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Possibly you’ve seen the memes related to backyard chicken owners, with laughable signs of poultry addiction. They’re pretty funny and can be spot on. We were like that in the beginning too: Buying chicks, adolescent hens and roos, and always keeping our eyes open for more. But how do you know when you have enough? Or is it something you should figure out in advance? Well, I’m going to help answer the question, how many chickens should I have?
Assuming you’re not a commercial chicken breeder, and you already have birds, you likely know the legal situation of owning them where you live, whether in the city or suburbs. I live in the country on only an acre. And there are no limits like they have in the cities.
But if you’re interested in getting into chicken-keeping and you live in the city, a lot of cities are now embracing raising chickens. However most don’t allow roosters due to crowing. Plus, there are limits to how many birds you can keep. So, if you live in an area with restrictions, that answers the question about the number of birds you can have.
Although, if you live on acreage, you have more freedom in the amount of birds you can own. In addition, it will affect whether or not you’ll keep roosters, because then it’s solely your decision. And since space won’t be an issue, collecting too many birds will be a temptation. Trust me.
How to Decide Chicken Numbers
Digital Art, Courtesy of Sarah Smith
Before answering our question, I’m going to present some facts that influence chicken-keeping. And, in effect, they will help determine how many birds you should have.
Decide the Amount of Birds Based on Purpose:
Layers
Or show chickens
So the first way to come up with how many chickens you should have, is knowing your reason for having them. Are you getting chickens to sell eggs? Or do you want show birds for competitions?
Solution to Choosing Birds Based on Purpose:
If you’re getting layers, settle on how many eggs you want a week. Also, do you have a family? And are you going to try to sell eggs? Some breeds produce more eggs, and some less.
However, if you’re only getting chickens for personal use, then starting out with 3 to 4 hens will yield ~ dozen eggs weekly.
Similarly, for show birds, think about how many birds you need to enter competitions. But if you’re new to showing chickens, starting out with 3 birds is fine, as long as they’re all hens.
Calculate how much space you have for any and all chickens
And if you already have a coop with run, then measure its dimensions to determine how many chickens you can fit in it
Most experts agree that eachchickenneeds~ 3 to 4 square feet in the coop. That’s where the hens lay eggs and the birds shelter at night. And if there are predators, your birds will go there to hide.
In addition, figure another 5-10 square feet per bird in the run. The purpose of the run is managed safety for the birds to get exercise and daylight. But it’s not ideal for chickens to stay in confined space. They do best when they can forage and have free access to the whole yard. However, if you decide to keep your birds confined all the time, then calculate at least 10 square feet per bird.
And for pasture-raised or free-range chickens, plan on at least 108 square feet per bird
If you choose to have pasture-raised chickens, account for predators. So you’ll need a fence with hardware cloth to keep your chickens in and predators out. Living where we do, on only 1 acre, we don’t have that many. But we have neighbors with 5 acres who suffer coyote attacks, as well as other predator depredations to their flocks.
Determine Amount of Birds by Cost:
Financial commitment
Initial expenses are higher the more birds you have: if you don’t have a coop, you either need to build one yourself. Or you’ll have to buy one, or hire someone to build one. Plus, your monthly expenses on feed and bedding will be more. We spend ~ $200 a month on feed. And you’ll have added vet bills with more chickens. Not to mention, if you have electricity to your coop, that’s another expense that’s increased the more birds you have.
Can be labor intensive
Regardless of who makes the coop, they need one. Besides that and as a result of them eating, chickens poop a lot. So the more you have, the more poop you’ll have to clean out of their coop and run. Even if you clean in the recommended way, if you have 30 birds, it’s still a lot of work. Although, if you have a tractor coop and run, cleaning it won’t be as much of an issue, as I bring up here.
My 20-year-old daughter thinks we have too many birds. But I’m not there yet. Yes, we have over 30 chickens and several chicks. But some of our birds are close to retirement age with signs of a decrease in egg production, which is why I have chicks now. I’m preparing for the future.
So, How Many Chickens Should I Have
From center going clockwise, Davis, Bumblecade, and Smiley.
To recap, if you live in the city or suburbs, check with your municipalities to find out their regulations. And that will give you the information you need. Though, if you live in the country, determining numbers really comes down to how many you can manage, financial and otherwise.
However, 3-5 hens is a great start to chicken-keeping no matter where you live. It’s kinda like just getting your feet wet. But the one hard and fast rule is that there has to be a ratio of no less than 10 hens to every rooster. Or else your hens will get abused by too much attention. I’ve seen it, and it isn’t pretty. Therefore, just make sure you get all girls.
If you have chickens already, how many do you have? And are you happy with that amount? Also, how did you decide on your chicken numbers? Your comments are appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you enjoyed it, please like, share, and please don’t forget to follow!
Last month several cities from Texas to California experienced triple digit temperatures. And the heat was made worse some places by humidity. Plus, due to La Niña, the heat’s to last for many areas. Further, we all know how important heat safety is for people. But what about animals? For instance, do you know how to take care of chickens in hot weather?
I’m sure everyone’s heard or read the story of the recent heat that killed the ~ 2000 head of Kansas cattle. Although cattle can sweat to some degree, chickens can’t. Therefore, they rely on us to make sure they don’t overheat.
Most poultry people say that chickens will pant in 80° weather. However I think that can depend on where you live. If you live further north, your birds will be used to temperatures there, not where I live. And vice versa. So you see, birds can acclimate to the weather.
For example, I have a flock comprised of mostly Ameraucana chickens, and they don’t start panting until the temperature gets to the 90s. However, the juvenile birds aren’t used to the temperatures. Thus, they look more bothered by the heat than the adults. Also, if the weather were to spike suddenly, then that could be an issue for all of them.
Additionally, chickens normally lose heat through their combs, wattles, and other non-feathered areas. But once the temperatures rise, heat loss changes to evaporative, which causes water loss. And a lot of water loss causes changes in electrolyte balance.
Signs of Light and Moderate Heat Stress
Chickens may pant, but otherwise still run around normal
And they may hold their wings away from their bodies
Solution for Light to Moderate Heat Stress
Provide fresh clean water in waterers
Add ice to water
Cool down the run with hose
And provide icy treats
Dangerous Signs of Heat Exhaustion
Sketch, Courtesy of Paul Smith
Panting heavily
Wings held away from body
Pale comb
Or lethargic, limp, or unconscious
Solution for Heat Exhaustion
If you have a chicken in the above conditions, act quickly, because they are in danger of dying. The most important thing is they need to be cooled quickly.
Submerge them (to their necks) in cool water, NOT ice water.
And then move them indoors until they recover.
Also, provide them with electrolyte water in a medicine dropper, careful not to aspirate them.
Preventing Heat Stress and Exhaustion
It’s much easier to prevent a problem than trying to fix one when it occurs. Since we already know it’s going to be a hot summer, especially in the Midwest, let’s plan on an ounce of prevention.
Shade
Trees in the yard
This is more of a longterm project. But when we moved into our house over 7 years ago, there were only 2 decent sized trees and a few small trees. Since living here, we’ve added several fruit trees and pruned the others. Now the birds have a choice of where to sit in the heat of the day.
Tarps or cloths on the run
If your run doesn’t have a roof, or it gets full sun, then add some type of shade for your birds.
Cooling Down the Coop and Run
Misters
For evaporative cooling, this is an inexpensive solution. However, if, like us, you have well water, then you’d have to add a salt system to your outside water. Then that would require a whole-house water filtration system. And it could be cost prohibitive. So…
Hose the run
Spray down the dirt in the run with the trusty hose. So long as you don’t make it muddy, it will cool it down for the birds. You can also spray the outside of the coop for added benefit.
Ventilation
Likely your run will have enough ventilation. But coops are usually smaller. So install
And if you have electricity to your coop, then add a fan for increased circulation. But be sure it and any cords are out of the birds’ reach.
Water
Provide multiple sources of fresh, clean, cool water
Locate them ideally in shady spots
When it starts heating up, add ice, ice blocks, or frozen water bottles to cool the water
Also, you can add electrolyte solution to the water
And since chickens won’t get in a kiddie pool, provide shallow pans of water for them to wade in
Feed
Given that digestion increases body temperature, birds won’t eat as much during hot weather. And you may notice egg production decrease as well. Therefore,
Feed your birds early morning or later in the day when it’s not as hot
Limit scratch
And provide frozen treats
Suggestions for Frozen Treats
Freeze 2 halves of a watermelon; then put them in the shade for your chickens to nibble on. It provides them with cool, refreshing water and ice. And it keeps them cool.
With 2 cans of whole kernel corn, fill each cup of a 12-cup muffin tin ~1/2 to 3/4 full and freeze. Then serve to your chickens in the shade.
Chicken Ice Cream
1-2 c of plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1 frozen banana, thawed slightly; then sliced
2 c frozen blueberries
In a large plate or medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Then serve to your birds in the shade.
