Tag: Chicken

4- Chickens Huddling in Cold Weather Chickens will move closer together to benefit from each others body heat while they’re inside the coop which helps them to stay warmer as they roost. If chickens are huddling together on their perches, then this is completely normal and nothing to worry about. Why do chickens pile on […]

Chickens can drink too much water, although it is rare. Even when a chicken drinks double what they normally do, the water consumption itself is unlikely to be a problem. Drinking too much is an indication of other issues, such as disease or stress, affecting the bird. How much water should a chicken drink? A […]

Not only does ammonia smell bad, it’s also a health hazard for you and your chickens. High levels of ammonia in the coop’s air can discourage chickens from eating—affecting the growth rate of young birds and the production of laying hens—and can cause conjunctivitis and respiratory damage. Is ammonia toxic to chickens? Ammonia toxicity refers […]

Can Chickens Eat Pumpkin Skin? You can serve a pumpkin but cutting it in half with its skin. Some chickens eat the seeds, stringy guts, and flesh but leave the pumpkin skin. But many chickens devour everything, skin and all. Can chickens eat raw pumpkins? Chickens Love Whole Pumpkins! Uncarved pumpkins are an extra-special treat […]

Since chickens are susceptible to respiratory issues, a little black pepper can be extremely beneficial to them. Will black pepper harm chickens? It is concluded that dietary supplements with black pepper or coriander seeds or their combinations enhanced the performance and health status of broiler chickens. Can chickens eat salt and pepper? Avoid Feeding These […]

The birds are capable of recognizing a non-natural mark on their feathers and preening it until it no longer appears in a mirror. They’ve also used mirrors to guide their own self-directed behavior. What animals recognize themselves in a mirror? In Gallup’s view, only three species have consistently and convincingly demonstrated mirror self-recognition: chimpanzees, orangutans, […]

Hanging old CDs or small mirrors out of chickens’ reach is a good option, or mount a sturdy mirror to a pole or post where they can see it. Be sure to use unbreakable mirrors, however, so chickens do not get injured by broken glass. Do chickens understand mirrors? The birds are capable of recognizing […]

Foraging is where chickens will peck and scratch the ground to find tasty morsels. This is how the wild ancestors of chickens would have found food, by scratching with their feed and pecking. Chickens do this even if they have a feeder full of food. What do chickens peck at on the ground? CHICKENS WILL […]

1 part sand. 1/2 part diatomaceous earth. How do you dust chicken with diatomaceous earth? It’s safe to use directly onto your hens. All you need to do is apply the powder under the wings and around the vent area. Also apply to the coop by spreading the powder in cracks, crevices and nest box […]

Herbs such as lavender, mint and rosemary not only make your chickens smell lovely, they also contain natural insecticides. Simply sprinkle dried herbs where your chickens bathe. A dust bath works best when the dust is bone-dry, and is not clumping. What herbs can I put in my chickens dust bath? Dried Lavender Lavender is […]

Americans eat more chicken than any other meat. Chicken can be a nutritious choice, but raw chicken is often contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria and sometimes with Salmonella and Clostridium perfringens bacteria. If you eat undercooked chicken, you can get a foodborne illness, also called food poisoning. Why does raw chicken have bacteria? Chicken meat can […]

Fine sand mixed with some dry dirt makes a great base on which to build your chicken run’s dust bath. A sandy base ensures the dust bath won’t clump and adding in dry dirt gives your chickens grit to forage for. This powerhouse pest avenger deters ticks, mites and lice from taking hold of your […]

Spoilage species The bacterial genera most isolated in high numbers on spoiled poultry was Pseudomonas fluorescens, putida, or fragi or Shewanella (formerly a Pseudomonas) putrefaciens. What bacteria is commonly found in chicken? Campylobacteriosis is an infection caused by bacteria of the genus Campylobacter. These bacteria live in the intestines of healthy birds, and raw poultry […]

Can I use play sand for chicken dust bath? Play sand is just fine for chickens or you can buy a few bags of building sand from your merchant, it is probably much cheaper than play sand. Other things you can use are: Sawdust. What kind of sand do I use for chicken bath? Basically, […]

If the bones inside the bird are purple/ pink this can cause discoloration to the meat close to the bones, even if the meat is safely cooked through to 165°F. What does it mean if my chicken is purple? Instead you’re seeing pigments from bone marrow that have seeped into the meat and stained it […]

Poop accumulation attracts flies and encourages the growth of fungus and bacterial infections. Hardened balls of feces also restrict foot growth and have the potential to cause defects in the foot. Cleaning the feet of young birds is critical to their growth and development. What can I wash my chickens feet with? You can use […]

Vision is the most important sense for all birds, including chickens. Hence the reason that birds have the largest eyes relative to their size among all the different species of animal on our planet. What sense organs does a chicken have? The sensory organs receive the various stimuli from the bird’s environment and include: beak […]

Remember: don’t use chicken wire for your coop or run: chicken wire is not a barrier to predators. Wolves, coyotes and other predators can tear right through it like tissue paper. (Chicken wire should only be used to keep chickens in, not to keep predators out.) Ideally, use welded wire fencing or hardware cloth. What […]

At a level of 60 dB sound pressure level (re 20 μN/m(2)), their hearing rangehearing rangeHumans can detect sounds in a frequency range from about 20 Hz to 20 kHz. (Human infants can actually hear frequencies slightly higher than 20 kHz, but lose some high-frequency sensitivity as they mature; the upper limit in average adults […]

The Dangers of Raccoons Raccoons are intelligent predators. They can climb fences and walls and even dig underneath barriers to access your chickens. They can also open latches and reach their paws through the wire mesh fencing that is commonly used to keep chicken coops secure from other types of predators. How do I keep […]