Is It Hard to Move Chickens? Yes, moving chickens is genuinely stressful for them, and it can be a real wrestling match for you too if the birds aren’t cooperating. The key to a smooth move is minimizing that stress: keep them fed and watered beforehand, transport them in a dark, secure crate, and get … Read more
What Is Egg Candling and How Do You Do It? Egg candling is the practice of shining a bright light through an eggshell to see inside without cracking it open. It lets you check whether an egg is fertile, track embryo development day by day, and catch problems early, like a dead embryo or a … Read more
What should you be feeding chickens for better egg yolks?Darker, richer yolks come from hens with access to fresh greens, quality protein, and key nutrients including carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, and calcium. Specific foods that make a measurable difference include kale, dandelion greens, marigold petals, flaxseed, mealworms, and scrambled eggs. Free-ranging accelerates the … Read more
If you’ve ever thought about raising chickens but didn’t know where to start, ‘The Beginner’s Guide to Raising Chickens’ is the perfect launchpad. Designed specifically for novice chicken keepers, this book offers practical insights and a user-friendly approach that takes the confusion out of starting your own backyard flock. Focusing on small-scale operations, it’s aimed … Read more
In this article, we will explore the chicken digestive system step by step, focusing specifically on the intestines. Chickens might seem simple, but their digestive process is super intricate. Food travels from the beak, where it’s pecked and swallowed, down the esophagus to the crop, a storage pouch where food softens for digestion. From the … Read more
Winter can be challenging for your chickens. As temperatures drop, their nutritional needs change, and finding the right balance is key to keeping them healthy. Trust me, I’ve been through my fair share of frosty mornings, and the old saying holds true: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. One major issue … Read more
If you are a first-time chicken owner, the first time you see feathers falling off your chickens, you might go into panic mode, but don’t worry. It’s probably just molting season. Even when you are used to molting, you can’t help feeling sorry for the little birds. However, molting is a natural process where chickens … Read more
Would you like to stroll through the winding path of what happens after a chicken pecks at its feed? Cool, let’s go! Chicken organs are similar to humans, with two glaring exceptions—the crop and the gizzard. We’ll discuss that soon. Digestion is complex, and understanding it is beneficial for those who raise chickens and … Read more
Can you imagine eating a hamburger, chasing it with a handful of pebbles, and going about your business without giving it a thought? Me neither! Chickens do! Chickens don’t have ready access to hamburgers, but if they eat hard grains like corn or cracked corn, then they need grit. if you feed your chickens straight … Read more
Ugh! It’s 4:30 AM, and I must go to both coops before my job. It’s dark, and the ground is usually wet, muddy, and slippery in the spring. MY KINGDOM FOR AN AUTOMATIC DOOR, I CRY! If you manage a flock of chickens, you’re well aware of the daily responsibilities that come with their care. … Read more