If you’ve secured your chickens appropriately in their coop, then injuries and illness should be pretty uncommon. However, you don’t want to be caught unprepared because it can be hard to find a vet to treat a chicken.

With this chicken first aid kit list and the tips in my post about taking care of sick chickens, you should have everything you need to take care of minor injuries to your hen or roo if they do get hurt.

Chicken Wound Care + First Aid Supplies List

First things first – you’ll want to isolate the sick chicken so having a dog crate on hand is a good way to keep her contained and provide easy access. You’ll also need a container or cabinet for your first aid kit, and make sure you keep it in a location that is convenient, out of the weather, and safe from pests.

You don’t want to be digging around in closets and drawers if your chickens need quick attention. You might even consider a rolling briefcase or something with wheels to make your first aid kit easy to move around if needed.

Make sure you get the printable checklist to keep in your first aid kit too. It will help you keep track and replace your inventory as needed.

Wound Cleaning Supplies

Chlorhexidine Solution
Iodine Solution
Bowl
Syringes
Disposable Gloves

Always wear gloves when handling wounds. This protects you as well as your birds. Your first step in wound care is to get it as clean as possible. Wash wounds liberally with a chlorhexidine solution or diluted Iodine cleanser.

These antiseptic solutions are better and less damaging than peroxide for cleaning wounds. Just be careful with chlorhexidine around the eyes as it can cause ulcers.

You’ll want to dilute the chlorhexidine or Betadine 50:50 with warm water. So make sure you have a small dish for this purpose in your first aid kit. A small stainless steel pet food bowl works well for this and is easy to clean.

Medium (6-12cc) syringes can come in handy for flushing debris out of hard to reach areas.

Wound Care Supplies

Topical Antibiotic (WITHOUT LIDOCAINE!)
Honey Ointment
Epsom Salts
Preparation H
Blu-Kote

After thoroughly cleaning the wound, apply ointment directly over the open injury. Neosporin or other topical antibiotic cream is essential to have on hand for applying directly to wounds.

The cream not only provides antibiotics, but it acts as a physical barrier to prevent debris from getting in wounds. Make sure you choose one that does not treat pain/contain lidocaine. Products that contain lidocaine are unsafe for birds.

Honey ointment is another option, but it is very sticky. It might surprise you to know that honey has antibiotic and healing properties, and it is frequently used to help wounds heal faster.

Epsom salts can be used to soak sore muscles and help speed healing. For vent prolapses, Preparation H can be applied to reduce swelling and promote reduction of the prolapse.

Blu-Kote: A blue ointment that is useful to cover/hide wounds. Use carefully, it will stain your skin and clothing!!

• Chickens like picking at each other’s wounds and will pick each other to death in some cases. Appling Blu-kote to wounds is useful if you are unable to remove a wounded bird from the coop to try to reduce picking.
• For that reason ONLY, I recommend keeping some in your first aid kit. Please do not mistake that color as an antibiotic treatment, though. It doesn’t prevent, treat or control any infection.

First Aid Bandage Material

Vetwrap
Telfa Pads
Waterproof Medical Tape
Tongue Depressors
Bandage Scissors

If possible, large open wounds should be covered after they’ve been cleaned and ointment applied. You want to make sure that no dirt or debris can get in there and cause infection, but you should never wrap a wound that has not been thoroughly cleaned.

Non-stick Telfa pads can be placed directly over injuries without sticking to them and protect the wound from your bandage material.

For wrapping and covering injuries, Vetwrap is the perfect option because it’s self-adherent and easy to find. But you should know that it does stick very tightly to itself.

So be very careful not to pull the bandage material too tightly around your chicken. You can cut off circulation and cause worse injury or even death if your bandage is too tight.

Medical tape and tongue depressors can come in handy as additional bandage material and for splinting if needed.

Sick Chicken Nutrition

Crumble Feed
Large Syringes
Probiotics
Electrolytes

If you have a sick chicken that won’t eat, you’ll need to force feed her so she doesn’t starve. Mash up some crumbled feed with warm water and use a large syringe with a catheter tip to drip food into her mouth.

How much to feed a sick chicken?

If your chicken will not eat, try to feed her approximately 15ml per pound several times a day.

Poultry probiotics are great for making sure your chicken doesn’t lose any natural flora while she’s ill and can help treat sour crop (an overgrowth of yeast in the crop). Add some to the flock’s water on a regular basis and especially when they’re ill.

A vitamin and electrolyte supplement is helpful during times of stress including excessive heat, molting, and illness.

Parasite Treatments

Poultry dust
Diatomaceous earth
Verm-x
Wazine

Poultry dust containing permethrin is an insecticide that can treat numerous dermal parasites, but be aware this product is not approved for organic farms.

Diatomaceous earth is an organic option that can help control some external parasites. It’s especially beneficial when applied during your coop cleaning routine. To apply to individual birds, sprinkle directly on their skin or add to your chickens’ dust bath.

Intestinal parasites can infect chickens, but these are not as common as you might think. Some chicken owners swear by natural dewormers like Verm-x, but there isn’t any scientific evidence to support their efficacy.

Some parasiticides are sold over the counter, but make sure to check which parasites are sensitive to it and whether it’s safe to consume eggs after giving oral treatments. (Look up withdrawal times here)

Wazine, for example, does not treat all types of intestinal parasites and the eggs of treated chickens cannot be consumed for 2 weeks.

Consult a veterinarian to diagnose and treat severe intestinal parasite infections.