I have been making the above treats for my chickens since we started our real flock. And at first, they would react strongly to the frozen blueberries. However, now they’re all very used to them and welcome the cold treats. Plus, it’s funny to see them get brain freeze. They just shake it off and grab some more.
With the heat we’ve had, and are expected to have this summer, I have a list of things I’d like for our birds. Space is already at a maximum, so I want to increase the size of our coop, to make room for the newbies. Some of our hens and our senior rooster are in their older years. No telling how much longer they’ll be around.
Also, my husband needs to cut out a couple decent sized windows on their coop for air flow; then predator-proof them. And I would love to get an automatic waterer for them. But the only source of water is on the opposite end of our acre. We built their coop where there is more shade. So in order to supply them with an automatic waterer, we’d have to dig a trench and add pipe. My husband is going to look into it. With the amount of birds we have, it’s definitely worth it to me.
What do you do for your birds when it’s hot? Have you ever had one suffer heat exhaustion? What did you do? Your comments are appreciated.
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Recently I wrote a post about certain breeds of chickens that could fly. And in it I mentioned three ways to prevent your birds from taking flight. Today we’re going to look more closely at wing clipping. Because, if you’ve never done it, it can seem daunting. Also, I’ll explain how to clip a chicken’s wings. However, first, let’s find out whether or not you should clip their wings.
Reasons to Clip a Chicken’s Wings
This was our first raised garden bed, before we built the 4 1/2 foot fence dividing the yard. The chickens easily destroyed the garden, even with the chicken wire.
If you have pasture raised chickens, then you probably don’t have them penned in an enclosure all day. Which means you likely have fence line separating your property from your neighbor’s. And if you have one of those flighty breeds, they possibly frequent your neighbor’s yard. Therefore, the main reason to clip your birds’ wings is to keep them in their yard and on your property. And the other reasons to clip your chickens wings include:
To restrict your chickens from destroying your garden, if you have one
In addition, to keep them from getting mauled by a predator
And lastly, to prevent them from getting run over by any vehicles, if you happen to live close to any roads
On the other hand, if you keep your birds in the run, then you don’t need to worry about clipping any wings. But just having a fence won’t deter a determined bird. Because, as I mentioned in my last article, some breeds can fly over 10 feet!
Pros and Cons to Clipping a Chicken’s Wings
We had to clip this hen’s wings after administering first aid; she flew into a neighbor’s yard, and my husband rescued her from being nipped by their dogs. Thankfully they weren’t big dogs, or the damage would’ve been worse.
A couple of the advantages of wing clipping are that
It’s safe and painless if done correctly.
Compare it to a dog getting its claws trimmed; but NOT to declawing a cat. Or it can even be compared to a human getting a haircut.
In addition, your chickens will re-learn behavior.
If you’re new to this, you might be scratching your head, saying, What? But it’s true, chickens can be motivated and taught certain behaviors. I’ve witnessed it in my own birds. With each bird that needs and gets its wings clipped, they no longer need to be re-clipped, because they’ve learned not to cross those forbidden boundaries.
And wing clipping is temporary, since chickens molt.
Thus, new feathers come in.
The disadvantages to clipping chickens’ wings include
If done improperly, it can cause bleeding
Also, if birds are in open pastures, roaming at will, then wing clipping limits their ability to get away from predators
And finally, some people think it makes the birds look less attractive
When to Clip and When NOT to Clip
Believe it or not, there are actually better times and situations in which to clip your chickens’ wings, if that’s something you’re considering.
First off, don’t clipany chickens’ wings unless they have their adult feathers.
Chicks go through several molts before they’re finally considered adults themselves. And if you clip their wings while they’re juvenile, you’ll just have to do it again. And again. Also, when feathers are growing, there will be blood in the shafts.
Growing feathers are dark or black, while fully formed ones appear clear or white.
Another thing to think about is that they might not even be flighty. I agree with chickenskeepingsecrets.com, which says,
you can clip as soon as the birds have all their adult feathers and it becomes necessary. (Emphasis mine)
Therefore, if your birds aren’t showing signs that they’re flying over any fences, then there’s no need to do any wing clipping.
And lastly, I already pointed out that birds in open pastures, roaming at will, would be hindered if their wings were clipped.
The BEST time to clip your chickens’ wings is when you have adult backyard birds that are repeatedly being a nuisance, getting into the neighbor’s yard, your garden, a busy road, or trying to get mauled by some animal. And most, if not all, sites recommend you first catching your birds. Forget that. Who wants to chase around a bunch of chickens all day?
Rather, here’s the alternative: Before letting them out in the morning one day, have someone help you clip their wings, one bird at a time.
Materials Needed to Clip a Chicken’s Wings
Partner to help you
Having someone assist you with clipping your birds’ wings will make the job easier and go faster.
Good pair of scissors
You need sharp scissors to cut through the shafts; alternatively, you also could use sharp wire cutters
In the event you cut too short, and a feather starts to bleed, dip the feather in some styptic powder or alum, until it’s coated.
Instructions for Clipping a Chicken’s Wings
Tiny Nuts already had his wings clipped, as you can see by the straight edges.
Get your partner and supplies; and without letting any birds out, (if that’s possible) set-up shop for wing-clipping
Since we can stand up normal in our run without trouble, that’s where we usually take care of things, like wing clipping. However, your coop and run may be different. If it’s smaller, you’ll have to get creative.
One person needs to hold the bird firmly, making sure one chicken wing is held securely against the chicken, so there’s no flapping, while the other person will clip the free wing
Next, have the person with the scissors locate the primary feathers; are the shafts dark or clear? If they’re clear, then they’re safe to trim
With a steady hand, only trim back the 10 primary feathers about 50% of the way; (unless you know your bird is a flyer, start small)
Notice the primary feathers.
Now, it’s at this point that a lot of sites suggest you’d be finished, because supposedly having one clipped wing would unbalance a chicken. And I also tried that approach my first experience with wing clipping. However, all of my Ameraucana chickens can fly with this unbalanced design. Hence, we clipped more. And when that didn’t work, we clipped more, and jaggedly.
Thus, you can trim only one side, but if you have one of the flighty breeds, like me, you just might have to go back and trim more than just the primaries and make it look ugly; remember to check the shafts, and if they’re clear, you can trim them.
Digital Art Courtesy of Sarah Smith
Again, most sites adamantly advise against trimming the secondary feathers. But obviously they’ve never had Ameraucanas; otherwise they’d never suggest such a thing. Though there are a couple of sites that are familiar with the more determined flyers. So, if you have birds like I do, and you want to protect them, then you need to clip more than the primaries. It’s that, or risk them getting into trouble.
Conclusion
We’ve only had to re-clip this hen’s wings one other time after her molt; she learned her lesson after that.
Wing clipping, if done correctly, is a safe and painless way to prevent your chickens from flying from the safety of their enclosures. Whether a few chickens or the whole flock like to get out, clipping wings can offer some respite.
Clipping a chicken’s wings is only temporary, and many sites suggest repeating the procedure annually. However, I disagree. Just like waiting to see if wing clipping is even needed, wait and see if repeating the process is necessary.
For example, I have only had to repeat the procedure on one hen after her molt. The whole idea for me is to re-teach my birds, because they are teachable, contrary to what anyone might think. When their wings are clipped, they’re grounded for that time frame. So when their molt is ended, and their wings are in and they’re free again, hopefully they’ve learned not to go where we don’t want them to go. And that’s just what I’ve personally discovered happens with my own birds.
What do you think about wing clipping chickens? Have you ever done it?
Thanks for reading this post. Your comments are appreciated. If you liked this, please like, share, and please don’t forget to follow!
If you have a backyard flock and have had trouble with the occasional predator, you might want to know the best dog breeds for chickens. There are some that will guard your flock, keeping away danger. And then there are breeds that don’t necessarily do much guarding, per se; they just get along with and won’t actively attack your birds. However, if the dog lives outside, it could be enough of a deterrent to predators.
Some of you know we got an Australian Shepherd puppy several months ago. And if you follow this blog, you’re also aware I have chickens and ducks. Additionally, if you know anything about Aussies, you’ll know they have a strong prey drive. Which doesn’t make them exactly ideal for chicken people.
Prey drive is what affects whether dogs will or won’t attack other animals, including chickens. So dogs with a strong or high prey drive have a hereditary desire to chase, hunt, and sometimes even kill other animals. However, dogs can be trained. Just because you get a dog that’s ‘good’ with chickens doesn’t mean it won’t need to be trained as well.
The Great Pyrenees is a great dog, does well with families, but needs a firm hand in training. Also, it prefers cool climates, not making it suitable for the Southern U.S.
This next dog is also a good option, as it is calm and chill with other animals while also fearless when facing threats. However, the Pyrenean Mastiff requires firm training due to its stubbornness at times. And it prefers the great outdoors and doesn’t tolerate heat and humidity.
