As a Backyard Poultry member, you’ll have access to our complete lineup of Flock Files.
Flock Files are easy-to-digest, one-page documents that teach you what you need in a hurry. These handy reference sheets are easy to download or print out. They make great teaching aids whether you want to educate yourself, your friends and family, or your customers.
Eggshells are a porous, which allows air, moisture, and some contaminants to pass through. Spoilage bacteria are the most common culprits of eggs turning rotten. When laid, the hen deposits a protective bloom, but this cuticle is not completely impenetrable, so whether or not you wash the egg, bacteria will eventually traverse that porous shell.
Read MoreBe prepared before your chicken gets injured by having both the supplies and knowledge for chicken wound care.
Read MoreFowlpox is an old viral poultry disease found worldwide and first described in the 17th century. Several strains of the avian pox virus have been identified and named after the primary bird infected.
Read MorePullorum disease and fowl typhoid affect all poultry and various wild birds. Though virtually eradicated from commercial flocks in most developed countries, outbreaks still happen in backyard flocks, game birds, and wild birds.
Read MoreBecause they don’t have feathers to self-regulate temperature, newly hatched chicks depend on mothers to keep them warm. Darting beneath wings when they’re cold, and coming out to eat and drink, babies thrive on the mother-to-chick relationship. Brooder chicks must have appropriate heat sources, and humans must closely monitor them with thermometers and good judgment.
Read MoreFowl cholera is a highly contagious bacterial infection that affects multiple species of wild and domestic birds. Onset is sudden, with a high mortality and morbidity rate. Fowl cholera is found worldwide.
Read MoreChickens are sensitive to their environment, motivations, and sense of well-being. Happy chickens cope better with changes and challenges, whereas distressed birds may easily go downhill.
Read MoreCoccidia are single-celled, obligate, spore-forming
parasites that infect a wide variety of animals and are host specific. Nine known species affect chickens and seven affect turkeys, and disease severity depends on strain.
Brown egg laying hens consistently appear on best egg layer lists and can be the backbone of a productive backyard flock, many laying more than 200 eggs per year.
Read MoreThere may be times when a broody hen is not in your best interest. Broodiness is infectious. Once one hen starts setting in earnest, it is highly likely that another hen will also start. And then another. Before long, there goes your egg production, most likely for several weeks. How do you break a broody hen?
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