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Why Do Hens Become Egg Bound?
Dear Bee –I’ve heard of a lot of folks dealing with egg-bound hens.Thoughts about what causes this? Bee’s Answer:In my opinion? Too much fat around the vent area. Too old hens that are ovulating and...
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Ask Bee - Help! My Chicken Has Bumblefoot!
Dear Bee –I have a wonderful hen that I’ve had for some time, and it looks as though she has developed bumblefoot. The bottom of her foot looks like a large pimple and she is not walking well on it....
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Ask Bee - Coccidiosis... What Is It and How Do I Prevent It?
Dear Bee – My next door neighbor recently lost a number of chickens to coccidiosis. I’m concerned my flock has been exposed. Can coccidiosis be prevented?Bee’s Answer:All birds have coccidiosis present...
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Ask Bee - Fermented Feed = Less-Smell in Chicken Waste
Dear Bee –One thing I've heard from people using fermented feed that they note the lack of bad smells in the coop/bedding. Why is this?Bee’s Answer: That is a great side effect of using the FF, but I...
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Ask Bee - How Do I Recondition My Chicken Run?
Dear Bee, I have a question concerning barren ground. I have a 20'x40' pen with 4 mature pine trees. Coop is inside the pen. When I am not home, chickens are in the pen - they free range when I am...
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Ask Bee - Empty Nests... My Hen's Aren't Laying Well!
Dear Bee,I am starting to wonder about my 4 2.5 year old Black Australorp hens. I have been getting 1 egg a day from them for the past 3 months. I knew egg production was supposed to slow down at 2...
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Bloody Egg. Do My Chickens Have Worms? (And A Giveaway!!)
Dear Bee –I read online that finding blood on the egg shell is a sign of capillary worms in chickens. Can worms be present inside of eggs? The same site said chickens should be given chemical dewormer...
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Ask Bee - Why You Shouldn't Light Your Coop in the Winter
Dear Bee,My hens’ are not laying very much right now and I read somewhere that lighting the coop (so they have as many hours of light as they do during the summer) will make them lay more through the...
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Ask Bee - Help! Egg-Eating Chickens!
Dear Bee – I’ve heard that feeding eggs to chickens will make my chickens into egg-eaters. Is this true??Bee’s Answer:This is a common myth that is perpetuated here, there and everywhere.... that...
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Ask Bee - Why Are My Hens are Laying Thin Shell / Soft Shelled Eggs??
Dear Bee,Speaking of thin shells and egg eating (from the post:Ask Bee - Help! Egg-Eating Chickens!), I have a question. Starting a few weeks ago, I suddenly had no-shell and soft-shelled eggs. My...
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Chicken Keeping Food For Thought... And a Winner!
By Leigh:Every now and then, I’m going to infuse this blog with little bits and pieces from the perspective of a Chicken Newbie… (that would be me). I feel very lucky to have such a wonderful mentor in...
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Ask Bee - What Size Coop Do I Need?
Dear Bee,How much room do chickens actually need in the coop? How high should a coop be?When I see my birds roosting - what will "comfortable" birds look like? Spread out? Close together? On...
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Natural Way to Rid Chickens of Lice & Mites
By Leigh:(As learned from Bee)Wood ash kills lice and mites that live on chickens. Yes, just the plain old ash you get from burning fire wood. If you happen to have a wood-burning fireplace or a wood...
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Winter Chickens – Mother Nature Versus the Coop
By Leigh:There were chickens long before there were chicken coops. It is believed the species developed as a jungle bird in what is now India and southern Asia. While this might lead some of us to...
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Ask Bee - What Protein Levels Do My Chickens Need?
Dear Bee –I’ve heard talk about protein levels - how people modify them for the health of the flock. I am not good at math. I do read the labels to see what the protein levels are in the feed (though...
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Natural Feeding Cycles for Chickens
By Bee:Going to talk a little aboutnatural feeding cycles because I think it's an important part of the natural health of chickens. Over the years I've noticed certain things about how chickens live...
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Bee Answers Your Natural Chicken Feeding Questions
Dear Bee,In your last post you said that you cut the layer rations back as it goes from hot weather into the cold months. I understand the theory for that. As of now I have been giving half layer...
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What to Look For in Black Australorp Chickens
Dear Bee,I am watching my dual-purpose Black Australorp flock closely for desirable characteristics, and for flock behavior (foraging ability/behavior, relationship to the roo, pecking order, flocking...
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Natural from the Start – Medicated Chick Feed?
Medicated chick feed is sold under the premise that it will keep young chicks healthier and free of coccidiosis. When I was raising my first batch of chicks, everything I read seemed to detail warnings...
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Biosecurity - One Method of Introducing New Birds to Your Flock
By Vicki - I understand that some folks believe in *tossing* new chickens (from outside sources) in to let nature take its course, let the fit survive etc. (nothing wrong with this).I do not.I would...
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