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As the eggs decrease and chickens molt, you might be concerned about your birds and the weather. But did you know that chickens are better equipped for the cold? It’s summer heat they have more difficulty with. Regardless, below are tips on how to care for chickens in cold weather.
I’ve known that chickens are very hardy birds since having them for over 8 years. And I’m also aware that certain birds are better suited for cold weather, while others are suited for hot weather. What I didn’t know was that there’s really no minimum temperature for keeping chickens. That’s because chickens can acclimate to the weather conditions where they live.
How to Care for Chickens in Cold Weather
Water Responsibly
Since you want the coop to stay as dry as possible, don’t leave food or water in the coop. Plus, if it’s freezing outside, their water will freeze too. And then your birds will be cold. Not only is water essential to a chicken’s diet, it also helps with digestion. In fact, studies found that chickens down 1.5 to 2 times as much water as feed. In addition, if their water is frozen and they can’t drink, they will get dehydrated.
I would love to have electricity to my coop. It would help with many things, especially frozen water. Though, that’s just not feasible at this time. Here are options regarding managing your chickens’ wintry water. Some tips assume you have electricity in your coop, whereas others don’t.
Control Moisture in the Coop
Again, don’t leave water in the coop, especially overnight, because your birds will be sleeping anyway. Just keep the water in the run. And depending on the litter method you use, check your run and coop floor if your chickens are pasture raised. For instance, as it gets colder and there’s any sort of precipitation, your birds might track in mud or leaves. That will cause moisture in the coop.
Moreover, use dropping boards, which are shelves that collect chicken droppings. Then scrape them each morning and remove the poop from the coop. Since chicken waste contains ~75% moisture, the less poop in the coop, the less moisture. Further, ammonia is generated by bird droppings. Therefore, if allowed to get out of hand, it can create a health issue for you and your chickens.
Also, if you have windows in your coop and notice condensation on them in the mornings, you have a moisture and humidity problem. Even if you don’t have windows, inspect the walls and ceiling carefully for condensation. If you see any, it could be due to neglected bird waste, waterers in the coop, absolutely no ventilation, or unsatisfactory litter type. Just go through each of those items and eliminate their possibility.
Use Sand for Litter
Many chicken keepers have been using sand as a litter material as opposed to straw, hay, or pine shavings. Think of a giant cat litter box but for chickens. Without getting into too much detail, it is said to have better absorbency. So, the idea is it keeps the coop drier, which is vital to keeping your birds warm during winter.
After reading all of the literature out there on it, we definitely plan on changing over to sand.
Eliminate Drafts
First, examine the coop for any needed repairs, like holes or broken seals in doors and windows. Block any drafts in the coop, especially where your birds roost. Actually stand in there, if you can, and try to see if you can feel any drafts yourself. However, still make sure you have ventilation at the top of the coop for moisture and ammonia to escape. Don’t seal up the coop completely. Your birds will still make moisture: through respiration and their waste. Therefore, if it’s sealed completely, the moisture will just be trapped in the coop. And it will make the litter wet and condensation will build up, making your birds cold, and then sick.
Next, depending upon the snowfall amounts in your area, add a roof to your run and plastic sheeting to the sides. Or, if you can’t do a roof, cover your entire run with plastic sheeting to create wind breaks. Although, if you get a lot of high winds on your property, you might need something stronger, like a tarp.
Relieve Boredom
If your birds are going to be cooped up due to inclement weather, provide enrichment activities. Add roosts in the run. And fill a kiddie pool with potting soil to let your chooks dust bathe. Plus, if your run has a roof, hang a cabbage from the ceiling for them to eat. It’s a healthy treat while stimulating their foraging instincts.
Feed
Continue providing the appropriate commercial feed. And offer free-choice grit, since foraging may be hindered. Moreover, digestion of scratch grains produces heat. Usually I refer to scratch as crack cocaine, thus, I don’t recommend it. Although, if it keeps the chooks warm, let them have some in the evening during winter. But moderate amounts.
To Heat or not to Heat
Recall that I said, “chickens can acclimate to the weather conditions where they live.” If you add a heater, your birds will never acclimate to the cold. Besides, there are some issues with adding a heat source to a chicken coop.
First of all, heaters are a fire hazard. It’s just not worth the risk of setting fire to my coop or house, and losing everything. Secondly, having a power outage will kill chickens. If they haven’t acclimated to the weather, chickens can die from quick, severe drops in temperature.
There are very few instances where a chicken might need supplemental heat. But by and large, most do not. You’ll find those few cases further down. Regardless, monitor every bird for signs of weakness, inactivity, or frostbite. Some sites refer to cold stress as birds huddling together or standing with one foot up. However, some of my birds do that on days when it’s 40°F out. One of my roosters was crowing on one foot like a diva the other day.
Eggs
Collecting eggs frequently not only prevents egg-eating, but it also prevents the eggs from freezing. However, to further protect your eggs, line your nesting boxes with organic material in the event your hens peck test the bedding. And replace weekly as it becomes used, old and/or lacking. I don’t recommend blankets or similar, due to moisture retention. In addition, always inspect the eggs you collect. And throw out any with cracked shells to prevent food-related illness.
Snow or Ice
Chickens don’t like inclement weather. Most of my chickens, and all of my ducks, will go out when the snow starts melting. They’ll walk around and eat the snow. Though, if yours aren’t like mine, you may have to shovel a path for your birds. But don’t force them to go out in the snow. This is where a roof or tarp for your run comes in handy.
Frostbite
Be aware that when winter weather is bad and temperatures are below freezing, even cold hardy birds are at-risk for frostbite. But birds with single combs are at even greater risk. So a preventative measure is to spread Vaseline on their combs and wattles.
Additionally, if there’s condensation in your coop or you smell ammonia, your birds are in danger of frostbite. Low temperatures plus high humidity spells trouble.
Exceptions to these Cold Weather Tips
Smaller breeds, like Silkies, those that are molting or have large combs and wattles may need more care to stay warm, maintain body weight and remain healthy during extreme weather. Generally speaking any bird can get into trouble if left in the cold long enough. However, if your birds are healthy, you’re following the above tips and don’t leave your birds out in inclement weather, they should be fine.
The only precautions would be if you have smaller breeds, birds that have large, single combs or sick birds already. Then assuming you have a barn, put your at-risk birds in there, so they’ll be warmer. But if you have an ill bird, you want to quarantine them anyway. Therefore, maybe bring them inside the garage so they’ll be warm. Though, once they’re well, don’t suddenly bring them outside to severe temperatures to die. You have to get them acclimated to the weather again slowly. So, you might bring them back out when it’s sunny out.
Chicks and caring for chicks are completely different. They shouldn’t be outside, since they’re not feathered out yet. And without a heat source, chicks will die. See here for caring for chicks.
Have your chickens ever had issues during winter? What happened, and what did you do? Thanks for reading this. Please like, share, and if you don’t follow me already, you can do so now.
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Recently I wrote a post on how to tell if a chicken is sick. In the article I pointed out some of the most common chicken ailments I’ve seen. And one of the issues is sour crop. But just what is sour crop in birds? What are the symptoms? And is it the same as impacted or pendulous crop? I’ll cover these questions as we take a deep dive into sour crop.
My first experience with sour crop and impacted crop occurred after we hatched some chicks over a year ago. By this point they were already moved outside, in a section behind our big coop. When hand-raising chickens, if we lost any, which happens, it would happen early on. Like day 1 or 2 post hatch. Plus, we wouldn’t have multiple losses. But by the time the birds are fully feathered, they’re obviously more hardy. However, that doesn’t mean a predator couldn’t get one. Though, I never lost a young bird to something I felt could have been prevented. Until then.
We had 2 experiences back-to-back with those juveniles. And they were both pullets. With the first one, my husband brought me this juvenile hen that wasn’t eating, was fluffed out, and her crop was ballooned out. And when my youngest pushed on the crop, liquid just poured out, like she threw up. However, if you Google that, you’ll be told, chickens don’t throw up. Which I suppose is true, since the pullet didn’t regurgitate on her own. The 2nd pullet had the exact same symptoms. And I treated according to online recommendations. But instead of recovering, they got worse. The first one died in a matter of a few short days, while the 2nd one hung on a little longer. However, in the end, she developed an impacted crop.
First, What is a Crop in Birds
The crop is the primary organ for the brief storage of food prior to digestion. And chickens, including a lot of other birds, possess this unique pouch. This is different than the gizzard, which actually grinds up the food that’s eaten. Since chickens lack teeth, they need grit to help digest their food. Some birds actually store pebbles or stones in the gizzard to help digest seeds and nuts. Plus, a chicken’s crop is located around the front of their breast.
While a full crop in the evening is normal, a full crop in the morning is not. Assuming feed and water aren’t housed with the birds, you can check their crops in the morning. Therefore, take a healthy hen in the morning and gently massage her crop. It should feel flat. And it might even be difficult to locate, but not necessarily impossible. That’s normal. So when a chicken eats throughout the day and gets full, the crop will communicate to the chicken to stop eating. And if you examine your bird’s crop at that moment, it will feel firm but is somewhat pliable.
Conversely, if on occasion, you give your chickens treats, they’ll likely gorge themselves. Then the crops will immediately get full. Sometimes it will even appear a chicken is choking. That’s because they’re stuffing their crop so full like it’s their last meal on earth. In fact, all of my hens do that if there are treats. And I suppose that’s normal too.