This next option I have for you is the Kangal Shepherd dog, which also needs broad spaces and a firm hand. It’s a loyal dog who will protect both the family and flock, but without clear boundaries, it can stray and attack others, including people and pets. Also, this was the only dog so far that I found that can tolerate the heat we get.
Finally, the Anatolian Shepherd is more business than cuddly fun, but it’s a fiercely loyal dog. Although training and early socialization are a definite must for this pooch. Again, this dog requires space and plenty of it outdoors. And did I mention training?
This list isn’t exhaustive; there are 4 other dog breeds usually included: the Komondor, Akbash, and Kuvasz. And all of the dog breeds are part of Livestock Guardian Dogs.
Some Caveats about Getting a Dog for the Chickens:
Don’t just get a dog and expect it to know what it’s supposed to do.
Having a dog takes training, especially one destined to guard the chickens. Ideally, get a puppy and train it to be around your flock, and the flock to be around the puppy, so they are familiar with each other.
Bring your dog around as you feed, water, and take care of your backyard birds, because this will teach your dog that the birds are to be protected.
Additionally, introduce your flock and dog slowly, preferably with treats once everyone is calm, since most animals love a good treat. So that in time, as you continue to bring your dog around your backyard birds, and proceed to hand out treats for good behavior, they will associate good things with each other.
When we first got our birds, we had a Shetland Sheepdog who would try to herd the birds when they strayed from their yard. Thus, he listened to us to keep them safe. We had Moses for many years by this point, he was highly intelligent, and obedient.
However, when we first got Sophie, our Aussie, she killed one of our ducks; it looked like she was ‘playing’ with it in her energetic enthusiasm. Though, with diligence, we’ve trained her that the birds are not for touching, molesting, eating, playing, etc. Although it didn’t really take her long to pick up on what we wanted. And now she completely ignores them.
Except now I’m on phase two of bringing her into their yard so she can know they’re part of the family and to protect them.
Other Dog Breeds as Options
Even though the Livestock Guardian Dogs are the best when it comes to guarding your chickens, with hard work and diligence, you can train other dog breeds to guard them too. Or at least to be a predator deterrent, like our dog Moses was. And how we’re working on Sophie currently.
Since most of the ‘chicken dogs’ have thicker coats and require cooler temperatures, that makes them unsuitable for the Southern half of the United States.
Although, herding dogs or shepherd dogs, if trained consistently, could at least deter predators, if not actively guard your chickens. Some breed examples include:
Keeping chickens attracts predators, especially living on acreage. And you want to protect your birds, your investment, and the eggs they produce. I hope I gave you some ideas on what dog breeds work the best with backyard birds. But the most important thing to know and remember is to train your dog to think of your chickens as part of the pack.
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If you have chickens, it’s very likely that you’ve seen eggs with some egg shell quality problems. And that mostly affects big farms that sell to grocery chains, since people like uniformity. However, for backyard chicken owners, it’s not that big of a deal to have a weird egg, unless it’s caused by disease. So I’ll go over the most common egg shell quality problems, the causes, and how to rectify the issues.
This is the part where most people would go over egg development. But I am not going to do that, because, I figure, if you really wanted to know how an egg becomes this yummy, beautiful food we eat for breakfast (or other times of the day), then you can click here.
Common Factors Affecting Egg Shell Quality
There are at least 7 factors that influence the quality of egg shells and even eggs, including:
The hen’s age
The quality of egg shells deteriorates with age as does the laying habits of the bird. She’ll start to lay eggs less frequently. And sometimes the older certain hens get, the bigger their eggs will get.
Commercial, hybrid-hens have been bred many decades to come up with the perfect egg shape. This isn’t the case with our typical backyard birds, so sometimes they might come out looking funky.
Nutrition of the laying hen
Getting the perfect egg requires a high grade diet.
Quality of the birds’ water
Saline water severely and adversely affects the quality of eggs and egg shells.
Management of and lighting schedule
If your chickens are used for egg production, then whether you use artificial light, and if you use it correctly, are of utmost importance with egg shell quality.
Heat stress, vitamin deficiencies, and respiratory illnesses will all cause egg shell quality problems.
And stress
I mentioned in another post how stress, like over crowding, bullying, and predators can affect the laying habits of birds. I knew that it would cause chickens to stop laying, but I didn’t know that it would cause egg shell quality issues.
Common Egg Shell Quality Problems
Dirty egg shells
Raising chickens and/or ducks, you will on occasion get some dirty eggs, especially if a heavy girl accidentally breaks an egg. Then you get hay/straw all over it, which makes it a sticky, nasty mess on the rest of the eggs.
But if you are regularly getting dirty, soiled eggs, then it could mean there’s too much salt, electrolyte issues, and/or indigestible food causing wet droppings. (Or you could have a duck that constantly leaves a dirty mess, because that’s what they do.) Moving on.
If you’re regularly collecting dirty eggs, then collect them more often. And avoid foods that cause wet droppings. Also make sure your birds aren’t getting soft water (from a water softener), because it could be giving them too much salt.
Wrinkled egg shells
Eggs that have wrinkles or thin creases on them are typically referred to as wrinkled eggs. Some other sites also refer to them as corrugated egg shells. And this can be caused by stress, including heat stress, a defective shell gland, poor diet, and infectious bronchitis.
So while perfectly safe to eat, if it’s a one time thing, it’s nothing to worry about. Your hen probably got spooked by a dog barking, or she got too hot. If it continues, check your coop out and make adjustments as needed, if there’s not enough ventilation or there’s over-crowding. However if any of your birds look ill, call a veterinarian.
Shell-less eggs
This is another issue that first time egg layers can face. But it can also be seen by other members of your flock. And other culprits can be stress, some vitamin and mineral deficiencies, too much salt, and illness.
The first thing you want to do is make sure your backyard birds are getting enough calcium by offering them free choice oyster shell. However if the problem persists, check for possible stress in your flock, and the salinity of their water. And don’t forget to look them over for respiratory problems. Though you may need to call the vet if all else seems good.
Soft-shelled eggs
Stress, dietary imbalances, and lack of calcium causes soft shelled eggs. Most of the time the stress is in the form of hen-pecking, but it could be a neighbor’s dog running into the hen house while the hen is laying. The birds can be fine, because you rescued them. However it’s still stressful. And it will show up in their eggs and shells.
So, as with the one above, make sure you’re giving your birds free choice oyster shell. And feed them high quality chicken feed, reserving treats as a treat only. Don’t make treats or table scraps their source of food.
Thin shelled eggs
As hens age, their shells get thinner. So it’s important to continue offering oyster shell. But another cause of thin shells is if you’re giving your hens a lot of treats, therefore make sure you’re giving them a more properly balanced prepared feed than you do treats. If you’re getting thin shelled eggs, lay off on the treats for a while until the eggs normalize.
Misshapen eggs
The egg on the left is from a chicken, while the one on the right is from our oldest Pekin duck. And Pekins lay very large eggs, so the chicken egg would be considered odd for its size. An older hen probably laid it.
These types of eggs are either too big, too small, too round, or too something else. Just fill it in with whatever you want. And usually this really only matters, for the most part, for large operations that sell to the public. Because, once again, people want uniformity, and if something looks off, they think something might be wrong.
The most common reason for misshapen eggs is that a pullet is just starting to lay eggs. We’ve had a couple of hens that have laid long eggs, and only for a short while. And they were all new pullets. But nothing was wrong with the eggs, except they didn’t look like everybody else’s. If I sold to the public, I’d have to throw them out.
However that’s not the only reason for misshapen eggs. Defective shell glands, stress in the henhouse, and a number of diseases. So if your birds have all been laying eggs for some time, and you run a poultry palace, then call a veterinarian to check for illnesses.
Calcium deposits or pimples
An egg that’s rough with tiny bumps on it has calcium deposits. And the most common reason for it is excess calcium in the diet. Another possible cause is too much vitamin D3 and/or overactive shell gland.
If the calcium deposits are caused by nutritional imbalances, make sure you’re giving your birds high quality, properly prepared feed with free choice oyster shell.
Calcium deposits inside eggs
I wanted to include this, even though it’s not on the egg shell. But calcium deposits can show up even inside the egg. And you can mistake them for bugs, however they absolutely are not bugs. They’re tiny little beads though! And yes, they’re the same as calcium deposits that occur on egg shells, only these happen inside the egg shell.
Speckled eggs
The spots on speckled eggs can be brown or white. And the most common reasons are too much calcium, disturbance during calcification, and/or a defective shell gland.
Although some hens might lay them once in a while, and they’re not necessarily an issue. Except if you were selling to grocery stores.
Fairy, fart, or rooster egg
Again the white egg is from our duck while the egg on the right is from a new layer. This was just for size comparison.
This type of egg actually goes by quite a lot of names, but it isn’t any of those things in reality. In truth, the egg is tiny, laid by a first time egg-layer, thus the small size. And it’s nothing to worry about.