Additional Items For Chicken First Aid Kit

Nail Trimmers
Clot Powder
Saline Eye Wash
Terramycin
Bright Light

Dog nail trimmers are handy for cutting nails, beaks, and spurs. Cornstarch or styptic powder helps stop minor bleeding of nails and small wounds.

Occasionally, chickens will get injuries to their eyes. Keep some sterile eye wash (saline solution) to rinse out the eye, and then apply some Terramycin antibiotic eye ointment.

Emergencies often come up after dark. So make sure you have a bright lantern or flashlight and batteries in your first aid kit for chickens.

Disclaimer

The information within this post is for informational purposes only. I am a vet, but I am not your vet. Always consult your veterinarian before treating or administering medications to your pets.

The post How To Make A Chicken First Aid Kit appeared first on You Should Grow.

I mean the eggs are nice, but the fun is really in watching these curious birds peck around and do their chicken thing, and I just adore all the henny noises they make.

If you’re also the type of person who buys Christmas presents for your pets (guilty), why would your chickens not also get a gift? So I went on the lookout for some unique gifts that your chickens will love, and what I found is not just hilarious. It’s adorable.

Chicken clothes

Okay so chickens are pretty hardy and they really don’t need any protection from cold weather. But if you have a sensitive bird or one of the smaller breeds, they might appreciate something to bundle them up in on really cold days.

If that’s the case, you might consider some winter weather wear for your chickens.

A word of caution

One thing that I have to mention before I show you all this cuteness: some birds will not like being put in clothes at all. It could actually scare them, and they might hurt themselves trying to get out of the clothes.

So be very choosy about which birds you decide to dress up. If you have an anxious rooster, he’s probably not going to take too well to wearing a scarf. However, mellow birds that are used to being handled might not mind getting all dolled up.

It’s also important to note that I do not recommend leaving any clothing on your flock when you are not around to watch them and especially not overnight. Whether it’s the one wearing the clothes or a different bird, chickens will peck at anything that catches their eye.

They could pull off buttons or pull out strands of yarn and potentially choke on them or get their toes stuck in the sweater. I would also steer clear of any clothing that is glittery or shiny to discourage pecking.

Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out…

There are some seriously adorable clothes for chickens you should see.

Chickens combs are more susceptible to cold than other parts of their body. If your bird will tolerate it, you can keep them more comfy with a super trendy chicken hat or this hat and scarf combo.

Maybe you’re thinking you want to include your chicken in your family Christmas card. You definitely need this holiday chicken scarf, or you might go with a cowl neck for your hen. I’m thinking maybe we could all wear matching cable knit sweaters!!!

Chicken saddles are really great gift ideas for chickens who seem to attract a lot of attention from your roos. I know when we kept roosters, one or two of the hens seemed to be the favorites, and I often found missing feathers and small injuries. These chicken saddles are a great way to give your girls a little protection from randy roos.

If you have suburban chickens and always wanted to take your girls out on walks, and you might like this harness and leash set.

On warm days, dress your ladies up in one of these chicken tutus. A fluffy butt in a fluffy tutu? Wonderful.

Gift ideas for chickens: Have a chicken spa day!

Get your chickens a specialty dust bath blend for their coop and after they’ve had a nice cleaning, you can give them a little massage. Try a balm made especially for cold combs.

And if you’re chicken appreciates a nice foot massage, here’s a healing leg salve for your pampered bird.

Chicken treats and toys

There are few things chickens love more than food, but they also like to play sometimes. Here’s a cool veggie treat ball you can fill with cabbage or lettuce and hang in your chicken run for a great boredom buster.

You might also treat your hens to this specialty herb blend that will not only be a treat for them but also claims to make the best-tasting eggs ever. For something special, chickens love this gourmet mealworm treat, but of course, they would love homemade treat cake, too.

Inside your chicken run, you might like to add some fun toys for your birds to play with. I love the chicken swings whether bought or made. The birds really seem to enjoy sitting on them.

Have you seen the video of the chickens playing the xylophone? So funny!

Some birds might like seeing themselves in a mirror or chasing reflections off a disco ball. If you have a large empty area, gift your birds this chicken activity center which includes a ramp, perch, dustbin, treat ball and swing.

Another word of caution

When you’re putting toys in your chicken run be careful that there are no loose pieces of mirror or any shiny things in the run. The chickens will try to eat them, and they could choke or injure their GI tracts.

The wonderful thing about chickens is that they really don’t ask for very much, but I have to admit that I get crazy pleasure out of watching my happy chickens. Our homestead just wouldn’t feel complete without them.

What’s your favorite way to pamper your chickens?

Leave me a comment!

The post 20 Best Gift Ideas For Pampered Chickens appeared first on You Should Grow.

What made you decide to raise chickens in your suburban backyard?

For some reason, I have always loved the idea of having my own chickens.  I love to cook for my family and others, and dishes made with fresh eggs just sounded better.  My husband and I are both small animal veterinarians, so I thought for sure we can do this!

I still decided to read up on the subject before we dove in.  The book I found the most helpful was A Chicken In Every Yard,  by Robert and Hannah Litt.  Even as a vet, I had forgotten so much and knew so little about basic husbandry for poultry.

Where did you get your chickens?

We purchased our first four chicks in May 2015 from a seller on Craig’s List.  I had been researching breeds a lot, so I knew what we wanted.  We started with two Easter Eggers, one Rhode Island Red, and one Chocolate Orpington

They were all around 4 weeks old, had been vaccinated for Marek’s Disease (a deadly virus, the vaccine is given through the shell), and “sexed” so we knew we were getting all females.