What Causes Sour Crop in Birds
Because the primary symptom of sour crop is the sour smell emanating from the chicken’s beak, Candidiasis, a fungal infection, is the root cause of sour crop. Moreover, feeding chickens old or moldy feed has been associated with sour crop as well. Likewise, overfilling of the crop, as mentioned above with treats, can also contribute to sour crop in birds.
Signs of Sour Crop in Birds
As I stated, sour crop is most easily determined by the sour smell coming from your chicken’s beak. Though, other typical signs your chicken has sour crop include
a full, squishy crop in the morning
liquid exiting the beak if you gently massage or push on their crop
your chicken is fluffed up, lethargic, and isolated from the flock
and lastly, she may not be eating or drinking
Interestingly,
Candidiasis is more common in young and growing chickens with undeveloped immune systems, although any age of chicken with a weakened immune system can fall victim to it.
Typically you can diagnose sour crop in your chickens based on symptoms alone. However, if you have a chicken vet, they may do a culture by swabbing the crop. Or they may do a microscopic exam of the crop tissue, plus blood tests and x-rays.
How is Sour Crop Treated
This is the mixed bluestone copper sulfate solution. I had to administer this to my juvenile hen with a dropper.
As with pretty much anything involving health, prevention is key. It’s easier to provide the correct feed, clean water, grit, etc than to try and fix a problem after it’s settled in. Because chickens stop eating with these issues, they’re no longer getting needed nutrients. Or they may eat for a little while, but the food can’t digest since the crop hasn’t emptied. And the result is still the same. Therefore, sour crop is an emergency. So if you have a bird or chicken veterinarian, seek treatment. I would prefer taking my birds to a knowledgeable vet than practice on them myself. On the other hand, due to the lack of bird vets in my area, sometimes that’s exactly what I’ve had to do. Either that or lose a valued pet.
To treat sour crop
Mix 1 tsp Epson salt and 1/2 cup of water. Then, using a syringe dropper, flush the bird’s crop with this mixture. Be careful not to get water down the chicken’s airway!
Next, treat the fungal infection: Most vet offices use Nystatin. However, I’ve also read of others using Monistat 7. You can purchase this over the counter. Then, with a syringe, administer 50cc orally to your bird once daily for 7 days.
Alternatively, if you have bluestone copper sulfate, mix 4 oz with 1/4 c apple cider vinegar and 32 oz of water. Then add 1 tbsp of this solution to each gallon of the ill chicken’s water. But do NOT put this solution in a metal waterer. Do NOT use this bluestone copper sulfate and Monistat together. It’s an either or, not both.
Also, withhold food during this time. However, you can provide some water. But the general idea is to get the crop to go down and food to empty.
What is Impacted and Pendulous Crop
Impacted crop is where the bird’s crop is nearly rock hard, since there’s something indigestible stuck in it. Again, the bird with an impacted crop won’t eat or drink. And this is definitely an emergency. Furthermore, an impacted crop can be caused by sour crop, as my 2nd juvenile hen’s case was. Though, sour crop and impacted crop are still 2 distinct issues.
Pendulous crop happens due to previously impacted crops. And they appear large and will flop from side to side as the bird moves. In addition, chickens can live years with pendulous crops. However, there are crop support bras available.
Well, the name in itself gives the definition of sour crop. Plus, it involves a bird’s crop, which is the first part of digestion. And if you’ve ever had a chicken with sour crop, the smell is unforgettable. Further, the cause of the sour smell, and hence, the issue, is candidiasis, a fungal infection. But what causes the infection in the first place? Old, moldy feed, and overfilling or overstuffing of the crop. However, a crop that hasn’t completely emptied before the bird continues to eat can also cause sour crop.
So, what caused my juvenile birds’ sour crops when I never saw it before? I was feeding the same type of feed. And no, it wasn’t old or moldy. Moreover, I wasn’t giving them any treats. But, in my gut, I was convinced their environment played a huge part, if not the only part. You see, the back part was added onto to the big coop. And the floor wasn’t really a floor. So, when it rained, it got muddy. Thus, the straw would get swallowed up by the mud. Besides we had some ducklings mixed in with the juveniles. And if you’ve ever raised ducks, you know what a mess ducks make with water.
When I release new chicks and ducklings into the group, I enclose them for a week, until the adults can see and acknowledge them. However, that’s not what my husband did. He was afraid they would get eaten by a predator or bullied by the adults. Therefore, he kept them locked up on the backside of the coop for weeks. After these 2 incidents, I pointed this out to him: that we can’t keep the juveniles locked up on that back side, unless he builds an actual floor, and we provide grit. We’ve never had to provide grit before, since our birds are all pasture-raised. They pick up stuff when they forage. But if he was going to keep the juveniles penned up till kingdom come, they would need grit. Do I have proof that I’m right? No, except we haven’t had sour crop since. My guess is it was the ducks befouling the water, even though we changed it. The area was just always muddy. And there was no grit. Plus, they were young. A perfect combination for trouble.
Have you ever experienced sour crop in any of your chickens? What did you do? Thanks for reading my post. Please like, share, and if you don’t already do so, you can follow me now.
Digital art on a picture of one of our hens, courtesy of Sarah Smith.
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For eons in the wild, animals have masked any sign of weakness to avoid being eaten. This is instinctual behavior to hide from predators. And backyard chickens are not immune to this tendency. Therefore, chickens are hardwired to lie low when sick. Or they might even pretend that all is well. So, how do you know if one of your birds is ill or hurt before it’s too late? Today I’ll go over how to tell if a chicken is sick. Moreover, I’ll address the best ways to prevent sickness. And then cover treating the most common chicken illnesses.
When you have backyard chickens for a certain length of time, you definitely get to know them. You know your birds’ personalities and tendencies. And you know what they’ll do first thing when you open the coop door in the morning. However, you can also get so busy that you overlook those same things. It happens. I know, because I’ve done it. It’s easy to get into the rhythm of busy life and slack off on observing them. I’m not going to insult anyone by assuming you don’t know your birds. But I know people are human, with human tendencies, just like me. And when we get busy, we forget, sometimes even fundamental information.
The illnesses I list below aren’t the big ones that wipe out entire flocks. In fact, they’re not even ones you hear about on the news. Though, if ignored long enough, they can certainly be deadly. Because sometimes it’s the little things that trip us up more. And, as I said, they are way more common if we let things go for just long enough.
Disclaimer: Consult with a veterinarian before using the information provided in this post. I am not a veterinarian and the info contained in this post should not be seen as professional veterinary advice. If you use or rely on the information in this blog post, you do so at your own risk.
When I think of the most common chicken ailments, I automatically think of the most common human illnesses, like the common cold. Although not fun, people don’t necessarily die from them, unless there’s an underlying condition or weakness. However, you still don’t want to ignore the symptoms, which is why we manage them. And it’s the same with chickens. Some of these aren’t necessarily deadly when chickens first have symptoms. But, the problem is, chickens are excellent at hiding symptoms. Consequently, once you become aware that something’s going on, they’re worse than you think. Therefore, the most basic afflictions chickens will encounter include
parasites, such as mites, including leg mites, lice, ticks, and worms
All of these parasites can cause listlessness, decreased egg production, and a pale comb. And you can visually see them upon inspection. Also, if one bird has a parasite issue, you can bet you have other birds with them as well.
respiratory issues
Nasal discharge, coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing are all symptoms of respiratory issues. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they have Bird flu. There are plenty of colds and viruses that go around for chickens just as they do for people. If you have a bird that presents with respiratory issues, examine the rest of the flock for similar issues. They may or may not have a communicable disease.
When we had our Wyandotte boss, Fives, it seemed like she inherently always had something she was dealing with. However, none of the other chickens caught anything she had. But we isolated her just in case and until she sounded and was doing better.
diarrhea
Runny poo or a dirty bottom indicate GI issues. Moreover, this can be a contagious illness that you might see in some of your other hens.
crop issues, like sour crop and/or impacted crop
Sour crop is smelly, and when you press on the crop, liquid pours from the hen’s beak. However, an impacted crop is where the crop is very hard and won’t empty, because something indigestible is stuck in the crop. Plus, it’s a serious issue if not dealt with immediately. With either issue, the bird won’t eat.
egg binding
Signs of egg binding includes distended abdomen, straining, decreased activity, swollen vent, restlessness, and frequent sitting. Plus, your hen will waddle like a penguin. And upon inspection of the oviduct, there should be an egg.
injury from predator or from rooster during mating
Not only do you have to watch for predators from the land and air, but you have to watch your rooster too. If your hens are a lot smaller than your roo, or he’s just ungainly during mating, he can injure them. And the hen will hide her injury and be less likely to compete for food. Thus, she’ll get weaker, and invite more trouble to herself. She may not have any visible injuries, other than limp or hold a wing a certain way.
Therefore, when you let your birds out each morning, just watch them for a few minutes. And mentally go through a quick checklist of the above symptoms. I’ll narrow them down for you. Ask yourself if any of them
appear tired
have pale combs and wattles
have any visible parasites
are coughing or sneezing
have watery or bubbly eyes
have abnormal droppings
are not eating
have full cropsin the AM
can stand on their own
have NOTlaid an egg recently
are injuredor holding a wing a certain way
or have any strange lesions on the comb or wattles
If you discover that you have birds that are indeed ill, then isolate any from the main flock. And call your vet if they see chickens. However, don’t worry if you don’t have a vet that sees chickens or you can’t find one. Unless you are a big operation and are seeing widespread illness in your flock, this is likely an isolated incident. Thus, with a little TLC, your bird or birds will be back to normal in no time.