When to Call the Veterinarianfor Egg Shell Quality Problems
Most of these common egg shell quality problems are due to stress or diet. If a hen is frightened or disturbed while she’s laying an egg, the passage through the oviduct can temporarily stop. This interruption causes a whole host of egg shell quality issues.
For larger operations, this is a bigger deal since odd shaped eggs won’t fit in the same carton. Plus it will be more likely to break in transport. But this isn’t a problem for backyard chicken owners. If your birds get a good diet of quality feed, fresh, clean water daily, oyster shell, and can safely free range, they might lay the accidental weird egg. However if you see consistent abnormalities with their eggs, then call a veterinarian to check for illnesses, especially if more than one bird’s eggs seem to be involved.
This list is certainly not exhaustive by any means. But I just listed the most common ones that I’ve personally seen in my flock or that I’m familiar with. If you’re interested in knowing about all the other issues with egg shell quality, then click here.
Thanks for stopping by! As always, please feel free to comment or ask a question!
Having backyard birds is fun most of the time. However, very little in life, in any part of our lives, doesn’t require some type of maintenance. And that includes backyard chickens. So, in this post, I’m going to go over the best way to clean the chicken coop.
If you have chickens, or have had chickens for quite a while, by now you’re aware that waiting for the muck to pile up isn’t the ideal way to scrub down a chicken coop. It’s an easier job on us, and healthier for the birds, if we tidy up regularly. Thus, this will be divided into daily, weekly, and monthly duties. Also, it’s important for you to wear a mask while dealing with the dust this can produce.
Best Way to Daily Clean the Chicken Coop
At the end of each day, remove any leftover or remaining food in the feed dishes or feeders.
Allowing any remaining food to sit overnight can attract predators. Or pests and rodents. So, protect your flock, and don’t entice bugs or rodents by leaving food out. Empty out the feeders when your birds go in at night. And refill the feeders and waterers in the morning with fresh food and water.
Toward the end of the day, before the birds settle in, scrape off the feces from the chicken coop.
Bird poop, including that of your backyard chickens, has bacteria. So each day it needs to be cleared off, with a trowel or putty knife, from dropping boards and roosts. And then it can be added to your compost, if you have one.
Also, be sure to collect eggs.
If you have a lot of backyard chickens, this will need to be done a couple of times a day. Because if you don’t gather the eggs, they’re liable to break and make a big sticky mess when they pile up. Also, if the eggs break, the hens might eat the eggs. And then they might start breaking eggs on purpose, which is a bad habit to break.
Best Way to Weekly Clean the Chicken Coop
Change out the nesting materials.
Whatever nesting material you use for your birds collects bacteria and ammonia. Thus, it needs to be refreshed weekly, otherwise, it could lead to health issues for your chickens.
Disinfect waterers and feeders.
You can make a DIY solution of equal parts vinegar and water to kill bacteria. And then scrub the waterers and feeders. Though, if you have a lot of birds, you might need to do this twice a week.
Wipe down walls and ceilings of the coop.
Spiderwebs/cobwebs and dust accumulate if not cleared away on a regular basis.
Best Way to Monthly Clean the Chicken Coop
If you remember to stay on top of the daily and weekly jobs of cleaning the coop, then the monthly tasks won’t be as difficult to handle.
Scrub the chicken coop.
Clean the walls, doors, and ceiling with the vinegar solution. And if you have windows, use a nontoxic glass spray.
Scrape the roosts.
Use a trowel or putty knife to scrape the excess droppings that have built up; and then disinfect with the vinegar solution.
This is a more in-depth, deep cleaning that only has to be done bi-annually. And ideally you should schedule it in the spring and fall.
Remove old nesting material, feathers, and droppings.
Use shovels, brooms, trowels, and a putty knife to accomplish this. Once done, add what you’ve collected to your compost.
Remove any remaining dust.
Using a hose, rinse down the coop.
Next, wash all the surfaces.
Use a brush and your vinegar solution to cleanse and disinfect the chicken coop. Make sure you clean the nesting boxes too! Afterward, give everything a thorough rinse with the hose.
Dry out the coop.
Try to get out as much excess water as you can. And then keep the doors (& windows, if you have them) open in order to dry out the chicken coop. If you have portable nesting boxes, put those and the feeders in the sun to dry faster.
Spread more nesting materials in coop.
After everything is fully dried, put more nesting material in the coop and nesting boxes. Wallow out depressions in the boxes where the hens will lay, because otherwise, the hens will scratch out the material.
I already mentioned wearing a mask when cleaning the chicken coop. This is very important, because birds carry diseases, some you’ve never even heard of. Also, you might think of wearing gloves and only shoes for out in the chicken yard. This is so you don’t bring anything into your home from the birds.
Only use natural cleaners like vinegar. And avoid anything that contains bleach, since that can be harmful to backyard chickens. Also, while you’re out cleaning their home, check to see if anything needs to be repaired. If there are sharp edges, a bird can get hurt. Or if there’s a hole in the wire, a predator could slip in.
If you have any questions or anything to add, I’d love to hear from you!
Chickens can, and do, lose feathers from time to time. And most of the time it’s nothing to worry about. However, it’s always a good idea to inspect your flock to determine where the feather loss is coming from. Are all of the birds affected? Is it general feather loss? Or is it only in one spot on a few birds? We’ll cover all of these questions why chickens are losing feathers.
Chickens Losing Feathers Due to Molting
In another post I covered the topic of molting in detail. But I’ll go over some quick points. If your backyard flock is molting, it typically affects all of the birds. It also can affect any part of their bodies. Some chickens completely lose all of their feathers, while others might only lose the ones around their faces and tails.
Also, molting usually occurs in late fall and lasts about 3 months. There are some breeds that can molt in the spring as well. However, it isn’t as drastic as the fall molt. So, if your birds are losing feathers at some other time, chances are good that it isn’t molting causing the feather loss.
If your backyard birds are molting, the most important things you can do for them are
to feed them a higher protein feed with 20% protein.
don’t handle them much, because they are sensitive due to feather loss and new growth.
keep the stress low and don’t add new birds during this time.
and be sure to have plenty of clean, fresh water daily and proper air ventilation in the coop.
Feather Loss on a Chicken Because of a Broody Hen
Another common reason for feather loss is when you have a broody hen or hens. A broody hen is a hen that stops laying eggs, and instead stays on a nest of eggs all day, several days to weeks long until she hatches some chicks.
With a broody hen you will not see a lot of feathers all over your yard. Because it’s restricted only to that one hen. Or hens, if you have more than one broody hen. The feather loss will also be confined to the coop, since the broody hen won’t leave her eggs. And the feathers will usually be missing from the hen’s chest, where she plucked them out herself, to make a proper nest for her clutch.
If you have a broody hen, and don’t want to break the broodiness, the most important things you can do are to
separate her from the rest of the flock by putting a partition wall made of chicken wire in the nesting box she has chosen.
provide fresh, clean water and food daily.
and give her access to frequent bathroom breaks.
If you don’t want your hen to be broody, then you can break it by completely separating her from the flock. You don’t want her to be able to see them, or vice versa. And try to keep her in a room or area that is well lit.
Chickens Losing Feathers Because of Parasites, like Mites or Lice
Another cause of feather loss in chickens is from external parasites like mites or lice. Usually it presents on the bird’s back where they have been over-preening and plucking in order to get relief. There will be other symptoms if mites or lice is the cause of feather loss, like reduction in egg production. And the birds will also have pale combs and wattles.
If you suspect that external parasites are the culprit, you can check the bird’s vent area for scabs or signs of inflammation. Many people claim that you can’t see mites. However, that’s not entirely true. Sometimes you can see them on the feather shafts or on the undersides of where your birds roost at night.
Lice also can typically be seen on feather shafts. However, they also migrate toward the vent area as well. If you pull back your bird’s feathers from her vent, often lice will be seen, trying to hide.
If you have verified that you have a bird with lice or mites, then the most important things you can do are to
treat your whole flock immediately or as soon as possible with Ivermectin. (0.2 – 0.4 mg per kg topically at their shoulders where they can’t reach and once more in 2 weeks.)
you can also use petroleum jelly on your birds’ legs to smother leg mites and prevent eggs from hatching. However, this will need to be done a few times to make sure the parasites are all gone.
finally, you can prevent external parasites by keeping the coop and run clean and by providing your birds areas where they can dust bathe. We also add food grade diatomaceous earth to the coop and dust bathing spots.
Predator Attacks that are Causing Feather Loss
Sometimes predator attacks will leave no evidence of the crime. And others will leave behind feathers. At times that might be all you see. In one of my other posts I described how one of our Ameraucana hens was attacked by a hawk. More often the hawk doesn’t leave behind its prey. Although, in this particular case, the hawk dropped our hen.
Another time our neighbor’s dog got one of our broilers. We didn’t have feathers in our yard; they were scattered all over his. If you suspect an animal attack, first inspect your birds for missing feathers on their backs or tails. They will act scared and could be in their coop hiding, if there was a predator attack. Also, check for any injuries and open wounds.
