East Essex Smallholders Chitchat Headline Animator

CONTACT EESG

To Contact EESG
Please Email:
Danielle.Perkins@yahoo.co.uk
or 07854595640

Friday 25 February 2011

SX Environmental Supplies - Evening at the Blue Boar

Phil from SX Environmental Supplies kindly showed all present a very good design of a pest control box where a trap is placed inside to catch the rat/mouse. and bait can also be put in to attract the rodent.
 
For more details of the Trapboxr go to this link:
 
Phil mentioned that as a group, requiring a purchase of 50+  a further discount may be offered.
 
He also explained the rules and regulations regarding the supply of large quantities of poison and that currently individuals are only able to purchase 3kg of bait at a time. In order to purchase larger amounts, we need to have training to be approved users of poisons.  A suitable course would cost £25 and SX would be happy to come to the Blue Boar to train a group of us.
 
The advantages of this is:
3kg of a bait block - £28 with the certificate of training 20kg of bait block - £35!
 
So you would get a return on the cost of the course very quickly.
 
For those interested in either the boxes or the course, please email Danni at info@eastessexsmallholders.co.uk 
 


Wednesday 16 February 2011

Dorset Bokashi presents 'Who Killed the Honey Bee ?' (BBC 4) - Section Six.

Dorset Bokashi presents 'Who Killed the Honey Bee ?' (BBC 4) - Section Two.

Dorset Bokashi presents 'Who Killed the Honey Bee ?' (BBC 4) - Section F...

Dorset Bokashi presents 'Who Killed the Honey Bee ?' (BBC 4) - Section T...

Dorset Bokashi presents 'Who Killed the Honey Bee ?' (BBC 4) - Section F...

Dorset Bokashi presents 'Who Killed the Honey Bee ?' (BBC 4) - Section One.

Bees are dying in their Millions - what do we do?

Bees are dying in their millions. Martha Kearney, BBC 4, explores this worrying phenomenon.

It is an ecological crisis that threatens to bring global agriculture to a standstill. Introduced by Martha Kearney, this documentary explores the reasons behind the decline of bee colonies across the globe, investigating what might be at the root of this devastation. Honey bees are the number one insect pollinator on the planet, responsible for the production of over 90 crops. Apples, berries, cucumbers, nuts, cabbages and even cotton will struggle to be produced if bee colonies continue to decline at the current rate. Empty hives have been reported from as far afield as Taipei and Tennessee.

In England, the matter has caused beekeepers to march on parliament to call on the government to fund research into what they say is potentially a bigger threat to humanity than the current financial crisis. Investigating the problem from a global perspective, the programme makers travel from the farm belt of California to the flatlands of East Anglia to the outback of Australia. They talk to the beekeepers whose livelihoods are threatened by colony collapse disorder, the scientists entrusted with solving the problem, and the Australian beekeepers who are making a fortune replacing the planet's dying bees. They also look at some of the possible reasons for the declining numbers - is it down to a bee plague, pesticides, malnutrition, or is the answer something even more frightening?

Go to BBC 4 documentary - Bees are dying in their millions to watch this interesting and worrying documentary.

In a contrasting documentary, by the same author, Orlando Clark is an urban beekeeper, he keeps his bees in various locations around the city of London, from Brixton to King's Cross. His bee losses have been no higher in the last few years than they have been in any winter. In fact, last winter was better than ever before. Ironically in the city, there seems to be more and cleaner food for the bees to eat. London and a lot of urban environments are actually quite green, with an abundance of parks and gardens dotted all around. The diversity of the plants you have in the urban environment may help the bees, as there is almost always something in bloom all year round. In the countryside, particularly with modern agricultural practices, you have whole swathes of land supporting just one crop, which may bloom for only 2-3 weeks. The city is probably one of the best locations to keep bees at the moment, as there is plenty of forage for them and they don't have all the problems they have in the countryside with insecticide and pesticides being sprayed on them and their food.