Alternatively, if you rarely clean your chicken coop or waterers, or don’t regularly change the feed, then this might not be an isolated event. Therefore, the single most important thing you can do to prevent your chickens from getting sick is keeping your coop clean.
Since my husband medically retired 4 years ago, he no longer super duper cleans the cooponly twice a year. Now he has the cleaning scheduled every 2 weeks. (Yes, you read that correctly.) Although, he still empties out the boxes on a daily basis. Due to his efforts, our chickens have been parasite free with absolutely no need to treat. And keeping the coop clean seems to keep most germs away. But, unfortunately, it doesn’t prevent crop issues, an egg-bound or an injured hen. Still, the only issues we’ve had have been from predators or roosters.
How to Care for a Sick Chicken
So, what do you do for an unwell chicken? How do you take care of them? For starters, if you know a poultry vet, call them. But again, if not, it isn’t the end of the world. Many backyard chicken enthusiasts don’t have access to a poultry veterinarian but still keep chickens. Other steps to take include
quarantine ill birds ASAP
Even if they aren’t contagious, depending on the symptoms and recommended treatment, you may still want to isolate your sick bird(s). Recall that chickens are notorious for bullying if and when they sense weakness. Hence, another reason to separate sick birds from the flock is to protect them from bullying and possibly cannibalism. Being harassed would only further aggravate their issue.
hydrate your ill birds
Make sure your sick bird or birds are drinking even if you have to use a dropper. Additionally, adding some electrolytes can be very beneficial to an ill bird, particularly if they were dehydrated.
offer food
In the beginning of treatment it isn’t as necessary as water. That said, if your unwell hen will eat, by all means, offer some food.
How to Treat an Ill Bird
Digital art on a picture of our hen, courtesy of Sarah Smith.
If your sick bird is showing signs from the most basic chickenafflictions above, and other than parasites, no other birds are affected, then continue reading for specific instructions.
Parasites
If your ill bird is infested with mites or lice, the best treatment is to
clean the coop thoroughly.
and spray the coop and chickens with Elector PSP. There’s no egg withdrawal for this treatment.
But if your bird is infested with worms, then you need to
find out what kind of worms they’re infested with
Some are rare, while others are more common. Also, there are different types of de-wormers. With that in mind, avoid the natural de-wormers, because you’ll waste your time and your bird’s health. They don’t work whatever they promise. Trust me, you need something that really works. Not garlic, not apple cider vinegar, and no, not diatomaceous earth either. Check out The Chicken Chick for more info on specific worms and de-wormers. And once you’ve got your girls back to normal, follow the list below to keep them that way.
To prevent any more worm infestations, you need to
keep the coop clean
keep food in pest proof containers like a galvanized metal trash can
provide fresh, clean water daily, and clean waterers daily
don’t throw food or treats on the ground
and practice good biosecurity: don’t let wild birds in your yard
Respiratory Issues
Chickens with respiratory issues can be quite stressful for you, the chicken keeper. For one, you don’t know if it’s serious. And two, you’re not sure if it’s contagious, since you hear annual reports of contagious chicken diseases. But it’s essential you don’t freak out. The best things you can do for your bird with a respiratory issue are already listed for you under how to care for a sick bird above. Other than that, watch your remaining birds to see whether they start developing any similar symptoms. Plus, continue to monitor your ill bird for changing symptoms. Are they getting worse, improving, or do they have any sores or spots on their combs or wattles? How about bubbly eyes?
If yes to the spots or lesions on combs and wattles then it could be fowl pox. And you would need to keep your birds quarantined for 2 to 3 weeks. Plus, there are 2 types of fowl pox: wet pox or dry pox. Wet pox is more serious as it’s internal and can cause breathing issues. There’s no treatment for fowl pox. However, if they only have bubbly eyes and not respiratory problems, then it’s some type of eye infection. And you can try gently rinsing the eye with saline. Then apply Neosporin. Although, that might not do much, since chickens dust-bathe. So you might need a chicken vet after all. We struggled with this issue in a juvenile rooster.
There can be several reasons why a chicken would have loose, runny stools, such as
coccidiosis
Your chickens and my chickens have coccidiosis. However, they don’t suffer the effects, because they’ve built up an immunity to it. Though, if you don’t practice good biosecurity, then someone who also owns chickens can pass their chickens’ coccidia to your chickens. And vice versa. Other symptoms of severe coccidiosis is weight loss and blood in the stool. Go here for more info on how to treat or prevent diarrhea caused by coccidiosis.
Worms
Usually worms do not produce diarrhea. That is, until a high worm load irritates the gut. And then that can cause a secondary bacterial infection, according to Richard Jackson BVMs from Poultry Keeper.
Viruses (such as rotavirus and adenovirus)
Young birds are most susceptible to diarrhea caused by viruses. If your bird has a virus, the illness will have to run its course. However, sterilize and sanitize everything related to your chic kens. And keep your ill bird separated from the flock.
Bacterial diarrhea
This could occur due to coccidiosis, worms, or any time the gut is damaged. Think of it as the chicken’s gut bacteria is out of balance. Fix the culprit, and then offer probiotics.
And a feed too high in protein
If you don’t feed your chickens the appropriate commercial feed, the result can be too wet droppings. And that will cause the litter to be too wet, which can further cause issues. Or it can be a breeding ground for disease if the chicken is untreated.
Now if the bird is otherwise healthy, eating and drinking, then just offer supportive care, making sure they don’t get dehydrated. Plus, you can collect a stool sample. And send it to your veterinarian for a worm sample. See here for detailed pictures and descriptions in case you aren’t certain about your own birds and their diarrhea.
Crop Issues
Photo by Anastasia Lafazanidou Kwnstantinidou on Pexels.com
There are many different articles and thus, recommendations for these issues. And you’ll find that people use sour crop and impacted crop interchangeably. However, they are not the same at all. They are distinct conditions, requiring distinct treatments. If your bird has impacted crop, but you treat them with the advice for sour crop, you will delay the proper treatment. And your bird might die.
Therefore, if you notice a sour smell from your bird, and they leak liquid when you press on their full crop, they have sour crop. So, you want to
flush the crop with 1 tsp Epson salt and 1/2 c water. Use a syringe, careful not to get water in the bird’s airway.
and treat the fungus: mix 4 oz of powdered bluestone copper sulfate with 1/4 c ACV(apple cider vinegar) and 32 oz of water. Then to each gallon of the sick bird’s water, add 1 tbsp of this solution. Do NOT put the solution in metal.
An impacted crop is where the crop is almost rock hard, because something indigestible is stuck. Again, there are many suggestions. But I don’t know if the people who offered those suggestions actually had any real-world experience with a chicken suffering from impacted crop. They recommend to lubricate the crop with olive oil or similar. How is that supposed to help? I guess I can see in theory, but in practice? You can try those wonky methods if you want. But, as I said, impacted crop is a life and death situation. Time is not on your side.
Unfortunately, it was while I was trying all of the wonky methods, when I finally came to the conclusion that nothing was helping my bird. I had to take drastic measures. So, I found some videos on people performing surgery on their own chickens; the same exact one my bird needed. And I ordered the materials. Although, my bird didn’t make it. She died before my order ever arrived. Please don’t be me. If you don’t have a chicken vet, order supplies so you’ll have what you need in the event you have a bird with impacted crop. Check this site out for more info. There are plenty of sites out there from others, like me, who’ve actually had chickens with impacted crop. Surgery is the only answer, if you want to save your bird. But you have to know the difference between impacted, pendulous, and sour crop.
Egg Binding
If you have a hen walking like a penguin, the number one condition that comes up on the internet is egg binding. However, there definitely can be other things going on. That said, an egg-bound chicken is certainly an emergency, not to be taken lightly. Thus, if your ill bird has other signs of being egg-bound, you can
offer her electrolytes in her water. But, if she won’t drink on her own, help by using a dropper.
Next, submerge her lower body, including vent, in a warm bath for 10-20 minutes. Gently towel her dry to prevent the egg from breaking.
Then apply Vaseline or KY jelly just inside and around the vent. This is to help her pass the egg.
Next, put her in a dark, separate place away from the flock.
If she is truly egg-bound (you know there’s an egg), and she hasn’t passed it yet, then absent veterinary help, most sites recommend removing the egg manually. However, it is extremely dangerous and difficult. So, caution is also advised.
As long as your hen appears well and not in shock, gentlypalpate her abdomen to locate the egg.
Then carefully shift the egg, trying to move it, so the hen can hopefully pass it.
Should this prove to fail too, the last option would be aspiration, implosion, and then removing it manually.
Check out Tim Daniels from Poultry Keeper for his advice.
And the best way to prevent egg binding is to feed your birds the appropriate commercial feed. And provide oyster shell. Plus, limit the treats to keep your birds from getting obese.
In the event you have a chicken with all of the signs of egg binding, except the presence of an actual egg, what then? As I mentioned, something else could be going on. So, if you do NOT see an egg on examination of your bird, then you know for sure they aren’t egg-bound. On the other hand, they may have
Most of the above are as serious as an egg-bound hen. Further, some of the issues require antibiotics, hormones, or surgery. However, in the case of heart disease, other medications would also be involved.
Injury
This was Megs after being beaten up by Baby Nay.
