BENEFITS OF TURMERIC FOR YOUR CHICKEN

There are amazingly positive benefits of turmeric on human health, but have you ever considered turmeric for your hens as well? Turns out, many of those very same health benefits for you, are also good for your chickens.
Turmeric is a root (related to ginger) that contains the ingredient curcumin. Curcumin is a huge immune system booster in chickens (good for overall chicken health and well being). It also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent (which is helpful in treatiing problems such as bumblefoot or other inflamed injuries chickens might sustain). Those two things right there would be enough for me, but the list goes on:
Turmeric aids in digestion, eye and brain function, and respiratory issues. It can be used as an antibacterial medication. I’m all about natural health remedies. Especially ones that are real food. I drink turmeric tea. I use it in cooking. I’m all about getting the natural anti-inflammatory benefits out of that yellow spice. Why not try it on my hens? But how? How to Use Turmeric for Your Flock You can make a paste from turmeric by melting some coconut oil and adding black pepper and turmeric to it. (Coconut oil and black pepper help activate the beneficial properties of the turmeric).
  This paste can be placed as a free range option for your flock to eat as they wish. You could also add some honey to the paste and use it as a topical salve for healing wounds on your chickens. You can also mix up some of the above paste ingredients and add it to the chicken feed or to some other food.

You might need to experiment. My hens like it best when I add it to scrambled eggs. For this, I melt some coconut oil in a pan, add turmeric and fresh ground pepper and mix it all together, then add 1-2 eggs and scramble them into the mix. They gobble that up in a hot second and ask for more. Having done bumblefoot surgery on a hen before, though, I’m all for experimenting with new and improved ways of making sure my flock gets some turmeric at least once a week in their diet.
A little experimenting now could save a lot of pain for a hen in the future, How Much Can You Feed a Hen? The general consensus for turmeric use with hens is 1 teaspoon for every 10 pounds of weight (so 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon for a backyard bird that typically weighs 4 to 7 pounds). You don’t want to over-do it, as turmeric also has blood thinning properties in large doses. While I’ve been using turmeric with my flock for about a year now, always keep in mind I am not a vet. If you have concerns certainly talk to your vet. And never do anything that doesn’t sit right with you for your flock. I’m not a veterinarian or other animal professional nor a doctor or other medical professional.  Please do your own research and talk to your own trusted medical personnel. And be safe. But I have been using turmeric for my chicken and it is a good experience using it.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU GO INTO LAYERS POULTRY ( EGGS PRODUCTION

Poultry

bussines is a lucrative bussines, as you have decided to start raising chickens for eggs production, if you’ve never had chickens before you can feel a bit overwhelmed at the thought of being responsible for the well-being of an animal you have no clue how to care for. 

There’s this common pattern I see happen among new poultry keeper, They usually purchase the animal first and then figure out how to house them, fence them and feed them, etc. I will advice you not to do that . Their experience in doing things that way was most likely not a good one. 

 The first thing you should think about before you welcome new animals. You should make sure you prepare a good and convenient coop before you brought the chickens home. We are currently working on getting everything in place for our next chicken. Especially when you are new to poultry , it’s a lot less stressful if you have what you need in place. So, today we are going to talk about all the things you are going to put in place before bringing in your chickens . Now, if you get baby chicks, which is not not the best for the BEGINNERS, it is better to start your poultry farm with 4 or 6 weeks chicks as a beginner. There is the argument that you don’t need to coop prepared right away as you can brood them indoors, in a garage, or in a barn, but it’s still nice to not have to worry about being under a deadline if you have everything in place already. But for those who don’t, have what you needed in place before you bring those chickens home. 

 THESE ARE WHAT YOU NEED WHEN RAISING CHICKENS 

 1. Chicken Coop ( House).

 Your chickens are going to need some place to live, aka, a coop. This coop can be built from scratch, you can renovate an existing building on your property, or you can buy an already built coop .

