Coop Care
A significant part of being an eggs-cellent bird owner is providing the right type of housing for your bird. This section includes information on
The type of housing your bird needs
How to build a coop
Keeping your coop clean
Space requirements
LATEST BLOG POSTS ON THIS TOPIC:
Chicken Coop Spring Cleaning
Cleaning a chicken coop after winter is essential to maintaining a healthy and safe environment for your chickens. Here are some tips on how best to clean a chicken coop after winter: Clean out bedding material: Start by removing all bedding material from the coop, as well as any feces and feathers. Sweep and scrub the coop: Sweep the coop thoroughly, and scrub the floors and walls with warm, soapy water to remove any dirt or debris. A mixture of one-part vinegar to three parts water makes a natural and effective cleaning solution. Make sure you remove all the
Understanding and Preventing Bumblefoot in your Chickens
When dealing with any disease we have a tendency to focus all of our energy on treating the disease and then moving on to other issues. However, like most diseases and conditions in poultry, bumblefoot is largely a consequence of less-than-ideal husbandry practices. This means that you can prevent bumblefoot by optimizing a few simple husbandry practices. What is Bumblefoot? Bumblefoot is a bacterial infection or abscess of the foot. It’s caused by a cut/scrape to the chicken’s foot that gets contaminated by different species of bacteria that are present and often ubiquitous in the environment including the bacteria
Defending Your Backyard Poultry Flock from Avian Influenza
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a dangerous disease for poultry, that oftentimes leads to death of not only the individual bird, but the entire flock. It is a highly contagious disease that poultry are extremely susceptible to, that can quickly jump from one flock to another. Not only does this disease affect chickens and turkeys, but also domestic ducks, geese, quail, pheasants, and guinea fowl. As you may know already, the United States has been hit hard with a widespread Avian Influenza epidemic this year, occurring from January 2022 to present day. Commercial and backyard flocks have been
Protecting Your Backyard Flock with Fencing
You’ve put a lot of time and effort into raising your own backyard chickens. Of course, part of raising your own flock is protecting them from other animals and predators (dog, cats and racoons alike…). Whether your preference for your birds free-range or live inside an enclosure, fencing is imperative to their protection from the outside world. Below we will discuss a few different types of fencing, and their pros and cons. Chicken Wire Although chicken is in the name, this is one of the least successful fencing materials to protect your backyard chickens. The thin wire is
Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Chicken Coop
Maintaining a clean coop is important to reduce the potential for disease transmission. To maintain good sanitation, you will need to periodically clean your coop. Good sanitation includes proper cleaning and disinfection of your coop. Big picture, proper cleaning and disinfecting (and we’ll go over the difference between the two) are crucial in order to prevent exposure to multiple infectious diseases including Marek’s disease, Salmonella and ectoparasites like mites. As an example, let's say your neighbor gave you their coop and you wanted to clean it before you start your flock or simply that you want to clean out
Cleaning and Disinfecting
Much like areas of your home need a deep-cleaning regularly to get rid of the dirt and grime that’s left behind after day-to-day cleaning, your beloved birds’ homes should be cleared out, cleaned and disinfected frequently. Cleaning and disinfecting aren’t the same thing. Cleaning means clearing out the cage or coop, removing all dirt, litter, feathers, manure and spilled feed, and washing with soap. Disinfecting involves applying a specific solution to kill harmful microorganisms and help prevent their growth. C&D, as it’s often called, will help keep your poultry happy and healthy if done properly and regularly! Before