Tag: Chicken

So, how many times per day should I feed my chickens? Ideally, chickens should be fed continuously throughout the day, but at the very least once per day. Each adult chicken requires about 0.25lb (120 grams) of balanced and nutrient-rich poultry feed per day. How often do chickens need to be fed? How Often to […]

Chickens do not generally need food and water at night. During the night, chickens will sleep on their roost until morning, and are unlikely to get up to eat and drink. In fact, their poor night-time vision makes it increasingly unlikely for a chicken to leave the safety of the roost to do so. Should […]

Washing chicken, even with a slow stream of water, can cause dangerous germs to splash from the raw meat onto other surfaces. These germs can then get onto other foods, like lettuce, that will not be cooked to kill germs before eating. Is it safe to eat unwashed chicken? Chicken can be a nutritious choice, […]

As long as your chickens have access to fresh, clean drinking water throughout the day, they’ll be tremendously content to spend their nights sleeping rather than slaking their thirst. You may want to keep your chicken waterer inside the coop for hygiene reasons, but it’s not essential. Do chicken drink water at night? Food and […]

Why do chickens wake up early and sleep early? They do so because chickens have more rod cells in their eyes. They cannot see in dark and so food, dangers and predators. Thus, they sleep early at night. Why do my chickens wake up so early? Sometime between 2:30am and 5:30am: The chickens wake up. […]

While chickens do sometimes split up — some perching inside, some outside — in our experience, they generally stick together in their decision. We’ve housed several flocks over the years in our chicken coop designs. Most of them have chosen to roost in the run except on the very coldest (sub-freezing) of nights. Can chickens […]

Chickens don’t need a coop, but they need a safe place stay the night. They’re happy to roost in trees, but thick shrubs or undergrowth will work well, too. If you let them take the natural route, though, you have to be prepared for the natural result– you will lose some to predators. Does a […]

Ammonia is created when the nitrogen in poultry manure is broken down by bacteria. It impacts poultry bedding, litter and the overall air quality in chicken houses. The concentration of ammonia in poultry housing is exacerbated by environmental conditions, such as high temperatures and moisture. How much ammonia is in chicken poop? Nitrogen is a […]

As for the smell—spoiled chicken smells, well, bad. As in ammonia, or rotten eggs, or just plain pungent. Even fresh chicken smells like something, but it shouldn’t smell funky. If yours does then it’s probably spoiled. Why does my chicken smell like chemicals? If you are purchasing meat and the meat has a very clean, […]

Mix equal parts vinegar and water to create a cleaning solution and mop up the area for an all-natural cleaning. Take a hand brush or thick-bristled broom and scrub the floors and walls to free any remaining droppings, stains, dirt, or debris. Rinse once more. What is the best disinfectant for poultry house? chlorine dioxideApproved […]

If you open the door to your chicken coop and smell ammonia, it’s safe to say the ammonia level is way beyond 10 ppm, which is when ammonia starts to negatively affect the health of your birds. At 25 ppm and above they will experience respiratory damage. Can chickens be around ammonia? Ammonia concentrations above […]

Chickens will naturally attract a small number of insects to their pens which are drawn to both their food and droppings. There will be some flies and other flying insects and the occasional odors. For this reason – you don’t want to place the chicken house directly next to your house. How close to the […]

Many poultry farmers advise to build a chicken coop in the direction facing south. This way, the chooks can receive enough sunlight the entire day. Where should you not put a chicken coop? Chickens do not like to be pummeled by rain, so there should be someplace for them to hide when the weather turns. […]

Chicken coop bedding is material, like sand or straw, that is used on the coop floor to manage chicken waste (i.e., serve as litter to control moisture and odors) and to provide cushion for chickens jumping off of roosts or nesting boxes. What should I put in the bottom of my chicken coop? The Bedding […]

15 chickens. Cottage Style 4×6 Chicken Coop (up to 15 chickens) How many chickens fit in a 4×6? Cottage Style 4×6 Chicken Coop (up to 15 chickens) What size coop do I need for 4 chickens? So for 4 chickens that free range, you only need a coop/run area that measures about: 4 by 4 […]

Cramped cages prevent many natural behaviors such as nesting, perching and dust-bathing. Caged hens may experience increased aggression. Caged hens experience reduced bone strength, impaired foot conditions and higher feather loss. Why chickens should not be in cages? Hens in battery cages suffer from brittle bones and bone fractures, as well as feather loss and […]

Chickens can free-range within a larger fenced-in area such as a pasture, a field, or even a backyard. Just remember that while fences will help contain your flock, chickens can and do fly over them. And while many fences may help contain chickens, they do little to keep out predators. Can I let my chicken […]

You might consider adding vitamin/electrolyte powder to the flocks’ water if the diarrhea is moderate to severe in nature. Be sure to let your veterinarian know as they might discontinue the medicine. You should not eat the eggs from any chicken having antibiotic treatment. General stress can also cause diarrhea. How do you treat watery […]

Symptoms of a worm infestation in chickens can include: worms in eggs, abnormal droppings, (diarrhea, foamy-looking, etc) weight loss, pale comb/wattles, listlessness, abnormal droppings, dirty vent feathers, worms in droppings or throat, gasping, head-stretching and shaking, reduced egg production and sudden death. Can you see worms in chicken poop? Worms in the chicken manure: Worms […]

Runny Brown Chicken Poop Runny brown poop can be a sign of infectious bronchitis or E. coli. However, it’s more likely that the chickens ate foods that had a lot of water, like cucumbers or zucchini. It’s important not to confuse runny poop with cecal poop, too. What causes brown diarrhea in chickens? Chicken droppings […]