Dr’s tip: When ordering chicks, beware of “straight run” which means you will get un-sexed chicks.  Some hybrid breeds can be sexed by color, but most require an expert to tell the sex, so if you don’t want any roosters always order pullets.

Does your neighborhood have restrictions on keeping backyard chickens?

Where we live (Athens, GA) the law allows you to have up to 6 hens but no roosters.  Remember you don’t need a rooster to have eggs!  The eggs you buy from the store are not fertilized.

How did you care for the young chicks?

Young chicks need to be kept warm and safe in a brooding box.  As babies, they cannot regulate their own body temperature and ideally stay with their mother under her “brooding patch”.  I used an old Pack n Play and it worked very well.  The heat lamp attached easily on the end, and I gave them a small box to hide in.

 

I purchased their feeder, waterer, and food from a local feed store.  Young chicks are pros at pooping in both the food and water source, so you have to clean them out often.

When did you move the chicks into their coop in your backyard?

Once the chicks reached 3  months of age, they had outgrown their brooding box, and could even jump out of it, leaving piles of poop all over my screened porch.

Seeing as we are not handy people (literally we could not build a bird house) I hired a contractor to build our coop.  You can easily find free coop plans on the net.  For this, I have one word: Pinterest.

My one mistake…I wish we had made our hen house BIGGER!  You will get more chickens than you think…they are addictive.

I would also strongly suggest using Hardware Cloth for the sides and to line the bottom of the entire enclosure.  Chicken Wire is NOT sturdy and can easily be chewed through by predators!

Another thing we recommend is to use the deep litter method for keeping their coop clean. It’s a great way to make sure the coop doesn’t smell which is especially beneficial when you live in a neighborhood where the homes are relatively close together.

Do you let your hens free range?

We let our girls free range in our fenced in yard for several hours a day.  We have trained them to come when we call!  It was easier than I thought to train them to a particular call, using treats of course.  If they hear myself or my husband do the “call”, they will literally come full speed running to us from all over our yard.  It is kind of adorable.

What has been the most fun thing about owning suburban backyard chickens?

Since there are four of us in our family (myself, my husband, and two kids), we each picked a chick and named it.  The four OGs (original gangstas/girls) were Chickie Flicks, Fluffy Casserole, Oprah Win-fried, and Butt Butt Toot Toot Snuggle.  You can probably guess which one my then three year old son named.  The internet is filled with hilarious hen names.

We are now up to 6 hens (remember I said they are addictive).

What has been the most difficult experience with owning chickens in a suburban backyard?

The hardest thing has been having to deal with losing our birds and seeing how much it hurt the kids.

We lost 2 of the original birds to health issues which we learned a lot from.  My 7 year old daughter took the first loss really hard.  I did not realize how attached we had become.  We buried that first one at her request.

What about keeping chickens with other household pets?

The biggest risk for most backyard chickens are dogs (possibly not your own), hawks, and feral cats.  Oddly enough, our own cat Mr. Moose seems to like our girls and even lays outside “protecting” them when they are roaming the yard.  Our two Basset Hounds would rather sniff out chipmunks.

We have had a hawk swoop down twice, but the girls are expert hiders.  Our kid’s trampoline provides wonderful shade and security!  If you are worried about dogs or other wildlife, I would suggest building a huge run off your coop so your girls have plenty of room to scratch and stretch their legs.

Are you happy with your decision to get backyard chickens?

You can probably tell we are HUGE backyard chicken fans.  The experience has been amazing for our family.  I have always had a small garden, and I like my kids to know where food actually comes from.

Our son collects the eggs every afternoon in a basket, we get 5-6 eggs a day now.  My daughter is the chicken snuggler.  She holds them all, petting and talking to them.

Any tips for a first-time backyard chicken owner?

The greatest expense will be a well-made coop.  On materials and labor, we spent around $550-600.  Do it right and do it BIG the first time. A well-made coop is worth the money for your birds’ safety.

One cool thing we’ve noticed is that we waste a lot less food. Our girls love leftovers. We feed them fruit, veggies, cooked pasta, bread, etc so we never have food go to waste. Plus it saves on their feed costs.

Chickens are very skittish around humans, but if you raise your own birds from chicks and feed them lots of treats, they’ll be more affectionate.

Chickens as pets are quite easy to take care of, but I would suggest you do your research before bringing home chickens. Especially to make sure backyard chickens are allowed in your area. It would be terrible to invest time, money, and emotion into bringing home some birds that ultimately get taken away.

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I would like to thank Dr. Daniel for taking the time to talk with me about her experience with chickens in suburban backyards and allowing me to share her thoughts and pictures on my site. It is very encouraging to hear that the experience has been all around positive for her family, and I hope it encourages you to get your first flock.

Recommended chicken keeping resources on Amazon:
         

Free resources:

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Dr. Daniel is the owner and founder of Mobile Veterinary Ultrasound, LLC out of Athens, Ga. She and her husband have completed specialized ultrasound training and visit small animal clinics across northeast Georgia to perform ultrasounds on small animal and exotic species. Their service provides a painless and non-invasive way to diagnose a large variety of diseases combined with the convenience of having the procedure performed at your regular vet.

 

The post Tips For Keeping Chickens In Suburban Backyards: A Veterinarian’s Experience appeared first on You Should Grow.