Also visit Ulting Beez for other information on Bee Keeping

POST YOUR COMMENTS!

Support the Bee Campaign

Sign up at


To lobby the Government to do more and provide funds for research into Colony Collapse Disorder and why the number of honey bees are declining in the UK.


Tuesday 15 February 2011

what is the name of the Website

(no subject)


From Ann Lyons
I have had to grow blight resistant potatoes and tomatoes, since moving to the Dengie. Even so if I do not lift the Sarpo Mira potatoes before the end of August they suffer late blight which causes the tubers to develop a black ring inside. The tomatoes suddenly get blight about the same time and all fruit is lost. Despite the manufacturers saying the seeds have outstanding blight resistance. Also the onion sets develop a fungus- which causes the leaves to  mottle and growth stops.
    Have any members any ideas how to grow these veg successfully?

website

Hi there i have been trying to open new website but no joy just thought i let you know. Is the website link correct www.eastessexsmallholders.org.uk

Regards Steve & Becky




Monday 14 February 2011

So you want to keep bees..........

Article coming soon!

Red Mite Infection



Summary

  • An external parasite of chickens and turkeys, although very small can be seen by the naked eye.
  • The mite feeds by sucking blood from its host causing irritation.
  • Birds can be restless and lethargic when heavily infested.
  • Drop in egg production.
  • Loss of condition from depressed feed intake.
  • May cause anaemia and death in young birds.
  • Skin irritation to humans.

Full Details

The common red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae, is an external parasite of chickens and turkeys. It feeds by sucking blood from its host. They tend to hide by day in crevices within the poultry house and come out at night to feed on the birds. Red mites appear pale grey in colour before they feed, then turn to bright red after feeding, however, they can be almost black in colour when full of blood. Red mites can be seen with the naked eye; being up to 0.7mm in size. If they crawl onto your skin they are irritating and move quite quickly.

Signs

  • Presence of grey/red mites up to 0.7mm, around vent of birds and in housing, particularly crevices.
  • Birds are often restless due to the irritation.
  • May cause anaemia and death in young birds.
  • Loss of condition.
  • Pale comb and wattles.
  • Drop in egg production.
  • Blood spots on eggs.
  • Staff/owner complaints of itching.

Treatment

There are several separate preparations available for successful treatment, both for the birds and for the housing. Some products work by breaking down the waxy cuticle of the mites exoskeleton (body), which is very resilient.
Where there is a particularly heavy burden the birds may become lethargic and would probably also benefit from some vitamins to get them through the stress of red mite in addition to the mite treatment.

Prevention

Thorough cleaning, fumigation and insecticide treatment between batches are essential to keep mites under control. Where there is a heavy infestation, regular repeat treatments may be necessary.
Good house design to eliminate cracks and crevices to reduce the places mites can hide also helps. Effective monitoring of mite numbers on a regular basis and implementation of control measures before birds are heavily infested improves control.
It must be realised that mites hide during the daylight hours and tend to generally come out at night, so unless you look closely or you have a particularly heavy infestation you may not know they are present. Treatment of birds after dark, although not easy, is the best option as this is when the mites are the most active.
Burning the bedding or moving it well away from the birds for composting are the best ways to reduce mite numbers. Straw bedding gives the mites a place to hide by crawling up the straw shaft; therefore the use of shavings is preferable, particularly when trying to eliminate them.

Need help with your Chickens?

                    Try the following link......


really useful site!                            ....
Editor

Next Smallholders Meeting

please join us for our next Smallholders meeting

on

22 February 2011

at 7pm

at The Blue Boar, Maldon

Monday 7 February 2011

Articles for the blog

Do you have an article of interest to others on anything to do with smallholdings?

Perhaps you have some experience with pigs and would like to share?

or, what to do with surplus ?

if so, email it to


we await your news!!!!!!!

