As a poultry keeper, you will experience the death of your baby chicks. Some will die one by one, others suddenly with no warning, and in some cases many at the same time. In this article we look at why this might happen and what you can do to mitigate it. They are so cute!. […]
I set up a run for my chickens so that they can move around in safety and without destroying my garden. All was well until the rains fell. As the rains fell, the chicken run became soggy and muddy. It was so bad that I had to wear gumboots when going to collect eggs from […]
Most people understand that baby chicks require warmth to survive the first few days of their lives. However, most backyard chicken keepers are curious about the role of light in raising day-old chicks. They wonder if it’s necessary to provide light for their precious baby chicks or not and if they do, for how long? […]
I used to get sick once in a while. I am not sure if I got it from the chickens, but I had to be put on antibiotics. I kept getting sick week after week until a friend asked me if I was sure I was not getting a bug from the chicken coop. I […]
Hens do not lay eggs forever. They have their peak productive years and then they start laying sporadically or stop laying at all. At this point, you need to decide what to do when your chickens stop laying eggs. Backyard chickens are productive for the first two to three years. Should you let them stay […]
How to get rid of the ammonia smell in the chicken coop. The first time I came across the smell of Ammonia was when I moved my flock from a small coop with a run to a larger coop under the deep litter system. I was accustomed to the smell of Ammonia in urine, but […]
To wash or not to wash eggs? While this is a closed question with a yes or no answer, The issue of washing eggs has been discussed since modernity. The yes camp, backed by regulations in countries like the United States insists that eggs have to be washed, while the No camp, backed by regulations […]
No one wants to see their chickens in pain. They serve you well and you want the best for them. You will go all the way to make sure your chickens are safe, happy, and healthy. However one question arises, does it hurt when chickens are laying eggs? Do they suffer in order to provide […]
Back in their wild days, chickens interacted differently with their surroundings and each other. They lived an active live with different experiences. The wild environment helped them deal with stress. They did not live in closed quarters but ran around free and wild. With the onset of domesticated chickens, stress levels increased due to being […]
We keep backyard chickens for meat, eggs, and companionship. With this in mind, our main concern is if chickens are eating the right kind of feed and treats. One of the questions that comes up now and then is whether zucchini is safe for chickens. Is it safe to feed zucchini leaves, seeds, flowers, and […]
More people are becoming more concerned about how food is grown and handled. There is also the shift towards self-sufficiency with the aim of producing and preserving food. Raising backyard chickens is one of the many ways for those in urban areas to have some level of control over their food. But with so many […]
I first heard of clipping wings when I had issues with my chickens jumping out of their 5 foot high fenced chicken run. They would literary fly out of their run to freedom. They would happily decimate my garden. I contemplated clipping their wings. In the beginning, I thought it was a cruel inhumane practice. […]
Chickens do not like sleeping on the ground. Just like human beings who use raised beds, chickens need to sleep on raised bars. These elevated bars are known as roosts and come in all manner of shapes, sizes, and designs. Chickens prefer to relax and sleep on a roost at night because they feel safer […]
Raising backyard chicken is a great activity that provides a steady egg supply and creates a pleasant rural setting atmosphere in an urban backyard. Unfortunately, chickens can be quite loaded and can cause problems with neighbors. Below we look at the steps you can implement to reduce the noise made by chickens. Why do Chickens […]
Raising backyard chickens in Texas is a popular activity, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic that taught us the importance of being self-sufficient. Chickens require little maintenance, and they are a great source of food and entertainment when stuck at home. However, there are several restrictions on keeping backyard chickens in Texas, and they change from […]
If you have been breeding chicken for long, then it’s likely that you have encountered some strange-looking eggs now and then. However, even the most odd-looking eggs are most likely not a cause for a significant concern because they are caused mainly by a glitch during egg development. One of the most common strange things […]
The first time I saw one of my chickens with patches on its plumage I was dismayed. The chicken was lethargic and kept to itself. I thought there was a disease outbreak and the chicken was going to infect other chickens. Sadly, I culled it. In no time another chicken started losing feathers. This must […]
