Recent content by DebHinman

  1. DebHinman

    Hen with swollen eyes can't seem to find a disease

    Have you thought about a fungal infection? If the skin has been abraded by scratching, your girl could also have an underlying bacterial infection in the area.
  2. DebHinman

    Death in the Brooder

    Sometimes there are weaker chicks in a hatch. I have has this happen a few times, with mostly robust, healthy chicks and a few weaker ones. I separate the weak ones so that they can receive more nutrition and not get forced away from food or water. When I've had chicks start to struggle, I...
  3. DebHinman

    Alfalfa poisonous for chickens

    I give my flock alfalfa all the time, at least two to three times a week along with their scratch and laying crumbles. Not only is the alfalfa a good forage substance for my girls since they are enclosed (we have too darn many coyotes to let them free-range) but it is also an excellent source...
  4. DebHinman

    How do I increase my chicken's protein?

    I increase the protein content in my hens' feed during the winter and particularly after molting, since feathers are principally comprised of a protein called keratin. I mix game bird food 1:1 with my laying crumbles. The game bird food has more protein than laying rations, so when mixed, you...
  5. DebHinman

    Silly Questions, but I dont know the answer

    When a rooster mounts the hen, he deposits semen from his vent into her vent. Rooster sperm can live in the hen for up to a month. The egg which is forming inside the ovaduct then becomes fertilized prior to being layed. Optimal fertilization is dependent on the fluid exchange between the...
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