Floor eggs are the eggs your hens lay on the chicken coop floor, rather than in the nice cozy nests you provide. Floor eggs are undesirable because they easily get dirty or cracked, making them unsafe to eat and unsuitable for hatching. A cracked egg is likely to get broken, encouraging hens to sample the […]
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Two of the latest strains of the avian flu (H5N1 and H7N9) can be contracted by birds and humans, but researchers have recently developed vaccines to protect both from the virus. The Journal of Virology recently described the development of the vaccines, and the scientists behind them are optimistic that they can significantly mitigate the […]
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For those of us who raise chickens in temperate climates, the winter is an expensive time of year. Grasses go dormant and many chicken owners are forced to buy extra feed in order to supplement the diets of their birds. Over the course of a few cold months, these feed costs can add up fast. […]
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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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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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