Why choose the deep litter method for chicken coops?

The deep litter method is a tried and true way to keep your coop clean without any extra work. It’s employed by many homesteaders and veterinarians like myself. I know it may seem counter-intuitive that cleaning your coop less often is actually healthier for you and your birds, but it truly is and I’ll explain why. This method for cleaning chicken coops is not only easier, but it takes advantage of natural decomposition to get rid of all the gross things that come along with backyard chickens.

But before we get into the basics of the deep litter method, let’s talk a little about coop sanitation.

• You don’t need a pristine coop. If you’re trying to have a picture perfect coop 24/7, then don’t put chickens in there. Chickens make a lot of mess.
• On the other hand, your chicken coop should also not stink to high heaven. You’ll know it’s time to add more litter to the coop when you start to notice an odor.
• This method works great, but you’ll have less success if your coop isn’t well ventilated. Proper ventilation of chicken coops is essential to the health of your birds.

How to keep your chicken coop clean using the deep litter method

I am a big fan of the deep litter method because you only need to get into your coop to perform a deep cleaning every 4-6 months. In between cleanings, you’ll simply place new bedding material every few days to weeks.

How often you add new material depends on how many chickens you have and how much of a mess they are making. But the idea is just to dump a few inches of fresh bedding on top of the droppings like a cat covering up their mess in a litter box. When you add fresh bedding, you absolutely must make sure you use enough to provide a fairly thick cover over all the droppings. You can’t add too much, but you can add too little.

How to clean your chicken coop

Using the deep litter system, you’ll only need to clean out your chicken coop every 4-6 months.

Step 1: Choose a day when the weather is nice and you’ve got your old dirty work clothes on to open up the coop and rake out all the bedding and droppings that have piled up. If you’ve been adding new litter often enough, this is honestly not as bad as it sounds. Do wear a mask to be safe and be especially mindful if your coop does not have good ventilation because it will get very dusty!

Step 2: With the coop emptied of bedding and any toys, feeders, or waterers (if you have them inside), whip out a scrub brush and some warm soapy water to clean all surfaces of the coop, then rinse and let dry. You’re not trying to sterilize the coop, you just want to clean up any droppings, spills, and whatnot. Let the coop air out and dry for a couple of hours.

Step 3: When the coop is dry, I like to sprinkle the corners and all nooks and crannies with diatomaceous earth. DE helps keep down fleas, mites, and other bugs in the coop. Why wait till you see them, right? You want a bit more than a light dusting in there. DE works by slicing the thin skin of soft skinned insects, but they need to be coated in it by walking through the powder.

Be careful of using too much DE, though. The particles will also slice up tender lung tissue, so you don’t want to use so much of it that you’re inhaling it. If you decide to treat your coop with DE, just use your best judgment to protect yourself and your birds from harm.

With the DE in place, it’s time to fill your coop back up with 3-4 inches of fresh bedding. You can also sprinkle any number of dried herbs in your coop bedding. My favorites are lavender, mint, lemon balm, and oregano.

It’s so satisfying to get to this point. I love watching the birds go in and enjoy their fresh clean coop.

Making chicken coop compost

Take all that stuff you just raked out of the chicken coop and put it in your compost bin or set it in a pile at the corner of your property. Let it compost for at least 6 months and then add it to your garden. The bedding material and the chicken droppings will compost into something that’s very healthy for your garden soil. If you’ve used enough bedding material, your chicken compost pile won’t stink. If it stinks, add more dry materials like straw or dried leaves to balance it out.

Deep litter method problems

The things you need to watch out for are odor and moisture. If you notice either of those, it’s time to pile on some more bedding. You can quickly remedy any issues with a thick layer of dry material. The type of bedding you use doesn’t matter as much as making sure you have an absorbent material to cover up the droppings. It’s also fine to layer different types of bedding based on what you have available.

My favorite bedding for a chicken coop is hemp bedding. You might have access to hemp bedding at your local feed supply store, but it’s something I have to order off Amazon (I found a really great price including shipping here). In my experience, hemp bedding really does last longer than straw or pine shavings, but I’ve used both straw and shavings effectively too.

How is the deep litter method healthier for you and your chickens?

For chickens, the deep litter method helps keep down moisture and the build-up of ammonia in the coop between cleanings. If you weren’t using the deep litter method, you’d need to remove chicken droppings every few days to make sure your flock doesn’t get sick.

Picking up chicken droppings can potentially expose you to harmful pathogens like salmonella. The less often you can risk coming in contact with infectious organisms, the better.

With the deep litter method, you don’t have to handle the droppings but twice a year. The rest of the time you simply toss bedding on top of it. Plus, you can use the chicken litter in your compost to make your garden healthier.

Have you tried using deep litter system in your chicken coop?

Leave me a comment with your experience!

The post Why The Deep Litter Method Is Healthier For You And Your Flock appeared first on You Should Grow.

Backyard chickens are becoming more and more popular as pets and working animals on a homestead. In addition to their lovely eggs, chickens eat common garden pests, leftover kitchen scraps, and their droppings can be composted to fertilize your garden.

They’re also pretty low maintenance, and they don’t need an elaborate coop to keep them happy. If you’re the thrifty DIY type, you can build a chicken coop from things you collect or find so long as it meets a few requirements.

Building a chicken coop can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. There are lots of resources available that provide exact building plans, and I recommend getting a couple of coop design books to use as inspiration.