 2. How many chickens you want. This will affect your decision on the type of coop you need. The biggest thing you want to make sure is that your chicken house is predator proof, as well that it has good ventilation and air flow, but not too drafty for the cold winter days. Your coop can be a walk-in style, or a smaller one that you can just make outside egg doors from the opposite of the nesting boxes to collect eggs from. This is a great feature to have, but be sure to make these extra doors predator proof if you add them. 

 3. A place to run. The chickens need a place to run around outside. Some people free-range their chickens, some pasture raise, and some in a smaller pen. Where you live will help you make some of these choices. We free ranged our chickens but had a high coyote population and unfortunately learned the hard way that without a guard dog in our yard we couldn’t free range safely. Ours are currently in a pen, but we are building a larger fenced in pasture for them so they can graze. When chickens graze in the grass you’ll notice the yolks so much brighter. 

 4 A place to roost. chickens like to roost. We found that a couple roosts worked well as sometimes one chicken needs some space away from the rest of the chickens and can roost away from the others. You want to make sure your roosts are above your nesting boxes or they may try to sleep in the nesting boxes and you want to try and avoid that. You want your roosts to be flat as opposed to rounded, especially if you live where it is colder. This way they can keep their feet warm in colder weather.

 5. A place to lay eggs. Nesting boxes. The best part. The place where your chickens are going to lay all those beautiful farm fresh eggs. Nesting boxes can be made out of multiple items. You can make them from scratch, or you can use milk crates or another kind of container, or you can buy some nesting boxes. Generally speaking a good rule of thumb is to make them 12 inches high, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches deep. Ours are a little smaller, mostly by accident. I was concerned it would be an issue but it hasn’t as the chickens have had no problem laying in our nesting boxes. We just used plywood we had lying around. 

6..Drinkers Most people like the one gallon plastic waterer, but another kind that is growing in popularity is a waterer with nipple spouts coming out of the sides. It really is just a matter of preference. Something to eat out of. All you need is a simple hanging feeder, nothing too fancy. 7. Feeds, Something to eat. The kind of food you need for your chicken will depend on their age. When they are babies you use chick starter feed, and as they get older you will give them a different kind of food. This will also change if you are raising meat birds. I found the easiest way to make sure I have the right stuff is to ask the clerk at the store when I buy it. They’re usually pretty knowledgeable with those things and will give me exactly what I need. When they are chicks especially you have the option to get medicated or un-medicated feed. Medicated chick feed can help prevent coccidiosis, a disease that is fatal if the chicks contract it. We always get the first bag of chick feed medicated, and then feed them un-medicated after that. Whether you decide to use medicated feed or not is a personal choice, however, the one instance you should definitely not use medicated feed is if your chicks are vaccinated. 

7. Something to light up their space. While you will definitely need a heat lamp when you have baby chicks, when your chickens are all feathered out and grown, lighting in your coop is entirely optional. Many people add artificial lighting to their coops in the winter to help with laying, as many breeds will decrease their egg production. Lighting is very in eggs production .

 8. Cleaning. The coop and the nesting boxes need some kind of bedding. We mostly use wood shavings, but in the winter we add some straw to the mix to help keep them warm. We prefer to not use straw in the summer as you can have mildew issues with it. When it comes to wood shavings be sure to never use cedar, as cedar can cause respiratory issues in chickens. 

9.Management of the Coop. 

 When it comes to managing your coop, there are two main methods people use. You can put a light layer of wood shavings down, and then clean it out every few days, much like you would if you were keeping an animal like a hamster in the house. Or, you can do the deep litter method, which is what we do around here. I’m not going to lie, we chose this method because it’s perfect for people like me who will struggle with keeping up with cleaning the coop. So, what is the deep litter method? You start by filling your coop with about 6 inches of bedding that will compost such as wood shavings, straw, even dry leaves! Every week or so you will add a layer. The bedding breaks down and composts over time. This method is also great if you live in a cold area because the layers of bedding that are composting will literally produce some heat for your chickens. If you use this method and the coop has a strong smell of ammonia, it means there isn’t enough ventilation, or you aren’t adding enough layers of bedding. 1

10.When will my chickens start laying eggs? While this will vary from breed to breed, generally your chicken sould start laying eggs at around 6 months of age,

 11. How many nesting boxes will you need? You should have one nesting box for every 4 birds. However, chickens tend to all lay in the same nesting box they deem as their favorite. We have three nesting boxes and usually only one gets used! 

