I feel it is necessary to bring up this subject now because of all the flood warnings and indeed the actual flooding that is happening in some places around the country.

If you are unfortunate enough to be living in an area that has a flood warning in place then whilst you are taking the necessary precautions for your household please remember to do the same for your chickens.

Moving housing to higher ground is probably only an option for the smallest of flocks but if you have the luxury of being able to move your birds to the safety of a barn, or possibly to live with friends or relatives until the weather improves, then you should do so as soon as possible.

As a last resort you may even consider bringing them into a garage or unused room in the house. Obviously you will need to keep them constantly cleaned in this scenario but include a box lined with shredded newspaper and a radio tuned to Classic FM and they will be happy enough. You may laugh, as many have done, but it has been shown that classical music does keep the birds calm, as members of the http://www.ex-battery-hens.com/ forum will testify.

Best of luck to you all in the bad weather

Hypothermia

Some chickens, particularly youngsters who are not used to extremely cold temperatures and older chickens that are not as agile as they once were, are at risk of hypothermia. Why they choose to go outside in such conditions is anyone’s guess but it happens.

If you notice a chicken lying down outside the coop, in the cold, frost or snow and they are showing no signs of movement you must check them immediately. A bird with hypothermia will be listless and its body temperature will be cold. Poultry are warm blooded birds so a chicken whose body is cold to the touch is in serious trouble.

Take the bird indoors and stand it on a warm area. Have some towels warmed in the microwave to hand and use a hair dryer on a low setting to gently blow warm air over the feathers. Ensure to warm under the wings and into the chest area – very important because that is where their main blood flow is, so you need to get the heat where it is going to do them the most good.

Alternate wrapping some of the warm towels around the bird then, as they cool down, off start the hair dryer treatment again. It requires a great deal of patience to carry out this procedure because the body needs to be warmed up very slowly in order for the bird to recover. Heating the body up too quickly can do more harm than good and could cause the bird to die of shock.

Ducks are particularly at risk because of their liking for swimming in water. If you have a large pond be sure to keep a very keen eye on any duck whose behaviour is out of the norm. Because their feathers may be wet, drying out and warming up a duck will take much longer. Continue as for chickens by alternating warming the bird with the hair dryer and warm towels until the bird shows some signs of recovery, even a quiet, weak cheep is a sign that you are likely to be successfully

Don’t stop trying to revive any bird that appears to be listless or whose head is lolling about for a long time – patience really is the key to success.

Once the bird appears to be livelier and the body feels warm to the touch, place it in a crate or a box and use a brooder lamp if you have one in order to maintain the body temperature. If you have no brooder lamp place the crate or box near, but not right next to, a heater or radiator. When the bird is recovered it can be returned to the flock but please do ensure that all procedures mentioned in the article on care of poultry in winter are followed.

Frostbite

Chickens can get frostbite on their combs, wattles and toes. This shows up as blackened areas that will eventually fall off. Never be tempted to remove any blackened areas because the tissue underneath will also be frostbitten.

Although it is advocated to rub these areas with cream or petroleum jelly, it is not an absolute preventative against frostbite, it is actually more a preventative against frozen comb. Feeding mixed corn and groats just before bedtime encourages internal body heat as will their natural instinct to roost closely together at night.

Frostbite actually happens when the humidity of the air in the hen house is high and the temperature drops below freezing. Your chickens will be at greater risk if they are kept in a coop with poor ventilation or one that is over insulated. Those of us who wear spectacles know only too well the effect of the lenses steaming up when walking into a warm house from the cold outdoor temperature. This is exactly what happens to a cockerel’s comb if the coop is not ventilated.

It is important to remove water containers from the hen house overnight as this adds humidity to the air.

You should also be aware that chickens can get frostbite on their feet so please ensure that they all sleep inside their coops at night and that at the first sign of any darkening of the skin on their feet or toes a visit to the vet is made. Advice and professional treatment can mean the difference between a chicken with healthy feet or one without toes.

This decline in temperature usually witnesses some changes in human behaviour, with smallholders around the country digging out their thermal clothing, cranking up the heating in their homes and donning woolly hats whenever they have to venture outdoors.

