Common Hazards In The Poultry Yard

Great article. Things you wouldn't necessarily think of as hazards, like styrofoam and plastic...I live in a city where styrofoam is constantly blowing in from the trash in the alleys. I have to be very vigilant.

But also RUBBER BANDS. The mail service here uses them and they are discarded all over. I've caught one hen trying to gulp down rubber bands more than once.

Very helpful for new chicken owners like myself! Thanks!

Thanks. Terrific article!!

Raising chickens involves 99% common sense. Chickens kept for eggs need to free range. They need to eat "bugs." Chickens are NOT herbivores. They are essentially a Carnivous omnivore. Mostly animal protein. They are afterall "Jungle Fowl." As soon as my chicks are fully feathered and they are really well imprinted on the sound of my voice they are allowed to run free with their "Mom." She teaches them how to survive. How to hide from the Red Tailed Hawks. How to outrun predators etc.
I saw a comment about insulating a coop that the chickens promptly ate. I live in Central Upstate N.Y. Winters here are long, snowy with often subfreezing temps and wind chills as cold as -30. My girls live in their coop that is all 3/4" plywood walls, floor, roof. No insulation is necessary. They are very hardy birds. If they need heat they are no use for me. My girls lay eggs year round and tgey are all Heritage breeds.

Chickens are pros at finding whatever it is that pray they don't find. When we insulated our coop, we used styrofoam sheets wrapped in foil. We even duct taped the ends so the white of the styrofoam wouldn't show. The little brats peeled off the foil and the tape and feasted on the innards. We got new panels and triple taped literally every centimeter of the foil wrap and ends. The next morning, we opened the coop door to find that they'd somehow peeled off the tape and eaten more! We tried again to secure the panels, but they outsmarted us a third time. Finally, we put wood paneling up over the insulation. I wish I'd read this article before we insulated the coop. I never dreamed chickens would see styrofoam as a delicacy!

Very informative for newbies and great reminders for the "pros"
Especially appreciate reminders about string & twine as well as glass, sharp things and other "no-see um" hazards.

Helpful tips (and reminders) for keeping your flock safe

Helps raise caution..

It is good to think about hazards in the yard

This article lists things you may not have thought about as a hazard to your birds. After we built our run, we made sure to go through and pick up any stray items. Our chickens still found little pieces of things. I ended up chasing them around taking things we couldn’t believe we missed away from them!

This article is filled with simple reminders we may overlook. Thank you for sharing