Once you’ve determined that your bird was attacked by a predator, and it’s still alive, the most important things you can do are to
separate her from the rest of the flock in a safe and comfortable environment with fresh, clean water and food.
keep stress to a minimum, because she is scared or even possibly in shock.
clean the wound by flushing with warm sterile salt water or 0.05% chlorhexidine.
and, if your bird was bitten by a predator, call a veterinarian to get an antibiotic.
Feather Loss Due to Over-mating, or an Aggressive Rooster
The final cause of chickens losing feathers is due to aggressive, or over mating, by a rooster. Thus, you will not see feather loss in roosters if indeed mating is the cause. Because only the roosters get on the hens in order to mate.
Sometimes this type of feather loss can start out in a small patch near the tail feathers. However, if left untreated, the spot will only grow. It can get so bad that the rooster pulls the hen’s skin, and then the hen is in danger of infection.
Most of the time, when I’ve considered this type of feather loss in our flock, it has usually been the hens on the bottom of the pecking order. Not always, but most of the time. And then there are the times when the roosters will have a favorite hen. And consequently, she will get entirely too much notice.
You can determine if over breeding is the reason for the feather loss just by whether or not you have any roosters. And if you do, then observe your backyard flock. Or, more specifically, your rooster. Watch how he interacts with the hens. Does he have a favorite? Is he rough? Does it always seem like one hen is getting way more physical attention than the rest?
If you have a hen with feather loss on her back caused by over mating, the most important things you can do are to
examine your hen for broken skin. And, if there isn’t any, you can invest in saddles for your hens or make some yourself.
if your hen has broken skin, clean the area with warm sterile, salt water, and add either Battles Gentian Violet spray or Blu-Kote to the wound. Both treatments look similar when applied.
assuming the wound is large and in danger of infection, rather than using Blu-Kote or Battles Gentian Violet spray, you need something stronger. Povidone-iodine is an over the counter, broad spectrum anti-microbial that’s recommended in these cases. Which you can find at WalMart or on Amazon.
in case you have to treat your hen for a wound that requires an anti-microbial due to broken skin, you need to keep the rooster away from that hen. You can accomplish this by keeping her in a separate spot, not entirely isolated from the flock. But possibly where you keep your broody hens. This way she can heal without continually getting re-injured.
monitor her progress and call a vet if she doesn’t show signs of improvement.
to prevent feather loss on your chicken’s back due to over-mating, make sure you have the proper hen to rooster ratio. Most people agree that no less than 10 hens per rooster should be the absolute minimum.
and, safely trim or file your rooster’s claws.
Hen with a saddle on.
Sometimes you will have the proper ratio of hens to roosters, and still one of your hens might get feather loss on her back. We currently have 27 hens with 2 adult roosters. And 7 juvenile chickens with 3 juvenile roos, which are not mating yet, thankfully.
Our second rooster has now chosen a couple of senior Ameraucana hens and a couple of Easter Eggers as his favorites. And the EEs backs are torn up. Thus, we’ve locked him in chicken jail so the girls’ backs can heal.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Please feel free to comment or ask questions!
What is typical pecking order behavior in chickens? And how do you know if your birds have a successful social order? If you have a backyard flock or are even fairly new to this, then you most likely have seen this behavior. Where the birds will chest bump each other, flap their wings, puff themselves up in order to look bigger, and often times pull feathers out as they peck one or several birds.
If you’ve observed this in your birds, where they seemingly pick on each other for no cause, they aren’t necessarily being mean. Because they aren’t like us. They don’t understand between good and evil, right and wrong. But the chances are high that they are displaying what is called the pecking order.
SO WHAT IS THE PECKING ORDER IN CHICKENS?
The earliest use of pecking order referred to chickens displaying their supremacy over each other. It includes pecking and was used in the 1920s by a Norwegian zoologist to describe their behavior.
Pecking is just one aspect of it. However, it does certainly capture the essence of the phrase. Because, the birds in charge, or ahead in the hierarchy, will peck the ones lower down the totem pole to keep everyone in line.
The behavior isn’t just limited to pecking though. Or to adults. If you have an established flock, you might not see a lot of aggression. At least not any more. Because they’ve settled their class structure for the time being. But if you add new members, or get chicks, then you tend to see more activity that we would consider ‘mean‘ but are perfectly acceptable to chickens.
As I mentioned earlier, they can puff themselves out and chest thump each other. Typically this occurs with birds of similar rank and size. An adolescent rooster, who just got introduced to the flock, won’t necessarily challenge the established rooster for dominance of the flock. He doesn’t even have his spurs yet. No, he will wait submissively until he’s bigger and thinks he has a chance against the bigger roo.
The same goes for hens. The more accepted, older hens will put the younger, newer ones in their places quickly. And those hens will, likewise, work out the hierarchy between themselves. Depending upon the breeds you have can determine if they will ascend to top dog position; some birds aspire to rule, it seems, while nobody wants to be on the bottom.
The hen eating is more dominant than the others waiting around.
WHY IS THE CHICKEN PECKING ORDER IMPORTANT?
The purpose of the pecking order for chickens is simply to keep order. If they didn’t have a class system, it would be chaotic in the backyard. So, if you only have one chicken, you aren’t going to have a pecking order. Or see much pecking order activity. Although, once you get more birds, they will quickly establish their social order. And normally it’s the most socially dominant hen in charge, unless you have a rooster.
If there is just one rooster, he’s in charge. And then the most socially dominant hens, working out their own class system between themselves. Though, if you have two roosters, it’s usually the most aggressive one who’s boss, unless one of them is young. And then the young rooster is somewhere in the mix; he can be just below the boss rooster or even under the oldest hens. We still only have two roosters, and they are still the ones in charge. But, after them, it’s the most dominant hen or hens.
When Cass, our first real rooster, died, and Megatron became the boss, he was very eager to do his duty. Although, our two boss hens, Fives and Echo, had a thing or two they wanted to teach him before they would allow him to take over.
They were never mean to him before; they never had a reason to prior to this. However, when he assumed a new position, and a very important one at that, I can well imagine that the two sisters had some very momentous things they wanted Megatron to understand. He was maybe only a year old, and they were old hands at this, raising chicks and wayward roosters. They were better suited to protect the flock than the last rooster, and they knew it. So they weren’t about to let some upstart waltz in their flock, acting like he knew what he was doing, when he didn’t.
It was actually quite interesting to watch how they interacted with him. I’m not kidding you, those two old hens tackled my 1 year old rooster. And at first, he fought back, but then, I think he began to understand that he was not the boss . . . yet. It was a demonstration in front of the whole flock. After a while their abuse ceased. And over the next few days the girls eased up on him, possibly giving him instructions on how to take care of his harem, before they too submitted themselves to him.
A harmonious flock where every member knows their place in the social order.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE CHICKEN PECKING ORDER?
I’ve already mentioned that there will be pecking in a backyard flock. And for an established flock, it’s limited to mostly pecking. In a new or young flock, or one where new members are being added, you will see more serious attacks between members. Although, that isn’t all that it’s about. The pecking order determines when the birds eat, drink, lay eggs, dust bathe, and where they sleep. And in the case of roosters, when they can crow and mate. So the birds at the top of the hierarchy get first and best dibs, while those on the bottom get the leftovers.
If a chicken steps out of line, metaphorically, and eats before they’re supposed to, or is laying an egg when the boss hen wants to, then the boss hen, (or the hen who’s in a better position on the social ladder), will peck the hen who usurped her place and the hen with the lower social standing will get in trouble. I have seen hens drag other hens away from the feed dish or nesting box. They are that serious about their pecking order. And the hen who got pecked usually doesn’t retaliate even if she’s ten times bigger and could crush the other bird.
Currently we only have our rooster as the boss. And since Echo and Fives died, no other hens have risen to the challenge to take their places in guiding the flock. I shouldn’t be surprised, since most of our birds are docile. They’re content with their positions, so long as they’re not on the bottom. You can read about them here.
You know your backyard flock has a successful social order when the boss maintains the peace. Usually that position is reserved mostly for roosters, however a good hen can do this as well. Sometimes a hen or a rooster will step out of line and disturb the homeostasis for only a moment. In which case, the boss will soon take care of it.
If there are 2 roosters, and the younger one upsets that balance, he might end up challenging the boss rooster. That’s what happened in the picture below. Since Megatron still has his spurs and was much bigger, Baby Nay lost the fight. Normally Baby Nay would run from confrontations with his dad. But not that day. For whatever reason, he decided it was time to take the risk.
HOW TO TELL IF IT’S NORMAL PECKING ORDER BEHAVIOR INSTEAD BULLYING
How can you know if your birds are displaying normal social order activity? I mean, it sort of looks like they’re all bullies, right? I admit, for a long time it bothered me how my backyard flock treated each other. But especially how the adults would treat the younger birds.
When we have adolescent chickens, and Megatron gets around them, he makes a special point of pecking them. And it appears really hard. But that might be due to his larger beak.
