Archive for category Tim’s Blog
Predator Mite for Red Mite Control
Posted by Tim Daniels in Tim's Blog on September 12, 2011
I have taken delivery of a 25 hen packet of predator mites to test in the fight against red mite. They arrived from the Netherlands in a sealed (thank goodness) flat pack which easily fits through the letterbox. There was an A4 page with comprehensive instructions for using them from Chickenvet.
Macro photograph of an adult red mite and a predator mite
I will be sharing my findings on this ‘predator mite’ over the coming weeks and will eventually write an article on them for the main site which will be linked to from a comment below this blog post.
I would be interested to hear from anyone else that’s used these to control red mite in poultry houses or errm elsewhere?
The predators are incredibly small, yes, even smaller than a red mite – I have had to use a macro lens to try to get a photo of one on a sheet of paper. You can see from the photo how big they are in comparison to a red mite. The predator is shipped in a substrate material (that looks like potting compost to me) in the sealed bag you see in the photo below and can easily be tipped out onto the infected areas of the coop.
How Predator Mites are used in Chicken Houses.
Before you rush out and buy predator mites, it is worth learning a little bit about these helpful mites. Unlike the red mite, they aren’t as hardy and you don’t want to end up killing them accidentally at £35 per packet.
- They do not tolerate insecticides – If you have treated the coop with chemical products in the last 4 weeks you are likely to kill the predator.
- They do not tolerate water. You cannot wash out the coop once you have introduced the predator.
- Predator mites like it to be warm – 20 degrees C and moderately humid at 60-70% (but not wet!)
- They start to starve after 7 days. This means if you introduce too many, they will eat all of your red mite and then starve before the red mite eggs have had a chance to hatch.
- You need to be around when the predator mites arrive so that you can add them immediately to the chicken coop.
The Predator 'pack'
I introduced the mites following this guidance into two small hen houses. The predator is very small and barely visible with the naked eye. I will let you know how they progress in my next post!
Where to buy predator mites.
These predator mites come for St David’s Poultry Team AKA The Chicken Vet. Orders placed during the week are dispatched on the Monday of the next week and should arrive on the Wednesday. The predator mite (unlike the red mite) can only survive for 7 days without a feed so it is important to notify them if they get delayed in the post. You can buy them here.
More in a few weeks once I’ve had a chance to evaluate them. Until then,I hope the predators are hungry as there’s red mite in my coop that I want eaten!
The Tweet that should have made poultrykeeper £10’000
Posted by Tim Daniels in Tim's Blog on August 30, 2011
Last week, I put out a tweet on the poultrykeeper twitter feed about a little bet I had with the boss… I was thinking I was going to have to pay out a whopping £10 to him because when I have tweeted in the past, I haven’t had many RTs but nothing like what was about to happen….
I went away for the bank holiday weekend and when checking my twitter today, found a few more than 10 re-tweets…. In fact, there are so many I couldn’t count them.. I was completely gob-smacked. There were a few people who had replied to me and said this was a scam and I can see how this looks and I’m sure it has been done in the past to get tweets, others on the other hand made some fun comments and joined in.
Looking at Topsy, the tweet had been re-tweeted around 21’000 times… and made it into the Twitter Top 100 over the weekend.
So, technically 21’000 x 50p is £10’500
So what did my boss say when I asked him to settle our bet? Yes, you’ve guessed it. He Chickened Out… (sorry, such a terrible pun I know and thanks @jonhickman for this one ) and since my lunch hour is almost over, I better get back to work.
…After tweeting this blog post of course 
.
The Origins of the Coronation Chicken Recipe?
Posted by Tim Daniels in Tim's Blog on June 12, 2011
As I watch my Coronation Sussex chickens grow, I keep on thinking of the Coronation Chicken recipe I used to make a few years ago and wonder whether there’s any relationship between the Coronation Sussex chickens I am growing and ‘Coronation Chicken’… The Sussex has always been a dual purpose utility breed, suitable for both eggs and as meat for the table but could the recipe’s origins have anything to do with this breed? (Not that I’m planing on using any of these birds for such an experiment – they are far too rare but it would be interesting to know of the history behind the recipe and how it got its name).
Looking around for a recipe, I came across the Readers Digest page on Chicken Recipes which has a Coronation chicken receipe listed amongst a number of other interesting chicken recipes but it was actually an a press release from Buckingham Palace that gave me the answer about the history of the origins. It seems that the original Coronation chicken was invented for foreign guests who were being entertained after the Coronation ceremony for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Constance Spry, (a florist who also helped with floral arrangements on the day of the Coronation) proposed a recipe that used cold chicken pieces in a curry cream sauce with a well-seasoned dressed salad of rice, green peas and mixed herbs. Her recipe won the approval of the Minister of Works and since that day, the recipe has been known as Coronation Chicken.