Get DIY Chicken Coop Plans 

We have now built 3 chicken coops, and we saved money by using collected materials from around the farm including some metal roofing, spare lumber, and old pallets. We only had to purchase hardware like screws and locks for the door as well as ¼” hardware cloth to keep the chickens safe.

Basic chicken coop requirements

When you’re trying to use random gathered materials, you will have to do a bit of creative thinking to put your coop together. So let’s talk about the necessary design elements, things to consider, and finally how to build a chicken coop.

Chicken coop size

The first bit of advice any chicken owner will tell you is not to underestimate how big to make your coop. If you’re like me, you’re saying 4 or 5 chickens but what you really mean is one of each breed of chicken.

So build your coop larger than you think you’ll need or at least plan for a way to add on to it in the future.

The space requirements in a chicken coop are 4-10 square feet per bird. If you’re letting your chickens out to free range or in a run, they don’t need as much space inside the coop. Four square feet per bird is sufficient if they only stay in at night.

If you’re not free ranging your birds or letting them out in a run, give them a minimum of 10 square feet per bird inside the coop. Chickens that are crowded in their coop can develop health issues like respiratory disease, skin infections, and behavioral issues like bullying and eating eggs.

Chicken coop ventilation

In my experience as a veterinarian, I can tell you that treating respiratory disease in chickens can be very difficult. And coop design has a lot to do with your chicken’s health.

Chicken droppings pile up and as they decompose, ammonia is released into the air. Chickens also like to scratch around which makes lots of dust. Can you imagine being stuck in a room full of feces, ammonia, and dust? Oh my gosh. NO!

Providing adequate vents also makes sure that heat doesn’t build up and become stifling in the coop. So you just need to make sure there are some windows or vents to allow for fresh air to flow in and out of the coop. If you don’t provide adequate ventilation, you’ll surely end up with a sick chicken.

Vents placed higher in the coop allow ammonia to escape. Ammonia is lighter than air so it will naturally float out the upper vents. I also like to provide a lower vent to allow in a breeze. This helps keep the coop dry and prevent moisture from building up. Excessive moisture on the floor of the coop will trap ammonia like a wet blanket so it can’t float out.

When you’re building your own coop, you also want to consider how wind and rain might enter your vents. If you live somewhere where it gets very cold, you may not want as many vents.

I like to add a lot of ventilation in our coops. We live in the south and it’s very hot and humid in the summer, so it makes sense that I need to provide a lot of ventilation. In the winter, it’s not very cold here so I can quickly staple up a tarp in front of large gaps to block the wind, and the chickens are perfectly fine.

There’s not an exact calculation to be done here. I just think about how I would want the coop to be if I lived in there. I also think windows are a fun way to add a decorative accent to your coop. Whether it’s a traditional paned window or even cut into shapes like these stars, this is a fun place to get creative with your coop design.

It’s super important to remember to cover all the vents or windows with hardware cloth to protect your birds from predators. Which brings me to the next requirement for chicken coops…

Chicken coop safety

Chickens are a very vulnerable prey animal. And unfortunately, it is very common to lose chickens to predators like hawks, foxes, coyotes, and dogs. Because of their small size, chickens are easy prey, and it is part of your job to make sure they are protected.

As you design your coop, think about how you will cover any gaps and holes. Holes as small as an inch in diameter are large enough for raccoons to reach in and grab your birds, not to mention snakes and rodents.

If you’re building a coop from pallets, for example, you might have holes or cuts in your wood that don’t meet up exactly. For these, I simply staple in hardware cloth the best I can.

It’s also possible to use 2 layers of fencing to close gaps if necessary.

You’ll also need a lock on your coop door as hungry animals can be very clever in their methods of entry. A bolt or tight fitting hook and eye lock are usually sufficient.

Additionally, you’ll need to protect your birds from predators that try to dig under the coop. It’s best to bury hardware cloth under the edge of your coop and out 12 inches away from the coop. The idea being that predators won’t be able to dig through the cloth to get into the coop.

I do think having a dog on your property helps keep some predators at bay. They won’t scare off every animal that wants to eat your birds, but their scent and activity around your property can deter some.

Roosting bars and nesting boxes

Chickens instinctively roost at night. Provide a roosting bar for your birds to get up off the ground to sleep at night. Make sure it’s at least an inch wide to be comfortable for your hens.

When choosing where to place your roosting bar, pay close attention to the items that will stay underneath the roosting bar. This will be where the majority of the fecal material collects so try to keep that area free of other items so that it is easier to clean.

Nesting boxes can be in the coop, but not underneath the roosting bar. You only need one nesting box per 3-5 birds, but you can have more. You can build a custom nesting box or repurpose things like crates, buckets, flower pots, and bins for your girls. They like a cozy, private area for laying eggs, but make sure it’s easy for you to access and collect your precious eggs.

You don’t need space for food and water in the coop unless they are staying in there all day. In fact, they’ll likely make a huge mess out of any food or water you try to leave inside, so in my opinion, it’s much simpler to place their food and water out in their run.

Basic chicken coop requirements recap

1. Space – make it bigger than you think it should be
2. Ventilation – air flow in the coop is key to healthy chickens
3. Safety – protect your birds from aggressive predators
4. Roosting bars and nesting boxes – give them a place to roost and lay eggs

Now that you understand the basic requirements, read through the following considerations to make sure you plan for a coop that is perfect for you.

More things to consider when building a chicken coop

Cleaning the coop

The first consideration will be cleaning the coop. Chicken coops get stinky and dirty really quickly! Every night your chickens will deposit another pile of droppings in their coop, and I find the easiest way to keep a chicken coop clean and fresh is to use the deep litter method.