 12. What is molting in layers chicken? 

Molting is the process of chickens losing their feathers and then regrowing new ones. The first molt happens at about 18 months and will happen once a year after that. Many chickens stop laying while molting. The molting process can take up to 3-6 months to completed. Your layer will stop laying eggs during this period of molting. Thanks for reading. Don't forget to share if you learn and enjoy the post , so as to let others leran and enjoy it too.

GUIDE FOR THE BEGINNERS, FOR THE FIRST DAY AND 4 to 6 WEEKS OF RAISING CHICKEN CHICKS

The most delicate and difficult time in rasing chicken is when they are day old , 4 weeks and 6 weeks
  If you have been considering raising backyard chickens, I can’t recommend it enough. They’re the easiest farm animal, so it’s a great place to start when you’re transitioning into homesteading or a more self-sufficient lifestyle. Plus, who doesn’t love fresh eggs?

THE FIRST 4 WEEKS OF RAISING CHICKS – WHAT TO EXPECT
Here’s a nifty chart I made to help you remember what temperature your chicks need to be kept at, week by week. Feel free to save it or screenshot it for reference.

While you want to make sure your chicks don’t get too cold, it’s not as stressful and difficult as it sounds. Chicks are easy to read. If they’re huddled up together under the lamp, they’re too cold. If they’re trying to stay as far away from the heat as they can, they’re too warm. You’ll be able to tell when your chicks are completely content, because they’ll be active and spread out.

AT WEEK ONE
You day old chicks will need Temperature of 90=95*F for the first  one Week .
When you bring your chicks home, as tempting as it will be to cuddle them, they need time to adjust. Set them up in a brooder in a quiet, warm, draft-free area. Of course they will need food and water, but you might also need some electrolytes, especially if your chicks were mailed to you.

When you aree putting your chicks in the brooder for the very first time, make sure you dip their beaks in water to show them where and how to drink. Some people say to do this for each baby chick, while others say you only need to do it for some, and the others will follow. I personally did it for about half of the chicks, then waited to see them all take a turn.

Your chicks will already have individual personalities. It’s really neat to watch! Let your chicks settle for a couple of days, but don’t be afraid to handle them. They need to get comfortable with you. Give vitamin as at first day so as to get them more stronger.

WEEK TWO
What Temperature Do Two Week Old Chicks Need To Be Kept At?: 85-90° F at second week. If you notice , the temperature is going down as the week grown.

Your chicks are still fluffy little babies, but they already have some big girl feathers. (Mine started growing feathers by 3 days old!) They chirp, run around, and come to you when you stick your hand in the brooder. Unless, of course, they’re skittish.

You should really start trying to bond with them now. If you take them out to hold them, don’t do it for too long, and make sure they’re warm. This is a fun age. They’ll fall asleep on you and explore a little bit, but for the most part they’ll be too scared to explore very far.

WEEK THREE
What Temperature Do Three Week Old Chicks Need To Be Kept At?: They should be kept at 80-85° F

By this point, my bigger chicks were “flying” around, and were able to out of their brooder. To be honest, I didn’t mind. There was only one chick that was brave enough to do it. The others would simply perch at the top of the brooder and look around before going back to safety. Depending on your circumstances, you might want to cover the top of the brooder by this point.

Your chicks will seem to double in size some days. You’ll go do some chores, come back to look at them, and they have a ton of new feathers out of nowhere. I’m not even exaggerating! It’s insane.

