Tag Archives: chickens

Chickens can’t swim….

Chickens on a cold wet day

Neither can they float. If a chicken falls into any container holding water or wanders into a pothole full of rainwater it will sink like a brick as their feathers are not waterproofed and it literally only takes seconds for a chicken to ...

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Hypothermia and frostbite in chickens and ducks

Chickens in the snow - frostbite and hypothermia

Taking care of chickens and ducks during winter has already been covered as a subject but how many readers realise that they can actually suffer from hypothermia and frostbite? Hypothermia Some chickens, particularly youngsters who are not ...

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Helping free range chickens cope with the cold

Chickens on a cold wet day

With a New Year just around the corner, chicken keepers know that temperatures are going to drop; with the usual wind and rain of autumn and early winter soon to be accompanied by an icy chill. This decline in temperature usually witnesses ...

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Moulting and feather loss

Hen with feather loss on neck

Chickens need feathers to provide protection and insulation for the body and to make sure these vital assets stay in tip top condition chickens will shed their feathers annually – although it can occasionally happen more or less ...

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It’s been a long break but finally I’ve scored a ‘home run’

Mary the Columbian Blacktail

Can it really be fifteen years? Seems like an awfully long time but yes, as I count them off on my fingers, it’s a full one and a half decades since I last kept chickens of my own. A lot has happened in that time which I guess is why ...

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Project: Three bird chicken coop with removeable run

Finished chicken coop

Okay, here it is, the Pocket Farm chicken coop and run project. These instructions are best used in conjunction with the plans which can be downloaded here and the photos which accompany the text below. This is a project that I have just ...

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Rare breed poultry urgently need new homes

Wyandotte hen

UPDATE: All poultry have now been sold. A poultry project sited near Aylesbury in Bucks, which has unfortunately lost its main source of funding, is looking to re-home its collection of up to 600 rare breed birds. Priced at £15 each, there ...

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Pest and predator proofing your poultry

Red fox, the biggest threat to poultry

Keeping chickens is no longer the sole domain of farmers or rural hobbyists, many urban householders now find the space in their back gardens to house a chicken coop too. Wherever you live though one of the top priorities of poultry ...

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Eggs: ‘Ovoiding’ problems and other peculiarities

Wrinkled egg

Seasoned keepers will know that eggs can present themselves in many shapes and sizes outside of the classic egg shape we expect but they will also know whether or not an unusual shape is an indication of something more sinister or not. This ...

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Poultry health: Marek's disease

Young chicken with Marek's disease

A highly contagious disease that can survive for months or years in litter and poultry dust. Infection occurs through the respiratory system. Incubation periods range from 3 weeks to several months. Chicks become infected at an early age, ...

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