Your coop provides your flock with the safety and security they need to live happy, healthy lives. Without adequate shelter, chickens will be more prone to stress and less likely to produce large clutches of eggs. Likewise, it’s important that chicken owners do whatever they can to provide their flocks with the best living environments […]
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Have you noticed one of your hens waddling like a penguin? Is she going in and out of her nest box without laying? Is she struggling to defecate? Does her abdomen feel hard to the touch? Your hen may be egg-bound. This is a potentially life-threatening condition wherein an egg becomes trapped between the Uterus […]
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For those of us who already have an existing flock of chickens, planning to order more chicks can be a stressful thought, mainly because integrating new chicks into a flock can be a challenge if you don’t know what to do. Here are some tips to make the integration process as smooth as […]
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Large chicken farms see thousands of chicks hatch every day. Once they’re hatched, the farms have to determine their sex as quickly as possible before they can be sorted and sent to their respective destinations. Unfortunately, judging the sex of baby chickens is no easy task. Chicken sexers must rely on their intuitions […]
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As more and more have started raising small backyard flocks of fowl, a lively dispute has erupted over the merits of washing eggs. On one side of the isle, we have staunch no-washers who argue that cleaning eggs with water can actually invite harmful bacteria through the shell membrane. On the other side, we have […]
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When many homeowners decide to start raising a small flock of their own, they have one thing on their mind: Fresh, delicious eggs. While the eggs gathered from your hens will no doubt be far superior to anything you can find in a grocery store, eggs are just one of many great reasons to keep […]
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Animal rights activists aren’t the only ones concerned about factory farming; now nutritionists are shedding light on the detrimental effects the practice can have on our food as well. Research has shown that the restricted grain diets of factory-raised chickens are making their eggs less nutritious than those of their free-range counterparts. Even the USDA […]
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Keeping your chickens healthy is vital to maintaining your flock, whether they are an egg-laying brood or just family pets. Fortunately, diseases in isolated groups tend to be a rare occurrence, but there are some steps you can take to be proactive and protective of your birds. For starters, make sure that your birds […]
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So your hens have reached six months of age and slowly, but surely, they’ve begun to lay eggs. So far, however, laying has been infrequent and egg shells have been thin and brittle. In order for your chickens to produce strong, healthy clutches on a regular basis, they’ll need the right resources. In this entry, […]
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After devoting months to diligently caring for your baby chicks, the last thing you want is to have one become the hapless victim of a hungry hawk. Unfortunately, self-defense isn’t your chickens’ strong suit, so it’s up to you to keep them safe from harm. Birds of prey, coyotes, foxes, and even large domestic dogs […]
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