For free range chicken keepers this change in temperature also necessitates modifications in the care of their birds, to ensure that a flock’s productivity and well being are maintained throughout the cold winter months.

One of the most significant alterations required is to increase the level of feed provided to free range birds, with the cold weather having a significant impact on a chicken’s nutritional requirements.

Chickens are very good at maintaining a comfortable body temperature but when climatic conditions get colder, in order to do so, they become increasingly reliant upon extra food to help maintain this temperature level and continue to produce eggs.

When temperatures fall, free range birds will prioritise where they expend the energy they obtain from feed; diverting energy away from producing eggs and towards helping regulate body temperature. As a result, if extra feed is not provided to chickens during cold spells, egg production and egg quality can suffer.

In order to compensate for this, it is estimated that for every 1 degrees (C°) drop in temperature, free range birds should be provided with an extra 1g of feed a day. This may not seem like a lot, but if one owns a lot of free range birds, or if cold temperatures continue for a long time, there can be significant implications; both in terms of how much physical feed one needs to store and overall financial cost.

Another basic requirement is to ensure that chickens have constant access to fresh, clean water and when the mercury levels drop, this results in more work for the free range chicken keeper.

There are various heated pads and water basins that can be purchased to ensure that water supplies don’t freeze over, but this won’t always be practical due to the location of a free range flock and the cost implications of providing and maintaining an electricity supply. Unfortunately, for most small scale keepers the low cost, low tech alternative involves regularly traipsing back and forth from water supplies and breaking any ice that has formed.

One useful tip is to place a table tennis ball (or several) in water bowls used by chickens; the theory being that any ice that forms around the balls will be weaker and allow birds to peck through and access the water.

When the weather gets extremely cold, one also has to be aware of chickens suffering from frostbite; particularly in their combs and wattles (the flaps of skin below a bird’s beak).

The wattle and comb of a chicken represent the most exposed parts of bird and those most susceptible to frostbite. Whilst conditions rarely get bad enough to worry about frostbite in the UK, with increasingly colder winters, it is important to be aware of this potential problem, especially if chickens have large combs or cold, wet weather is combined with strong winds.

If required Vaseline can be applied to a bird’s comb when chickens are put away for the night, with the lubricant providing an additional layer of protection through the night and into the next day.

Alterations can also be made to chicken houses to enhance the comfort of chickens at night, with the allocation of extra bedding and exclusion of draughts being of real benefit.

If using a traditional chicken house it is wise to provide a deeper level of litter than usually utilised, thereby providing an additional contribution to insulation. This litter should also be cleaned out more regularly than usual as it is inevitable that during the winter months, bedding will become damp with rain water and mud, with associated health implications for birds if left unattended.

It’s also worthwhile spending time ensuring that sources of potential draughts in chicken houses are located and repaired to prevent chickens becoming chilled.

However it is important to make sure that a flock’s night time accommodation stays well ventilated. With fewer daylight hours during winter, damp, muddy, free range chickens will be spending an increasingly large amount of time indoors and it is important air circulates to help dry birds and prevent the build up of mould and damp.

By being aware of the points raised above, free range chicken keepers can ensure that the birds within their flock are provided with a level of care that will ensure maximum productivity and wellbeing during the coming, cold winter months.

Poultry keeper James Marshall will often be found writing about farming and the countryside on his blog Outdoorsandmore.

For mature birds this usually occurs during late summer or early autumn so the process is complete before winter sets in. Young chickens will actually moult fully or partially several times before they reach maturity and it’s the last one, at about 20-22 weeks that completes the feather formation with the final stiff tail feathers that we are familiar with.

The first year tends to be a mini-moult affecting the head and neck area but the second year is a little more drastic with birds sometimes reaching almost ‘oven ready’ appearance. Hybrids tend to moult more often than pure breeds and may have a full or partial shed in the early spring as well as the Autumn. The whole process can take a month or two to be complete and starts at the neck, moves along the back, breast, wings and ends at the tail.

Sometimes dramatic total body moults occur where nearly all the feathers fall out. These full moult tends to happen mostly at night so when you open up the coop in the morning you will be greeted with a sight akin to an explosion in a duvet factory! It can be a shocking sight but be assured they will grow back.