It wasn’t until quite recently that I realized he’s most likely using his authority as the boss to teach and keep the youngsters in line. And not really being mean and wanting to eat his kids.
When you introduce new members to your existing flock, it will inevitably look like abuse. But especially if you do it too fast, only introduce one new member, or one of the chickens gets an injury or has an abnormality. Make no mistake, the chickens will abuse that bird. And it won’t be just one mean hen. In general, even your sweetest hens will join in the abuse. And you will have absolutely no doubts.
It does happen with the backyard flock; you will inevitably get a chicken who will be the bully. Or you will get a hen who will be the one who gets bullied. We have had both kinds of birds, and both can be frustrating. I want all of our birds to get along. However, that’s not how they are built. They are built to eat, drink, sleep, have chicks, and survive. If there’s a member of the flock who is weaker, they automatically pick on that one. Maybe they’re trying to beat the weakness out of that particular member, but I don’t really think so.
They certainly don’t have human emotions; our complex emotions like feeling sorry or sorrow for something that is weaker, hurt, or sick. They want it far from them. It could be instinctual, because they’re preventing the spread of disease. The time we had Kix, the Wyandotte mixed hen we incubated, (who had a leg that didn’t develop completely), the flock abused her. Though, she learned to hide from the rest of the birds. And eventually the abuse stopped, perhaps because they figured she knew her place.
The times when we’ve had a relentlessly abusive hen, we’ve separated her from the flock. Because the birds like to stay together. And they have their social order established, so if you separate them, totally away from each other, even for a day, sometimes they have to start all over. Which means the offending bird will stop behaving badly, at least for a time.
Another option, which we’ve tried, is Pinless Peepers or Blinders, by attaching them to the hen’s nostrils. They make it difficult for the disagreeable hen to see very much, so that she can’t abuse anymore. Pinless Peepers are also a good preventative for egg-eating and cannibalism. The hens don’t like them obviously, and they can be difficult to put on. Although, once they’re on, they help a ton.
For more information on the chicken pecking order, click here.
Have you ever seen a stressed out chicken? Stress comes in many forms. To animals and humans alike. No one, it seems, is immune from stress. The first form of stress in chickens I’m going to cover will be risks of extreme temperature.
Risks of Extreme Temperatures
Extreme temperatures are something else, other than predators, that can hurt or kill members of our backyard flock. And this is, of course, dependent upon where you live and the breeds of chickens you have. I live in Oklahoma, and on occasion we’ve experienced triple digit summers. But at the same time, this is the coldest Winter we’ve had in a long time since we moved here (2010). I actually can’t remember how many times it’s snowed now this season But at the time that I’m writing this post, it’s 16 degrees outside. Chickens that do well in summers that are hot don’t do so great where it gets cold. Their ventilation system is in their wattles and combs. So the larger the combs and wattles are, it’s great in the summer months. However, it’s to their detriment if the conditions are brutally cold in the winter months.
We have different breeds in our flock, have always had different breeds, so we have some with large wattles and combs. But most of our birds have small or very small wattles and combs. This means we have to be diligent all year round to make sure everyone is doing OK in regards to the weather. Since we’ve moved in our house, we’ve added more trees for shade in the summer months for the birds to keep cool beneath. I added a kiddie pool once, however they wouldn’t go near it. In 2020 I tried getting a misting system, but Lowe’s and Home Depot didn’t have what I needed. I’m not sure if that’s because of Covid19 problems or not.
Many people want to add heaters to their coops in winter to protect their flock, although that isn’t a great idea. Your birds can’t acclimatize to the cold if their coop is heated and then go outside in the cold; it can actually make them sick or possibly kill them. Having a heat source in the coop is also a fire risk. We’ve known of a few people whose chicken coops burned down this way.
Heat Exhaustion: Symptoms and How to Prevent it
The risks of extreme temperatures are heat exhaustion and death for the summer months and frostbite and death in the winter months; these are the worst possible things that can happen. Signs of heat stress in chickens to look out for are
panting
increased water intake
lethargy and weakness
reduced egg production
reduced food intake
diarrhea
and outstretched wings and legs
To prevent heat stress make sure there is
plenty of fresh, clean water daily
a lot of shade
ventilation in the coop
and provide frozen treats
In the summer I regularly freeze bananas. And on particularly hot days, I make my birds ‘ice cream’ by mixing the frozen bananas, that I slice into plain Greek yogurt with frozen blueberries. They absolutely love it. Chickens who suffer from cold stress will appear cold with ruffled feathers, huddled, and not moving around a lot.
Frostbite
Depending on the conditions and the bird, cold stress can lead to frostbite. Birds with large combs and wattles are at more risk of getting frostbite. And it can range from mild to severe. Indications of frostbite are
blackening edges of comb and/or wattles
reddening of toes
blackened areas of claws
and swelling of comb, wattles, and/or toes
Preventing frostbite is the best option by winterizing the coop with insulation, keeping the bedding dry, and keepingproper ventilation. It’s important to examine your birds for evidence of frostbite if it’s been particularly cold.
Casanova, our first rooster, got frostbite in late 2017. He usually was very good at staying in the coop in inclement weather. Well, the first couple of days he remained inside like a smart roo. However the third day he left; I suppose he was lonely. When we went to lock them up, we saw that he was lethargic. We brought him to the garage and gave him water and put food in front of him, yet he wouldn’t eat. It wasn’t until the next day that we noticed he had frostbite on his leg. Unfortunately by the time we treated him it was too late, and infection is what most likely did him in.
I mention this because it’s been very cold, and we have two roosters now. Megatron is very suited to this weather, whereas Baby Nay isn’t as much. They don’t have a very good relationship, father and son. Baby Nay gets into trouble with his dad all the time, and he gets kicked out of the coop; when our below freezing weather started last week he was kicked out and was seen lying down in the snow. I was at work, but Paul rescued him, and put him in chicken jail for his safety after examining him for frostbite. And because of Megatron’s behavior, I didn’t let the birds out the following day. I fed and watered them but left them inside their coop.
They have all been sequestered in the coop and run for a week or more now. Normally they don’t like that, however they have all been huddling together, including the ducks, because they need the body heat. We’ve regularly added extra straw to the bedding for insulation as well, and each time Paul has gone outside to feed and water them, he checks them over for frostbite.
How to Treat Frostbite
To treat frostbite, the bird needs to be brought inside, and if the feet are affected, the feet should be placed in warm, not hot, water for about 20-25 minutes, slowly, to bring the tissue back up to temperature. Do NOT apply direct heat, and only soak the bird’s feet in warm water if you’re not going to immediately put it back outside, as this will only cause further damage. Don’t rub on the affected areas and don’t remove any tissue. However keep the area clean with chlorhexadine 2% solution spray 2-3 times a day until healed. Give the bird water and electrolytes with water.
Monitor for signs of infection: oozing, redness, swelling, etc. If you live somewhere with access to a poultry vet, call them, because this requires immediate attention depending on the location and size of frostbite. And they would be able to call in prescriptions and give you more guidance.
Causes of Chicken Stress Other than Extreme Temperatures
This next part is about stress in chickens not caused by the weather. There’s no medicine to treat this problem or vaccine to prevent it from happening. Though it can disrupt the lives of your birds just as easily as any body ravaging illness can.
What Does Chicken Stress Look Like?
If your birds aren’t laying eggs, and they’re normally happy to see you, but now are withdrawn, chances are you have a stressed out bird. In the event your birds don’t seem to be getting along, or there’s more pecking going on than normal; if they’re starting to look sick or have mites or other bugs, chances are high that your birds are stressed.
Usually the first sign that the flock is stressed or a bird is stressed is a decrease in egg production. After that, it’s a good idea to examine them and their coop for causes.
Adding Too Many Birds at Once
If you’ve ever added birds to an existing flock, you know that it takes time for everyone to learn their place in the pecking order. But sometimes the established birds can’t take any more additions. That’s it, they say, they’ve had it!
In a previous post, you can read here, I mentioned how in 2017 our flock was experiencing a lot of changes all at once: 5 adolescent chickens plus 4 adult chickens added to the flock, and a rooster who crowed all night long for several weeks. It was a lot for the flock to take on all at once. And it started presenting in their decreased egg laying. Because they were stressed out.
Abuse or Mishandling
Disease, parasites, malnutrition, predators, overcrowded conditions, abusive roosters or too many roosters, handling the chickens or being rough with them, especially when they’re molting, lack of clean water, poor ventilation in the coop, and extreme temperatures–any of these situations can stress the girls out and cause their egg production to drop. But some of these things can even cause disease.
Another time my hens stopped laying eggs was January 2019. It was just after their molt, (so they weren’t laying eggs already). And I noticed that the chickens stopped treating me like I was their god; I’m the one who gives them all good things in life and they usually flock to me. But they were actually afraid of me. Hence, it made me very suspicious. Even my rooster was afraid of me.
