How Do You Keep Chickens Active and Entertained in Winter? Keep chickens active in winter with interactive feeders, boredom busters like straw bales or hanging veggies, supervised outdoor time when weather allows, and a coop with enough space and roosting options to keep birds from getting on each other’s nerves. Bored chickens are more prone … Read more
How Do You Keep Chickens Warm in Cold Weather? Keep chickens warm in cold weather with a windproof, ventilated coop, thick bedding, a reliable heat source for extreme cold, and a heated waterer so they always have access to unfrozen water. Combs and wattles are the most frostbite-prone areas, so minimizing stress and keeping birds … Read more
How do you get rid of ammonia smell in your chicken coop? Get rid of ammonia in a chicken coop through regular cleaning, absorbent bedding, and proper ventilation. Ammonia forms when uric acid in chicken droppings breaks down with moisture and bacteria, and left unchecked, it can cause respiratory problems, eye irritation, and reduced egg … Read more
How Do You Treat Lice on Chickens? Chicken lice treatment begins with a diatomaceous earth dust bath or a pyrethrum-based spray, along with a full coop cleaning to remove eggs and lice hiding in bedding and crevices. Catching it early and treating every bird in the flock at once are the two most important things. … Read more
Will raccoons kill chickens? Yes. Raccoons will kill chickens, and they’re far from the only predator that will. Foxes, hawks, opossums, weasels, bobcats, and even dogs all pose a real threat to a backyard flock, and knowing what you’re dealing with is the first step to keeping your birds safe. One late afternoon several years … Read more
What is a chicken’s cloaca and why does it matter?The cloaca, also called the vent, is a single multipurpose chamber at the base of a chicken’s body that handles waste elimination, reproduction, and immune function simultaneously. It consists of three internal sections: the coprodeum for digestive waste, the urodeum for urinary waste and reproductive function, … Read more
How do you keep chickens cool in hot weather?Providing shade for chickens in hot weather is the single most important factor. Chickens handle temperatures up to about 75 degrees Fahrenheit comfortably; heat stress begins above 85 and becomes dangerous above 95. Practical solutions include natural shade from trees, shade cloth over the run, shallow water … Read more
How do you apply chicken swollen eye treatment?Chicken swollen eye treatment starts by identifying the cause. Physical trauma from a peck or scratch is the most common culprit and can be treated at home with a saline flush and warm compress. Bacterial infections causing discharge or pus require antibiotic eye drops or a vet visit. … Read more
How do you treat an impacted crop in chickens?To treat an impacted crop in chickens, isolate the bird, withhold solid food for 24 hours, and keep water available. Gently massage the crop several times a day to break up the blockage. A few drops of olive oil administered carefully into the beak can help lubricate … Read more
What are some plants toxic to chickens?Several common garden and ornamental plants are toxic to chickens, including foxglove, oleander, yew, lily of the valley, rhododendrons, azaleas, plants in the nightshade family (tomato and potato leaves, green potatoes, unripe tomatoes), daffodil bulbs, and avocado. Symptoms of poisoning include lethargy, diarrhea, convulsions, and, in severe cases, sudden … Read more