After feathers are shed you will see the new quills poking through the flesh. These grow and open out into lovely the fresh new livery which will keep them warm and dry throughout the colder months.

During the moult your hens will invariably stop laying. It takes a lot of protein to manufacture new feathers so they tend to put all their efforts into this rather than egg production at this time. Once they are fully feathered again, the eggs should return as usual.

You need to ensure you provide a good quality layers meal that will provide all the correct nutrients required. Don’t give too many treats, these don’t really provide enough nutritional value. If your birds moult when the weather is particularly cold maize is good for providing inner body warmth and wheat is very good as a scatter feed in the afternoons. You might even consider a wheatgerm porridge made with warm water to keep their body temperature up overnight.

If they seem to be struggling with condition adding Poultry Spice to their layers meal or tonic to their water will help correct any mineral imbalance as they contain lots of minerals and will help the hens over the moulting process. Adding protein to the diet is also supposed to help hens over the moulting process so feeding live mealworms, hard boiled or scrambled eggs with the ground eggshell mixed in, oily fish or even cat food can help.

Other reason for moulting or feather loss

Feather pecking by other birds can be a reaction to overcrowding or as an attempt to intake more protein (again this is most prevalent at the time of moult) but if the pecking causes damage and blood or a wound appear then this can quickly draw the attention of other birds who will attack the damaged area and can cause quite a wound. Affect birds should be separated until they have had time to recover.

If you have hens running with cockerels, the attentions of the male, particularly if he takes a fancy to one hen in particular, can lead to a loss of feathers at the back of the neck and the area where he digs in his claws to ‘hang on’. If one hen in is getting too much attention and starts showing signs of physical damage it may be best to separate her from direct contact with the cockerel to allow her time to recover.

Finally, like us taking off a layer of clothing, during particularly hot weather chickens may shed feathers in an attempt to help them keep cool.

While these reasons for feather loss have no underlying health related issues and will more often than not remedy themselves in the course of time, or with the swift action of the keeper, there are times when feather loss is a result of disease or stress and this needs to be investigated and remedied with more urgency.

Disease and Stress

Ex-commercial hens will often display dramatic stress-related feather loss

Unhealthy birds or birds that are suffering from stress may also exhibit feather loss. Conditions such as overcrowding, excess heat or cold, disease, lack of, or too much competition for feed and water and even poor ventilation can result in feather loss or poor feather quality in your birds. If your birds are exhibiting feather loss that doesn’t appear to be related to the moult it may be a good time to examine any changes to your management routine or their environment that could be responsible for increased stress in your flock or a quick trip to the vet.

Main picture courtesy Lucky Hens Rescue

For the two weeks prior to their arrival I had been beavering away building a coop and run – a task that resulted in surprisingly few injuries considering my rudimentary woodworking skills. The two months prior to that was spent negotiating with Mrs Pocket Farm where said item would be situated in the garden.

I have to say I was almost as excited to see if my coop design was successful as I was about getting the girls and after the first day all my trepidation was alleviated when they easily negotiated the ladder and the pop hole to cozy up together on the perch for the night. Mission accomplished – if a chicken can understand it right? The only modification I made to the original design, which was more of an oversight than a flaw, was the introduction of a side door to the run which made placing food and water, cleaning and shutting up infinitely easier.

All those years ago I kept Pekins which made wonderful pets and still provided enough eggs (even at two for one size) to fulfil my requirements each week. They also made perfect parents for the hatching eggs I put under them every season with each chick that they ever raised making it to saleable age.

However, this time I decided to opt for hybrids. There are so many varieties to choose from now that you can almost pick your favourite pure breed and find a hybrid ‘rip-off’ to match. Light Sussex, Rhode Island Red, Cream Legbar, Marans, Wyandottes you can get ‘fakes’ of all these and more with the benefits of more consistent egg production, more resilience to disease – due to the fact that most are vaccinated – and a hugely reduced initial purchase price. In my opinion, unless you specifically want to show or breed, which clearly many of you will, it’s a no brainer. My choice a Black Rock, a Bluebelle and a Rhode Island Ranger subsequently named Betty, Flo and Mary respectively.

