Life on the Farm
Stress is normal in every chicken’s life. Most chickens are able to adapt, even to times of peak stress. Natural times of peak stress include hatching out of an egg, arriving at sexual maturity, and molting. Weather and other environmental...
Most chicken eggs are oval in shape, with one end rounded or blunt and the other end somewhat pointed. An egg is shaped in the part of the hen’s oviduct called the isthmus, where shell membranes wrap the yolk and...
Chickens stop laying eggs for so many different reasons you practically have to be Sherlock Holmes to determine the cause. To get you started, here are 15 reasons why hens lay fewer eggs or stop laying altogether. Wrong Breed To...
Everybody loves a treat, and chickens are no exception. Fed in moderation, garden treats for chickens add variety to their diet. And they don’t contribute to obesity or dilute nutrients provided by layer ration. Summer Treats Chickens eat to meet...
Many of us who keep goats and chickens together in the same facility have certain issues to deal with. One is that a frisky goat might step on or head-butt a chicken, especially a young one. Another is that, given...
Compared to a human, a chicken’s eyes are about 25 times bigger relative to the size of its head. The chicken’s eyes don’t look so large because they’re partly hidden behind flesh and feathers. But those big eyeballs take up...
Unlike humans, chickens do not have a system of organized lymph nodes to protect them from bacteria, viruses, and other disease-causing microbes. Instead they have several lymphoid organs that work together to gradually develop active immunity that protects the chick...
Chickens feel safer when they roost off the ground, particularly while they sleep at night. Providing perches inside a chicken coop reduces the temptation that they will sleep unsafely outdoors in a tree or along a fence top. Perches are...
While chickens can get coronaviruses, the same viruses do not infect humans. Further, we have no evidence that chickens can get the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. What is a Coronavirus? Viruses are tiny pathogens, so small that millions can travel...
Every now and then I run across a newt, either wandering in the backyard or curled up in some corner of the garden. Here in Tennessee I’m always delighted to spot a bright orange Eastern newt. It never occurred to...