WEEK FOUR
What Temperature Do Four Week Old Chicks Need To Be,  Kept At?: 75-80° F

Your chicks will almost look like chickens by this point! They have a ton of feathers, their feet are huge, and they’re extremely active. It was around this time that I started letting the girls run around in our backyard during the day, since it was finally warming up outside. It’s a good time to start, and it gets them used to the routine of “going home” in the evening. You can only do this if it stays between 75 and 80 degrees outside.

By four weeks old, you might get fed up with the number of times you clean their water out every day. They’re messier than ever now. A tip I learned from a chicken Facebook group is to set their waterer up on a brick so the shavings aren’t constantly getting in it. I didn’t have a brick, so I turned a shallow Tupperware upside down and set their waterer on it. It works perfectly!

WEEK FIVE
Temperature for Five Week Old Chicks Need To Be Kept At?: 70-75° F

Your little chicks don’t seem so little anymore! You might even start hearing some “clucks” coming from the brooder this week. They love cuddling, but by this point they need some space. Again, if it’s warm enough outside, I highly recommend letting them have some time to run around free.

The chicks are stinky and messy, and if you still have them inside, it’s high time to move their brooder to a safe place outside. A shed or a garage would be perfect.

WEEK SIX
Temperature for Six Week Old Chicks Need To Be Kept At?: Wean from heat lamp and transition to the coop (above 65° F).

Hopefully, if it’s warm enough outside, you can transition your chicks to the coop this week. Your little babies are graduating! I’m in the process of doing this right now, so I’ll link an article here when it’s done. Your chicks probably won’t be laying any eggs for about four to five more months, but they aren’t really babies anymore, either. Say goodbye to the brooder! Until the chicken math begins, you should be able to put that heat lamp away.

ADVICE
Your chicks will be on starter feed until they’re 8-weeks-old.
You can feed your chicks little treats and a few table scraps, but keep it to a minimum, and always add chick grit to their diet, so they can digest the food.
There are several routes you can take when it comes to treating wry neck, but you definitely want to make sure they’re getting vitamin e and selenium. Some packages of vitamins and electrolytes don’t have selenium, so always check. You can also try feeding them a little tuna, sunflower seeds, and spinach. If they’re not able to eat, add water to a bowl of starter feed and help them out.
Order gloves and watch out for pasty butt.
Once you start, you’ll never want to go back to a chickenless life. If you can look past the dust and cleaning poop out of water every day, raising chicks is as fun as it is rewarding.
Don't forget to give them vaccines also , vaccines will protect them from disease as they grown up. Thanks for reading. https://chickenandsnail.blogspot.com.

WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT FEED YOUR CHICKEN. IS BREAD GOOD FOR YOUR CHICKEN ?

 

There are many home-made feeds for chicken , there are many home leftovers that your chicken can eat, It is actually the chickens natural behaviour to compete for fresh food and they will eat it quickly, no matter what you are feeding them.
One of the most commonly asked questions in the beginner chicken world is “can chickens eat bread?”
This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, diagnose or prevent any disease. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions in partnership with a qualified health care professional in your area before you can use the information.

  Please read the Disclosure Statement Below we look at whether chickens can eat bread, as well as many other things that you should avoid feeding your chicken.
There are some common foods that you should not be feeding your chickens. What you don’t want is for the chickens to fill up their crop with low nutrient foods, and to miss out on all the goodness of the high nutrient foods.  
Bread is a common food for well meaning people to feed to chickens and ducks. The problem with feeding chickens bread is that it can easily form a ball in the crop which can lead to catastrophic blockages. Yeasts and sugars in the bread can ferment in the crop which increases the pH of the crop contents, which changes the bacteria and other microbiome that grow in the crop. This can then lead on to chronic cases of sour crop that are very hard to treat. So, in short, ideally you would not feed your chickens bread. If you do decide to feed bread to your chickens, try breaking it up and soaking it with some apple cider vinegar overnight. This will both increase the acidity, making it easier to digest, as well as breaking up the fibres to help stop it balling up in the crop. 

Feeding your chicken Milk ,
It turns out that chickens are lactose intolerant! Milk is high in protein and other minerals, but the lactose can give the birds upset stomachs. If you do give milk products, try small amounts of cultured ones, think yogurt or cheese as they have a lot less lactose in them.