The only last minute panic that arose was a double check around the garden for poisonous plants. Some had to be re-sited just to be on the safe side simply because anything that stands a chance of killing them will almost inevitably become their ultimate preoccupation. What’s especially nice when they are out free ranging is that, far from avoiding us, they will come over and sit on our laps for a quick fuss before strutting off to continue destroying the lawn and the borders.

The Bluebelle is a Rhode Island Red crossed with a Maran

At 22-odd weeks they are just on point-of-lay and we have had a few good practices, as well as a couple of soft-shelled efforts probably brought about by an excess of treats that both me and my daughter lavished on them. Needless to say, these little luxuries are now banned, or at least vastly reduced, until they have settled into a better routine. Hopefully not long to wait as I am looking forward to the first home baked cake using their eggs.

Spot the beginners egg

There is something about keeping chickens that is addictive, more so perhaps than any other smallholder stock. There is no doubt that they do have their own individual characters and that they are infinitely more intelligent than most people give them credit for. More than that though is the exchange that exists, the food and lodging for eggs, manure and slug removal services – trade and interdependence that is the essence of self-sufficiency. Not forgetting of course that they also make extremely attentive and affectionate pets.

It’s great to have them around again after all this time… now just how many more can I squeeze in?

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 completed and road tested with my three new hybrid hens. They seemed to settle in very easily so I can say with authority that it works in practice and not just theory however, please feel free to tinker with the dimensions, design and features to suit your own requirements.

For instance, I have incorporated swing doors for both access and pop hole where you may prefer a more traditional sliding design for the pop hole. I have also tried to do away with roofing felt – a traditional favourite haunt of the dreaded red mite – by using small gauge corrugated plastic roofing instead but it remains to be seen how effective this is and you may prefer an alternative solution.

What the basic design does offer is spacious, sturdy, safe, well ventilated and easy accessible accommodation for up to 3 hens or 4 bantams. Have fun and remember that a splinter or two is a small price to pay for the satisfaction you get from having built your own coop.

Suitable for 3 large fowl or 4 bantams
Time: a weekend
Cost: approx. £220 (shop around for the best deals on wood as prices and quality vary greatly)

What you need:*

Wood 50mm x 50mm baton 50mm x 25mm baton Exterior Plywood – one 2440mm x 1220mm (8’x4′) sheet 12mm
Fixings Wood screws 40mm and 70mm Fencing staples 20mm Panel pins Chicken wire or weld mesh Corrugated plastic sheet Door hardware including locks, catches and hinges Exterior varnish Wood preservative White PVA wood glue
Tools Mitre or tenon saw Screwdrivers Wire cutters/tin snips Drill Square

The build

Depending on how well equipped your workshop is, it is a good idea to get your timber merchant to cut as much of the wood to length as possible. An 8ft sheet of plywood in particular can be difficult to handle without suitable equipment. Those of you who have more than my rudimentary carpentry skills may want to join your wood more professionally than just butting them up and screwing them together as I have, but this does build into a very sturdy structure so the extra time required may not be worth it.

I used treated timber for everything except the ramp and the perch which the hens would be in contact with for longer periods of time. It is recommended that you cut treated timber in a well ventilated area or outside and wear a protective face mask to avoid inhalation of dust.

Start by creating the main frame from 50mm x 50mm. Our coop is based on a 3ft x 3ft interior frame. The back legs are 15cm (6 inches) shorter than the front to ensure adequate pitch for the roof. Cut the top of the uprights so they have a 12-15 degree angle. You can do this by placing the corresponding front and back legs 3ft apart and placing another length of wood at the correct angle across them and then marking where to cut.

Assemble the internal frame, keeping all angles square. If need be you can insert temporary supports at the top of the frame to keep everything evenly spaced. When the frame is assembled cut notches in the corners of the 3ft square plywood floor panel to accommodate the legs and secure to frame with screws. Drill a pilot hole in plywood before inserting screws.

The pop hole is located in the tall front panel but at this point you will need to decide which side to have your main door to give you best access when it is placed in its final position. Build internal door frames from 2 x 1 baton to size required – about a foot square should be adequate for the pop hole. The main door should be large enough to allow easy access for egg collection and cleaning. You can also create the roof supports at this stage.