I soon found out that my youngest (she’s now 10) and her friends had been chasing the birds. And 2 of her friends threw some of them in the air. Thus the odd behavior. This wasn’t an isolated incident. They had been chasing my birds for some time, and gradually the flock stopped coming out to meet me for treats, which was a big clue something was wrong. They were stressed, so they didn’t lay eggs for 6 or more months extra and didn’t trust me for almost a year!
The brown eggs are Maran eggs.
Too Many or Unruly Roosters
If you have a rooster, be sure to have 8-10 hens for him at the very minimum. And do NOT get another rooster unless you have enough hens for the second rooster. 2 roosters will be entirely too much and the hens will be abused.
Two and a half years ago my daughters brought home 4 Cuckoo Maran chicks. I wanted that breed for a couple of reasons: I heard that they laid well in the winter months, and their eggs are a rich chocolate brown, which I thought would complement the blues of my Ameraucanas. One of those chicks developed into a rooster, and he had quite the urges. But Megatron is definitely not like his predecessor; he does not like to share. At all. He would chase Springer off his girls a hundred times a day. Eventually Springer was looking ragged; his tail feathers were not coming in like they should. This went on for weeks, months, what started to feel like forever. Why didn’t Megatron just finish Springer off? Clearly he was wearing both of them out, not to mention the girls.
Four Cuckoo Marans; Springer is the lighter one.
Springer’s behavior started to get worse with the hens, more violent, I suppose because he was desperate. No one wanted to be around him, not one of the hens. Everyone avoided him like the plague. One time he tried getting Soundwave, Megatron’s other hatchery-mate, as she was sneaking back under the fence. He trapped her there-she was pinned under the fence until one of us went out to rescue her from her attacker.
Springer was then labeled a violent sex offender, and he had to go. He was starting to cause unnecessary stress to the flock, and though Megatron had drawn blood on him, he was unable to put him down. We needed to do this humanely and quickly before any of the hens were killed or injured.
After Springer was gone there was complete peace in the backyard; it was like the whole flock could breathe a sigh of relief. If Megatron could speak words other than crow, he would’ve thanked us.
The causes of stress to a bird are not that different than stress to a person, although the effects can be divergent. Whenever you notice atypical behavior in your birds, it’s time to start doing some research.
Do you have any stories of chickens stressed? Have you ever noticed your flock stressed before? I would love to hear your stories and your solutions.
If you have a backyard flock, you might be one of the lucky ones whose birds haven’t experienced any chicken illnesses. Yet. I say yet, because just like people, chickens can and do get ill. In this post I’ll cover the most common chicken diseases. And I’ll go over preventative measures, and if contracted, how to treat the bird.
The Chicken Disease Fowl Pox
The first chicken illness is Fowl Pox. And it’s usually transmitted by biting mosquitoes or new birds who are carriers of the disease. There are also 2 forms of this disease: Wet pox and dry pox. Wet pox is deadlier than dry pox, because wet pox causes throat and respiratory spots that may develop into large growths. These growths may make it difficult to eat, drink, and breathe. With dry pox, there are white spots on the combs, feet, and waddles. It can look like your bird has been pecked mercilessly. At first, you might just think that’s what it is; that your birds were pecked. However, if you have more than a couple of birds like that, and their egg production is down, you just might have birds with fowl pox.
It was a couple of years ago that one of our Black Sex-Link hens died suddenly, out of the blue. Naturally that had us concerned. My husband did a semi-exam on her, but he’s not a vet. We couldn’t say for certain her cause of death. She did, however, have bumps in her mouth, which was strange. Previously we never noticed any odd behavior from her — it was so abrupt. So, we started examining the rest of our flock and discovered some white spots on the combs of a few of our birds.
We separated the 3 hens from the rest of the flock, not knowing at the time what the issue was. Maybe a day or two later, the separated hens started developing sores around their beaks. And in time we realized the hens with the white spots on their combs had fowl pox. Chicken pox for chickens, as I call it; it is not contagious to humans.
Initially we were advised to euthanize our flock. That’s the preferred method most people take with birds, because there aren’t a lot of poultry vets. And illnesses spread so quickly. Plus, if you look at the literature out there, everything says they’ll die. It’s very dismal, but we were very adamant against doing that.
Perhaps your birds are your pets. Like us. Or maybe they are a small source of income. I’m willing to bet you get some joy out of your backyard flock. Some reward. It’s not easy putting an animal down. Especially if you aren’t sure it’s really necessary.
Treating Fowl Pox
The lesions of fowl pox heal in about 2 weeks, so they need to be separated from the others. Next,
Inspect the rest of your birds to look for any spots.
Or order the vaccine and administer it to the rest of your flock. Just in case.
In the event that you need the vaccine, you may wonder if the eggs are safe. With de-wormers you’re supposed to go 2 weeks each de-worming, collecting and disposing the eggs.
We kept our three hens separated for the requisite time period. We prayed for the rest of the flock. In the meanwhile, I ordered the vaccine for my remaining birds.
Once a bird has fowl pox, if they live, immunity is supposedly life-long. Further, it’s a slow-spreading disease, which is the main reason why I ordered a vaccine; I didn’t want to wait and see what happened to the rest of my birds. I know now that the Black Sex-link must’ve had the wet pox, while the other three had the dry pox. I’m thankful none of the other birds contracted the illness, because quarantine is a long time away from the flock. And I’m happy to report that the other 3 hens recovered.
The Chicken Illness Coccidiosis
Another common chicken disease is coccidiosis. It’s a parasitic illness caused by coccidian protozoa, primarily affecting birds when they are younger. This is generally why medicated feed is offered, at least here in Oklahoma. Adult chickens can also get coccidiosis. Although, they are more resistant due to earlier exposure to infection, according to Merck Manual. Signs of infection are
decreased growth rate
severe diarrhea
death
and if adults, decreased egg production
Treating Coccidiosis
I already mentioned medicated feed for chicks, but if you have an adult bird with coccidiosis, there’s Amprolium. It’s the same treatment in medicated chick starter, which blocks the parasite’s ability to uptake and multiply. However, if your bird has been vaccinated, don’t give them medicated feed, because both taken together will nullify the effects. Other measures to treat coccidiosis include
Keeping brooder and coop clean and dry
Making sure waterers are clean
And don’t overcrowd the coop
Also, don’t throw feed and treats on the ground
Practice good biosecurity
And if you have waterfowl with chickens, make sure the coop is clean and dry. And change the water often.
Anatomy of a Chicken Courtesy of Paul Smith
Egg Binding, a Common Chicken Ailment
Egg binding is another common issue that can affect hens. Symptoms may include
Loss of appetite
Disinterest in drinking
Decreased activity
Shaky wings
Walking like a penguin
Abdominal straining
Uncharacteristic sitting
Passing wet droppings or none at all
Droopy, depressed, or pale comb and wattles
And presence of an egg in the oviduct upon an examination.
Being egg-bound simply means a hen has an egg stuck inside of her that she cannot pass. Or the hen is having difficulty laying the egg. There are different reasons this happens:
Lack of calcium, which is what puts the shell on the egg and helps the hen’s muscles contract and push the egg out
Obesity- a chicken that is obese can have a difficult time laying an egg, because her muscles are weaker and can’t contract as strongly as they should
Infection- sometimes a chicken will have an infection in their reproductive tract. They may have no symptoms at all, but it can still cause all kinds of issues, including muscle weakness
Malformed eggs- eggs that are very big or misshaped can be problematic for the hen as well
Stress- stressors such as a new coop or flock can cause problems for a hen
Premature laying- sometimes a hen that starts laying eggs too soon might get egg-bound, because they are too young
Treating an Egg-Bound Hen
How do you treat an egg-bound hen?
First, make certain there’s an egg by inserting a gloved finger (coated w/Vaseline) into the suspected hen’s vent to a depth of 2 inches. If you can’t find an egg, there isn’t one.
However, if there is one, fill a tub with warm water, and add 1/2 cup of Epsom salt to every 1/2 gallon of water.
Then immerse the hen gently into the water till her abdomen and vent area are soaking. You must be careful, because you don’t want the egg to break; that would be another issue entirely.
And keep the hen in the tub for 20 minutes at least before removing her and drying her off.
Keep her separated from the other birds to hopefully encourage laying the egg; you can also lubricate her vent with Vaseline to help the egg slip out. If after her first bath she hasn’t laid the egg in a couple of hours, repeat the bath. In the event you still no have no success after 3 or 4 baths, you might need to contact your veterinarian. If you can feel the egg, you might be able to remove it in pieces, although it’s not generally recommended, because it can lead to injury and infection.
You can try to prevent egg binding by managing your flock’s diet, giving them the appropriate feed. A chicken feed with 16% protein should contain all that your flock needs, including calcium. However oyster shell should also be available. Controlling worms is another prevention method, as is making sure you have enough nesting boxes. Reduce stress by eliminating or minimizing changes in coops or flock mates. Decrease premature laying caused by added lights to the chicken coop, by monitoring light exposure until pullets reach maturity around 20 weeks.