Herbs and spices were rare after the war so the recipe was very basic. These days, recipes contain a number of added ingredients such as almonds, mango and raisons and often use fresh herbs such as corriander or mint and is more popular as a sandwhich filling than a cold dish.
The two are therefore unrelated. Coronation Sussex chickens came before the recipe – They were created for the Coronation of King Edward VIII in 1936 (that never actually happend since he he abdicated) and his younger brother became King George VI. Both were created for a Coronation though! Jubilee chicken was apparently first invented for the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935… but that’s another story for another post on another day!
April Showers
Posted by Tim Daniels in Tim's Blog on April 28, 2011
We have had next to no rain so far this month. The muddy patches that the ducks created over the winter have not recovered as expected, there are cracks in the dry ground that I would normally expect to see in the middle of a hot summer.
Cracks in the Mud: A hot, dry April
With temperatures hitting 25 degrees, it certainly feels like summer although I do wish we could have a little rain to give the grass a chance to grow. I feel sorry for the farmers who have sown the fields with seeds that could really do with a shower or two to start growing and get their roots down.
It has been a very busy month for me. I have had a very busy time at work and some of this has carried over into the evenings when I would normally have been working in the garden or with the birds. I hope that things will slow down a little in the coming weeks and allow me to catch up at home and at the allotment. My main job on the poultry ‘to do list’ is to finish off my electric fences. There is one big 70 meter stretch I need to electrify and then there are two dividing fences that need to be rebuilt and electrified.
- The new gate can keep elephants out as well as foxes
I have renewed the ‘garden run’ fence, adding a sturdy gate and electric wire along the top just in case. I’m rather proud of the gate that my good old dad made for me. I think it will keep Elephants and Buffalo out as well as foxes.
As I said in my last post, I have received a trio of Coronation Sussex from Davidd on the forum. I have also hatched some Light Sussex and some Coronation Sussex chicks out and have removed some cockerels from the 9 week old growers. With being busy, I left this a little late and wish I had removed the boys sooner. The current price of growers pellets by the bag (£11.60) and layers pellets (£11.18) at our local supplier nearly made me fall over. I had bought a tonne last year during the summer that lasts me 6 months and I was paying £5.80 per bag for Fancy Feed Layers so this is a considerable increase in cost for me. I am considering buying another tonne now however I have reduced numbers and before doing this I only just manage to use the food within its best before date… so I’ll have to find someone local to buy a few bags from me so we both save and I can use the food within the best before date. The price of wheat is still high but I expect it to be much cheaper by the tonne.
The ducks have been laying well, the geese have only just started laying – very late. For the first time this morning, my Brecon Buff goose didn’t come out of her house and was stood over her nest, guarding the egg she had laid. I may let her sit if she goes broody. The gander has been attacking everything in sight for the past month, showing his love for her. I have a few sore fingers but generally, he settles down with me after a short time. He’s only doing what comes natural to him and he is really protecting his goose. I hope he will go back to being gentle again once the breeding season has finished.
Coronation Sussex and The Kings Speach
Posted by Tim Daniels in Tim's Blog on April 22, 2011
I went up to the Melton Mowbray auction and have collected a trio of Coronation Sussex large fowl from Davidd on our forum. They are lovely looking birds, (basically Coronation Sussex are the same pattern as Light Sussex but with blue instead of black markings) and I was interested to hear how his Granny kept this line going for years – so possibly from the original Coronation Sussex that were created for the Coronation of King Edward VIII in 1936. If you know your History or you have watched the film “The Kings Speech” then you will know that this Coronation never happened and before his Corination, he abdicated and his younger brother became King George VI.
David Scrivener’s book ‘Popular Poultry Breeds’ (that is a very good book by the way) says:
“It is not known if any large Coronation Sussex survived up to the outbreak of the Second World War, but if so, they didn’t survive much longer. Coronation Sussex Bantams appeared in the 1980s, but at the time of writing (2008) the author had not seen a remade strain of large Coronation Sussex.”
My new Corination Sussex Growers
Davidd doesn’t exhibit his birds so I will take this trio along to the National this year to show people how beautiful they are. Credit is due to David of course for selecting such fine birds!
I have seen Coronation Sussex that were re-created and re-introduced by Rob Whittington but I haven’t been able to speak to him. If anyone knows him, perhaps you could put me in touch. It would be interesting to hear how they came about.
I am pleased to be helping this rare breed and I have 8 fertile eggs in my incubator from Davidd to hatch as well. As with all ‘blue’ varieties, I expect to have a mixture of Coronation and Light Sussex from them so I will probably sell on the Lights when the time comes and keep the Coronations. I may end up with a spare Coronation Cockerel which wouldn’t be too bad, I think they would actually sell since you can cross Coronation male to Light Sussex female and get some Coronation offspring so let me know if you are interested in this breed.
