# Big day today



## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

Today will be the day that the chicks get moved out to the coop. They are moving the boxes in the spare room and getting out onto the carpet, others are flying over the box. So with them almost 3 weeks old I figured it is coop time. How time flies. 

Went out this morning and did a thorough check of all the wire around the coop. Fixed the bottom and made sure nothing can move the bottom of the wire, Then raked the floor up where it is all dirt.

I think they will like this so much better. They can take dirt baths, can scratch in the dirt, which lately they have torn up tons of newspaper trying to scratch on the floor where they are. It is at it's hottest right now and night time temps are 78 to 85 degrees, day time temps are upper 90's with a heat index of 104. This will be this way for 2 more weeks. I think they are ready for this. Jack will be kept outside so he can keep an eye out for possums. I also will fix the back porch light. Possums don't come around if I have the light going. And I will fix the stainless steel water bowl I have here that was for the dogs, and will use it for the duck to play in.

The coop has plenty of shade, so it wont be to hot for them. We have morning glories growing all over it and in front of it is my tomato plants.

The one thing I am worried about is in one corner there is a hill of fire ants, so I may have to block that off for now. Or I can try some boiling water on those ants.

I can't wait to see hoot doing a dirt bath in real dirt, hoot uses the carpet for dirt baths now.


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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

I use orthene which is the only thing that I know of that will kill them. It is a poison, but only takes a tsp. I use it, blk my chickens away from it, and after 24 hours rinse it away. They will kill your chicks if they get on them.


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

nannypattyrn said:


> I use orthene which is the only thing that I know of that will kill them. It is a poison, but only takes a tsp. I use it, blk my chickens away from it, and after 24 hours rinse it away. They will kill your chicks if they get on them.


The #1 thing that I have found that works is boiling water. However it doesn't work if they are next to a tree. I killed 3 young trees using this method. The only poion that I have as of now is what we use on bag worms, and hubby tried it on fire ants it never worked.


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

We don't have fire ants (thankfully) but we've always been a fan of the "ram a large hole in the hill and fill it with gas" method. You might burn down your coop though! LOL


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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

The problem with stirring the nest is that the worker immediately go to the queen to move her. Then they just build somewhere else.
Bag worms don't need poison, just open the webs and the beneficial insects will eat them! I have seen this myself. Shot gun, bow and arrow, long stick . Any like that will help.


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

Fiere said:


> We don't have fire ants (thankfully) but we've always been a fan of the "ram a large hole in the hill and fill it with gas" method. You might burn down your coop though! LOL


LOL I know, in the yard I would do it that way but not in the coop. I got rid of all of them now later we will start moving chicks. Killed, queen, eggs and all the workers.


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

nannypattyrn said:


> The problem with stirring the nest is that the worker immediately go to the queen to move her. Then they just build somewhere else.
> Bag worms don't need poison, just open the webs and the beneficial insects will eat them! I have seen this myself. Shot gun, bow and arrow, long stick . Any like that will help.


Yeah I use to just do one pot full of water on a hill, then found the next morning a grave of dead ones that they had piled up on top of the nest and about 2 feet a way a new hill being started. So now I use about 4 big pot fulls of boiling water and then move some of the dirt, then add more boiling water it gets rid of the whole hill.

Those bag worms I just clip them all off the trees and then stomp on the bags.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I used boiling water once. I have also had good luck with bleach. Now I just use home defense (ortho)


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

seminolewind said:


> I used boiling water once. I have also had good luck with bleach. Now I just use home defense (ortho)


Well it worked, I went back every 30 minutes all day long looking for anything moving and nothing so I got them all on that mound. That makes me happy. So chicks will be going out tomorrow. I wanted to keep a close eye on what was left of that mound, luckily nothing moved around it. or even on the wood close to it.


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

Yesterday was the big day. They loved it including the duck. However there was an issue. At about 5pm I went over to a neighbors and I could here one of them making all kinds of noise so came back to see what was going on. The one that I believe is either a game pullet or a long tail pullet had found it's way out and was having a hissy fit trying to get back in. If that one can get out then Tiny and the little bantams can get out. So they are all back in the house. Duck had a hard time the latter part of the day. 95 degree temps and a heat index of 109 didn't help at all, even in the shade. Ducks body was so hot it felt like a hot oven.