The roof support as seen from inside

Decide where nest boxes will be and section off with baton glued and screwed to the floor. Make a bracket for perch at this point. The perch can be any shape but should have smooth or rounded edges. Use untreated wood. Cut the ship lap to length ensuring the the front and back panels overlap each side by the width of the ship lap so everything lines up when you make the sides. Screw to frame to form outside shell. Remember to create ventilation holes back and front – these should have fine mesh fixed behind then to keep mice and other undesirable visitors out. Use PVA glue between all joins to discourage red mite. Remember when cutting the ship lap for the areas around the door frames that you need to leave a lip for the door to close on to on all sides of the opening – about half an inch is fine.

Front panel ventilation slot with mesh visible behind

Cut the door surround sections from ship lap and fix to frame and then assemble the door sections from the reminder of the planks and brace with batons and glue.

The side access door ready for installation

Fix the doors in to the frame with gate hinges and add a suitable bolt lock, preferably one you can padlock if need be. Seal the edges of ply used for the roof with PVA glue and use exterior varnish for the flat surfaces. Cut the corrugated sheet to length (exactly in half for the size we are creating here if you have a standard 2.4m length) allowing a few inches overlap on each side and fix to roof with appropriate fixings. Remember that you should screw or nail your fixing into the peaks not the troughs of the corrugated sheet to avoid water seeping in to the holes over time. Use a double row of fixings where the sheets overlap.

Add hinges to the front and catches to the back of the roof. Make a ramp with steps – made from strips of baton – glued and nailed every 15cm (6 inches) and fix with hook and eye just below door.

If you are extending the run under the coop, as I have, you will need to add 50mm x 50mm batons between the bottom of the legs and 50mm x 25mm at the top of the legs to attach the chicken wire or mesh to. Finally coat the outside with ‘chicken safe’ wood preservative and the inside with exterior grade varnish to created a smooth surface that is easier to clean and disinfect.

The Run

The run is very simple to assemble as it is just a set of frames that are screwed together to form the final enclosure. It is constructed entirely from 50mm x 25mm (2″x2″) treated baton. Assemble frames for the sides, top and one end referring the diagram here.

Attach wire mesh using 20mm fencing staples. Ensure that you keep the wire taught and that the frames stay square. Screw together the sides and end panel and insert a brace at about 18 inches (to align just below the bottom plank of shiplap on the coop) between the front uprights.

Wire ends held securely between panels for a neat finish

Note: For a neat finish try to catch the cut ends of wire between frames except at the bottom where you can leave them sharp to deter burrowing animals. Brace the top with cross members as shown in the diagram and attach the lid with hinges. Add a catch to the front. For extra durability the lid can be braced in the corners as shown below.

Fill the gap created by the ship lap at the front of the coop legs with pieces of 50mm x 25mm batten. Align the run with the coop and secure using catches or screws for a permanent fixture.

The finished coop is sturdy and spacious

You should consider what measures to take to stop rats, foxes and other predators burrowing under the run and in to your enclosure. This can be achieved in many ways, a buried wire floor, the use of paving slabs etc and you should choose the one that suits your situation best.

Addendum

After living with the design for a week it became apparent that a run of this height – even a removable one – would benefit greatly from a side door. Even the simple solution shown below makes the regular tasks such as collecting the feeder and drinker and shutting up at night so much easier that I would recommend you add this feature in too. Other than the door the only other addition to the structure that you will need is a brace piece across the run to stop the door suports wobbling.

*Note: Finished wood sizes and lengths supplied vary drastically from supplier to supplier therefore this project outline is provided as a guide only and no guarantees of accuracy are given or implied. Please make sure you take your own measurements and estimate your own quantities before purchasing materials or assembling the project.

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 is a huge variety on offer and although some may need a bit of time before they are back to tip top condition this is a great opportunity to pick up some popular and unusual breeds at way below their usual market value.

