To Heat or Not to Heat the Chicken Coop

A big question on backyard chicken keepers’ minds when the snow starts to fly and the temperature start to drop is to heat the coop or not to heat the coop Some people emphatically say no way! And other chicken keepers think why wouldn’t you provide your chickens with a little bit of heat during cold weather? Ultimately the decision to heat or not to heat falls on you, but here’s some information to help you make your decision

Risk of Fire

First and foremost, heating the chicken coop with a glass heating lightbulb can be a recipe for

Tips for Integrating Chicks Into an Existing Flock

Oh happy day! Your baby chicks are fully feathered and you’re excited to put them in the chicken coop with the other chickens But wait! Don’t just put the new birds in the coop and assume everything will be awesome Your older flock might not take kindly to the new birds, and there are several things you need to do to keep the younger chickens safe
When integrating chickens, size matters If at all possible, wait until your chicks are roughly the same size as your exiting flock I have successfully integrated smaller chickens, but you will want to be

Summer Heat Busters for Chickens

Someone turned the heat on this past week! With temperatures in the 90s and heat warnings well over 100 degrees out here in Eastern Iowa, it’s important to keep your chickens cool Here are some summer heat busters for chickens Did you know that the summer heat is harder on chickens than the winter cold? If it’s sweltering where you are, here are a few quick ways to make sure that your chickens stay cool

Lots of water
Fresh, cold water during hot weather is so important not only for chickens, but for all of your animals Make sure that waterers

Raising Turkeys- How are They Different From Chickens?

This is our first year raising turkey poults, but we have had an adult Tom turkey, Tarzan, on our homestead for several years We enjoy keeping a mixed flock of birds and are excited to share what we’ve learned so far about turkeys versus chickens If you’re already familiar with raising chickens, turkeys are similar, but there are a few differences you will want to be aware of
Turkey Poults
Turkey poults are actually more fragile than chicks They are started in a similar brooder to chicks but are very sensitive to heat and light fluctuations The first three days are

Pest Management in the Chicken Coop

Pests can be a real problem in the chicken coop Snakes, rodents, and wild birds are all pests to keep out of the coop Not only can they eat the chicken feed and eggs, they can also spread diseases, and worst-case scenario, cause your chickens to die Fortunately, with a little bit of forethought and organization, you can keep coop pests to a minimum

Rodents
Mice and rats carry disease, eat chicken feed, and attract other pests like snakes Luckily, there are a few easy ways to keep rodents out of the chicken coop First, make sure there aren’t any holes

Make This Your Year to Start Keeping Chickens!

Spring is right around the corner and that means warm weather, spring bulbs, and baby chicks If you’ve been on the fence about starting that chicken flock, 2019 is your year! Here are several reasons why you should stop putting off your first order and start your backyard chicken journey this year!

CHICK LOVE
There is not much cuter than baby chicks Their peeping is precious, and the potential is enormous Chicks have taught my family so many useful skills Together, we have learned how to be mindful of the creatures we bring to

How to Help Your Chickens Through a Molt

Have you noticed that your chickens start to lose some of their feathers late in the summer every year? A couple times a year, chickens go through a process called molting where they lose feathers and their egg production drops off Molting usually happens in adult birds twice a year (in the fall and spring) as the amount of daylight changes

Chickens go through several molts as they grow Their first molt happens when they lose their baby down and grow in feathers when they’re only about a week old Then they molt again around eight to twelve weeks, and

How to Easily Prepare Your Chickens for Winter

Winter is coming!

If you believe the Old Farmer’s Almanac, we’re in for another cold, snowy, and icy winter across the Midwest That means it’s time to start thinking about how you will keep your chickens warm this winter There are several things you can do to make the winter much more pleasant for our feathered friends Preparing now means you won’t have to brave the elements to make sure your chickens stay warm

The debate on whether or not chickens need a heat source during winter is alive and well Some people

Five Easy Ways to Deter Poultry Lice & Mites

There are several types of poultry lice and mite parasites that love infecting chickens Primarily carried by visiting wild birds or rodents, they can also be introduced if you unknowingly add infected full-grown chickens to your flock, and they can tracked into the coop on shoes too

You’ll want to be vigilant about poultry lice and mites Not only can they make life uncomfortable for your flock, but if they get out of control, they can cause anemia and reduce egg production as well Here’s how to be on lookout for chicken parasites, and a few ways to deter them

4 Ways to Encourage Chickens to Lay in Nesting Boxes

The time of year when spring chicks start laying eggs is a very exciting time! Finding the first little eggs is such a reward for all the hard work we put into our chicks all summer long You know what’s not fun, though? Having to conduct an Easter Egg hunt to find the eggs! Here’s 4 ways to encourage chickens to lay in nesting boxes

If you’re wondering how to encourage your spring chickens to actually use their nesting boxes, you’re not alone Sometimes it seems like chickens go out of their way to make egg collecting difficult Instead of