Poultry Keeping General Discussion #1

Multiple things you can do.

Pestene powder on them and around the coop - not too expensive but messy.
Cydectin - the cow/sheep drench - think 1/2ml on their skin, works like Frontline does on dog. We use this due to have about 30+ chooks at any time who are not used to being handled, so we often sneak at night when they are sleeping and do them. Expensive outlay, but will last you for ages. IF you have a farmer friend, they may be able to give you a small amount.

Long term - grow herbs like rue, tansy and wormwood (lavender is handy as well). Good herbs all around for keeping down pests. They walk against it and nibble the leaves. I also strew them around the laying boxes, especially when I have a broody I make sure there is a fair bit below her wood shavings.

We have lavender in the front yard, what if I cut some off and put in the nesting boxes?

Might have to buy some powder, are the mites harmful to the chooks or us?


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Good tip on the lavender Astrid. I have heaps so I'll do it as a preventative.

Not sure about the mites, I think they are mostly annoying, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Don't think they harm us, just itch, I have had to comb them out of my hair before.

Leg mites can cause them pain and make it hard for them to walk if allowed to get very bad. We did have some little blood sucking one, which we think contributed to the death of a broody (we just could not break her of it and we think the blood loss to the mite pushed her over).

Cool, will put some lavender around the place and head to get some powder.


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we use pestene on our chooks when they get mites. it s a 2 person job. one person holds the chook upside down by its legs, if you put its head back or cover its head with your hand it kinda goes into a trance. then the other person sprinkles the powder and rubs it in so it gets in close to the skin. maybe i can send DH over to give you a hand?

I've got the upside down thing down pat (thanks for that tip), that's how I put the leg bands on :)

Any tips on the best place around here to buy the powder?
Ohhh getting help would be great, you guys could check out the setup :p


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either of the big town stock feed places should have it.

Thanks hun, might have to go there tomorrow.


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Have uploads some pics into the CHICKEN ALBUM, let me know if they look healthy?

We let them out while we cleaned out the chicken hotel today, our dog jack snuck around licking his lips but we gave him a bit of a smack and a yelling at and he left them alone, the girls loved watching them outside and we had no problems getting them back in, i think we will start letting them out every afternoon from about 4ish and then putting them in after dinner... would that be the best time?

I have put a few bits of lavender in the nesting boxes, most of ours is dead from the heat so might have to give it a bit of water and hope we get some more and i can scatter it around the shed.
I have to get down there and de-cobweb the place, it creeps me out a little :)

Combs are looking a bit pale and bit floppy. A couple of my ISA's have floppy combs, but they were egg battery chooks and in a horrid state when we got them.

What are you feeding them?

I bought a bag of feed from the guy - free range something with everything in 1 then they get a heap of our food scraps - salad stuff, fruit etc.. no citrus then today they were allowed out to peck at the grass so from now they will be getting time in the arvo to do that.
How they are now is how we got them, he said it will take them a little bit o get some feathers back and get used to the new place before laying again... do they not look healthy?

The combs have a me a bit concerned, but considering they are still new to you, that could be it. How old are they? I find ISA's, even ones who have always been free range always look a bit scrappy compared to pure breds.

Diet looks fine, without know the actual brand of food.

We mix our own food. The poultry club has a grain drive and we buy in the big bags of wheat, oats, sunflower seeds, corn etc and mix it ourselves. DH has worked out the ratios to get a good % of protein in the mix. If we need to buy a bag, we normally get the Peter's Free Range (in a blue bag, about $20 for 26kg.

I can't remember how old he said, I'm positive he said they've laid before and need to wait til they fluff out a bit again & get some feathers back??? Does that sound right?


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So they are ex layers from a free range farm? They do look older, especially going by their legs. Their feathering looks fairly good. Ours look terrible, but we have roosters, so the some of the poor girls have bare back and bald heads.

ETA: Though I would add a picture of one of the ex-battery girls of what she looked like when we first got her. We call her Steggles as that is what she looked like.
https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...battery-chook/

Underneath they have quite a few missing and 1 has a few off her neck. I didn't really ask many questions :redface: it was from a guy at the local market, he's always there and everyone seems to buy from him. There are 3 ppl that work there and man the truck, animals & LOTS of eggs.


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I thought the combs were a bit pale too - being ex battery might take a good while to get into top shape. Hope you don't mind me commenting on the water - it's really much better to have water up high on something or hanging so they can't walk and therefore poop in it.

Thx ladies, 2 of the girls have straight combs and they seem a deeper red than the others :)
I bought a water feeder today to hang from the roof like their food container but will still keep the pot & baby bath too :)

We will let the girls out for a bit again this arvo but Miss Barbie nearly got eaten by our boy jack yesterday so we will stay down there with them. Then she escaped under the gate and into some bush and DP had to round her up so I could tackle her :rofl:

Bought some pestene today aswell so will try and get onto that.


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