Unfortunately this is the most prevalent issue we personally have to deal with on our acre. And mostly it’s due to dogs. Neighbors’ dogs. But we have our chicken first aid kit, which I highly recommend you start putting together. See here for instructions. So far we’ve not had to take any of our birds to the vet due to any predators. We have had to call once for an antibiotic. And that was due to a hawk attack. Thankfully, the hen lived, because of that antibiotic. Although, we have also lost one duck and one guinea when we went on vacation this past spring. Therefore, I want to encourage you that if you’re around and one of your birds gets attacked, your presence alone will likely save that bird. My husband and I usually work together on these issues. He’ll find the bird since he’s outside usually working. Then he’ll get me, and I’ll grab the kit. So, if you find an injured bird,
First, assess the injured bird.
They will be frightened and in pain. Though, hopefully, nothing will be broken, other than skin and feathers.
Next, clean the wound with Vetericyn wound care spray.
Then liberally apply Gentian violet .5% over the wound(s).
Gentian violet is an antiseptic dye used to treat fungal infections of the skin (such as ringworm & athlete’s foot). But it also has some antibacterial effects. For all of our birds who’ve been attacked, this is our first line of defense. And our birds don’t start going crazy, pecking the heck out of those birds with the purple stuff on their wounds. I believe Blu Kote is made of the same thing.
Depending on the injury, you may keep the injured bird isolated from the flock for a couple of days. Or not. It’s entirely up to you.
Most sites would probably recommend isolating the injured bird. However, the only bird we’ve ever isolated was Megatron, when he got his tail feathers kicked by Baby Nay and would’ve died had I not intervened. All of our other injured birds, including Rex (hawk bait), were allowed with the flock. One was going broody anyway, so she secluded herself. We didn’t have to do anything.
Provide fresh feed and fresh, clean water daily. Check their wounds that they’re not getting septic or angry looking; that they’re indeed getting better.
You may need to re-apply the Gentian violet. And if you did isolate your bird, like I did with Megs, then let them back in with the flock. He was and is the boss, so I didn’t have to do anything special. But I let him back in with the flock after a week. Birds have phenomenal memory even with their pecking order. I don’t re-introduce my birds a special way once I’ve taken them out of the group; they know each other already. And they simply don’t care, except for the one who wants to rejoin the group.
In addition, we’ve had birds that have had only feathers out during an attack. But we’ve also had birds that have had skin missing. Though, we haven’t had to deal with bleeding with any of them or their wounds.
So, How do You Tell if a Chicken is Sick
Just like other prey animals that get sick or hurt, chickens will act like everything is ok. And they may hide when ill or in pain. Therefore, it’s vital that you know what your chickens are like, including their mannerisms. Thankfully, though, there are universal signs. Not eating, being tired, lethargic, losing weight, not congregating, coughing, and sneezing are all signs someone, including birds, aren’t feeling too well. And the best prevention for keeping chickens healthy is keeping the coop clean and practicing good biosecurity.
How would you say your birds fare when it comes to illness or health? If they’re pretty healthy, what do you attribute it to? Thank you for visiting. Please share, and if you don’t follow already, you may do so now.
We’re about to head into the season where the days get shorter. Yes, it’s hard to believe it’s almost autumn. But hopefully the weather will cool off. So, this prompts the question, “Do chickens need light in the coop?” This is different from heat and adding a heat source. Strictly speaking, we’re only discussing light. Therefore, we’ll define the roles light serves in the brooder and coop. Plus, go over the pros and cons of adding light to the coop.
According to the University of Maine, the main function of having light in the brooder is for chicks to locate food and water. So, any time you raise chicks, you absolutely need light. Some people choose a 250-watt infrared bulb that will supply both heat and light, while others will provide a heat plate. Thus, if you’re of the latter group, just make sure you have plenty of either natural or artificial light for your chicks. Poultry Extensionrecommends chicks be provided with 48 hours of light post hatch, because it will take that long for them to reach peak sensitivity to spatial details.
Another result of adding artificial light directly to the brooder is exponential growth rate. Try this some time at home when you have a broody hen or hens. Once the hens hatch their chicks, go pick up a couple of day-old chicks, from a breeder or hatchery, and compare their sizes to the ones hatched by the broody hens. Trust me, you’ll be astonished at the difference. You’ll think the ones hatched at home are malnourished. But they’re not. Light, including wavelength, duration, and intensity also affects behavior.
Conversely, the purpose of a light in the coop for adult birds is to keep hens laying for as long as possible. Chickens absorb light through their retinas. However they also sense light through the pineal gland and hypothalamus. The pineal gland is accountable for regulating the circadian rhythm through melatonin. Also, both the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in chickens are responsible for reproduction. In addition, chickens can see more UV light than us. And studies involving light found that different wavelengths affect poultry reproduction.
According to NIH, light stimulus is emitted to the hypothalamus through the back of the eyes. Then it causes the release of GnRH, an important hormone for reproduction. Further, light prompts the production of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which are responsible for egg production. As a result, adding light not only increases egg production, it sexually matures hens faster.
Given that chicks need light in order to find food and water, and that it takes ~ 48 hours for sensitivity to spatial detail to peak, we won’t go over pros and cons with them. It’s well established that chicks need light.
The main advantage of adding light to your coop is that your hens will lay eggs longer. Chickens require ~ 14 – 16 hours of daylight in order to lay eggs. It’s part of their circadian rhythm. Thus, when the days get shorter, a hen’s retina, pineal gland, and hypothalamus registers the change, causing a decrease in egg production. Other benefits to having a light in the coop include
you can also see in less daylight
Adding light to the chicken coop, when daylight gets below 9 hours daily, gives you the ability to see while doing your chicken chores.
and different wavelengths have distinct positive effects on the birds
For instance, blue light has been noted to improve the health of pullets. Additionally, blue and green lights calm chickens more than red light. Moreover, lights with a sufficient red spectrum (2700K–3000K) are recommended for laying hens.
Reasons not to add a light to the chicken coop mostly involve wavelength, intensity of the light, and duration. For example,
lower spleen percentages were noted in hens exposed to red-LED compared to normal and blue-LED
It was thought that hens exposed to red-LED had a weaker immune system, because they had decreased spleen sizes compared to normal-LED. However, research from Journal of Applied Poultry Research cautions that something else other than red-LED may have manipulated the results.
and Too bright and duration of light can cause stress to the hens
Time and again we’ve discussed that stress of any type affects egg production. And high intensity light makes laying hens more aggressive and nervous. Plus, it induces pecking and cannibalism as does having a constant supply of light. Therefore, there’s no reason to keep a light on for longer than necessary. Your chickens won’t lay more eggs or continue even if you do.
Best Light for the Chicken Coop
You can either place compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) or light emitting diodes (LEDs) in your chicken coop. And there are pros and cons to both. However, most sites recommend using LEDs based on cost, carbon footprint, and ease of cleaning. When your coop gets dusty and dirty, just be sure to dust down your LED lights. Read this article for a breakdown of each light bulb.
Best Wavelength, Intensity, and Duration for the Chicken Coop
By Hadis Avidor Goldin
Since you want to simulate daylight in order to continue getting eggs, then the best wavelength is white light. And I’ve read suggested intensity ranges from 15 lux to 30 lux. However, lux are used in countries where the metric system is common, whereas foot-candles are standard in the US. Foot-candles measure lumens at bird level per square foot, while lux is lumens per square meter. So one foot-candle is roughly 10.76 lux. Moreover, according to Poultry Extension, brooder intensity is advised at 2 foot-candles while only 1/2 a foot-candle afterward.
Continue reading to find out how to add light to the chicken coop.
How to Add Light to the Chicken Coop
Provide 1 foot-candle of light (10 lux or 60 watt) per 100 square feet where it will shine on feeders and waterers
You can hang a bulb ~ 7 feet above. However, depending on the size of your coop, a single bulb can create shadows. Thus, an LED strip might be better.
Use a timer
By doing this, you won’t have to get up early to turn the lights on. And if you forget one day, it’ll still be ok, because of the timer.
Start adding artificial light when day length lessens to about 15 hours
And keep lighting your coop through the winter and spring, until daylight is back up to 15 hours a day.
Adding a light to the chicken coop is a question every chicken keeper has to answer for themselves. And it depends on what your purpose is for having chickens. Are they your pets, like a dog and a cat? Or are they a source of income? If they fall into the latter, then you most likely want to add lights. We’ve seen that having a light in the coop doesn’t harm chickens, especially if the intensity and duration is just right.
Do you have a light for your chickens? Other than getting eggs, have you noticed any other changes with the lights? Thanks for stopping by! Please share, and if you don’t already follow me, you can do so now.
After caring for backyard chickens for several years, you see many strange behaviors. While some are funny, others are relatable. For example, if your coop is like ours, every bird has its own space. So, why do chickens huddle together?
Sometimes things like that, I mark off to them being weird. For example, hens notoriously prefer to all lay eggs in the same nest. As I said, weird. However, in the case of huddling, there are actual reasons for this behavior. Thus, keep reading below to find out why they huddle.
Reasons Why Chickens Huddle
Digital Art, Courtesy of Sarah Smith
Cold weather
Just as people huddle close to others when cold, chickens also do the same. It’s instinctual for self preservation.
Predator attacks
Another time your backyard birds will huddle together is when they’re under attack. Be it a dog that got loose, or an overhead aerial attack, they’ll likely flock to the coop and huddle together.
Roosting issues
Not having enough roosts will cause your chickens to huddle. Additionally, either having roosts that are too high or uncomfortable will also result in birds huddling together. But it won’t be because they want to; it’s due to having no other choice.
