Understanding the Autumn Molt
With the coming of autumn, leaves aren’t the only things falling
You may have noticed some of your flock members dropping feathers Every year, the sight of suddenly nearly naked chickens causes panic for new chicken owners
Birds, almost overnight, start looking like a strong wind came and left them stripped!
Although it seems alarming, chickens could naturally lose their feathers in autumn during their MOLT
A molt is the shedding of old feathers, to make way for new ones In the same way humans shed skin cells daily and reptiles and crustaceans shed their old skins, chickens molt out of their old
Support the Health + Vitality of Your Chickens With Snacks!
Snacks are a great way to develop a bond between you and your chickens They are also a good reward, a great
Biosecurity Tips for Backyard Chickens
When I started back up with raising my current flock (I took a couple years off), I was pretty set on only having 6 chickens Now, fast forward almost 3 years and my flock is up to 40! Hahaha! If you know what chicken math is, that’s why!
I am part of a number of backyard chicken groups on social media and it seems there are always people selling or giving away chickens or looking to
VIDEO: Coop Camp- Dr. Patricia Wakenell Chicken Diseases (Marek’s Part 1)
The Perfect Dust Bath
Have you noticed your chickens laying around in a dusty spot, kicking dust all over themselves? Chickens love to roll around in the dirt and dust It may sounds backwards to ‘bathe’ in dust, but chickens have good reason for rolling around in the dirt When chickens cover themselves in dust, they are doing so in order to take care of their feathers and skin Chickens can easily become infested with external parasites like mites, fleas, ticks and other insects
Most of these insects prefer to hop onto patches of clean skin that they can easily gnaw through to get
Facts About Diatomaceous Earth & Pest Control
Today we’re going to discuss somewhat of a hot topic in the chicken world It’s one of those topics that most chicken keepers have a strong opinion What am I talking about? Diatomaceous earth (DE) of course! There are many chicken keepers who won’t get near the stuff and many who use it on a regular basis with much success So, what are your thoughts on DE? Do you use it in your coop? Let’s first take a look at what DE actually is and then I’ll
How to Safely Clip Chicken Nails
Chickens do a fairly excellent job of taking care of their hygiene They take dust baths and preen themselves with their beaks to keep free of bugs and to stay healthy However, have you ever heard of trimming your chickens’ nails?
For the most part, chickens are able to scratch around the yard and keep their nails naturally filed However, I’ve noticed that after a long winter of not being able to scratch around as
How to Help Your Flock Beat the Heat
Welcome to June, everyone! Summer is here and we couldn’t be more excited! I’ve said this before that one of the best things about living in Minnesota is being able to experience all four seasons
I get asked fairly often if it ever gets warm in Minnesota The answer is yes! In fact, the temperature forecast for this week is the 80’s and 90’s! And, due to the fact that we’re the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”,
Table Scraps for Your Flock
Feeding table scraps to your chickens feels good, is full circle, and eco-friendly!
My husband and I used to live in the city (a city in Japan to be exact) Everyday we had to separate our burnable trash from the recyclables The amount of burnable food trash that 2 people could create was eyeopening We felt ashamed of all the food scraps we ended up tossing in the trash bin The good news is, if you have chickens, many of your table scraps can go to the birds!
Chickens LOVE table scraps!
Chickens are naturally