What is the number one cause of death in backyard chickens? If you said “disease,” you’d be wrong. The primary cause of death in chickens is predation. Let’s take a closer look at this problem. How common is predation? Even the number one cause of death in chickens isn’t overall that common, according to a 2014 […]
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A baby chick’s body is about 70% water. Therefore, water is the most important nutrient for a newly hatched chick. In fact, a hatchling can’t digest feed without water. So a chick should drink water even before it eats anything. Here are the ins and outs of how to water baby chicks. How long can […]
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Quite a large variety of bugs enjoy grain products as much as chickens do. Bugs eat the grain and propagate by laying eggs in the grain kernels. They can affect dried grains (chicken scratch), as well as processed pellets, crumbles, and mash. Let’s look at how to identify what kind of bugs they are, how […]
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Mud balls are dark, hard lumps clinging to a chicken’s toes and sometimes the shanks. Some mud balls consist of mostly chicken poop. Others consist mostly of mud. In either case, more poop, mud, and other debris adds to the accumulation. Before long the poor chicken is trying to walk with sizable cement-hard balls clinging […]
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Do you deworm your chickens too often, or not often enough? Whether your chickens need deworming, and how often, has no one-size-fits-all answer. Factors that influence whether or not you should deworm your chickens include the type of worms present in your environment, how you house your chickens, and your climate. Why deworming is important. […]
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Chickens that otherwise get enough to eat typically won’t eat anything that’s bad for them. Or at least they are unlikely to eat enough to make them sick. And feeding kitchen scraps can be a nutritious way to add variety to your chickens’ diet. But feed scraps only in moderation, and avoid feeding these four […]
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Properly stored chicken feed keeps the nutrients from degrading and the feed safe to eat. A number of things can cause feed to go bad including rodents, insects, mold, moisture, and light. To ensure freshness, use up feed within 2 to 4 months. Meanwhile, store chicken feed in a durable container with a tight-fitting lid. […]
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Keeping chickens in your garden can be beneficial or it can be detrimental, depending on how you manage your flock. Here are 6 tips for managing chickens in your vegetable garden so you can enjoy both your chickens and your garden. Make sure the flock remains in the garden A fence around the entire garden […]
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Train your hens to use a nest box when they first start producing eggs and they are less likely to lay eggs on the coop floor. Once they start laying on the floor, getting them to stop can be difficult. Here’s how to train your hens to lay eggs in a nest, not on the […]
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Name the place where your chickens live. Is it a chicken coop? A hen house? Or do you have a more creative name for the place where your chickens live? Stationary Buildings A stationary building where chickens live is usually either a chicken coop or a hen house. The word coop comes from the Old […]
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