Feeding Porridge to chicken,
There is nothing wrong with a small volume of porridge later on, but oats are very low in protein and fat, both of which chickens need. Porridge fills up a chickens stomach, so they don’t have room for the high nutrient foods they need to be eating. Oats have virtually no vitamin A, D or E and high in beta glucans that birds cannot digest. Too many beta glucans will form a sludge in the gut, causing blockages. So is not good for your Chicken.

Raw Eggs
Feeding raw Eggs to Chicken  can encourage the chickens to seek out and eat their own eggs. The Chickens can also carry salmonella, raw eggs from contaminated chickens will spread the disease amongst your flock. Here are some other foods that you should avoid giving your chickens: Onions and garlic can give the eggs an off taste Fresh potato peels, especially those tinged green, contain a toxin called solanine. Avocado pits and skins both include a potentially fatal toxin called persin. Avoid feeding your flock rhubarb and citrus.
Undercooked or dried beans contain an avian toxin called hemaglutin. Generally speaking, a well fed chicken will not attempt to eat toxic foods as their only taste buds are ones for bitter food, bitter foods are usually toxic, and they are quite good at not eating them! The best advice is to feed a balanced, commercial feed first, then let the chickens eat their other food, treats or forage later in the day. This will ensure they are getting all the nutrition they need for growth and larger egg production, it will also promote good health and give higher profit in case your are into commercial poultry bussines.

HOW TO PREVENT COCCIDIOSIS IN YOUR POULTRY

Coccidiosis in poultry, and livestock is extremely deadly. We will establishing a strong natural preventative plan, solid bio-security measures, and knowing what to offer as a coccidiosis treatment can save the lives of your flock.

Coccidiosis is a single cell microscopic parasite. It enters the chicken’s body when a bird ingests the Coccidia egg. This egg is usually found on the ground or the floor of the coop. The Coccidia parasite begins to colonize and multiply within the lining of the gut. Over time the parasite is shed through the feces of the chicken, and the vicious cycle will continue until bird is treated or dead. At this point, a new hosts can become infected when it accidentally consumes waste which contains the Coccidia parasite. This is the point in which the disease spreads like wildfire. One infected bird can quickly infect many more. Those three then infect 6 birds, and the cycle continues. An entire flock can easily become infected within hours.

The Coccidia parasite thrives in wet, warm conditions, making the coastal part of the Pacific Northwest a petri dish for the breeding parasite.
Learn how to boost the flock’s immune system and establish strong bio-security measures below. Remember, infected poultry is capable of fighting the disease with a strong coccidiosis treatment, in which a natural or chemical protocol can be used.  Because the parasite can also be introduced to poultry through wild birds there is no guaranteed method available to prevent your flock from contracting it. However, there are best practices available in order to keep a healthy flock.  
Let me preface this with, we have experience a case of Coccidiosis on the property. Having a hen contract coccidiosis was an ultimate surprise, especially since we kept a healthy flock. Coccidiosis in chicken was new to us, and we knew nothing about the disease until it hit one of our hens. It all began fifteen days after moving onto the property. A hen began displaying the telltale signs of being ill. Her rear end and tail feathers were dropped and her head was sunk into her body and her feathers were poofed in order to maintain warmth. Also, her comb and waddles were shrunk and very pale in color, and she looked depressed and lost. As a matter of fact, she was found standing in the corner of the coop displaying all of the signs mentioned above.  But the most important symptom of them all was her waste. The feces was runny, yellowy and slightly bubbly with a small amount of blood in it. The course of treatment began immediately, though we were unsure as to when the hen initially became infected. Because we naturally boost the immune system of the chickens and other livestock on the property I truly believe this contributed to her speedy recovery. 

