verloncox
Junior Member
Quality over quantity.
Posts: 129
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Post by verloncox on Apr 25, 2010 16:42:32 GMT -6
I have learned more about chickens from old timers then any book or the internet could ever teach me. I love talking to older guys or gals that raise poultry and thought that this would be a good place to post some of the remedies that we have learned about that sound odd but work. Here are a few of mine that I have used and some that I haven't:
1) Scaly leg on young roosters that you want to use as breeding stock. Use a few shots of WD-40 every day for a few weeks on the infected leg after cleaning it with bleach water. It sounds odd but I tried it on an old rooster that I got attached to and it works. I was going to use the Vet RX on it but opted to try this intstead.
2) A chicken that has been attacked by a predator and tore up some. Use super glue to glue back up all of the cuts on the bird to stop the bleeding. I learned this a LONG time ago and we dont need to talk about HOW I learned this. You wouldn't have thought that the bird would have lived but it did.
3) I haven't used this and I am a little afraid to but supposedly you can use a bar of lye soap to worm every chicken that you have. You are suppose to make their drinking water nice and soapy and the next day mix buttermilk into their water to get rid of the lye. I'm not brave enough to use this but if anyone is, let me know how it turns out.
4) White vinegar to neutralize odors and cut down on mites on the birds. I use this religiously and it does work. I think that it makes the soil too acidic for the mites and it definitely helps with odor problems. I would highly recommend this one to all.
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8bells
Junior Member
Chickens are Revolting
Posts: 137
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Post by 8bells on Apr 25, 2010 17:45:08 GMT -6
Another old-time wisdom:
First to lay, first to crow, This hen and cock are great for show. But not worth their feed. If saving to breed.
The wisdom lies in the fact that the early crowers and layers are precocious (early maturing) birds. This early development stunts further growth. Continued breeding of such birds will eventually lead to a barnyard full of small birds with a frail skeletons. They will lay few, and tiny eggs.
EDIT: This wisdom goes back to the 1800's. The rhyme is mine.
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verloncox
Junior Member
Quality over quantity.
Posts: 129
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Post by verloncox on Apr 25, 2010 19:16:17 GMT -6
I LOVE IT!! It makes sense to me! I am so going to steal your rhyme that its unreal, I'm memorizing it now. Ha!
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Post by spamela on Apr 26, 2010 9:43:33 GMT -6
With the white vinegar. Do you cut it with water or just put it in a spray bottle and spray it over the coop and chickens?
Is it true that scaly legs are caused by mites? WD-40 is just mineral oil so it makes sense that it would help.
Thanks for the tips.
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verloncox
Junior Member
Quality over quantity.
Posts: 129
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Post by verloncox on Apr 26, 2010 12:02:17 GMT -6
Spamela, I put the white vinegar in a garden sprayer. I clean as much as I can with a rake and shovel and then spray or wipe most things down with a mild solution of bleach water. After that I spray the vinegar over everything in the barn, especially around their roost and feed area's. The first time you do it you will notice a dramatic decrease in the odor problem. Scaly leg is caused by mites. I have an isolation pen where I put any new animals that I get regardless of where I got them from. I do it to make sure that everyone stays healthy. Every bird that I get receives a shot of DE in the throat and gets some thrown all over its feathers. I cant stand to have animals with mites on them and that is the first course of action to keeping them out.
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oldaker
Junior Member
With Led Zeppelin, all things are possible!!
Posts: 110
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Post by oldaker on Apr 26, 2010 13:33:07 GMT -6
Doesn't involve chickens, but a nice cure none the less. Putting garlic powder in your dogs food will keep fleas and ticks away. Also a cup of apple cider vinegar in your horses feed each day will help with flies, Mosquitos, fleas, ticks, etc.
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8bells
Junior Member
Chickens are Revolting
Posts: 137
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Post by 8bells on Apr 26, 2010 15:07:09 GMT -6
I once poured straight vinegar into the cracks in the driveway. Took years of rain before the weeds grew back. Although, I'm sure some weeds are adapted well to acid soils.
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Post by Timbo on Apr 26, 2010 17:00:18 GMT -6
I'm going to put the apple cider to test on my goats, donkey, horse, and deer to see how well that works.
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8bells
Junior Member
Chickens are Revolting
Posts: 137
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Post by 8bells on Apr 27, 2010 3:34:42 GMT -6
If you have a "Cash & Carry" type store (they cater to small diners/cafes, mobile vendors, etc) in your area, they usually sell gallon jugs of vinegar for a few cents more than the supermarkets get for a pint. Might not be what you'd put in your cole slaw, but certainly works fine for weeds/bugs! Vinegar has a million uses around the homestead.
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verloncox
Junior Member
Quality over quantity.
Posts: 129
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Post by verloncox on Apr 27, 2010 20:03:05 GMT -6
I didn't know that you could use it for weeds. I guess that will be my next use for it around the barn. Thanks for the advice on the "cash and carry" stores, I am definitely going to check into that. I am also going to put the apple cider vinegar to the test with the goats. The way that they eat I doubt if they will even notice that its in there.
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8bells
Junior Member
Chickens are Revolting
Posts: 137
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Post by 8bells on Apr 27, 2010 21:40:19 GMT -6
A word of caution: it is not just the weeds, but any plant/seed that does not do well in an acid soil. Vinegar is a mild acid, that if used straight will drastically lower your pH.
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Post by gardendaddy on Apr 28, 2010 15:51:57 GMT -6
Can I ask a dumb question about the WD-40? Being that it has a petroleum base oil, according to the MSDS sheets and petroleum is not only a poison to birds, fish, etc. such as in certain other oils, would this possibly be more harmful than helpful in the long run as far as the long term affect on skin absorption to organs, etc.? I have heard old folks talk about dipping dogs in diesel fuel or kerosene for ticks, fleas or the mange but that we all know now is very toxic to animals. Any other thoughts? I want to know for future needs, etc. what you all think, Thanks in advance, Garden Daddy (Mike Millson)
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oldaker
Junior Member
With Led Zeppelin, all things are possible!!
Posts: 110
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Post by oldaker on Apr 28, 2010 18:40:51 GMT -6
I've never heard about using diesel or kerosene for mange, ticks, or fleas. I've heard of used motor oil. It chokes out the buggies. I know on hog hunting farms they use diesel for the hogs to roll in for lice. Not sure if it would work for the hogs you raise. But basically any kind of oil based substance would get rid of nasties I guess.
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verloncox
Junior Member
Quality over quantity.
Posts: 129
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Post by verloncox on Apr 29, 2010 19:39:22 GMT -6
I have seen people put warm used motor oil on dogs with the mange and it worked good. I really dont think that I want to eat a diesel soaked hog though..............but who knows if I had a six pack to go with it!
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oldaker
Junior Member
With Led Zeppelin, all things are possible!!
Posts: 110
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Post by oldaker on Apr 29, 2010 19:58:17 GMT -6
Lol verlon, first time for everything right! Actually you don't really get the diesel in the meat. It's basically used to lure the wild hogs to your area. Let them have their roll and pick off the ones you want. Since you skin em out and it's only been a few minutes to hours since they rolled there is no soaking in of any big degree. Not sure how it would affect farm raised ones. But if it kills nasty bugs I am so there!ยก!
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