Oh, Mites
#2: September 15th, 2023: Beth Tracy
We experienced our first big chicken crisis - mites. They were luckily not a full-blown infestation, but once we discovered them we realized we had to act fast. This was a big learning experience for us as we discovered where our previous mistakes were and how to solve them.
When I first noticed the bugs we had a long debate back and forth about whether they were mites. They weren’t what you typically imagine - small red bugs scurrying about. Rather, they were like specks of dust that moved as a pack along the coop walls and immediately swarmed anything that came into contact with it - such as my hand.
Once we’d established they were a form of mites, we inspected the chickens and eggs for signs of mites in order to gauge the severity of our situation. The eggs had not been touched but we did find multiple chickens with mites around their vent, and we’d noticed a significant drop in egg production over the previous two days. The hens were also refusing to sleep inside the coop, preferring instead to sleep in the run where it is significantly less safe.
Wearing overalls, long socks, long sleeves, rubber gloves, and a face mask, I set to work on one of the hottest days of the year to rescue my chickens from their biting pests. This entailed:
Cleaning out the chicken coop of any old bedding,
Dumping out and replacing the old dust bath,
Spraying each individual chicken,
Spraying the entire coop in every nook and cranny once, and then again two days later.
All of this was an incredible success as we have chickens with clean vents, and a new system for keeping mites out in the future.
I’ve begun to spread diatomaceous earth frequently about the run & the surrounding areas of the coops. Anywhere the hens dig holes I sprinkle the ash-like substance as it acts as a natural deterrent to mites & helps the hens suffocate any bugs that may have hitched a ride.
I added new bedding pans under the roosting bars to collect poop in a more sanitary manner, so I can easily dump and hose off the pans instead of having to remove the entire bedding set up.
I’ve added weekly checks of chicken butts to my chores list. This also acts as a way to get the hens used to me picking them up.
And, I’ve increased my frequency in refreshing their dust bath, including adding dried rosemary from my garden to help deter bugs.
Hopefully our aggressive actions with this infestation will mean we’ve prevented any bigger issues and we can now move forward in a more natural, preventative way.
Welcome, to Caliburn Oaks
#1: August 31st, 2023: Beth Tracy
Welcome to Caliburn Oaks, where we’re learning how to raise livestock and grow a garden.
I’ve never been able to keep anything green alive. I’ve always said that if it doesn’t make noise, I'll forget about it. This new life on our land has given me a lesson in patience and discipline. Patience that progress is occurring under the surface even if I can’t see it, and discipline to maintain my routine to keep things running.
This year I decided to take what I call “the science approach” to gardening. I drafted up extensive plans with measurements and research to determine the optimal 4x8 garden bed. The plans included maps and lists and calendars. So much information all for one small plot. Most of my data came from the Gardening Almanac, which will forever be my go-to guide.
Somehow all of the planning and calculating paid off. The only thing that wasn’t successful were the tomatoes, because I never got around to getting the seeds. My lettuce burst forward way more than I could have ever expected. The carrots did surprisingly well. The marigolds, well, they didn’t work - or so I thought.
I managed to learn a lot:
Lettuce needs to be harvested fully before the full heat or it will turn bitter & flower,
Carrots cannot be planted in a shallow container or they will end up stunted and small, and
Marigolds aren’t tiny single flowers but a gigantic bush that blooms late in the season.
All of this will be added to my notes for next year, and hopefully each year from now on I’ll continue to learn and increase my knowledge. I’m learning what the soil is like around here and how to adapt. I’m learning all about the bug predators and how to detract them in natural ways. And, I’m learning I have friends that absolutely love an over-abundance of lettuce.