Chicken Sitting Advice

So, my neighbor is going on vacation tomorrow and I'm looking after the house, feeding the chickens, feeding and petting the cats, etc. We've gone over the chicken feeding and watering routine and it's pretty straight forward. He also told me about mites that feed off chickens at night and are the reason the chickens take dustbaths and I was wondering if they might transfer to me and get on the rabbits. He has sprayed the coop down and left more spray for me if I need it. I have intentions to come home and have a shower before doing rabbit chores and I wear a different pair of boots in the garage. Any thoughts?

Hope to get my own chickens soon!

from what I understand mites are different for different animals. With chickens it is feather mites and well... rabbits don't have feathers.

They shouldn't be a problem. I've never had scaley leg mites transfer to the dogs, and if it's the feather ones, they group at the base of the feathers and don't leave the chickens. They're quite easy to pick up from the wild birds (which is where the chickens get them) and seem to be "bird only".

If you're worried, any chance you can do your buns and THEN feed chickens? Throwing feed at chickens is pretty fast. (specially if you've got a decent fastball :lol: ...god..I crack me up sometimes)

I wouldn't worry. The precautions you mention are more than sufficient. I've never had a problem with my rabbits picking up anything from the chickens.

My chickens hang out in the rabbitry and I haven't seen any problems. Once the other canopy is up and the big hutches are moved out there I plan on closing it off to them, but that's more because the chickens are obnoxious more than anything.

Thanks, I appreciate the replies. I will probably do the rabbit chores before the chickens. I have heard of people who have rabbits and chickens living in close proximity and no problems, I just wanted to clarify the mite situation.

I already got fourteen eggs today and this is just the first day. They will be gone for at least three weeks and I can keep all the eggs. They have about 35 chickens and get about 20 eggs a day. I'm getting cash, all the eggs and a decent little snowblower out of the deal plus it's a goodwill gesture toward the neighbors. Good deal all around, I would say. I"m a little ashamed to say that I've been here for five years and don't know many of the neighbors as I don't meet people easily. I"ve been very friendly with these people and hopefully this will lead to meeting more people in the area.

Since I'm in a questioning mood, are their any precautions to take with fresh aggs? I know the eggs in the store are probably washed and sanitized and I know fresh eggs can have chicken poop on them. I'm also under the impression that fresh eggs have a thin film on them which will keep them fresh longer and shouldn't be washed off until they're ready to be used. (Rookie future chicken farmer here...)

Eggs do indeed have a protective film. Unless they're really dirty, dn't wash them. You can scrub a little with a dry scrubby pad or something.

If you put them in the refrigerator, they'll keep for up to maybe 6 months. Fresh eggs don't boil up well for hard boiled eggs. They stick to the shell something fierce. If you're going to do hard cooked eggs, let them sit on the counter a week. That will make them the equivalent of a month old store egg.

Store bought eggs are sanitized using "egg sanitizer" which you can purchase, if you want to. Farm stores usually have the stuff. It's a powder that you put in water, dip the eggs in it.

The less you wash the eggs the better. They keep longer if that film is left on and bacteria are less likely to penetrate the shell. Most of the eggs will be clean as long as there is reasonably fresh bedding in the nest boxes. It some have just a bit of poop or mud on them, just wipe it off with a damp paper towel or use the dry scrubby as Ann suggests.

If you are getting a lot of eggs you will want to refrigerate them. They will keep for weeks and maybe months. We just have a few hens now so I just keep the eggs in a bowl on the counter. They keep just fine that way for up to two weeks. They don't go bad anyway, but do lose moisture after that time.

So relax and enjoy the fresh eggs, Truckinguy! After this, I'll bet it's not long until you get a few hens of your own.

MaggieJ":2ssu84o2 said:

So relax and enjoy the fresh eggs, Truckinguy! After this, I'll bet it's not long until you get a few hens of your own.

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Speaking of which, I'm going to need to sell 3 of these layer pullets eventually. Nine hens are a bit much over the winter. I've got a Cuckoo Maran, a Golden Laced Wyandott and a Partridge Chantecler. :mrgreen: Whaddya think Truckinguy? Want a trio of your own?

Yes, actually, the main reason I don't have any right now is that I don't have a coop or a setup yet. We've been crazy busy at work ( I deliver bulk water, everyone wants their pools filled TODAY!!) but when my neighbor gets back from holiday I might get something ready here. Can different breeds live together and get along or do they each need a separate area?

Sorry for all the chicken questions on a rabbit board!!

Anyway, the neighbor's chickens and I are getting along well, they come running to meet me when I get there and follow me around like little paparazzi, very amusing and I get a laugh out of it!

Chickens are pretty much non-racist Only two reasons I can think of to keep separate pens. 1)if you want purebred eggs to hatch out; 2)adults purchased from different sources and they're being territorial. Usually the 2nd can be cured by slowly integrating.

They even get along with turkeys and geese!