First time chicken keepers may be a little startled the first time they see one of their birds in the act of dust bathing. Why? Because it can look like they are injured or having a seizure! A bird flopping around erratically on the ground can be startling. Finding a
Tag: Chicken
Vent Prolapse (What to do when your chicken’s butt falls out)
It was a Monday like any other around here, crazy and hectic. When the littlest country kid came inside to tell me that one of the chicken’s butt had something stuck to it, I was neither shocked nor surprised. Of course I didn’t know what he meant, so I sent
Understanding the Pecking Order
If you intend to have more than a single chicken, you are going to need to know a little bit about the “pecking order” and how it works. So what is a pecking order anyway? It is a hierarchical pattern of behavior in a flock. In plain English it means
The 6 Important Elements of a Homemade Brooder Box
Bringing home baby chicks can be exciting, but there are six things you need to put together so that your homemade brooder is perfect for your new chicks. Some folks hesitate to get chicks because they are afraid they will do something wrong and the birds will die. If you
How to Pick Chicks
Its spring and that, at least to me, means chick season. That glorious time of the year when feed stores have bins of baby chickens that just call out to you “take me home!” Whether you have had chickens in the past or it is the first time you have
Why Aren’t My Chickens Laying?!?!
One of the great things about owning chickens are the amazing eggs they provide. Many backyard enthusiasts get chickens for that reason. There is nothing in the world like walking out to your coop and getting a freshly laid egg! But what happens if you’re nest box is empty? You
Grumpy Goldie Goes to the Vet
Recently I had to take our Alpha hen, Grumpy Goldie to the vet. Now some people giggled at me, taking a chicken to the vet and all, but it had to be done. This isn’t the first time we have taken a hen to the vet, but sadly the other
What is a Lash Egg?!?!
Let me start by saying, a “lash egg” is NOT an egg at all. Oh no. Some may be more egg shaped then the one I found in my coop the other night, but trust me, this alien looking thing is far from an egg and an indicator that something
Henny & Roo Subscription Box Review (and Giveaway!)
You might have seen those boxes you can subscribe to for your dog, meals or beauty products. Well now there is a box just for use crazy chicken (poultry) people! It’s called Henny & Roo and I was recently asked to take a look at the first box and tell
12 Myths About Chicken Eggs
When it comes to eggs, there are a lot of myths and misconceptions out there. So I decided to take a minute to clear up a few of them for you. I used to giggle every time someone asked me about myth 1, but then I had to remind myself,
Avian Influenza, What you need to know
By now, if you have poultry or even just watch the news, you have heard about “Bird Flu.” But what do you really know about avian influenza? And how will it impact you as a consumer or backyard bird keeper? Take a deep breath and don’t panic, we will explain
We Hatched Chicken Eggs!!!
Late last fall a friend of mine offered us a dozen hatching eggs. Well winter in Michigan is no time to be hatching out chicks, so she waited till spring to send them to us. We have been on the most exciting adventure trying our hand at hatching our own
Hatching Eggs, The Long Wait…
On March 20th, we started our latest greatest adventure….. hatching some eggs we got from a friend. We have never hatched chicken eggs before, so we have been learning as we go. From getting the temp and humidity right in the incubator, to rolling the eggs by hand three times
We’re Hatching Eggs!
It is spring time and for us, that usually means a trip to the local feed store to pick out a few new additions to our flock. But this year we decided to do something a little different. This year we are trying our hand at hatching our own chicks!
What NOT To Feed Your Chickens
When it comes to keeping any animal, you just want the best for them, this includes their diet. We may even fuse over what is in the bag of food we feed them. But when it comes to chickens, it goes beyond the bag. What I mean is, there are