We are going to give them another week in the house fix anything that looks like a hole, and then try this again. I may have to get some different wire to put at the bottom of the coop, just to be on the safe side. These Tiny ones I think are going to have to go into something else.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

Bummer!I had to bring mine back in earlier this year cuz it got too cold.They were in at night for 2 more weeks-my furnace was still kicking on the 1st week of June,that's how chilly it got.They were jumping out and hubby was having hissies.It happens every year I do chicks and I tell him to build me a good secure building to raise them in.Until then they are in the living room...


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

chickenqueen said:


> Bummer!I had to bring mine back in earlier this year cuz it got too cold.They were in at night for 2 more weeks-my furnace was still kicking on the 1st week of June,that's how chilly it got.They were jumping out and hubby was having hissies.It happens every year I do chicks and I tell him to build me a good secure building to raise them in.Until then they are in the living room...


Exactly, and the fact that my son put my little Jack Russel mix in there this past winter while his friend came over didn't help me at all. Jack has a bad habit of getting out of anything, and he pulled at the chicken wire until it popped out on the bottom. I fixed that however he could have made another area where I didn't see it.

My neighbor scared me today telling me he has seen 3 water moccasins in his yard in the past week. If I have the chicks out they will eat them in a minute, and I don't want to get bit either.

I am thinking I will have to get some plywood this coming week and see what I can do to fix the coop issue.


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

My chicks were almost 3 mos when I put them out cuz we have black snakes and they will eat the younger ones and by then they were too big to eat.Then when I take them to the grow-out pen it is a happy and sad time.They get more room to run in,dirt bathe and watch the adult flock go about their daily routine.But it is a sad time cuz my babies are growing up and becoming independent and not in the living room anymore.I really miss them but not the dust and smell.Good luck,Hildar!


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

chickenqueen said:


> My chicks were almost 3 mos when I put them out cuz we have black snakes and they will eat the younger ones and by then they were too big to eat.Then when I take them to the grow-out pen it is a happy and sad time.They get more room to run in,dirt bathe and watch the adult flock go about their daily routine.But it is a sad time cuz my babies are growing up and becoming independent and not in the living room anymore.I really miss them but not the dust and smell.Good luck,Hildar!


We have black snakes as well, we also have the rattle snakes here, we have only seen 1 rattle snake and my husband killed that with the riding lawn mower. However when he doesn't mow the lawn we get tons of snakes. 2 years ago we had a black snake eat 4 plastic eggs that I had in the nesting boxes. That was messed up. Then about a week later my son found one under the porch that had found the nest under there, and it ate 2 plastic eggs he killed the snake and you could see the plastic eggs in it.

When I see any snakes around here I run. You never know if it will be poisonous.


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## Valentine (Dec 4, 2016)

We have Fire ants at our farm in Australia. They are deadly, jump on top of you and the sting is lethal to say the least. My son-in law poured petrol on top of the nest, but they keep coming back. You may need to get a professional to come and remove the nest,depends how deep that is. I would get rid of the tree.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

We have fire ants here too. You can shovel one fire ant mound and dump it on another fire ant mound. The ants will attack and kill each other. Each fire ant mound has its own distinct scent.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I did not know that dawg. I'm going to have to give that a try next year.


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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

We have the nasty little critters here, too. Orthene is the only thing we've found that will actually kill them. If you disturb the mound ,they go into high gear to protect their queen. They get on you so quick if you get too close to the mound that I'm a little afraid to try moving the mound, Dawg. The sting isn't lethal, it just feels like it. ( unless you are diabetic and don't feel them sting or are allergic to them).


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

We don't have fire ants yet,but w/ "global warming" I would not be surprised to see them in the future.5-10 years ago,I started noticing seagulls around the shopping areas w/ many restaurants near-by.They are here year round.I couldn't tell you the nearest body of salt water to me but it isn't very close to me in s w Ohio.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

chickenqueen said:


> We don't have fire ants yet,but w/ "global warming" I would not be surprised to see them in the future.5-10 years ago,I started noticing seagulls around the shopping areas w/ many restaurants near-by.They are here year round.I couldn't tell you the nearest body of salt water to me but it isn't very close to me in s w Ohio.


Got a town garbage dump, besides McDonald's where people like to toss pieces of hamburger buns and fries to gulls?
Seagulls love garbage dumps. Also some gulls migrate.

If there were a such thing as reincarnation, I would want to be a seagull.
They fly very high and can swim, they eat anything and food is abundant at sea and on land...especially at McDonald's. They are protected by federal law.
There are some people that I'd like to crap on...and it "splats."  LOL


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I will try the shovel transplant. that should be fun.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Sevin dust kills fire ants. Just stir the mound up some, then dust them...liberally. Heheheh.


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