Keep a Healthy Flock Naturally
How to keep a healthy flock begins the moment chicks have hatched or brought onto the property. Good animal husbandry means offering the best preventative care for chickens and other livestock. However, even the best preventative care is ineffective against many deadly diseases. For example,

when coccidiosis in chicken occurs.  Learning how to identify signs of a sick chicken is necessary for poultry keepers worldwide. Chicken and other poultry are excellent at masking illness. And more than likely, once the signs are identifiable the bird has already taken a turn for the worse.

Naturally preventing coccidiosis is achievable, making the ability to naturally treat coccidiosis also achievable. The Homesteader’s Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook is an excellent and well written book. The information within it will not only guide you to caring for the health of your chicken flock, it provides everything necessary in order to raise chickens naturaly Feed and Waterers The path to feed bowls and waterers are high traffic routes, which mean a lot of waste build up en-route to eating and drinking. Move feed and water bowls daily to minimize the build-up of waste. Keep feed and waterers away from roosting areas to prevent waste getting into the containers.  Clean water containers and feed bowls regularly, taking care to remove all fecal dropping immediately. Expose chicks to various strains of Coccidia by leaving slightly soiled bedding in a chick brooder longer.
Move waterer and feed bowl regularly, however, clean bedding week verses daily. Take note to remove severely soiled areas. Brooders, Coops, and Runs Ensure the brooder, coop, and run are of adequate sized for the amount of chickens being kept. Over populated spaces creates a higher risk of the parasite being active. Remove wet or soiled bedding daily. Rotate the run annually, or as often as possible. Allow the soil to rest for one year prior to reintroducing the flock to it.  Minimize visitors into the chicken area. Request visitors to wear ‘property specific’ footwear or disposable foot covers. Inspect your chicken’s waste regularly. A white drop pan under the roost will allow the waste to be monitored on a regular basis.
Keep a waste reference chart handy for reviewing questionable droppings. Wild birds are also carriers of the Coccidia parasite. Ensure no wild birds have entry to the run or coop. Covering the run creates a barrier for potential fecal droppings from entering the run.  Allowing the flock to free ranging is the most beneficial method for naturally preventing coccidiosis.

The waste is distribute in various locations verses building up within the confides of a run.  Quarantine Period Establish a 30 day quarantine period for all new flock members. This allows for any illness or disease to make themselves present.

Naturally ways to Beat Coccidiosis How to beat Coccidiosis begins with a good preventative care action plan. A strong immune system will help combat illnesses and diseases such as this one. Begin by offering a natural regiment of herbs, probiotics and a balanced feed option the moment your chicken flock is brought onto the property. Offer non-vaccinated chicks medicated feed which contains Amprolium, a thiamin blocker. The Coccidia parasite needs thiamin to multiply in the gut of a bird. Please note, Amprolium is not an antibiotic. Build the gut by providing fermented items such as raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar in the waterer every few days. A tablespoon per gallon is efficient. Fermented chicken feed or fermented foods are excellent options to boost the gut of chickens. Offer beneficial fresh or dried herbs such as oregano, thyme, sage, and garlic in the feed or waterer daily. A concoction made of these herbs and raw honey will help boost the immune system.  Other natural items consists of oregano essential oil and colloidal silver. One drop of a high grade essential oil in a gallon of water, or 1 cup of colloidal silver in a gallon waterer also helps to combat the Coccidia parasite. Reserve the use of the oregano essential oil to pullet and older birds, offering 2 to 3 times a week. 

  Coccidiosis Symptoms .
Coccidiosis symptoms in chicken can be easily detected, mainly because with Coccidiosis comes telltale symptoms, if you know what you’re looking for. Infected birds will display one or more of the following symptoms: Infected birds will look lost, depressed, and can often be found standing alone away from other birds.  Combs and wattles appear very pale and shrunken in size. Chickens which are heavily infected have no appetite or desire to consume water. The feces droppings may appear runny, yellow, foamy in texture, or even contain blood.  Ill birds become lethargic, weak, and listless. In order to maintain body heat the bird will ruffle its feathers, making them appear puffed up.  The tail feather area of the bird will often drop towards the ground. 
A severely infected chicken may also lay on its side to prevent pressure on the intestinal area. Keep in mind, if any of these symptoms appear a coccidiosis treatment is available. 

