Articles by sumi

Approximately 2% of all chicken eggs have some defect, ranging from minor, barely noticeable faults to downright alarming deformities. So the chances are pretty good that most, if not all flock owners will at some stage find an irregular egg. This article is about the most common egg...

Cleaning eggs Sometimes, in spite of our efforts to provide a nice clean spot for our feathered friends to deposit the rent in, we'll get a dirty egg or two. That brings with it the question: to clean or not to clean and if so, what is the best way to clean it? In an informal survey on the...

Diagnosing and troubleshooting incubation problems and hatch failures Eggs failing to hatch can be a disappointing and sometimes costly experience and finding the cause of the problem can and will help prevent future losses. Failures to hatch can either be caused by a problem with the breeder...

Keeping chickens over winter Keeping chickens safe and healthy over the colder months is a big concern for their keepers as winter and the extreme weather conditions experienced in certain parts of the world can cause problems such as frostbite and in some cases losses of birds. Here are some...

Pic by @RobG7aChattTN Most flock owners keep hens as either pets or for their eggs, the latter being the highest priority. Often flock owners ask why their hens are not laying, not laying often, or stopped laying completely. There are a number of things that affect a hen’s ability to lay eggs...

Who says a chicken coop has to be a standard square or rectangular shed-style building with a mesh run attached? The sky's the limit when it comes to designs for chicken coops that are, in some cases, simply out of this world. 1. UFO Chicken Spaceship Coop What do you do with that UFO that...

Pic by Elizabethy27 Ducks and geese are hardy and fairly easy to raise. Their brooding requirements are simple and they don't need special housing or equipment, but they can be MESSY! No joke, they are as messy as they are adorable. Luckily, because of their rapid growth and early feathering...

So your kids (or spouse) talked you into chickens. Now, one of the first questions that came up was probably: "How much is this going to cost?" The good news is chickens are really not that expensive to keep and there are lots of ways to cut costs and save money. This article will give you an...

Why are my hens not laying? Some common causes. Many of us raise chickens, wait patiently for the first egg, months pass, and... nothing. Or our hens suddenly stop laying for no apparent...

Fire Safety in the Coop and Barn - Some Tips to Help Prevent a Tragedy Let me start by saying this is not an easy topic for me to write about… I've not had a coop fire and I pray I never will. For as long as I can remember I have suffered from Pyrophobia and that combined with my love for...

The more I read about chicken eggs the more amazed I am. We think of eggs as a convenient food source and added benefit of keeping chickens, as well as an essential ingredient to our breakfast fry up, but there are so much more to them than meets the eye. Did you know...? - According to the...

Keeping chickens is a wonderful hobby, but the price of their companionship and fresh eggs is the feed bill, which can get scary when you keep a large number of birds. In order to make chicken keeping more economical, or perhaps even profitable, here are a few things you can do to cut the...

Photo source: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/rustic-rescue-coop So, you fell for the temptation of new chicks in the feed store this spring and got your new charges safely set up in a brooder. They are going to outgrow that brooder within 6-7 weeks and will need to move outside to a coop...

A quick guide to feeding backyard chickens Feeding backyard chickens is an imprecise science. It’s difficult to tell someone exactly what to feed, how much to feed, or even when to feed them. So many variables are involved: the type of chickens, whether they’re growing or laying, how active...

Every day, Backyard Chickens (BYC) Community receives hundreds of questions from old and new chicken raisers. Since BYC is a terrific source of practical and useful information, we decided to ask for tips from our friendly and helpful members on how to take care of our beloved flocks. Buying...

IS IT LEGAL TO KEEP CHICKENS WHERE YOU LIVE? As with any agricultural enterprise, keeping chickens is subject to a variety of often complex laws and regulations. Most towns and cities in the USA have some local law and/or ordinance regarding livestock and poultry in place and no two towns'...

The most common causes of malpositions and deformities in chick embryos Studies have found that the incidence of embryos unable to hatch due to malpositions varies from 1.2 to 1.8%, with an average of 1.5%. Malpositioned embryos are often unable to pip the eggshell and/or are able to pip, but...

INCUBATING EGGS AND RAISING CHICKS Hatching Eggs Incubating eggs Candling Eggs Temperature and humidity in incubation Broody vs Incubator Broody hens Integrating Chicks into an Adult Flock Brooding and supplementing heat for chicks Raising Chicks Raising People Friendly Poultry Sexing Chicks...

ANGEL WING IN WATERFOWL Angel wing or slipped wing is wing deformity, where the last joint of the wing is twisted outward. Commonly found in ducks and geese, the causes of angel wing is genetics and too high concentrations of protein and/or too low levels of Vit D, Vit E...

Pic by ColbyNTX The saying "What starts right, ends right" holds true when it comes to raising turkeys. The better start you give your poults, the better the chance of raising them with very few, if any, problems. Before getting turkeys, make sure you know what type of turkey you want to get...