But you can still make things easier on yourself by:

1. Be strategic about your roosting bar placement. Droppings pile up very quickly underneath roosting birds. You don’t want your roosting bar over your nesting boxes or any cracks or crevices where it will be hard to clean.
2. Give yourself easy access. Whether that means your coop is large enough for you to walk in or you have a very large door on the side, make sure you can open that coop up and get it clean without having to contort your body to reach in.
3. Choose an easy to clean flooring material. This could mean linoleum applied over a wood floor or even a large piece of plastic or roofing. But in smaller raised coops, you can also use hardware cloth for the floor.

Weatherproofing your chicken coop

Chickens need to be protected from wind and rain as well as heat and to some extent cold. In colder climates, your coop needs a solid roof and walls to keep your hens warm and dry. In warmer climates, your coop walls and roof might simply be a tarp attached to fencing.

Make sure you account for vents and windows where rain can enter and drench your birds while they’re sleeping. You want to keep them as comfortable as possible for healthier, more productive hens.

Depending on the breed, chickens are cold hardy to well below freezing so most coops simply need to protect the birds from wind and rain. Chickens will huddle together at night, and they can actually warm up a cold coop simply with their body heat.

If you get very cold winters with daytime temps near 0, you might choose to install insulation in your coop. However, heaters are usually not necessary and can be dangerous.

Do you want a stationary or mobile coop?

Mobile coops allow you to move your chickens around your property for grazing. Sometimes, mobile coops are smaller or built of lightweight materials so they’re easier to move. But sometimes they’re full-sized coops on trailers or even wagon wheels.

Some mobile coops are little more than a PVC frame with chicken wire over them. You can also choose to make a mobile chicken run that detaches from the coop so the birds can have new areas to graze but stay where you want them.

Here are some examples of mobile chicken coops.

How many chickens do you want?

It’s better to plan for a few extra chickens than you think you will get. They have a mysterious a way of multiplying. Once you get one chicken, somehow you suddenly have 5. Either because you saw one of that was really cute or because now that people know you have chickens, they keep trying to give you more.

I think it’s also better to give your birds a little extra space. Chickens can be quite mean to each other so err on the side of caution to prevent behavioral issues.

Will you also build an enclosed run?

We currently allow our birds to free range during the day, but speaking from experience, providing them with an enclosed run is better. They tend to get into everything especially your herbs and flowers, and their droppings can become a minefield you have to navigate with every step.

Also, if you let your chickens free range, you will eventually lose a bird to predators. There is a 100% chance of that. I don’t mean to say that to scare you, but I think it’s important to realize. Even if you’re only letting them roam during the day.

I know because I let my birds free range quite a bit, and I’ve cried over many lost chickens. Needless to say, I am not letting my chickens have much free range time anymore.

There are ways to make free ranging safer for your birds, but there is always a risk. So keep that in mind when you’re designing your coop. You may also want to build a covered run and include some fun chicken toys at the same time.

Here are some great examples of coops with attached runs.

Do you want an automatic door?

If you don’t want to be running out in the rain and snow to close your chickens up, consider planning for and installing an automatic door.

Automatic doors can be programmed to open and close at certain times of the day, which makes it easy to keep your chickens are locked up safe at night and you don’t have to worry about the weather or not being home to lock them in.

If you’re building from things you collect for free or cheap, then make sure you build in a space that fits an automatic door if you want one.

How to build a chicken coop for free or cheap

If you’re piecing together a coop with items you find for free or cheap, you’re really at the mercy of the materials you can find. Pallets are pretty easy to find and set up, but there are a lot of gaps and holes you have to account for.

So step one is to gather your supplies. Here are examples of things you might find at garage sales and on craigslist that you can use to build your coop:

• pallets
• T-posts or U-posts
• lumber: we used a lot of 2x4s & 2x2s, but any lumber such as fencing can also be used
• PVC pipes, joints, and joiner
• roofing – metal roofing or shingles
• plastic tarps
• plywood
• linoleum flooring or other waterproof surface coverings
• construction adhesive
• hardware cloth and chicken wire
• chain link or other type of wire fencing
• 2-inch wood screws
• hinges, locks
• roosting bars: ladders, branches, broomsticks, picket fence posts, 2×2 lumber, etc
• trampoline frames
• playhouses or dog houses
• For nesting boxes: 5-gallon buckets, crates, large plant pots, etc

Once you have your materials, you’ll need to pick out your 4 walls and roof. For this, you might build a frame and attach metal roofing to create a wall, or you might use whole pallets stood up on their end. Sliding pallets over t-posts is a good way to get pallets to stand up on their own. Attach your four walls together with woodscrews building frames if you need them.

With all 4 walls up, you’ll add your roof. We had to build a simple frame to screw the roofing into, but what you need will depend on the items you’re using to build the coop.

If you’re modifying playhouses or doghouses, you’ll need to reinforce them for safety, add your nesting boxes and roosts, and attach a run.

Whatever you’re using to build your coop, you need to cover all holes and gaps with hardware cloth, wood, or other found material. Hardware cloth is much stronger than chicken wire, and it’s easy to attach with staples and screws and washers.

Using hardware cloth over holes and gaps also allows for plenty of airflow, but in cold climates, you might choose to cover some gaps with wood planks or other solid material.

