Chickens rely upon their beaks as tools to accomplish tasks that hands would serve- if they had them. Chicken beaks they aid in eating, drinking, grasping, exploring, digging, transporting, grooming and communicating. Beak injuries are common and can result from colliding with an object, particularly when the bird is startled, fighting with predators or other chickens and getting the beak stuck in between hard objects such as hardware cloth fencing. The extent of an injury can range from a simple chip to a fracture to a partial or complete removal of the beak from its underlying structures. A significant beak injury can be devastating to a chicken, not only can it be incredibly painful, and the injury can prevent the chicken from eating and drinking normally, endangering its ability to survive.

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Hanging cucumbers and squash from sturdy string provided not only several hours of activity for the chickens, it made for some side-splitting entertainment for me!

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Avian influenza (AI, also known as bird flu) is a highly contagious, infectious bird disease caused by various strains of the influenza virus. Bird flu is spread primarily by migrating waterfowl via their droppings. Anyone or anything that comes in contact with infected droppings can transmit the virus to other birds. "[Bird flu] rides the wind, lives in water, can attach itself to clothes, tires, shovels, manure spreaders…..anything."1 Avian influenza should scare the heck out of all backyard chicken keepers.

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Gorilla Tornado Photograpy - | Creatures |

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As long as there are no internal injuries, an aspirin drinking water solution can be offered to an injured chicken for a maximum of three days. Add 5 aspirin tablets (total of 325 mg) to one gallon of water.

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Dakin's Solution for Wound cleaning in chickens.

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Cute egg basket!

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Most backyard chicken keepers have no access to a veterinarian willing or able to treat an injured chicken, so when a pet chicken is hurt, self-help is the only recourse. Some of the following basic first aid care measures for injured chickens may be life-saving when a vet visit is not an option.

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With all the joys and benefits that come with keeping backyard chickens, there are plenty of heartbreaks and weighty decisions to be made about their care, chief among them, whether or not to permit a flock to free-range. This is a sensitive subject and for good reason- the stakes are high and the emotions it evokes, even higher.

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Anyone who has kept chickens for more than ten minutes knows that the urge to add more birds to the existing flock is ever-present. This urge is commonly referred to as “Chicken Math” and it peaks in early spring when adorable baby chicks begin arriving in feed stores. The desire to add different breeds and feather patterns to a backyard flock and a rainbow of eggshell colors to an egg basket all contribute to the formidable force we know as Chicken Math and the only compelling constraint on this force is space.

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Before my first flock members were old enough to lay eggs, some of them were using the nest boxes as bedrooms. Chickens poop a lot while they sleep and I knew that I had to put a stop to the nightly nest box occupations. I had read that hanging burlap in front of the nest boxes could deter these unwanted slumber parties and figured it was worth a try.

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Chickens are a joy to keep for many reasons. If you can, just do it!

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Baby chicks will be filling feed store bins and arriving in post offices around the country soon, so I have rounded up some tools to help the new chicken keeper with chicken breed selection, chick housing options, feeding questions and trouble-shooting problems common in baby chicks. If you are new to the chicken adventure, welcome! If you're an ol' pro, you still might find a few tips that will help you keep your chicks healthier and happier and keep your family safe while doing so.

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The Chicken Chick®: Chicken Coop Design Essentials, Details & Luxuries

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It’s amazing how quickly baby chicks grow and it can be a challenge to house them in a brooder that is large enough for them from week to week. I have used a number of different brooder types over the years from cardboard boxes to playpens, rabbit hutches and plastic tubs. I even used a toboggan once. Choosing the biggest brooder possible for the age of the chick is important as overcrowding causes behavioral and health problems that are easier to avoid than to remedy. Many, creative options can work for a brooder- the set-up is limited only by the imagination. Having brooded countless batches of baby chicks, my strong preference is the cardboard box.

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Chicken coop photo contest entry via The Chicken Chick on Facebook

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Minimum Space requirements for day old chicks.

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Vent sexing sounds and appears very straightforward, but it is a true science and an art form and should not be attempted by backyard chicken keepers. When improperly performed, day old chicks are at risk of disembowelment and death.

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Before my first flock members were old enough to lay eggs, some of them were using the nest boxes as bedrooms. Chickens poop a lot while they sleep and I knew that I had to put a stop to the nightly nest box occupations. I had read that hanging burlap in front of the nest boxes could deter these unwanted slumber parties and figured it was worth a try.

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The Chicken Chick®: 10 Tips for Healthy Chickens

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In selecting the herbs for my herbal fusion, I consulted with Master Gardener and Herbalist, Kathie Jones in Forest Hill, MD to ensure their safe use around my chickens. While this mixture is not intended to be eaten, my flock may taste-test bits of it and it's important to me to know that all of these herbs are safe if ingested. I chose the following herbs, based upon their safety, aromatic properties and/or ability to repel pests.

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Few chicken activities are as entertaining to humans as the dust bath. To the uninitiated, stumbling upon a dust-bathing chicken can be alarming and is often mistaken for seizure activity or death. Prior to getting my first chickens, I had read about dust baths, so I was prepared for the sight and the first time I witnessed it, I found it hilarious- I still do. A dust bath is the chicken equivalent of a shower- it is both functional and recreational; chickens use dust baths to clean themselves, to relax, and to socialize. The fact that they are entertaining to us is a collateral benefit.

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Finding a trained poultry veterinarian or any vet who will agree to treat chickens is extremely difficult, if not impossible and nothing leaves a chicken keeper feeling more helpless than not knowing how to help a sick flock member. This article addresses the basic guidelines to follow for caring for a sick chicken.

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By the time a lash egg is found, the problem has been raging inside the hen for months and the prognosis for recovery is poor. Most hens will not survive more than 6 months with Salpingitis. According to Dr. McKillop If a hen does survive, she is unlikely to return to normal egg laying.

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We all aspire to keep happy, healthy chickens with strong immune systems without using antibiotics or other medications whenever possible. But not everything natural is necessarily safe for chickens and not everyone sharing natural or herbal remedies should be. Learn to identify qualified natural chicken keeping mentors in order to care for your chickens properly while saving time and money on herbal routines and “remedies” that will not help chickens and that could hurt them.

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Droppings boards are essentially a shelf designed to collect chicken poop deposited overnight. Most chicken-keepers scrape off the droppings boards (DBs) each morning. I use a 12" taping knife and a big bucket, which makes quick work of the task. Then it goes directly to the compost pile.

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Spruce the coop herbal fusion nest box blend.

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Buff Orpington chicks via The Chicken Chick on Facebook.

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It was an Easter Sunday they would never forget.

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Whatever the reason an egg’s age may be a mystery, one method used to gauge its approximate age is the “float test” wherein an egg is placed into a glass of water and it's position in the water observed. In order to understand how the float test indicates an egg’s approximate age, we need to know a little bit about egg structure.

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