dust-bathing
Updated on March 16, 2025.If you've ever watched chickens joyfully rolling in the dirt, wings flapping and legs kicking up dust, you’ve witnessed one of their most essential natura...
diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a naturally occurring, fine powder made from the fossilized remains of tiny aquatic organisms called diatoms. It's commonly used as a non-toxic method to...
preening
Preening is the grooming behavior in chickens. Chickens smooth their feathers by running them through their beaks so they perform better at insulating and waterproofing. Chickens...
encapsulating pills
Chickens don't really like to be pilled, but they dislike it even more when the pill leaves a bad taste. Unfortunately many medicines taste bitter, and if you need to pill a chicke...
Avian Influenza
Updated on April 1, 2025.Since last fall, HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza, aka H5N1) has continued to affect northern California, with confirmed cases in Riverside, Merced,...
parthenogenesis
Parthenogenesis is a form of asexual reproduction where an egg develops into an individual without being fertilized by a sperm. This means that the offspring is genetically identic...
both asleep and awake
Chickens possess an intriguing ability that we humans don’t (one more!). They have a sleep phase called unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, during which one side of the brain is asleep...
hormone implant
There exist hormone implants that pause the egg laying in birds. The drug is called Deslorelin (brand name Suprelorin) and is implanted subcutaneously similar to a dog’s microchip....
Egg replacements
There are many ways to replace eggs when baking and cooking. Here are our favorite ways to substitute 1 egg in a recipe: • 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds + 3 tablespoons water It...
blackhead disease
Blackhead disease (histomoniasis) is a disease that affects turkeys, chickens, pheasants, quail, and some other birds. It is caused by the protozoa Histomonas meleagridis that are...
butt cleaning
Updated on June 1, 2022.Chickens are usually really good at preening themselves and don’t need our intervention to stay clean and fluffy. But sometimes some may need a little help,...
how many eggs does a hen lay?
A commercial layer hen lays about 300 eggs a year, and there is nothing natural in this. We have been breeding them for maximum egg production, and we still are. In the US, the pro...
3rd eyelid
Chickens have a third eyelid called the nictitating membrane that slides horizontally over the eye to protect it from dust and debris.
acariasis & pediculosis
An infestation with mites is called acariasis.And an infestation with lice is called pediculosis.
necropsy
When one of your chickens dies and you don’t know why, do a necropsy. It will not only explain the cause of her death, but also detect things like viruses, bacteria, and parasites....
when hens have teeth
The French idiom "Quand les poules auront des dents!" which translates literally to "When hens have teeth!" is used when something is never, ever going to happen. The corresponding...
aromatherapy
Instead of using aromatic wood shavings like cedar and pine that are toxic to chickens, you can add certain herbs to the bedding in the hen house for a pleasant smell. Some herbs a...
opossum
On Christmas Eve, we got the visit of an opossum and I started to learn more about these fascinating creatures.Opossums are opportunistic omnivores. They eat a diet of insects, wor...
food storage container
When you buy a 50-pound bag of chicken feed, you don’t use it all right away and need to find a place to store it. Although sturdy, the bag will not protect its content from the el...
torpedo feeding
Torpedo feeding is an alternative to tube feeding a sick chicken or a chicken who cannot eat on their own.In this video, my friend Kim Kunst is showing how to prepare torpedoes and...
respiratory system
The birds’ respiratory system is very different from the one of mammals.Their lungs are rigid and are not able to expand, but they have several air sacs that expand and contract wi...
chicken ID
Dogs and cats usually have a collar with their name and their guardians' contact info so they can be reunited with their family. During emergency evacuations, numbers are being pai...
disinfectants
Disinfecting the coop is not something that is required on a regular basis. A good cleaning of the coop and equipment is enough to keep potential pathogens under control. However,...
virulent Newcastle Disease last update
California is now free of the virulent Newcastle disease, and the quarantine is Southern California has been lifted!Since May 2018 when the disease was first detected, over 1.2 mil...
chickens and dog trainers
Dog trainers learn to clicker train chickens to improve their skills. They use chickens as a model for learning the theories and mechanics of animal training. Chickens are quite un...
pasture predation
In pasture raised egg operations, 10% mortality due to predation is common. Pastures are not a natural habitat for chickens. Their ancestors, the jungle fowl, live in forests where...
chicken feet
Healthy chicken feet are mostly smooth and soft with a rubbery feel with scales covering the tops of a chicken’s toes. A chicken’s foot is made up of sixteen bones that work togeth...
chicken adoption
This spring, consider adopting chickens instead of buying them. • You save a life. Like dogs and cats, too many chickens come into shelters and too few people consider adoption wh...
fecal test
Updated on June 1, 2022.Fecal tests are part of a thorough chicken health check. It allows you to detect any internal parasites before you see any external symptoms.We do fecal tes...
pineal gland
The pineal gland is a small endocrine gland in the brain of most vertebrates. It produces melatonin, a hormone which modulates sleep patterns. The shape of the gland resembles a pi...
Thanksgiving alternatives
The best way to celebrate turkeys at Thanksgiving is to keep them off our plate. Here are some of the many yummy alternatives for the holiday dinners: • Tofurky Roast • Field R...
vets
Lots of chicken illnesses and injuries are treatable if caught in time and properly cared for. Don't hesitate and go see your vet when your chicken is not doing well. Find a local...