Fox Trap Update
Posted by Tim Daniels in Tim's Blog on March 13, 2011
The fox trap worked. He was happily devouring the dead duck until he saw me with my camera.
Well, I am happy but also sad. The fox did come back and I am pleased that this time he didn’t get to take any of my birds… he came back into my end run and got caught by my humane trap. I had the sad job of dispatching him which is never a nice thing to have to do but this fox has been a particular problem and was a regular visitor.
It has taken a month for him to go in there which I am told is about right. They have to get used to the trap being there and the trap also needed to lose some of its ‘new’ smell.
I have had many years without a fox problem however this fox was getting into my runs so I a hope this was a one off and others will learn that the fence is now electrified and will keep out.
Fox attack, electric fences and a fox trap.
Posted by Tim Daniels in Tim's Blog on February 17, 2011
I believe in “live and let live” and the majority of the foxes in our neighbourhood keep their distance. There is a plentiful supply of rabbits and pheasants around the fields and in the woods for the foxes to eat and we have a big dog, our neighbours have a dog and my birds are locked up in their houses every night without fail. Unfortunately, over the last year, for the first time in 8 years of living here, there is a fox that hasn’t been obeying the rules of engagement and has decided he can drop by for a free Chicken ‘ready-meal’. This fox is rather clever because he will come just before the birds are locked up and will come across our neighbours garden, over two fences and then across our own garden to get to my birds. I have spotted him walking up the white line of the main road to get here, choosing his time when there is a break in the traffic and our dogs are inside.
His last visit, is the second time I have lost birds to him – 2 of my best ducks. This is only the second time in 8 years of living at this house that I have lost birds to a fox. The same fox.
Well Mr. Fox I hope has had his last meal.
I have ordered another electric fence, this time a rather powerful one that can electrify most of the perimeter of my enclosures but my problem is the way he is coming in through the garden is the one place where I cannot protect. The wife would never allow me for one and the children wouldn’t appreciate an electric fence on one side of the garden where they play!
After a few sleepless nights, I think I have come up with a solution. I shall have a ‘protected area’ further up the field that doesn’t border the garden with one fence and a semi-protected area nearer to the garden which will be protected on 3 sides with a flashing light to deter the fox near the unprotected garden fence. At high risk times, we will keep the birds in the protected area and at other times when we are around, they can be let out into the semi-protected area.
I will have to catch this particular fox mind you because now that he knows a way in and has had two successful kills, I know for sure he will be back.
The fox trap is set.
The saddest thing I find is he is killing but not taking the bodies. These two had been carried over the fence to the neighbours garden and lined up, heads ripped off and then left. Such a shame.
I cannot shoot the fox on the road, in the neighbour’s garden or even in my own garden safely so I have set a large fox trap. This will catch him without hurting him. It is a humane trap, imagine a large dog crate with a door that swings down when triggered, trapping the fox inside. The bait…. well he left two dead ducks so I have used one of the bodies for him inside the trap.
Breeding Preparations and yet more selection.
Posted by Tim Daniels in Tim's Blog on January 8, 2011
Over the Christmas and New Year period, I was spending my spare time keeping on top of frozen water containers, clearing snow and updating our forum software to create our new Turkey Forum amongst the usual fun and games of the festive season. What I forgot to do was to separate out my Abacot Ranger Ducks for breeding and spend time selecting them again. These need putting into a breeding pen 3 weeks before I need fertile eggs to be 100% sure that I am hatching ducklings from the right drake.
I have now added my 5 top ducks and top drake to a pen, which gives me a fairly high ratio of ducks to drake, but it’s only me hatching these eggs so I’ll soon be able to see what the fertility is like and won’t be worrying about a few clear eggs.
Light Sussex from Nick Smith
I bought some Light Sussex from Nick Smith last year. They are fine looking birds although the cockerel hasn’t got a perfect comb. I believe that the cockerel gets his comb from the hens genes anyway? I hope so, otherwise I will have to spend time getting this right. The hens look fantastic – they have such size! One hen came into lay over the Christmas break and her eggs are not a very good shape in my opinion. They are very round (and being so young) small. I won’t be hatching from these birds until they are 2 years old, in the second laying season when the eggs have had a chance to increase in size but I shall have to select the best shaped eggs to give the best chances of success.
So I’m wondering where a hen inherits egg shape from… the mother or father? Either way, I think I’m going to have to be as selective as I can with eggs I set next year as I would like to get a good shaped egg from these birds in the long run.