Chickens really don’t care about what their coop looks like, so all you need to do is pull together 4 walls and a roof to keep them happy. Take a look at some of these simple chicken coop designs.

Will you add decorative touches?

This is the most fun part! Remember to include any decorative touches you’d like on your coop. Things like the shape of your windows and clever coop signs can add a fun touch. Decorating your chicken coop can be especially important in urban and suburban settings or if it’s right in your backyard.

Flower boxes and trellises really dress up a coop and run area. Plus, fragrant plants can help with odor, flies, and ants.

Final thoughts

Raising a few hens in your backyard is a great way to add pets with a purpose to your family. Chickens are funny little creatures that provide endless fresh eggs and fun company.

I hope you found some direction and inspiration for your own chicken coop in this post, and it encourages you to jump in and start raising some chickens of your own.

What tips would you share for anyone wanting to build a chicken coop?

The post How To Build A Chicken Coop: 23 Pictures Of DIY Coops appeared first on You Should Grow.

Finding a chicken vet can be difficult, and this leaves chicken owners pretty much on their own to learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of common chicken illnesses.

So I teamed up with a colleague to write about how chicken owners can tell if their birds are ill, and what they should do if one of their birds gets sick.

How To Care For A Sick Chicken

Chickens are the new backyard pet, thanks to their gentle natures, ease of management and the delicious fresh eggs. But that means many new chicken owners have questions…lots of questions.

Most of the time, chickens require very little care and illnesses are less common in a well-maintained coop. Hopefully, you’ll be buying your chickens gifts more often than taking care of then when they’re sick.

But it’s necessary to be able to identify symptoms of chicken illness in your flock. So let’s go over some ways to determine if a bird is sick.

The most common signs of illness in chickens include:

1. Not eating well: going off feed is a tell-tale sign of illness in animals
2. Bubbly or watery eyes or nose
3. Rasping when breathing
4. Sneezing or coughing
5. Swelling around the eyes
6. A strange odor to the bird(s)
7. Swelling of the comb and/or wattles
8. Unusual lesions (sores) on the comb and/or wattles
9. Limping or inability to stand
10. Diarrhea or stools that look or smell different
11. Parasites visible in stools
12. Feathers that look bedraggled, broken
13. Bald spots with an unusual loss pattern
14. Bloody stools
15. Visible wounds and sores
16. Enlarged crop
17. Hunched appearance when it isn’t cold
18. Standing by itself
19. Straining to pass an egg
20. Holding the wings in an odd position

Here’s a video of a chicken coughing:

What should I do if I think my chicken is sick?

If you notice any of the above sick chicken symptoms, your first and most important move should be to remove the bird to an area that is completely separate from your other birds.

Quarantining sick birds as soon as you identify them is the most important factor in preventing the spread of disease to rest of your birds.

Chickens can also be very nosey, and they will peck at sores on sick birds in the flock. Separating an injured bird from the rest of the group will help it heal faster.

What’s the best way to quarantine a sick bird?

To quarantine simply means to keep the bird completely separate from the rest of the flock.

It is not sufficient to just take it out of its coop and put it in a pen next door. The sick bird needs to be removed from the main chicken coop and placed it in a crate or pen in a different building.

A wire dog crate like this one is great to have around when you need to isolate a sick chicken.

Tips for preventing spread of disease

You’ll need to have dedicated food and water supplies for the sick bird, and don’t carry feed buckets in and out of the quarantine area. This helps prevent accidentally carrying the disease pathogen into the coop with the well birds.

Additionally, to prevent spreading disease, care for the sick chicken AFTER you’ve fed, watered, and collected eggs from the rest of your hens.

In the case of very contagious illnesses, wear boot covers or place a foot bath of bleach water just outside the pen. Step in the foot bath on your way out of the quarantine pen to disinfect your footwear and prevent carrying germs out of your quarantine area.

Use a disinfectant, made up properly, to disinfect any items used in the area. Wash your hands after every encounter with the sick bird, and monitor the other birds for illness removing any that show symptoms right away.

Keep your state veterinarian and state lab phone numbers handy. They will be aware of any disease outbreaks and may be able to help you find a veterinarian to come out and treat your bird.

If the bird dies, you may want to consider a necropsy to determine the cause of death.

How do I catch a chicken to examine or quarantine it?

Trying to run a chicken down is an exercise in futility that will only result in you wearing yourself and/or your children out! I promise you can’t outrun a chicken unless you happen to be Usain Bolt!

The simplest way to catch a sick chicken is waiting until dark and then taking the bird in question off the roost. 

I also find it useful to have trained my birds to come when called for grain, and as they peck at a treat, I can scoop up a chicken that needs some attention.

If this isn’t an option, I round up my kids to help me herd the chickens into a fenced area like the garden, backyard, or chicken run. Then use a catch net for chickens or a large fishing net to catch the bird.

A leg crook can also be purchased and adjusted to fit the leg of the chicken that needs catching. If I get the chance, catching the hen in a coop or run can also be useful.

Bear in mind that some breeds can and will fly if especially upset, so they may very well fly over a low fence to escape.

How do you restrain a chicken for its own safety…and your own?

I restrain the wings by tucking them gently into my arms. A towel is also useful, as you can cover the chicken’s eyes and wrap their wings. Handle them gently but firmly and most chickens will calm down and not move.

It’s very important not to squeeze tightly and restrict breathing.

If their chest is compressed, they can’t breathe and that will cause panic or suffocation.

You may have seen pictures of people restraining chickens upside down; it does not harm them if done for short periods of time but it is usually not necessary.