Chicks or juveniles
If you have chicks, and they’re huddling, it’s possibly due to low temperatures. And they are cold. Juvenile chickens will huddle in the coop if they can’t reach the roost yet. Although, they also could be cold.
and Illness and parasites
Furthermore, illness and parasites can cause chickens to huddle as well. For instance, coccidiosis is a protozoan parasite that can affect many animals. Though, in chickens, one of the signs is ruffled feathers or huddling. And Pullorum disease in chickens usually affects younger birds, ie chicks. But huddling is also one of the symptoms.
Can Chickens Suffocate
Both adults and chicks can suffocate if and when conditions are right: a lot of birds piling on top of each other. However, in chicks, disease and low temperatures still tend to be the number one reasons for early chick mortality, even if they aren’t piling on top of each other.
Below you’ll find advice for each chick and chicken huddling situation.
If it’s cold out, be sure to have the coop insulated. And use the deep litter method for natural heat in the coop. Also, provide plenty of feed. Plus, give your birds scratch grains to warm them from the inside as well.
Check on your chickens
Pasture-raised birds will huddle together in fear. Thus, if your biddies are in the coop huddling, then either a predator scared them. Or a flock member was attacked. So, examine your chickens. Plus, do a head count. If all are well and accounted for, then look for their source of fear. Again, it could be a neighbor’s dog, a hawk, or a snake. Those are the predators where I live. Where you live, they could be different.
Provide roosts
In case your chooks are huddling due to roosting problems, then supply enough perches for them. Additionally, make sure the perches are comfortable. For example, wood is the best material for a roost. However, material isn’t the only concern. Height is one as well. How high and low the roosts are also need to be considered. Check this site out for more details.
Adjust brooder temperature
When raising chicks, you can easily tell whether they are hot or cold. If they’re hot, they will pant and hold their wings out. And they’ll get as far from the heat source as they can. But if they’re cold, chicks will huddle together under the light for warmth. Thus, you can adjust the height and position of the light, depending on their needs.
For juvenile birds who can’t reach the perch, try lowering it.
Practice good biosecurity
Digital Sketch, Courtesy of Sarah Smith
So, if you have chicks that are sick and huddling due to the parasite coccidia, give them Corid. And as the chicks are exposed to the flock, by the time they reach maturity, they will have developed immunity. Though, if you aren’t practicing good biosecurity, you can bring coccidia from another flock to your own. Therefore, your birds can get sick and vice versa. Also, don’t leave food on the ground for your birds.
There is no known treatment for pullorum besides euthanasia. Thus, purchase chicks and birds from NPIP certified hatcheries to be on the safe side.
Why Chickens Huddle Together
We learned that chickens huddle together for several reasons. And none of them should we ignore. Or at the very least, we should check on our birds, to make sure they’re ok. Because a predator could’ve scared them. Or they could be cold. Although, they could also be dealing with a sickness as well. But, the main point is, huddling is definitely something to watch until you know the cause. Do your chickens huddle? What was the reason? And what did you do to help them?
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About 6 months ago I wrote a post regarding signs of elderly chickens. And in it I explained, on average, how long chickens can live. In addition, I described the physical features and habits of aging birds, including egg laying changes. However, what do you do when chickens stop laying eggs?
Well, there are many reasons chickens stop laying eggs besides old age. Moreover, you can prevent a lack of eggs from occurring in some of the cases. Though, in cases like aging, you simply cannot. Continue reading to find out both why chickens stop laying eggs, and what to do about it.
Hens begin laying when the amount of daylight reaches ~ 14 hours a day in early spring. And maximum egg output occurs when the day length reaches ~ 16 hours a day. Thus, when there’s less sunlight, egg laying will drop off.
Egg eating or cannibalism isn’t when a chicken will stop laying eggs. However, it is a terrible habit where a chicken, or many chooks will eat the eggs themselves. Thus, you’ll go to collect eggs, and there will be one or none.
extreme temperatures, hot or cold
Either extreme heat or extreme cold will halt egg production. That’s because chickens will need to conserve their energy in either case.
health issues
Many health issues, including being egg bound, pests, and parasites can cause hens to stop egg production.
inadequate nutrition
If chickens aren’t fed a proper diet, or if they don’t have access to clean, fresh water daily, then egg production will decrease. Likewise, if they are given too many treats or supplements, egg production can be negatively affected.
Sometimes pasture-raised birds lay their eggs elsewhere, other than the coop. However, there are also breeds that are known for hiding their eggs, such as the Ameraucana.
Another major reason hens will stop laying eggs is stress. And that includes stress of any kind: a barking dog or a bullying hen. But adding too many members to the flock suddenly can be just as stressful to your hens.
And the last reason hens will stop laying for a season is predators. If one of your birds is attacked, that particular hen will stop egg output for a season. But if you’re missing eggs in a nest, another predator could be a chicken snake stealing eggs from the nests.
and of course, age
Production birds only lay eggs for about 3 years. However, heritage breeds and others can lay a lot longer. Most of my flock are Ameraucana, and the older ones are over 6 years old. And they still lay eggs. Though, they don’t lay every day like they used to.
If you have hens that stopped laying eggs, you can try
adding artificial light
Some poultry farmers use artificial light when there’s less than 16 hours available for their hens to lay eggs. But some, like me, don’t. Because we use this period as a time when our birds can recuperate.
switching to a high-protein feed during their molt
This will help your birds convert their energy into regrowing their feathers.
breaking the brood
If you don’t want any chicks or a broody hen, break her brood. Either make a broody box or purchase one. But all you do is put the hen in one, in full light, away from the flock for several days. And this should effectively break her broodiness.
There are many tricks offered to stop egg eating. But the only one that truly stopped cannibalism in my flock, without having to kill every bird, was pinless peepers. They’re blinders so the birds can’t see what they’re doing. We left them on for 2 weeks. The birds hated them, but they certainly were reformed!
keeping your hens comfortable in extreme temps
If the weather is very hot, keep your birds cool by adding ice to their waterers. Plus, you can make them frozen treats, like the one here. And if it’s very cold, make sure to winterize the coop. If you need instructions, see here.
Other than an egg-bound hen, most health issues that your flock might encounter can be prevented by good biosecurity and a clean coop. However, if you should have an ill hen, quarantine her and take her to the vet. But if you don’t have one where you live, try to find out what’s ailing your bird. And take appropriate steps to help her and the rest of your flock. One of my favorite sites is backyardchickens. Whenever one of my chooks is ill, I check them out.
feeding aminimum of 16% protein for laying hens
When hens are ~18 weeks old, they need at least 16% protein layer pellets with increased calcium for shell development. And have a dish of oyster shell available for them as well. In addition, limit treats to only ~ 2 tbsp per day to a hen’s 1/2 cup nutritional requirements. Plus, make sure your birds have access to plenty of clean, fresh water daily.
keeping hens cooped until done laying
If your birds are pasture-raised, and they hide eggs or lay different places, you could keep them cooped up till they were done laying. Otherwise, look under trees, bushes, in barns, and every out of the way place you can think of. Chickens are good at hiding eggs, so you might get kids to help look.
taking care of the stressor
Having chickens can be like having children. You wear a lot of hats, which means you do a lot of work. You’re a vet, or at least a vet tech, if you live in the country. And sometimes you are animal control. But you’re also a teacher and a student. So, depending on what stress is disrupting egg production, that will determine how you proceed. You won’t use the same solution for a bullying hen as you would a barking dog. That said, separate a bully from the flock for a few days to knock her down a few pegs from the pecking order. Also, proceed with caution when adding flock members; add them gradually. And see how your flock does.
making sure your coop and pen are predator proof
The best protection you can offer your flock is by making sure the coop and run are predator proof. That means that no predators of any size can get in anywhere. However, if your birds are pasture raised, the only predators that you still have to contend with are aerial ones.
and finally, just try loving them until it’s their time to go
A female chick is hatched with thousands of tiny ova, which are undeveloped yolks. So, chicks are hatched with all the eggs they’ll ever have. And the majority of hens slow down with egg laying around 6 or 7 years old. There’s nothing you can do to magically get an old hen to start laying eggs again.
But that doesn’t mean she’s useless. Far from it. If you only have older hens, invest in a couple of younger ones. And the senior hens will pass on much wisdom to the younger hens. Plus, older gals are great at weed eating and bug patrol. Furthermore, if you want chicks, and one goes broody, they can be great mothers. That’s because broody hens do a better job than we do at raising chicks.
Aside from keeping senior birds, you can slaughter them. Or you can try to find another farmer or homesteader who will take them from you.
What We do when Chickens Stop Laying Eggs
Superimposed Digital Art, Courtesy of Sarah Smith
We saw that chickens can stop laying eggs due to stress, old age, heat and cold, and malnutrition. But illness, broodiness, molting, winter, and predator attacks can also cause hens to stop laying eggs. And cannibalism and snakes can cause eggs to disappear. In addition, there are many different solutions to keep your chickens producing eggs year-long.
We’ve got about 14 or 15 hens who are just over 6 years old. And the boss, Megatron, is ~ 6 years old. He’s the only one who walks with a limp, and has a hard time keeping up with his girls. But that has more to do with his fights with Baby Nay than actual old age. However, I guess those fights did age him.
We keep our birds even when they stop laying eggs at our place. Because they’ve all earned their position just simply by being there. So I guess it’s simply grace and love.
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A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post on factors, such as bird flu, affecting the cost of eggs. Even as egg prices have decreased slightly where I live, HPAI still abounds. What is it? How is it spread? And are people at risk? These are just some of the questions I’ll answer as we discuss bird flu and chickens.