Eggs are among the most popular superfoods among all people, rich and poor. Highly delicious, eggs are the cheapest source of animal protein to man. They are also versatile. There are so many ways to prepare to meet your expectations. The yolk is the most nutritious part of the egg. It contains calories, fats, minerals, […]
Docile, gentle, hardy and good sitters, Plymouth Rock Chickens have been one of the most common chickens in America where they were developed using crosses of Java, Brahma, Cochin, and Dominique. The dual-purpose chickens are among the sweetest breeds you will come across and are very friendly, where many owners claim they follow them around […]
Introduction After Collecting eggs from your backyard or homestead, the next step is storing them. This is if you do not consume them immediately. Storing chicken eggs in the proper manner can help lengthen the duration of the eggs. It prevents pathogens that can make you sick from getting into the eggs. Once your lovely […]
I love collecting eggs from the coop. This gives me satisfaction that keeping chicken is worth it. Our mutual benefit is worth the troubles of feeding, watering, and giving them shelter. Generally keeping happy, makes me happy. In the beginning, I just used to collect eggs when I felt like it. I would forget once […]
Chickens, like all other living things, have to be of a certain weight range so as to stay healthy. The recommended weight also helps in the maintenance of bodily functions such as egg-laying. If a chicken is underweight, its bodily will not function well. If not dealt with this will lead to severe consequences. What […]
Chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys do not come in one standard size. Neither should their nest boxes. The differences in sizes between different types of poultry are easily recognizable. No one looks at a turkey and goes, that is one large chicken. However, within poultry of the same type, there are distinctions in body sizes […]
The dark Brahma is a large fowl, like all other Brahma varieties. They exhibit a solid black breast, leg, and tail. The back and shoulders are pure white, leading to a white and black striped neck and saddle hackles. What is Dark Brahma Chicken? The dark Brahma is one of the oldest varieties of the […]
One of the requirements when keeping poultry is a nest box. I started without nest boxes. My hens used to lay eggs anywhere they thought was convenient. This led to having soiled eggs since sometimes they would lay them on their droppings. Some eggs would disappear under the litter. By the time I discovered them, […]
The tub-style pluckers offer major advantages over hand plucking or any other method of de-feathering a chicken or other birds. If not used well, automated drum-style chicken pluckers will bruise your chicken meat, making it not have that great look of a clean plucked chicken. In addition to ruining your meat, using an automated chicken […]
In my second year of keeping chickens, I noticed dark “spots” on their combs and wattles. At first, I assumed it was mud. It was a rainy season, and I let the chickens roam around once in a while. It must be mud, I tried to convince myself. After a few days, the spots increased […]
There is no better way for a backyard or homestead chicken keeper to add color into their lives than having chickens that lay colored eggs. Think of your kids asking for green-shelled eggs today and tomorrow asking for the blue one. Colored chicken eggs are fascinating and one is left to wonder how chickens can […]
The Orpington chicken breed is a large-sized bird developed in England in the late 1800s, by William Cook. Gentle and friendly the Orpington is available in 4 recognized varieties which are Buff Orpington, Blue Orpington, White Orpington, and Black Orpington. Developed to be a dual-purpose chicken breed, the Orpington gains weight fast, has good egg […]
I keep batches of cornish cross broiler chickens throughout the year. One of the challenges I have faced is mortality. While I have not had cases where my entire flock was wiped out, I have had my share of losses. Cornish Cross Broiler chickens will die mot many causes. These include overheating, heart attacks, diseases, […]
The Sussex chicken, originally bred in Sussex, Britain has become one of the most popular chickens for small backyard farms and homesteads. Initially bred to be a market chicken, for sale at the market, the Sussex chicken breed was known for fine table meat with its tender juicy flesh, white skin, feet, and legs. Reared […]
The Light Brahma chicken is one of the varieties of the Brahma Chicken that is recognized by the American Poultry associations Standards of Perfection and the British Standards of Perfection. The light Brahma is fully feathered, with feathers at the feet, and is classified as Asiatic, due to its origin from Asia. The heavy feathers, […]
The Brahma originally named Brahmaputra (Brahmapootra) after a river in India, is an American Chicken Breed, developed from birds that had been imported from the Chinese port of Shanghai. In the chickens giant hall of fame, the Brahma chickens sit up there, together with other giant breeds like the Jersy Giant, with Brahma cockerels weighing […]