At the time of publication the list of breeds included: Andalusian, Blue Laced Barnvelder, Double Laced Barnvelder, Silver Laced Barnvelder, Dark Brahma, Gold Brahma, Silver Campine, Gold Campine, Citrus Campine, Black/Blue Cochin, Cream Legbar (Blue Egg), Cream Legbar (Show), Crevecour, Black Croad Langshan, White Croad Langshan, Derbyshire Redcap, English Maran, Ermine and White Faverolle, Fayoumi, Friesian, French Maran, Houdan, Indian Game, Black Jersey Giant, Blue Jersey Giant, La Fleche, Lakenvelder, Brown Leghorn, Malay, Modern Game, Naked Neck, New Hampshire Red, Cuckoo Orpington, Gold Laced Orpington, Penedesenca, White Crested Black Poland, Gold Sicilian Buttercup, White Siciliana, Spanish, Scots Grey, Sumatra, Light Sussex, Speckled Sussex, Vorwerk, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Partridge Wyandotte, Red Saddled Yokohama, Duckwing Yokohama, Dutch Bantam, Indian Game Bantam.

If you are interested in any of these breeds specifically or would like to browse the breeds available please call David Spackman on 01278 661007 for more information. Unfortunately there is only limited time until alternative arrangements will have to be made for the remaining stock so act quickly and you could help the re-homing effort and get yourself a bargain too.

Natural predators:

Foxes

The biggest risk to chickens is of course the fox. Foxes are known as cunning and sly animals with an opportunistic nature. They will sometimes make their presence known, but quite often people are completely unaware that a fox is in residence. They will make short work of any loose catch or damaged fencing they can crawl through or dig under.

Badgers

Surprisingly, badgers are an equal threat to chickens. Strong and ruthless, a badger will happily help himself to your chickens – they have even been known to tear off loose wooden panels and open holes in fencing to get to a meal. Badgers differ from foxes in that they will generally work alone and only take one bird, whilst foxes will clear your chicken house and leave a devastating scene for you to find in the morning.

Mink

The American Mink can be found living near streams and rivers, but will live away from water if there is a food source available – like rabbits, small mammals or your chickens. They are found widely across the UK, apart from the top of Scotland, Wales and East Anglia. Mink have been known to kill every bird in the coop but may not eat them all, often opting to gruesomely drink their blood instead. Mink are agile and have a long body that enables them to squeeze through tiny gaps. They will return to a hen house at a later time if they see a further opportunity for a feed.

Stoats

Stoats are found throughout the UK in a wide range of habitats – from forests to towns. Stoats eat rabbits, rats and mice – an additional incentive to control any rodent problem so as not to attract stoats to the area too. While they can serve as natural rodent control for farmers who don’t keep poultry, these agile predators can present a problem and your coop will need to be very secure to keep them out. They have been known to take young birds from nests, so be particularly cautious if you let your chickens roost in trees at night.

Pests:

Rats & Mice

It has been said that chickens attract mice and rats, but it is usually husbandry issues that actually attract the rodents. Poorly stored or split bags of food are often key factors in attracting rodents to chicken enclosures. An ongoing source of food and a warm, dry, hen house are the perfect environment for rodents, so once you have them they won’t be in any hurry to leave.

Rodents will make themselves at home with your chickens – eating their food, stealing eggs and gnawing at anything from wooden parts of the enclosure to chicken’s feet. Rats are particularly unwelcome in hen houses as they carry animal-borne diseases like Leptospirosis (also known as Weil’s disease) and Salmonella. They are known carriers of swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease, so a rat infestation can be doubly problematic if you also keep sheep, pigs or cattle.

The best way to prevent a rodent infestation is to store food somewhere that can’t be accessed thus removing the incentive.

Live traps: A humane alternative

Live traps are safe and easy to use – once filled with bait they will catch even the craftiest of creatures. The main advantages for many are that they are effective and humane however, being easy to set and durable also makes them a practical solution. Live traps need to be inspected at least once a day, in order to ensure any trapped animal is not at risk from hunger, thirst or exposure. Welfare, even for pests and predators, should still be the highest priority.

Captured pests can either be dispatched humanely or released back into the wild. Ensure that you are not releasing anything that is not native to the UK, as this is illegal. You may not be aware but currently animals such as the black rat, grey squirrel and edible dormouse are all illegal to release unless you have a license to do so. The release of the common (brown) rat is allowed, despite their original non-native origins, because they are classed as a well established UK resident.

