Best Ways to keep Chicken Healthy
Healthy hens are happy hens, and happy hens are just plain entertaining! Having a little flock of hens in your backyard may bring a lot of joy into your life. Chickens are charming creatures who will amuse and endear themselves to you with their antics. They're simple to look after, and if you spend a little time each day catering to their needs and keeping track of your flock, you'll be rewarded with some lovely feathered companions. So, here are five excellent strategies to keep your chickens healthy and happy.
Observe Them
Healthy hens are happy hens, and happy hens are just plain entertaining! Having a little flock of hens in your backyard may bring a lot of joy into your life. Chickens are charming creatures who will amuse and endear themselves to you with their antics. They're simple to look after, and if you spend a little time each day catering to their needs and keeping track of your flock, you'll be rewarded with some lovely feathered companions. So, here are five excellent strategies to keep your chickens healthy and happy.
Healthy hens will be active and busy pecking the ground, eating and drinking, getting up on the latest gossip, dustily washing, preening, and chasing flying insects that have taken a wrong turn, and even pecking at their flock-mates to maintain the pecking order. I also prefer to make a personal health check on each hen once a week or so by lifting her up and inspecting her. I realise it's easier said than done with some ladies. Combs and wattles, on the other hand, should have a great bright waxy red colour, not too pale. Eyes should be clear and alert, yet in this perilous situation, some may appear wild-eyed and insane, but rest, this is normal! Cuts or scrapes on the feet that could lead to infection should be avoided.
Finally, inspect their skin for parasites and lice by gently parting their feathers and downy fluff underneath.
You will be able to notice any problems or possible problems and take appropriate action if you perform these routine health checks. So, if you observe a hen off to the side, looking a little tired or lethargic, or simply quieter than normal, I'd investigate further.
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ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) is a jack of all trades that has been around for a long time. It's a nutritious water addition that will also help your chicken coop look nice. (Refer to #3) The acidic characteristics of ACV modify the PH of your hens' drinking water by adding 1 - 2 teaspoons per 4 litres, making it an unfavourable habitat for hazardous organisms to develop. ACV will also aid in the reduction of slime in the water, assist your hens in coping with the stress of extremely hot days, aid in the better digestion of their food, and support the growth of beneficial bacteria in their digestive tract while inhibiting the growth of bad bacteria.
Cleaning and Dusting
Cleanliness in the coop is a surefire method to keep your backyard flock healthy. Spending a few minutes each day picking up droppings and removing loose feathers is an excellent way to stay healthy. The breeding habitat for hazardous disease-causing organisms is soiled and moist bedding. A hand shovel for scooping, a scraper for tough stuck-on waste, and a metal rake and shovel for when the bedding needs to be totally mucked out and replaced, which I do around once a month, are some easy items I like to have on hand. My hens go insane when they see fresh straw in their coop. Removable metal cleaning trays are included in the Backyard Chicken Coops designs, making cleaning even easier; in fact, it's a breeze! Now comes the all-powerful Apple Cider Vinegar!
ACV is an excellent natural cleanser for the entire chicken coop, as well as the feeders and waterers. Simply combine a few tablespoons of ACV with a little water in a spray bottle and wipe away using a sponge or towel. Regular application will assist to disinfect your coop and prevent dust, mildew, mould, and odours from accumulating. Chickens, simply told, prefer to be clean. Aside from foraging and feeding, they'll spend a large portion of the day dallying in the dust, shaking off the bath dust, and then preening. You will be assisting your chickens in ridding themselves of filth, external parasites, and other debris by providing a "bathing beauty" place for them.
Feeding Your Flock
Your chickens will develop and thrive if they are fed properly, laying a lot of eggs and chatting away the days. It is critical that your chickens have access to clean, fresh drinking water at all times. This will change with the seasons, so check it twice a day during the hot summer months! Chicken feed should be tailored to your chickens' developmental stages. Start with starter feed, either medicated or non-medicated, for newly hatched chicks up to 8 weeks (if your chicks have received the coccidiosis vaccine, do not feed medicated starter because it will render the vaccine ineffective), then move on to grower feed for adolescents up to 18 weeks, and finally, layer feed for when those egg-cellent eggs start to pop out. Each is prepared with the precise amount of protein required for a hen's growth.
Also, never offer layer feed to young hens, as the calcium content required for egg production can harm immature hens' internal organs. I also like to add nutritious delights to my hens' diet, such as pumpkin seeds, apple chunks, greens, corn cobs, raisins and grapes, and, of course, supper leftovers (more on treats for chickens to come soon). Good luck with your meal!
Give Your Feathery Friends Fun and Freedom
Chickens that have been allowed to roam freely are unquestionably healthier. Chickens have a natural impulse to forage and roam. They're inherently curious and desire to learn more about their surroundings. Eggs laid by free range chickens are also healthier for our diets, according to research. Depending on the weather, I try to give my girls a little feathery freedom once a day. They physically take off from their coop and fly to their favourite hangout spots. I also get to hang out with them once more. It is unquestionably a win-win situation.
We want to perform an eggcellent job caring for our feathered friends as chicken keepers. Make sure you have the knowledge you need to keep a happy, healthy flock of chooks of all ages. Did you know that 67 percent of chicken keepers polled had a chicken health or behaviour issue they didn't know how to tackle in the first 12 months?
But don't be concerned! A Chicken Healthcare Course has been produced by our feathered friends at Chickenpedia. It's a complete online course that covers all you need to know, including how to spot a sick chicken and how to keep your egg-laying chickens healthy. All of their courses are really well-structured and packed with useful information, which is why I strongly advise all of my readers to take them! You'll find important information on everything from rearing baby chicks to feeding and behaviour that will give you the knowledge and confidence to successfully care for your hens.
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