While there are 4 types of influenza viruses (A-D), type A viruses are the main ones identified in causing worldwide flu epidemics. Further, whereas types B, C, and D have been detected in other species, including humans, only type A has been recognized to infect birds. Also, avian influenza, a subtype of type A, is labeled as either high or low pathogenicity in relation to genetic features. Thus, HPAI, or highly pathogenic avian influenza is a severely contagious illness caused by influenza type A virus.
According to the CDC, bird flu was first documented in 1878 in Northern Italy. Fowl plague, its moniker, was characterized by high mortality. And by 1901, it was concluded that fowl plague was caused by a filterable virus. But it wasn’t until 1955 that fowl plague was revealed to be a type A influenza virus. Moreover, in 1981, the term fowl plague was replaced by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at the First International Symposium on Avian Influenza.
Then, in 1996, HPAI H5N1 was first observed in domestic waterfowl in Southern China. Additionally, bird flu was subsequently detected in people in 1997, something previously not thought possible.
More recently, as of 2021-2022, a new H5N1 virus with a wild bird adapted gene popped up. Furthermore, it’s caused the biggest outbreak Europe and the US have seen to date.
How does Bird Flu Spread
Digital Art, Courtesy of Sarah Smith
Given that avian flu is so infectious, how does it spread? Well, based on the USDA website, bird flu spreads directly from bird to bird. However, it can also spread indirectly by coming into contact with something that’s infected. For instance, suppose someone tracks feces from a contaminated farm back to their own farm, and then their chickens walk and peck the ground where said person tracked contaminated feces, picking up the virus. That’s just one example of how bird flu can spread to birds.
Bird flu has caused over 200 million poultry deaths in a host of countries so far. Additionally, an unprecedented number of non-poultry birds, including wild birds, have died due to the disease. Plus, because of migration patterns of wild birds, they help the virus circulate. Thus, wild birds, rodents, and people are all possible sources of presenting the disease to domestic birds. But what about other vectors?
Over 2 decades ago my father-in-law was asked to assist veterinarians in Great Britain as they were dealing with foot and mouth disease. While he was there, he remarked on how there were a ton of flies on the dead and diseased cattle. He finally mentioned it to someone in charge, even asking what they were doing about the vectors. Unfortunately his observations were not well received, as he was told to keep his mouth shut.
I found this memory poignant, especially in light of all the affected birds from this latest outbreak of HPAI. What are we doing about other vectors? We’re aware of animal, human, and bird vectors that spread the disease. Though, I could only find a couple of examples online, in the US, that even hinted that flies might be vectors. However, this study done over a decade ago didn’t come right out and say that flies spread bird flu. It advised that the flies carried it in the study, so it was possible. But, more tests would be needed.
Though, in the event you want evidence that flies spread diseases, check this site out. It details HPAI outbreak in Japan during 2003-2004, and was linked to the blow fly, a relative of the common house fly. Also, according to the same study above, flies were listed as mechanical vectors. But what’s the difference between mechanical and biological vectors? And what are wild birds and mammals when they spread avian flu to chickens?
Mechanical vectors, such as flies, pick up an infectious agent and physically transmit it in a passive way. And a biological vector is one in whose body the pathogen develops and multiplies before passing on to another host. Mosquitos are biological vectors for West Nile virus.
Honestly I couldn’t find what wild birds were, whether biological or mechanical. However, since we’re told that birds spread the disease from bird to bird, it would seem they are also mechanical. Although, we’re told as well that wild aquatic birds are natural reservoirs for the virus. Plus, in the intervening years we don’t see the disease before it resurfaces, and it’s mutated, indicates a biological vector is at work. Interestingly enough, birds are reservoir hosts for West Nile virus.
Wildlife, especially mammals, are reservoirs for an enormous diversity of viruses.
1Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia 2Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia 3CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Private Bag 24, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia John S Mackenzie: ua.ude.nitruc@eiznekcaM.J 4Address: 20A Silver Street, Malvern, Vic 3144, Australia.
And according to the CDC, aquatic birds, including shore birds and wild waterfowl like ducks are considered reservoirs, or natural hosts, for bird flu viruses.
Symptoms of H5N1 HPAI in Poultry
Birds infected with the virus may show one or more of the following:
sudden death
lack of energy
reduction in egg production
soft-shelled or misshapen eggs
swelling around head, neck, and eyes
purple discoloration on head and legs
gasping for air (difficulty breathing)
nasal discharge, coughing, and sneezing
incoordination (stumbling or falling down)
twisting of the head or neck
and/or diarrhea
What You Can Do
Biosecurity is currently the best policy if you have backyard birds. Read below for recommendations:
Disinfectclothes, shoes, egg trays, vehicles, crates, etc.
Don’t exposecleaned and disinfectedtools and equipment to wild birds.
Wash hands and shoes before and after entering chicken yard (area).
Buy birds from reputable sources; and isolate for at least 30 days to observe for any signs of illness before mixing with the rest of your flock.
Restrict visitors on and off of your property, especially from having contact with your flock.
Don’t visit other poultry farms, and avoid visitors that have poultry.
Keep wild birds and rodents out of the coop and poultry areas.
Don’t let your birds have contact with migratory waterfowl or other wild birds.
Secure feed and water to guard against contamination.
And have a written biosecurity plan.
Finally, if you’re working around sick birds, wear PPE; and visit the CDC site for more info.
In the past, simply culling birds and the heat from summer seemed to keep the virus in check. However, with this latest outbreak, it hung around. And now, some countries are even considering poultry vaccines for H5N1. It’s a measure of desperation. Costs and the need to have a vaccine for all of the strains are just a couple of reasons vaccines haven’t been used before.
Poultry and wild birds aren’t the only animals being affected by avian flu since 2021. Thus far, several mammals in both Europe and the US have been infected by H5N1. Red fox, opossum, raccoons, a coyote, striped skunks, harbor and grey seals, a bottlenose dolphin, a fisher, 3 types of bears, a mountain lion, a bobcat, an Amur tiger and an Amur leopard all have been found positive for the H5N1 virus in the US.
Likewise, seals in Scotland, sea lions in Peru, and lastly, mink in Spain have also been identified with the virus. Given that mink seemed to pass the virus between themselves gave virologists concern. Furthermore, past studies have revealed mink to be vulnerable to avian and human influenza A viruses.
The high seroprevalence of combined avian and human influenza viruses suggests a strong likelihood of co-infections and thus farmed mink could serve as “mixing vessels”….
aKey Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China bDepartment of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA cChinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-Warning (CASCIRE), Institute of Microbiology, Beijing, People’s Republic of China dSchool of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China eSchool of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK CONTACT Jinhua Liu nc.ude.uac@hjl *Honglei Sun and Fangtao Li contributed equally to this work.
Nevertheless, the CDC advised that humans lack the type of cell receptor in the upper respiratory tract that H5N1 viruses use to cause the disease. Plus, according to WHO, this current strain of H5N1 has caused less than 10 infections worldwide. And only 1 was in the US. In addition, it mainly affects those who have close contact with sick birds. Moreover, there have been no known human-to-human transmissions of the H5N1 virus that’s presently spreading globally among birds.
In Summary
Photo by u5e7bu5f71u591au5a92u4f53 3D on Pexels.com
Bird flu has been around a long time. And each time it returns, it’s changed a little bit more. Further, there are a number of ways bird flu can spread to poultry. Additionally, even though it’s been identified in some mammals, the threat to humans is still considered low.
However, if you see any of the symptoms listed above in your birds, you are encouraged to contact your agricultural extension office/agent, local veterinarian, local animal health diagnostic laboratory, or the State veterinarian; or call USDA toll free at 1-866-536-7593.
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Since this blog’s inception, I’ve brought up ratios of hens to roosters many times. But depending on which website you visit, and whether you’re wanting chicks, there are conflicting proportions. So today, I’ll officially answer how many hens should you have per rooster. Further, we’ll also explore chicken mating, and possible problems associated with it.
I’ve seen ratios anywhere from 6 hens per rooster to double digits. Plus, the literature indicates some breeds mate more aggressively than others. However, when I tried to find out which breeds exactly, only aggressive chicken breeds showed up; not aggressive mating chicken breeds.
How Many Hens Should You have per Rooster
Bakugo is the white duck making a b-line to Megatron. She always finds a way to spend time with him.
The smallest proportion I read of implied that you could safely have one rooster with 2 to 3 hens, if you so choose. Although the quotation specifically highlighted that the birds were adults, not juveniles.
Though I disagree with this quota for a few reasons:
First, chickens are considered adolescents until they reach ~ 17 weeks.
It’s at this point that backyard birds become sexually mature, which means they can breed, start to lay eggs if hens, or fertilize them if roosters.
Second, chickens aren’t viewed as adults until after their first molt, according Backyard Chickens.
I have had 5 real roosters, since the first 9 didn’t count. And all of them, including the adult males, tread hard on the gals until the boys are around 3 or 4 years old.
For instance, Casanova, our first real roo, just started to be gentle before he died at ~ 3 years old. I imagine he was gentle because he was older and lighter; not because he was an adult. (He was the smallest rooster, and probably chicken, we had.)
And now my current senior rooster, Megatron, has slowed down considerably since I first got him. He is now over 5 years old, and in the past couple of years, he has become a more gentle lover to his girls.
But it’s at this specific age that a rooster’s chances of fertility decreases.
And lastly, I have over 30 adult hens, ~ 8 juvenile hens, and 2 adult roosters, one whom I informed you has slowed down.