New Website

Don't forget to look at our new website at the following link


www.eastessexsmallholders.org.uk



Editor
Chitchat

Back Yard Poultry - Notes from Vet

  1. Following vet Susan McCann's recent presentation, here are some notes on some "common" problems that you may experience in keeping poultry.

don't forget - if in doubt - seek advice from the vet


USEFUL GENERAL INFORMATION

Chickens have been domesticated for 4000 years, originating from  the Red Jungle Fowl, a small pheasant of Asia and produce about 20% of world animal protein.
In the UK, the Poultry Club protect breed standards for showing, in a similar way that the Kennel Club does with dogs.

Small holding flocks of less than 50 birds do not need to be registered with DEFRA, although reference to their Flock Health Plan - check website for details - is always useful.

Other useful websites include:         

              
Animal Oricle includes a decision tree for poultry owners that gives                                                                                                  guidance and indication of the severity of health problems and when it is time to seek veterinary advice.

Birds usually moult in late summer/early autumn and takes 3-4 weeks.

Medication:  

WITHDRAWAL PERIODS       

licensed medication = detailed in literature
unlicensed  medication = eggs 7days, meat 28 days

It is imperative that RECORDS of drugs used, to which birds and what doses they are administered is kept.  This is often referred to as a "Medicine Book”
  
Housing

The minimum space require per bird is 1 square foot (or 8 inches for Bantams).
broad, smooth perch, with rounded edges approx 5cm wide, allow enough room for head clearance when positioning, is desirable.

Wood shavings is best for litter however straw is ok, although you do need to ensure it is not mouldy.

Solid flooring is best and house should be raised off the ground to discourage vermin and provide space for shelter and dust baths.

Remember to clean WEEKLY

Handling

A hen will disguise the fact that she is ill in order to maintain her place in the pecking order, so it is important to pick up each bird regularly to see if she has lost weight. Feathers can disguise the fact that a bird is very thin.

It is important to feel the pin bones either side of the vent
Sharp                     = thin
Can not feel          = too fat
3 finger widths      = in lay
Less than 2           = not in lay


Chicken Skeleton
Pin bones = pubis


Good method of picking up

·         Slide an outstretched hand, palm up, fingers spread, under the bird
·         Breast should rest on the outstretched palm
·         Clamp legs between first and second and third and forth fingers
·         Take the weight on your forearm and hold her close with her head pointing towards your armpit
·         Do not squeeze too tightly as this may harm the breathing mechanism
·         Do not hold by one leg as this can dislocate the hip

A fish landing net may be useful to help catch

·         Nostrils should be dry
·         Comb should be red (breed variations)
·         Bright eyes
·         Shiny feathers
·         Check pin bones to body score (see above)
·         Vent should be clean with no smell
·         Bird should be aware and alert


Deformed birds

It is not a good idea to keep deformed birds as they often get picked on and cannot forage for food so may starve. They can also attract foxes as they are easy prey.

Feeding:

Points to consider:
  • Throwing food around the garden or yard can attract wild birds and rodents that can potentially introduce disease and parasites.
  • Whole grain wheat is better than maize. Chickens like the maize very much and can gorge on it making them fat which can cause fatty liver and then death, however it is good to use for bribery at bedtime!
  • Balanced feed, correct for the age of the bird and from a reputable source, always check it is in date.
  • GRIT this is essential for the gizzard to function properly in grinding the food. Oyster shell or limestone are good sources and are good for shell formation.  
  • It is illegal to feed scraps and leftovers from the table, but you all know this!
  • Rhubarb is TOXIC if chickens eat it as are laburnum, laurel, nightshade and daffodil bulbs
  • If in doubt about giving your chooks something - don't!


Water    
  • Clear and clean
  • Flowing, as chickens like flowing water.
  • Putting it in a dark coloured container can decrease the growth of algae


Security 

Always ensure the birds are kept in a fox proof yard/compound preferably with an overhang
  
Eggs

Addition of light through the winter months will keep them laying when the days are shorter

Incubation times:              

  • Chickens               21 days
  • Pheasant               24-28 days
  • Turkey                   28 days
  • Guinea Fowl         28 days
  • Quail                      17 days


If you take on old battery hens, beware as they are prone to EGG PERITONITIS (internal laying) often caused by stress and this is untreatable.