Words of caution:

If the wings are loose, the chicken may flap wildly and injure you. Especially if they hit you in the eye!

Some chickens will peck, and an older rooster may have strong and large spurs, and those can injure you if he kicks or flails. Just be aware of these possibilities and protect yourself as needed.

Here’s a great video with more information about how to hold a chicken:

How do I care for a sick chicken?

For most illnesses and injuries, providing first aid and nursing care is usually all that is needed.

In many cases, all that is required is to provide safety and shelter, fresh food and water nearby, and keep injuries clean to prevent infection. Given some peace and time to heal, your chicken will often recover on her own.

Read more: First aid and feeding a sick chicken

What medications can I give a sick chicken?

I do not recommend antibiotics for treating respiratory illness. Antibiotics do not cure respiratory illnesses in chickens.

Chickens do not get colds.

They get infections that never go away. Antibiotics simply decrease symptoms, but then you have a carrier in your flock.

It’s sad to terminally cull a chicken — and it’s usually your favorite — but better than your entire flock becoming infected or dying!

Antibiotic use is also strictly limited in farm animals, including backyard chickens, so you should ALWAYS discuss antibiotic choices and usage with your veterinarian!

For my own birds, I limit antibiotic use to severe wound treatment which are honestly quite rare in my own birds.

What about antibiotics I can buy at the feed store?

Yes, you can buy oxytetracycline and penicillin OTC at the feed store, along with a myriad of topical and oral treatments.

But ALWAYS discuss usage with a veterinarian. There’s a tendency to throw these two antibiotics at everything, and they may not be effective or even indicated for some conditions or diseases.

What are withdrawal times for meat and eggs?

All drugs have withdrawal times for meat and eggs that need to be kept in order to maintain food safety. A withdrawal time is the period of time after administration of a medication that the food animal should not be used for human consumption. 

This means, do not slaughter or collect eggs from your chickens during the withdrawal time. After the set number of days recommended for withdrawal, you can resume using the eggs or dispatch for meat.

The withdrawal time for drugs is on the label, or your veterinarian can look them up.

Never Give Chickens Baytril!

Important note on giving antibiotics to a sick chicken: NEVER give Baytril (enrofloxacin) to chickens.

Baytril is a member of a class of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones. They are very potent, broad-spectrum antibiotics, that are often reserved for very serious infections.

The use of Baytril for chickens (& all food animals) is not allowed even off-label, period.  Administration of Baytril to chickens can lead to legal action against you and even result in jail time. 

While it’s unlikely you would actually end up in jail after giving your chickens Baytril, you will certainly be contributing to the problem of antibiotic resistance in bacteria that cause significant disease in humans.

Here is a link to restricted drugs in food animals at FARAD.org. FARAD stands for Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank. FARAD.org an excellent resource for learning about using medications in your food animals

Disclaimer

The information within this post is for informational purposes only. Always consult a veterinarian before treating or administering medications to your pets.

About The Co-Author

Mixed animal veterinarian, Dr. Williamson contributed to this post to help backyard chicken owners. We’re so grateful for her time and input.

Hey, everyone! I’m Susan Williamson, DVM, and I’m happy to be sharing some chicken care tips and tricks with you today.

I’m a 2002 Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine graduate where I studied mixed animal medicine. I grew up on a small farm, and I myself own a small farm.

I breed Swedish Flower Hens and various rare breeds of waterfowl, miniature Nubian goats, American Guinea Hogs, and Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dogs, along with keeping alpacas and Arabian horses. My husband and I have four boys we homeschool. Currently, I work as a relief veterinarian.

The post How Help A Sick Chicken – Q & A With A Chicken Vet appeared first on You Should Grow.

This weekend, I had the pleasure of reviewing an ebook titled ‘Dual Purpose Chickens: Raise ‘Em Like Your Grandma Did’ by Staci Samuels, a homestead blogger at A Chick And Her Garden.

Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book at no cost in exchange for my honest review.

Staci shares my passion for growing food and learning to be more self-sufficient. And, just as I will soon do, she started her journey into farm animals with backyard chickens. She raises her free range chickens for meat and eggs and uses her own selection process for breeding the best producing birds.

What I like about the book is that it reads more like a story than a how-to manual.

It’s the story of a girl who was terrified of birds but decided to make the leap into owning chickens so that she could be more self-sufficient. And the story has a happy ending! Now she’s the proud mama of more than 30 chickens!

If it sounds like there’s potential for some chuckles in that story, then you’re right. 

Staci tells you all about how she came to be the mama of so many chickens, and how she has learned to raise them the old fashioned way.

Topics covered include:

• how they set up their brooder,
• a discussion of feeding crumbles vs pellets
• how fermented feed saves money
• what treats are unsafe for your birds
• how she trained her free range chickens to come home
• tips for keeping them warm in the cold winter months
• recognizing a broody hen
• making the best out of a dirty job: butchering chickens
• Bonus: recipes for your farm fresh meat and eggs

I loved her suggestion for getting a perfect peel off hard boiled farm fresh eggs. I’m going to have to try it!

Reading this book is like having a candid discussion about raising chickens with your best friend. It’s not a boring manual telling you what to do, but rather friendly prose about what works on Staci’s homestead.

If you’d like to read Staci’s book, it’s available for purchase on her blog here.

The post Book Review: ‘Dual Purpose Chickens: Raise ‘Em Like Your Grandma Did’ appeared first on You Should Grow.