So Megatron’s son, Tiny Nuts, who is around 1 – 2 years old is the main roo servicing the gals. And he has currently torn up maybe 10 hens’ backs; all in different conditions. Some with a few feathers out, some with a lot of feathers out. And some hens with back and head feathers out. All by himself, while he has mostly 30 hens to himself. And we’re supposed to believe that this adult is considered gentle? Yeah, I’m not buying it either.
Chicken Romance
Before I answer the main question, I’m going to dissect the courtship of chicken romance. It’s certainly different than human romance.
Cockerels first ready to mate are all over the place, running hither and yon from one hen to the next, all because they’re trying to sneak some nookie in behind the boss’s back. And they’re uncoordinated, rough, and generally look like they don’t know what they’re doing. Plus, the girls are all taken by surprise. And some of the hens are older than those boys and don’t want to be ridden by another roo.
However, as the cockerels mature into adults, they pick up some tricks to wooing the hens. They include
This is where the rooster will find a treat and make the look, look,look noise to attract a hen, all in the hopes of garnering her favor.
and dancing
Most people are familiar with the rooster dance. And it’s where the rooster drops one wing to the ground as he shuffles around the hen whom he’s interested in. Typically at the end of the dance he’ll try to mate with her.
Although some roosters aren’t interested in performing any tricks to woo the hens. They’re all business and just take charge. Casanova was really good about wooing the hens; I like to think it was because he was so small, and so needed to make a good impression. And Tiny Nuts is good about wooing. But that could be due to him being the bottom roo. On the other hand, Megatron could care less about that kind of stuff. He’s the boss.
Chicken Mating
Baby Nay caught in the act.
Consider this a biology lesson in chicken procreation. But I’m sure it’s nothing you’ve never seen before. And generally chicken sex is fast, lasting no longer than a few seconds.
Typically, in a willing partner, the rooster will go up to the hen, and she will squat for him. Then he will grasp her neck feathers with his beak as he climbs onto her back, balancing himself with his feet. This act is referred to as treading. Roosters have no outward appendages; everything is internal. So both of their cloacas must touch in order for him to transfer his sperm, in what is known as the cloacal kiss. And once they are finished, both shake themselves. Plus, he doesn’t thank her for her time, give her a kiss, or even a backward glance before he’s on toward the next possible hen.
In addition, rooster’s sperm can last about 2 weeks inside of one hen. And if she’s a healthy hen that lays daily, that should equal about 14 fertilized eggs. But it takes about 25 hours for the sperm to fertilize the next egg in the hen’s body. Also, interestingly enough, hens can store sperm from more than one rooster at a time. And a single rooster can mate up to 30x a day, producing as much as 35,000 sperm every second of his life, which is 40x more sperm than a human male.
Potential Problems with Chicken Mating
Baby Nay did this to his favorite hen when we had him. Well, she ended up going broody, and we locked him in rooster jail; so she was able to heal perfectly without any more assault.
I already explained what it looks like with sexually mature cockerels. But if you have several, it will look like chicken gang rape, I kid you not. And the boss rooster won’t be able to control it. He may even join in to show his dominance, however the gals are the ones to suffer. That’s what Casanova did with every one of his 7 sons the first time we incubated eggs. I guess, he decided, if he couldn’t beat them, he’d join them.
Other signs of mating issues include
missing back feathers on hens’ backs
missing neck feathers from hens’ necks
skin lacerations where feathers are missing
and fights consistently breaking out between roosters
If you see any of the above, then it’s time to do something about your chicken mating situation.
Ok, So, How Many Hens Should You have per Rooster
All right, so having only 2 to 3 hens per rooster is not feasible, because we learned that even though roosters are considered adults after their first molt (~ 1 year old), they don’t settle down until they’re around 2 or 3 years old. That’s when they mellow with the ladies and start treating them right. At least that’s been my observation with all of my roosters: a small Cream Legbar and all of my Ameraucana and Easter Egger roosters, all of whom are considered docile.
Therefore, if you’re seeing any issues with your hens then
put a limit on the number of roosters
Roosters are highly virulent until they reach ~ 3 to 5 years of age, which means they may mate aggressively until they start to slow down. They don’t even have to be an aggressive breed: case in point, my roosters. None of mine are considered aggressive breeds. Yet they still tear up my hens, no matter how many I have available for them.
So what’s the magical number? I personally think 6 is too small. Your hens will get damaged with 1 rooster per 6 hens apiece. Therefore, the more the merrier, if you can spare them. However, if you’re wanting to specifically breed your birds, then it’s recommended to have 10 hens per rooster, in order to maintain fertility.
separate the injured hens
Any hens with lacerations should be kept out of the breeding pool until they have healed. And apply Vetericyn or Gentian Violet Spray .5% daily. Plus, once they’re better, and feathers have started to grow, place a chicken saddle on their backs to prevent any more issues.
Many sites recommend putting the saddles on before the hens have healed. Though I noticed the feathers on our hens never grew back unless and until the saddles were off. Thus, the separation of the rooster(s) and injured hen(s).
isolate the roosters until needed for breeding
If you’re wanting fertilized eggs, or to breed your flock, keep your roosters separate from your hens in a distinct enclosure. In this way your hens won’t be misused.
To Summarize
We learned that roosters are highly virulent, and therefore, mate aggressively until they’re about 3 years old. And because of that, it’s best to have at least 10 hens per rooster if you’re breeding them. Less than that, the roosters will definitely injure your hens with feathers torn out and back lacerations. Furthermore, we learned all about chicken romance and mating. And also that if there aren’t enough hens per rooster, not only will the hens be at risk for injury, but the roosters will constantly fight.
How many hens do you have for your roosters? And how do they get along? Your comments are appreciated.
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I’ve been an animal lover for 4 decades. But it wasn’t until 2015, or since chickens, that we started collecting what would be considered animal first aid items. If you have backyard birds long enough, sooner later, something will pop up, requiring you to have a few essentials. Thus, I thought it would be helpful to share some basic chicken first aid kit contents.
From the moment we’ve had dogs and cats, we’ve never had to perform any type of first aid on them. On the other hand, our fur babies have a veterinarian, whereas our feather babies do not. And unfortunately a lot of the advice online can be contradictory. Plus, some issues necessitate quick action. Therefore, we’ve had to learn how to take care of our birds ourselves. In addition, when we started out, we had a small flock. So, little by little, we began adding items to what became our chicken first aid kit.
Chicken First Aid Kit: The Container
When we first started making our kit, little did we know that’s what we were doing. Hence, ours was in our medicine cabinet, until one day it was gigantic and no longer fit. Now we have everything in a tackle box that’s easy to locate and move. So get a caboodle, makeup box, or a tackle box. But make sure it’s
Portable
Within easy reach
And easy to carry
Chicken First Aid Kit: Chicken Hospital
Since most injuries and illnesses require separating the chicken from the flock, this is where you will house them until they are well enough to mingle back with the flock. Ideally you need
A pet crate or carrier
If possible, make sure the chicken hospital is big enough for the patient to be comfortable during their stay.
And old towels
Towels you no longer use are to help make the patient comfortable.
Some injuries aren’t serious enough to warrant total isolation from the flock. For example, if you have a hen with sores on her back from an overeager rooster, then she can stay in the the safety of the crate while still in the coop. That way she won’t worry about pecking order issues.
But more concerning problems of contagious illnesses demand the chicken be separated to prevent spreading the illness. Further, urgent medical issues require the bird to be isolated to help calm them down.
Online discrepancies abound, regarding whether to leave the chicken patient in the coop or isolate them. And both have valid reasons for their points. Personally, I’ve done both, depending on the nature and/or seriousness of the issue. But all the times I’ve kept my chicken patients away from the flock, they’ve been calm, and they didn’t seem lonely. In addition, my reasons were justified for keeping them isolated.
Chicken First Aid Kit: Disposables
When I made this list, I really wasn’t sure how to itemize it. As you’ll notice, some of these things can go in multiple categories. Plus, you potentially have some materials in your house now, which can also be taken from your own first aid kit; just be sure to replace anything you swipe from your personal kit. However, for the disposables, you need
Chicken First Aid Kit: Dealing with beaks, nails, and spurs
Rather than putting these few items in their prospective categories, I just made their own section. Further, they all use the same supplies, such as
Dremel tool or other battery-powered tool
Superglue
And styptic powder or alum
Chicken First Aid Kit: Tools or Instruments
Once again, some of these you should have in your medicine cabinet. Although, with the rest of these items, we collected from various trips to the emergency room for sutures. And since hospitals just throw suture kits away after using them, we asked if we could keep ours. The rest I ordered. Therefore, in your kit you should have
With the exception of rubbing alcohol, I had to order all of the items in this section, at one time or another. So make sure you have
Rubbing alcohol (to sanitize instruments)
Gentian violet .5%
Iodine
Sterile saline (for washing wounds)
and Vetericyn
Chicken First Aid Kit: Anti-inflammatories and Salves
From having a hen who’s egg-bound to having one with sour crop to having another one with vent prolapse, the following is what you’ll need in your chicken first aid kit.
Salve or Vaseline (for mites or frostbite in the winter)
Fishbiotics (which is amoxil 500mg, for surgical procedures like impacted crop)
**And topical anesthetic spray, like hospital formula benzocaine (also for the above mentioned surgery)
**There is some mis-information, and thus confusion on multiple sites as to whether you can give any anesthetic to chickens. For example, multiple sites claim you can’t give anything to chickens if it has caine on or in it. And that’s not true. In fact, I watched a Dr perform a surgery on a chicken, after he injected it with anesthetic. And as far as I know, all anesthetics contain caines. Further, the chicken did not die; she survived the surgery and the anesthetic.