Feathers
A chicken’s feathers do not cover her entire body. There are featherless areas that help with cooling when a chicken holds out her wings in hot weather. Feathers grow from follicl...
virulent Newcastle Disease update
The virulent Newcastle Disease outbreak is considered over in Northern California, however it is still going on in Southern California. Continue to practice good biosecurity aroun...
oldest chicken (2)
Last month, we featured Matilda as the oldest chicken, but it seems that Muffy beat her by quite a few years. According to Guinness World records, she was a Red Quilled Muffed Ame...
oldest chicken
The oldest chicken ever to have lived was called Matilda (at least she was the first chicken to receive the title of World's Oldest Living Chicken from Guinness World Records). Sh...
easter chicks
Cute bunnies, fluffy chicks and ducklings are popular in Easter baskets. They are delightful, fuzzy, and irresistible, but are not appropriate gifts. They are not toys, they are li...
forced molting
Forced molting (aka induced molting) is a practice in the egg industry to boost the laying cycle. At the end of their first laying cycle, the hens are starved for 7-14 days to arti...
sickles
Sickle feathers are the elongated, sickle-shaped feathers in the tail of a rooster. They are usually very flamboyant. Hens don't have sickles in their tails. Their tails are short...
saddle
Saddle feathers are the feathers in front of the tail of a chicken. They look different based on the sex of the chicken. Similarly to the hackle feathers, hens have rounder saddles...
hackles
Hackles are the feathers around the neck of a chicken. They look different based on the sex of the chicken. Hens have rounder hackles, whereas roosters have longer, thinner, and po...
crows
Crows are awesome chicken allies. They are the smartest birds: some scientists think that crows may be as intelligent as the great apes. They are loud and very territorial, and tha...
alektorophobia
Alektorophobia is the fear of chickens. The word comes from the Greek words “alektor” which means rooster, and “phobos” which means fear.
ice cube treats
Chickens don't do well in hot weather and can actually die of heat stress. One way to keep them cool during hot summer days is by offering them frozen treats. Watch the short vide...
treadle feeder
Using a treadle feeder needs some learning. Watch our foster girls figuring out how to use it.
old hen new tricks
You can teach an old hen new tricks. Watch Luna "pecking out" the Queen of Spades from a deck of cards.It's quite amazing, isn't it? Chickens are smarter than we think. They reco...
international respect for chickens month
May is the International Respect for Chickens Month!Learn something new about chickens: • Baby chicks start talking to their moms while still in the egg. • There are 23 billion...
clipping wings
Clipping the wings of your chicken may be needed if she is a good flyer and a 6ft fence doesn’t deter her from exploring the neighborhood. You should not clip her wings as a workar...
hatcheries
99% of all eggs and chicks come from hatcheries, and they are no better than puppy mills. The parents and grandparents are bred and the less desirable offspring are killed in orde...
Ice cube treats
Ice Cube TreatsOn hot summer days, keep your chickens cool by offering them frozen treats.
tidbitting
When a rooster comes across a tasty morsel of food, he does a little dance and song to let the hens know about his discovery. This behavior is called tidbitting. It’s fascinating t...
poisonous food
Avocado, citrus, and uncooked beans are poisonous to chickens. Chickens rarely eat toxic plants. When they do eat something poisonous, it's usually because someone fed it to them...
moldy food
Molds produce mycotoxins which can be harmful or even deadly to chickens. So make sure the grain is carefully stored and mold free when feeding it to your chickens. The image bel...
pumpkins
Chickens love pumpkins! Pumpkins are super nutritious, they are full of fibers, minerals, and vitamins. And now is the season to get cheap or even free pumpkins! People will happ...
roosting
Roosting is another basic behavior in chickens. They get together to sleep at night. And because they are quite vulnerable when they sleep, chickens prefer to perch (roost) as hig...
sun-bathing
Sun-bathing is one of the essential chicken behaviors. You will see them laying on their sides in a warm and sunny spot with a leg and a wing stretched out. At first, you may thin...
eating food
A bantam eats an average of 0.5lb of feed during a week, a light breed eats 2lb, and a heavy breed 4lb. Of course, it depends on the quality of the food, its energy and protein co...
drinking water
Under normal condition (70°F), chickens drink twice as much as they eat by weight. This is typically 1 to 2 cups water per day. This ratio of water to feed goes up dramatically wi...
CAFHS
The California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS) offers relatively cheap medical tests and diagnosis for chickens. A fecal test costs about $10 and a necrops...
body temperature
The body temperature of birds has more variability than mammals. The normal temperature of an adult chicken ranges between 105°F and 107°F, whereas the one of a hatchling is lower....
sense of hearing
Chickens hear well. They begin hearing while still in the egg after 12 days of incubation, and their hearing doesn’t degrade with age as it does for humans. Their ears aren’t visi...
sense of touch
Chickens sense of touch is very similar to ours. They have sensory nerve cells that enable them to feel pressure, touch, pain, heat and cold. Their nervous system tells them also a...
senses of taste and smell
Chickens have only 350 to 500 taste buds, while we have 3,000 to 10,000 of them. They dislike strong flavors rather than having strong preferences. Their food choice may be more ba...
sense of sight
Chickens have a very well developed vision. They have double the sensitive visual cells on the retina compared to people which allow them to see colors and shades of grey in dim l...