Egg eating is a vice often caused by boredom or poor nest boxes or if the shell is soft. Soft shells are caused by insufficient provision of grit.

“Egg bound” is caused by calcium imbalance and can be brought on by poor diet and stressors such as cold, overcrowding, poor ventilation and bullying by other birds.  The egg must be removed carefully avoiding any breakages as this will cause internal poisoning.  KY Jelly is useful in injecting around the "stuck" egg to ease it out of the vent.  This is best done by a vet.


EXTERNAL PARASITES


Lice:       Menopon Gallinae
  •  Flat, yellow and fast moving, approximately 2mmin size
  •  Usually found around the vent and under the wings
  •  More common in Autumn and Winter
  •  Eggs look like sugar granules clumped and attached to the               base of the feathers
  • Not life threatening but can cause irritation


 Treatment 
  1. Pyrethrum based “louse Powder” 
  2. Ivermectin will also work but it’s not licensed


Mites:     Dermanyssus Gallinae
  •  Red mite, 1mm long
  •  Lives in the hut/environment during the day and sucks blood at night causing anaemia (pale comb)
  •  Can live for 6 months without feeding so second hand huts are a good source of infection

               
 Treatment 
  1.  Need to treat the hen house, use a blowtorch to scorch the crevices, 
  2. spray with licensed permethrin preparation or dust the house with pyrethrum flea/louse powder. 
  3. Remove all  material/soft coverings with plastic or bitumen sprayed replacements as the mites need dark places and crevices to breed in.
  4. No specific licensed  product, dust baths will help, environmental control should be enough as this is where the mites spend most of their time!
  5. Avoid buying second hand hen huts!


Scaly Leg Mite:  Cnemidocoptes Mutans
                
  • Do not usually see the mite itself, more the effect on the bird which is intense irritation as it burrows  under the scales of the leg producing at first, 
  • a whitish film then mounds of pale yellow debris firmly attached to the leg. 
  • There is often a musty smell on the legs. 
  • Can affect the face too

               
Treatment
  1. Dunk legs weekly, three times, in a wide mouthed jar of surgical spirit or put a thick layer of petroleum jelly on the legs. This cuts off the air supply to the mites.
  2. Scales and feathers are moulted once a year so it is often self limiting after the crusts have fallen off.
  3. DO NOT be tempted to pick the crusts off as the skin underneath is raw and tender, badly affected birds may take up to a year to look normal again as the scales re-grow.
  4. DO NOT use old fashioned remedies such as diesel or creosote to coat the legs as these are highly toxic to hens
  5. Panomec (Ivermectin) and frontline spray are unlicensed products but can be effective upon veterinary advice regarding dose and application, if other measures do not work.

                
INTERNAL PARASITES

More of a problem in outdoor birds as earthworms, insects and wild birds act as transport hosts or carriers of eggs and larvae. Stress and high stocking density can play a major role too.

Rotation of living/exercise areas regularly will keep environmental contamination low.

Treating with “FLUBINVET” (fenbendazole) 10gms to 8kg of feed for 7 days is highly advisable especially if the same area of ground is used  for housing each year.
Best to treat before breeding and every 2 months if stocking density is high. Be careful though, as it is a powder and not all of it sticks to the pellets and it falls to the bottom of the feeder, so you need to mix it in or add vegetable oil to help it to stick.

A more common cause of diarrhoea or loose faeces is

COCCIDIOSIS:                   
  • Protozoal infection, single cell organism that multiplies in the gut cells
  • Not all species cause problems
  • Stress can exacerbate the problem ie cold, poor ventilation and overcrowding
  • Causes diarrhoea, sometimes with blood and mucus or just white watery. 
  • Also stunting of growth in young birds.