I have lost chicks to cats. Not my cats but stray cats that come into my backyard looking for food. My 2 cats live side by side with chickens. I got them used to be around chickens since they were kittens. Can cats and chickens live together? It is very possible for cats and chickens […]
Which is Better – Metal Feeders or Plastic Feeders? Chicken feeders vary in price, size, shape, and material used to make them. Understanding which material is best for a feeder is very important. The article is meant to compare galvanized metal and plastic sheet materials and to find out which one can best be used […]
We keep chicken for eggs and meat. One in a while, the egg supply drops. Chickens stop or reduce their rate of laying. We get worried about why we are not having enough eggs for breakfast. The kids keep asking for eggs. You tell them that there are no eggs. They respond by telling them […]
Vegetables and fruits not only make great treats for chickens but are also nutritious. While they are not to be a replacement for their daily balanced diet, vegetables and fruits will add some nutrients to your chickens. So the question here is not if chickens will eat vegetables and fruits, but where the vegetable and […]
Dogs have been said to be man’s best friend and chickens are the cheapest provider of proteins to humanity. Dogs will offer companionship, protect people and their properties. Chickens are not only great companions but also provide eggs and meat. Can you keep chickens with dogs? We have heard horrifying encounters between dogs and chickens. […]
Mortality in chickens can be heartbreaking for any chicken keeper. None of my backyard chickens died when I started keeping chickens. Until I decided to hatch my own eggs and scale up my flock. We had traveled for the day. When got back in the evening, I did not check on the chicks. The next […]
Chickens scratch everywhere they can when feeding. This will include the chicken feeder. If the feeder is not made in a way that prevents waster, the feed will be scattered all over the floor. This will lead to wasted feed. Chicken feed accounts for 70% of the cost of keeping chickens. It is this feed […]
One of the most understood chickens is the rooster. They are seen as a nuisance by some people while others view them as an integral part of any flock. A visiting friend once told me that I was doing zero work since I did not have a rooster. She went further and explained how I […]
I first started by placing chicken feed on the floor. Then I realized that in no time there would be no signs of feed on the ground. My chickens would still be hungry. They would scatter the feed all around. Turn around and look at me, expecting more feed. Then I started using flat containers […]
While the red color in chicken poop might be nothing to worry about, it is a good practice to determine if the reddish color is blood or not. Blood in the chicken droppings will most likely be a sign of coccidiosis. If it is not blood, then most likely it is shedding of intestinal linings.
Do chickens need to have food and water inside the coop? Is it sufficient to have food and water in the run? Do chickens eat and drink at night in the coop? A detailed look on to where to place the feed and water station.
What size of feeder do you need for your chickens? 4 chickens? 10 chickens? 100 chickens? We take a look on how to calculate the feeder size required for any number of chickens.
Getting the right size of a chicken feeder will not only cut on the time you need to refill but also keep your birds are well fed and they do not have to fight for space while feeding.
Can You Keep Ducks and Chickens Together? A closer look on how to keep chickens and ducks together, while making sure their unique needs are met
When I first started keeping chickens in my backyard, I always wondered if the neighbors would come complaining about the noise. One of the major concerns for any aspiring backyard chicken keeper is noise. Noise from chickens can be a nuisance in urban and suburban areas. In some localities, there are laws that keep urban […]
After you have been keeping chickens for a while, you may ask yourself if there is a need to add ducks to your poultry flock. This is an issue I am currently looking into. The kids want ducks. They think they are adorable. My wife says ducks are awesome and that I cannot finish one […]
Though it might sound absurd, a major concern of new poultry keepers is if their chickens will fly away. And never come back. They do not specifically worry if the chickens will fly to another city or country, but if they will get out of their enclosures. For backyard poultry keepers, the concern might be […]
Come rain or snow, it is good to get chickens ready so that they can survive and remain productive throughout the frost. Winter is coming. Temperatures drop. Snow falls. Hours of the natural light become less. There is less food for predators. Your chickens become a target. In this article, we cover some of the […]