Lighting Large Fowl
At this time of year, most show breeders of Large Fowl are adding additional light to their chicken houses to bring the girls into lay early. This is done so that show birds can put on the best possible size over the growing season before a show. I have never used lighting in my hen houses but I might be tempted to try this with the Light Sussex next year.
A new camera.
I was fortunate enough to receive a new camera over Christmas (well, second-hand but as good as new from my father when he upgraded). I am also borrowing a wide angle lens from him at the moment. When it’s time to candle my first eggs , I plan to take some new photos to improve the candling egg photos. I have a good idea how to do this now.
- In the dark
- With a wide aperture / long exposure time
- With both candling lamp and camera on tripods
- Using the self timer to prevent shake when pressing the button
- Away from the children!
I will of course post some photos to let you know how I’ve got on… but first I’m going to need eggs to candle!
Chickens and Snow
Posted by Tim Daniels in Tim's Blog on December 23, 2010
I have had a huge amount of people email the poultrykeeper site asking what to do with their chickens in the snow so I thought I’d better put a quick post here to help.
In general, most breeds of Chickens can handle the cold very well, in fact, in Canada they are often in temperatures of -20 degrees without additional heat. Chickens have an excellent ‘duvet’ of feathers that they can adjust to keep them at the right temperature. How do they do this? Well, by trapping air between their feathers, they are adding insulation to their ‘duvet’ which keeps more body heat in.
Clear an area of snow for your chickens to stand.
Snow is very stressful for chickens and stress lowers the immune system, opening them up to many passing diseases. Chickens can’t understand why what was their ‘normal’ environment has suddenly gone white!
Here are some things to remember that will help your chooks cope in the snow.
- Remember chickens cannot handle draughts in their house. Allow adequate ventilation but ensure that their roosting area is free from draughts.
- Clear snow away from the immediate area around their house so they are able to stand without being buried. Chickens will generally not venture into snow more than an inch or so deep. Keep food and water containers inside or close to the hen house door to allow them to get to water without having to walk through the snow.
- Ensure drinking water is available for them. Frozen water is no good to them. I bring my water containers in on cold nights but you can try covering a water container with an old coat which also works if it doesn’t get too frosty. A heat pad such as this one can also be used to stop it from freezing in the day.
- Throw them some extra mixed corn on the area you have cleared. They need to eat more food to produce more heat during cold weather and the yellow maize in mixed corn is high in fat which helps them to produce the extra heat they need.
- Cockerels with big combs can have the tips of their combs frozen. This usually only happens when the humidity of the air in the house is high and the temperature drops below freezing. Vasaline rubbed on the comb can help. Chickens do not suffer with a frozen comb because they tuck their head under their wings to sleep.
- Using Apple Cider Vinegar in their water can help them to deal with the stress of the snowfall
A long overdue update
Posted by Tim Daniels in Tim's Blog on December 17, 2010
Well, where to start? It has been quite a while since my last post (I’m feeling guilty now). I have been rushed off my feet with software updates to our software (hey, check out our social widgets at the bottom of posts that allow you to share these pages on the social networks!), work, poultry shows and in the last few weeks wood cutting and Christmas preparations. In fact, things are still pretty hectic in the run up to Christmas. I’m sorry if you’ve checked back here for an update to find nothing but a few things had to give and this was unfortunately one of them.
The show season
With the show season coming to an end for me now, I’ve go a little more time at weekends. So how did my Abacot Ranger ducks get on?
Peterborough – East of England Show – 1st and Best of Breed for my Drake
Builth Wells – Welsh Federation – 2nd
Solihull – BWA National – 2nd and Best Pair of Ducks
So overall, not a bad start. I didn’t enter the National or Federation shows as I was working hard to get photographs of the winners.
I have 18 Abacot Rangers for breeding in the spring and I have also got some new Light Sussex from the well known Nick Smith which I hope to breed early next year. The incredibly rare Coronation Sussex might just be coming my way after a good friend has offered me a trio in the Spring.
Show Photos
One of the reasons I have been so busy is that during the show season I take lots of photos and have lots of photos sent to me by the site’s photographer Rupert Stephenson. Every photo has to be cropped and edited down to the right size, then a ‘poultrykeeper.com’ has to be added (to remind people not to steal the images for other web sites) and then it has to be uploaded to the site.
Once a photo is on the server, I then have to find the right place for it in the breeds sections and often that page doesn’t exist and needs to be created. All of this can take me half a day for just one batch of show photos, sometimes longer.
To get photos on line faster, after editing, I have started to upload them onto the poultrykeeper Facebook page. This means the whole of a shows photos can be seen in the one place. I can’t often fit them all into a show report on the site and most are reduced further in size to fit them in or are spread around the specific breeds pages.
Anyway, I promise not to leave it so long next time. See you soon.
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