There are many reasons that you may choose to release your captured pests but you should bear in mind a few things if this is your favoured option. Strange as it may seem it is preferable, from an environmental viewpoint, to release in fairly close proximity to where your pests are caught. This avoids upsetting another areas eco-system or introducing pests into another keeper’s catchment area. Obviously you will want to avoid releasing them back onto your own doorstep but try to keep it as local as possible. What you will need to do once you have identified a pest or predator problem is scrutinise the environment you are keeping your poultry in and adjust it to make it as uninviting and secure as possible.

Our five top tips for keeping pests and predators out

Prevention is always better than cure – so follow the five steps below to keep your poultry pest proof:

• Make sure your chicken enclosure is fully secure. Mink can get through gaps just 1 inch in diameter and foxes will also take advantage of any gaps to squeeze into your enclosure.
• Protect your chickens with a perimeter fence or an outdoor pen during the day. Bury the fencing underground to prevent tunneling under it, or consider the use of electric fencing.
• Feed your chickens in their outdoor pen and not in their hen house. This will stop mice and rats being drawn into the hen house and nesting there.
• Secure any food and make sure not to leave out any cooked food. Cooked food is a massive draw to rats in particular and any grains will attract both rats and mice. Clean the feeding area and make sure the food is stored cleanly and securely.
• Secure your chickens in their coop before dusk and release them after dawn – the night hours are when most of the predators (such as foxes and mink) will strike.

Author Bio
Marion is European Ecommerce Content Specialist at Victor Pest. Victor®, the global leader in rodent control, offers a variety of innovative rat control solutions such as electronic rat traps, ultrasonic rat repellents and rodenticides to help you with all your rodent control needs. Victor® has all the information you need to get rid of the rat in your home.

This article will cover odd-shaped eggs and other egg related occurrences that may concern keepers, why they are laid and any implications this may have. Where necessary it will also suggest how you might remedy the situation and get your hens laying a perfect ovoid again.

Wrinkled eggs

Usually the result of a hen’s age this can happen for one of two reasons. Firstly, as they get older, the albumen (egg white) becomes thinner and this makes it more difficult for a shell to be formed around the egg resulting in wrinkles. The other explanation is that as they approach the end of lay, they tend to produce bigger eggs which consequentially cause problems getting the shelled egg through the oviduct. As they attempt to lay the egg, which is still soft at this stage, it takes on a crinkled effect as it is pushed out.

As long as the chickens are fed a quality layers feed, have access to grit and shows no obvious health problems there is nothing that can be done to prevent a wrinkle shelled egg from being laid. They can still be eaten just the same as any normal egg providing there is no crack in the shell which could allow bacteria in. Any egg with a cracked shell should be discarded.

Wrinkling can also be the result of Infectious Bronchitis which can affect the hen’s ability to form a thick albumen. This can still happen years after the hen has had the viral infection.

Micro/Mini Eggs

Approximately a quarter of the size of a standard egg. There will be no yolk inside it, only the albumen. They are commonly known as Wind eggs.

A tiny ‘wind egg’ will contain no yolk – this one was laid by a duck

This phenomena is usually caused by a ‘hiccup’ in the egg production process such as when a small foreign body gets into the system, is wrapped up in the albumen, then goes on to have a shell formed around it.

A hen will probably only lay one of these during her laying life; normal production is resumed immediately so there is nothing at all to worry about.

Double Yolk Eggs

These occur when two yolks are released into the ovary simultaneously, travel down the oviduct together and both get encased in albumen then the shell. Double yolkers or multi-yolkers are actually a fault in the reproductive system; should a double yolked egg be fertile there will be insufficient space for two chicks to grow. At least one chick if not both will die at an early stage.

Some shops request multi-yolk eggs from packing stations as buyers will often pay a premium for the novelty or simply because they like egg yolk. It is rare to find eggs with more than one yolk but the largest number ever found in one egg is nine!

Blood spots

Blood spots inside an egg are usually found in, or just next to, the yolk. Tiny blood vessels inside the ovary get broken and leave a small spot of blood as it passes into the oviduct. They are perfectly safe to eat.