Coccidiosis Treatment Coccidiosis in chicken is treatable. However, without a proper coccidiosis treatment ready an infected bird will eventually die due to the parasitic overload. However, until it has passed an infected chicken has a fighting chance. Immediately isolate the sick bird from rest of the flock. Set up a temporary ‘hospital’ within the home, garage, or enclosed structure. Do not allow this area to be accessible to other poultry or wild birds.  Make a quick, educated decision as to whether the coccidiosis treatment will consists of natural items or with a chemical option.
For precautionary measures make sure to also treat the entire flock. A natural remedy will consists of herbs such as Wormwood, garlic, chicory, and black walnut hulls. These items have antiparasitic and antibacterial properties. Learn more about how to treat common chicken illnesses here.  An alternative option would consist of providing Amprolium, also known as Corid, to the infected bird.  Remove all bedding from the coop floor and nesting boxes. Burn the bedding to prevent flock members and wild birds access to it. Sanitize the coop, nesting boxes, and roosting bars with an ammonia and water solution; 1 part ammonia to 9 parts water. As a secondary precaution spray everything once again with a Melaneuca (high grade tea tree) or colloidal silver solution. Poultry keepers do everything in their power to keep a healthy flock.
Unfortunately, there will be a time when the effort put into saving a flock member is not successful. Always remember, how to beat coccidiosis begin by taking out of the sick birds from others.

How to keep your Chicken Coop (House) clean

If you are owner of some backyard chickens, then I know you will appreciate the ease of using the deep litter method to keep your coop clean. In this article, I will tell you why the deep litter method is not only great for your birds, but also for you and your environment.

WHY YOU MUST CHOOSE THE DEEP LITTER METHOD FOR CHICKEN COOPS ?

The deep litter method is one of the best way to keep your chicken coop clean, without any extra work. It’s the best practices by many homesteaders and poultry farmer 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 remaining 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 on 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 blooded 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 DISADVANTAGE

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.

WHY YOU SHOULD USE DIP LITTER METHOD  ?
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.

SIMPLE STEPS TO STOP PREDATORS FROM YOUR POULTRY HOUSE

One of the biggest problem of poultry farmer or keeper are predators like Snakes, Rats, cat, and others

It was just another working day here on the on my farm, as I was heading out to feed and give water to the chickens , I immediately noticed something was wrong. My hens were acting strange, staying on the  feeders and not crowding the door as usual.

As I looked around I saw one of my prized hens laying under the roost. I went over and  to my horror , she was dead. There was nothing really  quite as heartbreaking than finding an animal that you work so hard to take care for longtime killed.  inside of the henhouse. A place where our chickens supposed to be safe, not hunted.
It was so sad

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After 8 years of raising chickens, this was my first predator attack.

How could I tell my beloved hen was killed by a predator? I could see by the condition of her body.

When a predator such as a weasel, raccoon, or hawk kills a chicken they kill just to kill.

They do not eat…… they just kill it. Usually by biting the head off. If you find a decapitated hen, then you know right then and there you have a predator and you need to take action fast.

Once an animal learns how to get into your henhouse, I promise you they will be back. They will be back to take the eggs and to kill the chickens.  

The best advice to give is to set to work immediately taking steps to better protect your backyard chickens from predators. Remember, your animals depend on you to keep them safe and if you have a predator in your coop, don’t beat yourself up. Just take the necessary precautions so it does not happen again. 

With winter in full swing, animals are hungry. They are understandably drawn to food such as eggs, chicken feed, and kitchen scraps.
Watch for suspicious tracks in the snow leading from the coop. If you see any, you may want to take action immediately. 

Now How can you Stop Backyard Chicken Predators From Attacking your birds again.

Step 1.
 Clean Out the Chicken Coop
To stop a repeat visit from an outside animal you first need to find where how they got in. To do that you will need to clean everything out.
You need to get all the bedding out so you can get a good look at the coop. Scrape, sweep, and shovel. Remove every bit of bedding along with the nesting boxes.