However, the real issue is epinephrine, which is added to local anesthetics to prolong local anesthesia and prevent additional blood loss. Thus, in someone who might have heart issues, or a small animal, it could present problems. But because benzocaine is only a topical, it is clearly the better option for backyard chickens. You can read more about it here.
The items you see in bold are some of the first, and only, items we used while first involved with chickens. Though now it has definitely grown and evolved. You too may also already have some things you use on and for your birds. So the materials in bold are a suggestion only, to have on-hand what you will eventually need.
My last bit of advice is when Googling your bird problems, read at least 3 other suggestions, and not necessarily the top 3. They might not be right. And after you’ve received 3 suggestions from Google, cross reference them. For instance, if I read that something won’t work or is harmful, I Google why that something won’t work, like what will happen, especially if there isn’t a link to the original article. You’ll be surprised by how many answers you get that will contradict what you were just advised.
Lastly, taking care of injured or sick chickens is just like anything else: it isn’t cookie cutter perfect. Nobody knows your birds better than you. You will have to adjust and use your intuition based on your understanding of your flock. These are all suggestions according to my experience with my flock. And it has worked for us. But I Google several sources, and not the most popular ones either, and adjust the care instructions to gear them toward my flock.
Have you made a chicken first aid kit? Or have you had to use first aid on a chicken? Your comments are appreciated.
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Chickens are often the first bird homesteaders will tackle before raising other livestock. They cite practical reasons: food, composting, and pest control. Since ducks are some of the smartest and hardiest, they debut on the farm after chickens. But before getting any birds, I’ll answer the question Can you mix ducks with chickens.
You can, in fact, raise chickens and ducks together. However, there are some slight differences with both kinds of birds. And, with careful consideration, you should have no problem mixing both. So, whether or not you’ve purchased any ducks, just continue reading.
Brooding Facts for Both Ducklings and Chicks
Recently I wrote an in-depth article explaining how to raise ducklings and chicks together. So I’m only going to list the main points.
Provide the same feed for both
Contrary to popular belief, you can give medicated feed to ducklings, as I explained a short while ago. But no matter what, by the 3rd week, make sure the protein is no more than 18%, or your ducklings will be at risk for something called Angel’s Wing. And provide niacin in the form of brewer’s yeast, so the ducklings can thrive. (This needs to be provided lifelong in the duck’s diet.)
Also, regular chick fountains and nipple waterers work well with ducklings. However, shallow pans for feed are ideal due to their bills.
Similar brooder temperature for both
There is only a 5° difference between both birds when starting the brooding process. Therefore, just observe them to see whether they are cold or hot. If they huddle together, they’re cold. And if they move as far away as they can from the heat, then they are hot. And adjust accordingly.
Clean brooder daily
Both ducklings (and ducks) drink as they eat to prevent choking. And this causes a big mess in the brooder that needs to be cleaned on a daily, sometimes several times a day, basis.
Harassment
Depending on the number and breed of chicks and ducklings you have, could determine who does the bullying and who gets bullied. In my experience, our chicks have always done the bullying until they were juveniles. But by then, the ducks were much larger, thus the roles were reversed.
It’s definitely simpler to raise chickens and ducks on their own. However, it’s not unrealistic to raise them together either.
Teenager Ducks and Chickens
At this stage of development, your ducks and chickens are going through puberty. You know, their voices crack and they look fugly. In addition, you might notice your ducks bullying the chickens they once hung out with. But by the time they’re all adults, this behavior generally stops.
The 3 ducks we recently raised with our juvenile chickens bullied their brooder buddies. And they even tried to bully one of our cats. But that only lasted until the 2 juvie drakes were sold to someone in need of them, so the lone female no longer feels the need to bully. Thus, it’s the other way around again. Plus, when we raised Squirt, the boss drake, he was raised alone by me. Therefore, he really didn’t bully anyone, and no one bullied him. I’m still constantly learning about ducks. And I know I don’t know all there is to know about them.
Advice for Smooth Desegregation
This picture shows ice in the pool; and that’s due to the triple digit heat lately.
Depending on the time of year and temperature will determine when you move your newbies outside. For instance, if it’s spring and still chilly out, then wait till the chicks are ~ 5-6 weeks old. However, if it’s summer and hot in the evenings, like it’s been lately, you don’t necessarily need a heat lamp. But still wait for the chicks to get to 5-6 weeks old for size. Then you need to
Check your coop space
Ducks need twice as much space as chickens do. And if your chickens use a ramp to get in the coop, you might need to come up with something so the ducks can get in too.
Also, ducks don’t use nesting boxes. Therefore, just put some straw on the floor of the coop, and they’re fine.
Circulate the air in the coop
You likely already have your coop well ventilated with your existing flock. However, since ducks emit ~ 90% moisture, there needs to be adequate circulation in the form of predator-proof windows and air exhaust vents on the roof.
Gradually mix your new ducks and chickens with the established flock
Put your juvenile mixed birds in a pen where they and your primary flock can see each other without aggression for a few days to a week.
Provide water
This source of water is different from the drinking water. Though you will see both the chickens and ducks drinking from it. But if you don’t provide this water source for the ducks to bathe and preen their feathers, they can develop wet feather.
Mixing Adult Ducks and Chickens
Up to this point I’ve covered the basics from brooding ducklings and chicks together to integrating the juveniles with the adults. From the time the ducks are adults, they no longer hang out with the chickens they were raised with. Unless they happen to be eating, sharing snacks, or drinking together. Or unless you have a species-confused duck, like me.
Now it’s time to go over some final important details.
Continue to supply the same type of feed for ALL backyard birds
Once the ducks and chickens you raised are adults, they can eat layer feed like everyone else. And continue adding 1 TBSP brewer’s yeast to 1 cup of feed.
Carry on with same feeders and waterers
Since your duck-raised chickens are used to eating out of a shallow pan, continue that with the newbies. However, with your established flock, you can try keeping the technique you’ve been using. Though, if they start eating the newbies’ food, you may need to just switch everyone to the new method. And the same goes for their waterers.
Provide a watering hole
This is one of the most important points, because ducks not only love water, they need it. And not just drinking water either. They need access to a source of water to swim and bathe in. But again, it doesn’t need to be custom. You can just purchase a kiddie pool, and they will be content.
Also, when ducks swim, they poo; and they drink from this water source as well. And the chickens might too. So it needs to be changed at least twice daily.
At about this point, you might be wondering if chickens will drown in the kiddie pool. And the answer is debatable. Sure, chickens can’t swim like ducks. Plus, their feathers aren’t waterproof, and they lack webbed feet. But since they don’t like water the way ducks do, they usually only approach the watering hole to drink. From the time we’ve had our ducks and kiddie pool, no chickens have drowned. Though chicks should definitely be monitored.
Can You Mix Roosters and Drakes
In this picture, it looks like the 2 males are sharing a moment.
Given both roosters and drakes can be territorial, it’s only natural to wonder if you can have both at the same time. I usually only keep 2 adult roosters at any time. And they’ve never had a problem with the drake, whichever one I had, even when it was the sex-crazed Kirishima.
But it’s true that drakes might try to mate with hens. And this is usually the case when there aren’t enough females for the drakes. Just as there is a proper ratio for hens to roosters, there’s a proper ratio for ducks to drakes. Proper in this sense maintains harmony in the flock.
Therefore, to prevent abuse to your hens and ducks, and any fighting between roosters and drakes, provide enough females for both. You will find various recommendations on this subject. But I advise you to err on the side of caution, especially regarding mating season and drakes. Each rooster needs ~ 10-12 hens, while drakes require ~ 3-6 ducks each. You know what they say? The more the merrier.
What About Flock Dynamics
Now that you’ve hypothetically (or realistically) integrated ducks into your flock, has the pecking order changed? Did you notice whether the ducklings, then juvenile ducks had a hierarchy remotely similar to the chickens?
Most duck lovers agree, me included, that ducks have a pecking order. Though it’s way laid back compared to chickens: they may chase, peck at (in their own way), or quack at someone. But usually the group doesn’t gang up on that someone, like chickens do.
In addition, the boss in each group is the male. But if there are 2 roosters, it is generally the senior rooster, unless he is weaker or has been challenged and fallen from grace. Drakes are different. The senior drake is more concerned with mating, from what I’ve observed, and so that influences most things. We had 2 juvenile drakes recently and Squirt ignored them; he’s only interested in the females. However, I’m happy to report, he hasn’t killed any ducks, unlike his predecessor. And the juvenile drakes, from what I observed, were just living life, being kids.
Also, my roosters stay away from Squirt, although I’m not sure why. But then, they stay away from the ducks altogether; almost pretend like they’re not there. On the other hand, Squirt will get in Megatron’s face and yell at him only when Bakugo is flirting with him. Thankfully they haven’t come to blows yet.
So, Can You Mix Ducks with Chickens
While raising chicks and ducklings together can be difficult, it’s not theoretical. Plus, they form a unit until they become adults. And at that time they tend to stay with their own kind. Once adults, they might ignore one another, but they don’t squabble or fight each other. Furthermore, males of both groups are boss of the yard. However, if there was ever any contest, the drake would be the clear winner. Though it’s the duck’s callous disregard of the pecking order that makes one think they don’t even have one. But they do, in their own duck-ish way.
I sincerely hope I’ve answered any questions you might have had about mixing ducks with chickens. Do you currently have any ducks? Or are you thinking about adding any? Your comments are appreciated.
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Maurice Pitesky
Chicken Girl 