There isn’t a whole lot to be done about large and misshapen eggs. Sometimes it’s just a one-time thing. Though, if it becomes habitual that the hen routinely lays large eggs, she needs to be monitored for vent prolapse, which will need to be treated quickly.
Rhode Island Red hen we thought had gapeworm
The Bird Parasite Gapeworm
Gapeworm is another problem your birds might come into contact with. It causes respiratory problems in chickens. But what is gapeworm? It’s a parasitic nematode that infects the tracheas of domestic and wild birds worldwide. If your chicken is infected with gapeworm, they will gape. Or they will stretch their necks out to adjust their crops and shake their heads. They also cough, all in an attempt to dislodge the parasites.
Treating Gapeworm
I have read where you could swab your birds throat to know if they have gapeworm. The worms will appear as thin red strings. If your bird is infected with gapeworm, they need a de-wormer like Ivermectin. Although, you can prevent gapeworm by keeping the environment clean and dust-free. You also need to till the soil in the run at the end of the growing season, which is supposed to reduce residual infection. And keep up with the worming schedule.
If your birds are stretching their necks, it doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Chickens will stretch their necks out to adjust their crops; I’ve seen my birds adjust theirs after they’ve been eating a lot of food. Are they coughing and gasping? Has their egg production decreased?
Sketch of a Chicken Mite Courtesy of Paul Smith
Mites, Lice, Ticks and Other Worms
Your birds might get infested with either mites, lice, or worms. Or other critters not specifically mentioned. Anything parasitic is bothersome to chickens and could even be deadly. And the treatments and preventions are different.
If your flock has a problem with mites or lice, generally
They won’t lay as many eggs
Their combs and wattles will be pale
And they can get anemic
Additionally, the problem can even cause feather loss, mostly on the back. That’s since the hen will over-preen and possibly pluck her own feathers just to get relief.
Mites and lice can be treated and prevented pretty much the same way, although ticks need a different method. Our birds have had mites, and the natural method is diatomaceous earth, which is supposed to be a cure-all for everything for poultry. But we haven’t had great success with it. I think the first time our chickens were free of mites was when we applied Ivermectin one spring. It is recommended to treat the birds topically for lice and mites. But for ticks, the recommendation is to treat their coop and surrounding area.
De-wormers as a Treatment for Worms
There are mixed reviews for natural de-wormers out there. A lot of people recommend using apple cider vinegar and garlic. There are probably more natural ingredients than those that could be used. And I’ve used apple cider vinegar and garlic since having chickens. However, one spring our birds all got the yucky anyway (not gapeworm). We had to administer Ivermectin after I ordered Wormout gel from Australia. It was going to take several weeks to arrive, and I was impatient to treat my birds. With Ivermectin you just apply the treatment topically, while Wormout gel is added to their water. (Though I didn’t dose my chickens with the other when it arrived.)
I have read many reviews and spoken to fellow chicken owners who have tried the natural methods as well. Birds, just like any other animal, just like you and me, will still get ill no matter our efforts. Sometimes we have to take the stronger stuff. I continue to put ACV in their water once a month; (1 TBSP per 1 gallon each day for 1 week X once a month. Since we have ducks, I add Brewer’s yeast, which has the garlic in it. So I don’t have to add any extra.
Either Ivermectin applied topically (0.2 – 0.4 mg per kg topically at their shoulders where they can’t reach, and once more in 2 weeks,) or Wormout gel added to their water (2 pumps of the gel per 1 1/3 cup of water) are the best options if there is an infestation; remember you shouldn’t eat or sell any of the eggs from your flock till the treatment is ended. Ivermectin dosing is 2 times in one month, so you can’t eat the eggs for 2 weeks each dosage. And since Wormout gel dosage is just once in their water, you only go 2 weeks refraining from eating and selling the eggs. After that, start a monthly preventative of 1 TBSP ACV per 1 gallon of water daily for 1 week with garlic sprinkled in their food.
Our boss hen Fives, the Silver-Laced Wyandotte, close to the front.
Bird Flu, A Common Backyard Menace
Avian flu, or more commonly bird flu, is a chicken illness that is often heard of at least yearly. Symptoms include
A general decrease in roaming and activity
Cyanosis or blueness in the head area
They won’t eat as much
In addition, there will be excessive flock huddling and ruffled feathers
They might have fluid in their combs and wattles
Also, there will also be a decrease in egg production and coughing
And their legs may bleed underneath the skin; and they may die suddenly.
How to Treat Bird Flu
You might not completely prevent your birds from getting bird flu. However, there are things you can do to protect them. Don’t encourage wild birds from stopping by your yard by feeding them, and keep your feeders and waterers clean. Bird flu, just like other bird illnesses, can spread by wild birds.
Clean out the coop on a regular basis.
Have dedicated clothing and footwear you use when handling your birds.
Make sure not to wear this when anywhere else but around your own birds, especially when around other chickens. Bird flu can live on clothes that have been contaminated by an unhealthy flock for up to two months.
Pick up feed spillages to avoid attracting wild birds.
Also, don’t borrow or use equipment from other people who own chickens.
And clean your own equipment with which you used to transport your birds or clean out their coops.
Monitor your flock’s behavior, appearance, and appetite.
Avian flu is highly contagious and deadly to birds and humans. Although, there are vaccines for people. Failing that, if bird flu is still contracted, antivirals can be administered within 2 days. The only recommendations there are for birds who catch this disease are euthanizing the whole flock, appropriate disposal of the carcasses, and sanitizing the coop.
This is a sketch of Marek’s Disease.
Marek’s Disease, Another Common Chicken Illness
Another illness in backyard birds is Marek’s disease. Symptoms of this are paralysis of legs, wings, and neck, loss of weight, grey iris or irregular pupil, and vision impairment. It is one of the most common illnesses in small flocks and not treatable once the clinical signs have started. However, it is preventable.
Marek’s is caused by a chicken herpes virus, but it won’t make people sick. Once an animal becomes infected, it will remain infected. Though, not all animals will become sick if infected. Birds become infected by inhaling virus-laden dander. And while the virus is easily killed in its pure form, the virus itself can live for years in the dander. That means that once the disease enters a coop, it can live for a very long time, years, even if the birds are all gone. The only way to prevent this disease is to vaccinate day-old chicks before they’re exposed to the virus.
Unfortunately not all hatcheries will vaccinate their chicks; the vaccine itself is tricky and has to be used within very specified conditions for it to be effective.
Our trio of Black Ameraucana’s. Shockwave is the one closest to the front.
Vitamin Deficiency
Vitamin deficiency is something to note here, because it can mimic Marek’s disease. A few years ago, we think Megatron, our boss rooster, injured one of his hatchery-mates. He decided he wanted some ‘lovin’, and he was not very coordinated when it came to mating when he first started out. Thus, he injured his hatchery-mate, Shockwave. We noticed she stopped using one of her wings. Eventually she stopped competing for food; I think because she was afraid of getting hurt further by the other birds. She’d hang back until there was less competition.
At the time we didn’t realize what was going on. We knew she was hurt, and we surmised it was due to Megs. But we didn’t realize she was waiting on food, because she was always there when food was being dished out. Over the course of a couple of weeks she started to get weaker, until she was no longer walking.
This is a sketch of our hen Shockwave with vitamin deficiency, but I’ve seen many more photos of birds that look a lot worse.
We thought it was Marek’s due to the paralysis; Hannah, then 18 years old, was convinced. But I’d remind her that Shockwave was injured originally. Marek’s didn’t make sense or fit. Something was missing. So I continued researching the matter until I came across vitamin deficiencies that mimic Marek’s. I purchased Poly-Vi-Sol infant liquid multivitamin and immediately started administering it to Shockwave. Unfortunately it was too little too late; she died the following day.
I felt horrible, because I thought I knew what was going on in my flock, and yet, she died. I felt it was completely preventable. My point in sharing this story with you is that Newcastle Disease and Marek’s Disease mimic vitamin deficiency in the presentation of paralysis. Therefore, it’s vitally important to look at all of the signs. If we had acted sooner we could have saved our hen.
Newcastle disease
Newcastle Disease is another respiratory illness in chickens which causes breathing problems, discharge from nares (nostrils on a chicken). If your bird is infected with Newcastle disease, their eyes will look murky, egg laying will begin to wane, and wings can become paralyzed as well as their necks becoming twisted.
This disease is also carried by wild birds. And just like bird flu, it can remain on your clothing and be passed to your flock. Although most older birds will recover, younger birds are at an increased risk from dying from it. Even though there are vaccines available to prevent this disease, there is no treatment for it except antibiotics for secondary infections and supplements. Also, like bird flu, Newcastle disease can be spread to people, though it isn’t deadly. It produces either no symptoms at all, mild flu-like symptoms, or conjunctivitis or pink eye.
All of the sketches in the post courtesy of Hannah Smith.
Chicken Girl 