of waste and excretion of eggs. The eggs in the grocery store have been cleaned up and recoated with something to simulate the natural coating, which helps keep the egg hydrated and fresh. Finding poop on your egg is like finding a wormhole in your apple…it guarantees you of natural handling…no washing, no pesticides.

When the girls move outside to the eglu and attached run, I will put a bowl of diatomaceous earth in the run for their dust baths.. Sprinkling it in the niches of their roosting dowels will foil the little mites too.

This may be more than you wanted to know….but now you know. When will you slip this into a conversation. Soon, if you are talking to me.

*Diatomaceous earth consists of the sedimentary deposits formed from the skeletal remains of a class of algae (Bacillariophyceae) that occur in both salt and fresh water and in soil. These remains form diatomite, an almost pure silica, that is ground into an abrasive dust. When the tiny, razor-sharp particles touch an insect, they cause many tiny abrasions, resulting in loss of body water and death by dehydration. It is 98% repellent to insects, yet free of dangerous residues. It is digestible by earthworms and harmless to mammals and birds. The dust contains 14 beneficial trace minerals in chelated (readily available) form.

The package instructions read: 1 tablespoon a day for dogs 50 lbs. or over, 1 teaspoon a day for dogs less than 50 lbs., ½ teaspoon for cats.

I should have talen this stuff rather than doing the 50-day parasite cleanse diet. I will probably start soon. How many tablespoons? I'm not telling.

The neighbor's fence is almost complete

Jake,that huge Great Dane next door will soon have his own private backyard. His family has built a very nice seven foot wood fence to keep him. I told them about the chickens several weeks ago and mentioned that the chicks would be out in the run in late May. It looks like the fence will be complete soon. They are planning to paint it to match their house. The house is a lovely pastel that combines cream and creamed celery with a delicate influence of light gray. This description does not do it justice. Maybe I can find out what the paint color is called. Jake’s owner’s mother is a famous artist with studios at Cottonwood Art Academy in Colorado Springs. She chose the color so you can be sure it will be exquisite and unique. Painted fence picture will post as soon as the painting is complete.

Corncob litter

I love this stuff. It is very absorptive. It seems to pull the moisture out of the chickie's poop. All that is left is a small dry thing about the same size as a piece of the crunched up corncob stuff. It seems to successfully quell the odor problem too. The girls don’t eat it. They do love to lie on it. There is only one negative...when they scratch (as if after bugs and worms), they sling it out of their birdcage-living-quarters. Little Arriauna is so cute when she scratches, she looks down eagerly, revealing nothing but a new place to peck, but she still goes at it with glee! Wide Scotch brand clear packing tape in double high rows around the base of the cage seems to keep it from flying out onto the floor...somewhat! Maybe they are picking it up and dropping it over the edge! Naturally, the price of corncob litter at the pet store is higher than at my good ol' farmstore.