Meat Spots

Found in the white of the egg as opposed to the yolk are pieces of tissue from the lining of the oviduct and are usually brown in colour.

They tend to appear more in older hens or hens that are in poor health. Although not very appealing to look at meat spots can easily be removed using a spoon whilst cooking the egg. The egg itself is safe to eat.

Calcium coated shells

These looks like they have a white powder all over them. This happens because the egg stays in the shell gland for too long. Young hens do this if they become stressed in some way when they are ready to lay an egg.

Excess calcium is also seen as chalky white lumps dotted around the egg. These are not anything to be concerned about and usually as soon as this type of egg is laid the hen will revert to laying normal eggs.

Lashes or meat lumps

Lashes are part of the lining of the reproductive system which for some reason have broken away. The hen will pass it in the same way she lays an egg.

While this can indicate a health problems it also happens when a hen is ageing and coming to the end of lay. Generally you will find that if the hen is behaving normally and shows no signs of being unwell, you will get no more eggs from her. If, however, she does show signs of illness or has further problems laying eggs or lashes then it is always best to consult a vet.

It is caused by a herpes virus and is one of the most widespread diseases affecting chickens but is now largely controlled by the use of vaccines.

Since the virus is not transmitted through the egg, chicks are born free of the disease. The infectious virus matures in the tissue surrounding feather follicles and infects other birds by inhalation of infected dust or dander.

There are two main forms of the disease acute and latent. The acute form occurs rapidly and can result in high mortality rates; death often occurs within seven days. The latent form presents more classical symptoms such as progressive paralysis of wings and legs and in some cases respiratory signs may develop. There is a much lower mortality rates but tumors form internally which can affect some or all of a chicken’s normal functions. Birds surviving this form invariably become long-term carriers of the disease.

Symptoms

Initial signs of infection are noticeable differences in the growth rate and degree of feathering. Symptoms can differ depending on the age or breed of the bird as detailed below.

In chicks over 3 weeks old:
Most commonly 12 to 30 weeks old
Losing weight although eating well (most common form)
Deaths starting at 8 to 10 weeks and persisting until 20 to 25 weeks

In older birds (6 to 9 months old):
Pale skin
Enlarged reddish feather follicles or white lumps (tumours) on the skin that scab over with a brown crust (skin form of the disease)
Stilted gait or lack of co-ordination
Swelling of the peripheral nerves of the leg and wing is often noticeable and can lead to paralysis of one or both wings or legs
When both legs are paralysed, one points forward and the other points back under the body (classic position)
Sometimes rapid weight loss
Gaping or gasping
Transient paralysis lasting 1 to 2 days
Coma
Death, due to inability to get to food
The visceral organs may contain tumours ranging from microscopic size to fairly large.

These symptoms need rapid diagnosis by a vet as they can be very similar to another chicken disease called Lymphoid Leukosis – although this doesn’t generally manifest in birds of less than 14 weeks. Your vet will give advice on treatment; however, prognosis of either is likely to be grave and particularly in the case of any bird showing signs of paralysis it would be kinder to cull.

In breeds with reddish bay eyes:
Cloudy, greyish eyes
Dilated, irregular pupil (“grey eye’ – see pic)
Distorted or blind eye

Normal (left) and grey eye with lesions and irregular pupil caused by Marek”s on right. Source: USDA Agricultural Research Service

When Marek”s affects the feet first
Limping
Toes may be swollen or bent
Unable to bear weight on the affected foot
No loss of appetite
No visible pain but could have loss of mobility
As mentioned previously usually starts with one leg, then a wing and then affects both legs resulting in the ‘classic position’

General
Sudden death of apparently healthy birds

Vaccination

There is an effective vaccination for Marek’s available and most commercial breeders will have administered this to their stock. There is a small chance that your birds may still contract the disease even after vaccination and although a vaccinated bird stands a much better chance of recovery this is not guaranteed

Treatment

Most people say NONE; simply cull the birds
Some tumours, particularly those of the feather follicles, clear up and the chicken recovers on its own but survivors are carriers of this disease for the rest of their lives.

Main image courtesy: Backyard Poultry Forum