Move everything away from the walls. You would be amazed at the small size of the holes that a predator is able to get through if they are determined. 

Step 2 .
 Inspect everything very well
Once you have the inside of the chicken coop emptied and cleaned out take the time to do a good and thorough inspection.

You will want to look everything over. The walls, the floor, the corners, the door. Everything.

Get down on your knees and get busy. You may not be able to see an opening from a standing position. Use every viewpoint and look up and all around. Don’t make the mistake I did and assume a small opening is too small for an animal to get through. 

Once, when I found what I thought was a crack in the way was actually a wide-open door for a dozen birds that would squeeze through every day to gorge on the chicken’s feed. 

Let me just say that trying to feed your chickens with a dozen little hungry birds flying around your head really gets this old heart pumping. 

Step 3.  Seal it Up all the hole damage net,
As you find a crack, space, or hole that you feel backyard chicken predators can gain access seal it up. You can do this with scrap pieces of wood or other material you have lying around.

This is a great way to use up wood scraps you have stashed away around your home. Secure the board down with a few screws or nails. 

You will also want to check any fencing you use as well. Remember, it doesn’t have to look pretty, just be effective! 

Step 4.  Keep your poultry feeds in a save place
Want to stop some of your unwanted visitors, then you need to remove the food source. Keep all of your animal’s feed, scratch, and treats inside of totes or metal cans with good tight-fitting lids. You can also go one step further and place a brick on the lid to prevent a chicken predator from gaining access. 

Another tip is to do most of your feeding during daylight hours. This will give your animals plenty of time to not only eat but enough to clean up any food they drop during feeding time. 

Backyard chicken predators such as skunks, weasels, and raccoons come out mainly at night so make sure any heavy feeding is done early enough so your chickens are able to clean it all up before dusk.  

Step 5.
 Train Your Hens to Come When Called.
Get into the habit of locking your chickens up safely before dusk or earlier if you already have a predator problem.

Since most backyard chicken predators prowl at night, get a head start and put your hens on lockdown early.

To help you can train your chicken flock to come to you when you call. Training your chickens is easier than you think. Each time you put your hens away give a quick “Chick-Chick” call and reward the flock with a sprinkle of scratch once back inside of the coop.

Each time you do this routine your hens will associate that call and your voice with the treat and come running. This is a great tool to have on evenings that you might be running late and need to get your hens to safety fast. 

Step 6.
 Purchase a Little Extra Help
Get a predator light. Yes, this actually good in keep predators away from your poultry

I just recently read about these small sensor lights and I am happy to say they work great! The work as a deterrent for any small rodents keeping them away from the coop. Once it becomes dark outside the sensor turns the light on and a red flashing light continues until daylight. I was a bit skeptical at first, but since installing one at the front of our chicken coop and the other at the back we have remove almost all of the footprints that I normally see each morning. 

 Step 7.
Eliminate the Problem
If you have already done the tips listed so far and you find yourself still with a problem, you may need to take things one step further.

Once a predator knows where the flock is and they have gotten the “taste” of your chickens and/or their eggs, it may be difficult to stop them. This means you will have to remove the problem instead.

We prefer to use live traps. The reason is when using poison you run the risk of hurting maybe even killing your own animals. Most animals are very curious and there is just no way to ensure they will leave any poison you have out alone. 

For this reason, we prefer to use live traps to catch and remove any uninvited animals.
We put the trap out only from dusk to dawn. This just ensures our pets are protected.

Remember, raising animals comes with a great deal of responsibility.

Our animals rely on us for food, water, shelter, and also for protection. If you lose a chicken to an attack from backyard chicken predators, don’t beat yourself up.

Follow these tips and do what you can to protect your animals and hopefully your birds will be happy , safe.and productive.
Predators are enemy which we must put and end to as a poultry keeper. Follow these steps and you will keep predators out from your poultry. Thanks for reading.