An impacted crop is a life-threatening condition that effects chickens. Find out how to recognize an impacted crop and how to help prevent it in your flock! Spring is a wonderful time of year! The grass turns green and new growth starts shooting up all around us. While these fresh greens can provide a healthy […]

Blogger Michele Cook writes a three-part series on caring for new chickens.  This is Part 3: Sick Chicks.  Look for Parts 1 & 2: “Housing Chicks” and “Chick Care Basics”. It is inevitable that one or two of your new chicks will get sick. Some issues, like pasty butt, are relatively minor, while others, such […]

Community Chickens Editor, Carla Tilghman and author Carrie Miller team up with share information with you about rodent borne diseases and some basic techniques for safely cleaning up their messes. Companion piece to Carrie Miller’s Rodents and Your Coop. Why not just coexist? Because rodents can carry many diseases harmful to both birds and humans. […]

Over the years, I’ve raised Silkies on and off. Every once in a while, one of the feed stores will get in a batch and I just can’t say no. I think they’re absolutely adorable! As we expand our chicken coop, I’d like to designate a wing just to the Silkie breed.   Another breed […]

When it comes to chicken keeping injuries and illnesses are par for the course.  Keeping a chicken first aid kit is extremely important, knowing what supplies you need even more so.  I like to have a separate small tackle box or tool chest for each type of animal.  What’s in my chicken kit?  Let’s go […]

Brrr!  It’s cold outside.  Not just cold, but freezing cold temperatures and brutal wind chills! I like to think that I am deliberate in tending to our flock of chickens this time of year, but it still happened!  Yep, one of our chickens got frostbite on her comb. See those black spots on the comb?  […]

In this incubation guide, I will take you through the common terms, temperatures, times, and humidity levels for common, assorted backyard poultry.   Often times, when people new to hatching are researching how to carry out the process, seasoned breeders will throw out terms that perhaps not everyone is familiar with. Hopefully this will act […]

At the minimum, a well balanced, age-appropriate chicken feed will provide a complete source of nutrition for your flock. I say “age appropriate” because chickens need different levels of protein at different ages. For example, chicks and young chickens need higher protein levels as they grow than adult birds. Meat birds also need additional protein […]

Altering your chicken’s living environment and even seasonal boredom can bring with it some unforeseen side effects, including a sour crop. Finding do-it-yourself solutions can help avoid expensive veterinary calls or losing your bird as a result of this disease. My first experience with this issue was quite interesting.  One bird’s case included an added […]

I’m stuck in a coop and I can’t get out!     I wish I could say the headline is a joke, but it’s not.  I also wish I could laugh about it, like the saying ‘someday you’ll laugh about it,’ suggests.  It’s only been a month since the coop ordeal. I’m sure someday I […]