With the laws that took effect in January 2017, finding a veterinarian that understands poultry becomes more crucial than ever. Not many veterinarians understand poultry medicine. Even avian specialists may be more knowledgeable about exotic birds than about backyard chickens or waterfowl. However, one of the advantages of the FDA Regulations regarding the use of […]
Continue Reading
A lash egg is a mess of vaguely egg-shape coagulated gunk, sometimes including bits of egg and egg shell, that results from infection somewhere within a hen’s oviduct. So, even though the thing might be laid by a hen, it’s not really an egg. Actually it’s not even a lash. The original definition of a […]
Continue Reading
When an egg is ready to hatch — whether chicken, duck, goose, or other poultry — the baby bird inside breaks a hole through the egg’s shell. The hole is called a pip and the process of creating the hole is called pipping. The little bird pips with the help of its egg tooth—a small, […]
Continue Reading
Lining your hens’ nests with something clean and soft protects eggs from getting cracked in the nest and also simplifies nest clean-out. Every chicken keeper has a favorite nest liner. Here are some poplar options: Turf Nest Liner Plastic turf nest pads have grass-like tufts on the upper side and a smooth surface on the […]
Continue Reading
Some chicken keepers deworm their chickens too often. Others don’t deworm often enough. How often your chickens need deworming, or whether they need it at all, depends on numerous factors. These factors include your climate, how your flock is housed and managed, the kind of worms that are present in your chickens’ environment, and the […]
Continue Reading
When you raise baby chickens in a brooder you must gradually change the brooding facilities as the chicks grow. After about the first two weeks of brooding, start making necessary changes to the following features: Adequate space for the number of birds Initially chicks don’t need much room, because (like other babies) they spend much […]
Continue Reading
Frostbite occurs when fluid freezes in the cells of a chicken’s comb, wattles, or toes, depriving the tissues of oxygen. After a short period of having been frozen, the affected part may recover. If the part does not soon thaw, the cells may die and perhaps become infected. Further, a bloody comb or wattles resulting […]
Continue Reading
Frostbitten combs can be a problem for chickens that live in damp, drafty conditions during freezing weather. Toes may also be frostbitten, but not as commonly as combs and wattles, especially when the chickens have a place to rest where their feet are not in direct contact with a frozen surface. The easiest way to […]
Continue Reading
The optimal mating ratio for chickens, turkeys, and other poultry is not the same ratio in which they typically hatch. Most poultry naturally hatch approximately 50 percent females and 50 percent males. If your goal is to obtain fertile eggs for hatching, that ratio will result in males fighting excessively with each other, and when […]
Continue Reading
At dusk, chickens instinctively seek a high place to spend the night where they feel safe from predators. Lacking a comfortable place to roost inside their coop, they may seek an outdoor roost. It might be the top of a fence or gate, in a tree, or even on the coop roof. Chickens that roost […]
Continue Reading