Treatment
  1. The eggs (oocysts) are very resistant in the environment and require specific disinfectants.
  2. Medication added to feed  includes “Baycox 2.5%” and unlicensed products
  3. Vaccination is available “Paracox”
  4. Less likely in free range birds
  5. Pigeon product “Coxoid” can be used if the birds are not to be used for human consumption


HISTOMONOSIS  
  • “Blackhead”, protozoal infection affects the liver of turkeys, pheasants, quail, peacocks and guinea fowl.
  • Causes yellow diarrhoea. Can cause a black comb hence name.
  • The protozoa needs an intermediate host, the chicken intestinal worm Heterakis in order to be infectious, so it is often seen when chickens are mixed with susceptible bird types.
Treatment
  1. “Emtryl“(Dimetridazole) added to water, but no longer available in EU, so  metronidazole is used but it is not as effective.
  2. Treat chickens with “Flubinvet” if housed with turkeys


RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS

The most common problem in back yard poultry is MYCOPLASMA infections (“Roup” or “Common Cold”). It is becoming more common as stock are moved about  and people become more aware.
It is very contagious and the incubation period can be as short as a few days.

It is more common in stressed and debilitated birds or those with other infections.

Signs include:
  • Foamy or swollen eyes
  • Sneezing and nasal discharge
  • Reduced egg production
  • Possibly swollen joints
  • Stained feathers as the bird wipes her nose


It is transferred from bird to bird in the air and can survive in snot/secretions for several days, therefore humans can transfer the infection too.

Treatment 
  1. Licensed treatment is available, antibiotics will not cure the problem but will reduce the incidence to a controllable level.
  2. Products include “Tylan” (tylosin) oral and injectable, “Tiamulin” (tiamulin) oral prep only and Baytril (enroflxacin) oral and inject able but eggs should not be eaten during and for a week after treatment.
  3. Prevention is better than a cure so preventative measures include:

  • Keep stressors to a minimum ie
  • Avoid overcrowding, ammonia and dust in the environment.
  • Feed a good quality diet and consider vitamin supplements
  • Quarantine new birds for 2-3 weeks and possibly treat prophylactically with antibiotics if from a dubious source or flock of known problem with respiratory disease.
  • Avoid buying birds from auctions
  • Disinfectant: Virkon (care as too concentrated can be toxic) and F10
  • Vaccination is available in Europe but not in the UK


  
Other illnesses and diseases include:

  • Fungal infections (Aspergillus) which can be caused buy mouldy hay, straw or vegetables.
  • Air Sack Leakage where air accumulates under the skin of the bird an she puffs up like a balloon, it often goes away itself but sometimes the skin needs to be cut or a temporary hole created in the skin.
  • Infectious Bronchitis is a virus that causes respiratory disease as well as reduced egg production and wrinkled or poor shaped eggs. It is more of a problem in commercial flocks and vaccination is available but infected birds are usually culled.
  • BIRD FLU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you are suspicious contact DEFRA IMMEDIATELY


A few other commonly seen problems include:
  • Chapped skin especially in severe weather: keep inside or apply petroleum jelly
  • Brest Blisters: often resolve themselves but antibiotics may be needed if they become infected
  • Ear infections: waxy exudates, cheesy and yellow, can be treated with dog ear preps (off licence!)
  • Bumblefoot: swelling of the pad of the foot  caused by bacteria. A bruised foot may be more likely to get infected, antibiotics, poultices and surgery can be tried but in severe cases culling is the only option.
  • Spur overgrowth and broken nails can be clipped or files down as can be overgrown or mis-shaped beaks.
  • Overgrown spurs and claws can cause flank wounds especially in Turkeys or soft feathered breeds such as Buff Orpington. “Blue” (tetracycline) spray or Stockholm tar is good for superficial wounds to reduce infection
  • Vent pecking
  • Feather pecking 
  • Other vices are more common if the birds are overcrowded or stressed.


If you would like more information on any particular illness or have some symptoms that you are unsure about - post a comment and we will try to help.  

alternatively, please don't hesitate to email



Editor
Chitchat