Nearly time still need help though

[BabyDubsEverywhere]

So summers nearly here and I will getting my chickens soon, would someone mind doing a list of amy items needed before we get our girls? Things you'd wished you'd known before you started chicken keeping? And anything that o can say to all those people, and there are many, who think I'm mad! Thanks

How exciting!

What do I wish I'd known...that you will need to do some chicken first aid at some point! I have a first aid kit for chickens consisting of surgical spirit, vaseline, wound powder, gentian spray, mite powder and spray, Respite, eucalyptus oil, eye balm and anti bacterial spray. I also keep antibiotics for them - mine are not kept primarily for eggs/meat though.

Ooh and its worth using something like economite in the house to deter mites/lice. It's a totally natural product too.

Good luck!

Ooh how exciting! I'm not sure about stuff you need but I always tell people who think I'm mad, that they are a great pet and no more work than keeping a rabbit - plus they lay eggs - bonus!

hehe, it is eggciting isnt it lol,

Well my list so far consists of
Coop
Bedding
Floor coverings eg wood chips
Pen
Food and Water Bowls
First aid kits (thanks for that list)
Food
Mite repellant
Sand pit
Mirrors
Chicken food and bedding bins
Compost bin
Chicken Tonics

Ive done a daily and weekly list of jobs, but there doesnt seem much on them.

What do you do Daily/Weekly with your chooks?

Daily Routine:-

MORNING
Open coop.
Check & top up water.
Check & top up pellets.

AFTERNOON
Treats - greens or grain. If administering worming pellets, garlic, poultry spice, I mix in with treats now.
Poo pick if could be bothered & have time.

EVENING
Close coop after girls have taken themselves up to bed.
Lift food hoppers to deter rats & mice.

WEEKLY
Empty poo trays and clean
Change straw in nest box. (I get my straw in a sack. When I get a new sack, I sprinkle in red mite powder, lice powder & diam. earth powder to kill off owt in the straw and also, when the chickens go into lay, they're getting powder on them to kill off anything they've picked up whilst going about their daily business.)

MONTHLY
Take Eglu apart and scrub.
Rake out Easibed & replace.
Wash food and drink hoppers & containers.
Move perches and stuff around to keep the run interesting & fresh.
Replace dusbath soil and shake in some diam. Earth, red mite powder and lice powder.

My chickens peck around any 'medicinal' pellets in their afternoon grain (much like the cat eats all the way around a hidden tablet in her food!). I now put worming pellets (for example) into my pestel & mortar and crush them to powder. Then sprinlke over mixed grain which has a tiny drop of olive oil over it to make the powder stick.

Hope this helps. ENJOY!

That list is fantastic thankyou very much, im so excited, this is more exciting than planning my labour bag lol, can you tell im a planner hehe x thanks again

Agree with all of the above, and can I add red top fly traps? Chook poo attracts flies, particularly in summer. I bought a red top fly trap last summer, and it was by far the best way of stopping the problem. You have to hang it a good distance from the chooks, and the house, as the liquid is a bit whiffy. I clean out the poo tray daily, and change the run covering every fortnight

What does everyone do about worming? I use Flubenvet - but there is a period of egg withdrawal. Can any one give BabyDubs some recommendations? Possibly ACV?

I'm sticking with Verm-X for now. We've not had worms so I'm reluctant to use Flubenvet until we do. Either the Verm-X is keeping them at bay, we've just been lucky or that scoop of garlic powder once a week is sending them packing!

I reckon on reaching for the Flubenvet when and if we get a bad dose of them - sort of like, keeping it in reserve!

I use Flubenvet three times a year, but don't have an egg withdrawal period. Verm-x only works as a prevention, it won't cure an infestation

I also use flubenvet and don't have to withdraw eggs - it comes in different strengths I think?

I change the poo trays twice a week. I use stalosan in the run and rake that in when things look ew! More often in stinky summer. I'll try that fly trap, wasn't much of a problem last year, but a couple of the hot days I felt like I needed something.

my list is coming on now, thankyou to all, another question, Im planning on having a coop in the corner of the garden with a trellis fencing around it to tie in with the rest of my little garden. What height should the trellis be to keep them contained? I was thinking 5ft, could i go lower in your experience, or am i dreaming???

also, whats all the tonics and dusts etc for, and which ones/combinations do i need for my girls?

well ive orderd the coop today, should be here by next friday. im so excited bout this chicken lark, now to plan the veg patch to go with it...