What did you do with your flock today?

[LTAY1946]

A big hard shell beetle. That's what they were when I was a kid in FL.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Spent the night up Koke'e last night so I could ivermectin drop my flock while they were roosting. Pretty darn quick and easy, especially with my handy dandy solar lights.
This morning, after filling feeders and tossing lettuce, I pulled all of the mulch and nesting materials out -DS is burning materials in the pit as I type-

Then I scraped boards, doused the coop and boxes with pyrethrin and added new nest and mulch after everything dried. I moved both sets of nest boxes to one side (need to get more nesting material ) instead of facing each other across the coop. I like it better than hiding behind the door, hope chickens agree.

Blind Nina got to spend a few hours wandering under our watchful eye. Think she had a blast sun bathing and dust bathing and picking at new things. She really is a terrific chicken.

Caught her happily wandering a little too close to the Forests edge, so play time ended and lunchtime began.

She got dropped and sparyed and new nesting material too... though, she get quite often on average for clean entertainment. After all of that, I found no mites in nest boxes, or on roosts and only found 3 crawling on me after all was said and done. So maybe a bit of an over reaction but I'm ok. Feels good to have done a bang up job.

 

[fuzzi]

A big hard shell beetle. That's what they were when I was a kid in FL.

I think they are Green June bugs. We had them all over our fig tree this year, and they must have laid their eggs in my raised bed.

 

[LTAY1946]

I think they are Green June bugs. We had them all over our fig tree this year, and they must have laid their eggs in my raised bed.

Those were the ones that when they would hit a windshield while driving a highway speed at night sounded like they had busted something.

 

[TropicalBabies]

I think they are Green June bugs. We had them all over our fig tree this year, and they must have laid their eggs in my raised bed.

Well, glad they left you yummy grubs.
We get Mango Beetle grubs and now another invasive species, the oriental flower Beetle. Terrible beetles but bonus grubs.

 

[LTAY1946]

I hate the Japanese beetles grubs or no grubs. They are so destructive to fruit trees. And roses.

 

[ChicksnMore]

I think they are Green June bugs. We had them all over our fig tree this year, and they must have laid their eggs in my raised bed.

We get emerald fig eater beetles here and grubs like that too. My chickens love those grubs! These are the fig beetles we get...

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Eeeeeeeeewwww!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

DH and I cleaned the hen house, top to bottom. He carried out several cart loads of shredded paper (and poop!) which we use as floor bedding and nesting material, and I scooped the poop trays. Then we put in new shredded paper, which he gets from the bank where he works (you can't beat free!) and put everything back in where it goes. We got 9 eggs today (20 hens, 1 rooster). Molting season is creeping up on us, but other chicken keepers I know tell me they have not been getting eggs for a whole month or more already, so we've been blessed to still be getting as many as we are. We did not let them free range at all today, as we seem to have lost a hen yesterday, possibly to a coyote. The only reason we know is because we trimmed wings and took a head count. We are supposed to have four Dominique hens and I only counted three. We'll keep them locked up for a while in hopes the preds move along. We have not lost a bird to a coyote in years, so it's a sadness.

 

[Shetland lover]

This morning I got to hold and feed 3 little roosters I took in and gave a home to. One is an Easter Egger x American Game and 2 are Indio Gigante x American Game. Each one sat on my lap and ate from my hand. That's progress. I know of nothing that is more pleasing than to have a lap chicken set in your lap and entertain you. My little RIR pullet ran me down for some one on one time and she too ate from my hand from my lap.

Awww, that's so lovely. There's nothing better than lap chickens - until they poop on you!