Author: TBN Ranch

Chicken Keeper in Phoenix, Arizona, with special interest in Silkie Bantams. Offering valuable resources to fellow chicken enthusiasts since 2012.

Backyard Biosecurity, Healthy Chicken Keeping

Backyard biosecurity means doing everything you can to protect your birds from disease. As a bird owner, keeping your birds healthy is a top priority. Your birds can become sick or die from exposure to just a few unseen bacteria, viruses, or parasites. In a single day, these germs can multiply and infect all your birds. However, by practicing backyard biosecurity, you can keep your birds healthy.
If you follow these basic tips and make them part of your routine, you decrease the risk of disease entering your flock and persisting in soil, droppings, and debris. Practicing biosecurity is an investment in the health of your birds.
When You Suspect Disease
Do not wait to report unusual signs of disease or unexpected deaths among your birds. Call your agricultural extension agent, local veterinarian, the State Veterinarian, or the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Veterinary Services office.
USDA operates a toll-free hotline: (1–866–536–7593) with veterinarians to help you. USDA wants to test sick birds to make sure they do not have a serious poultry disease.
There is no charge for USDA veterinarians to work with you to conduct a disease investigation. Early reporting is important to protecting the health of your birds!
Disinfect
Cleaning and disinfecting are one of the most important steps you can take in practicing backyard biosecurity.
Below are some examples of disinfectants available on the market. Follow the directions on the label carefully for the best results. Thoroughly clean and scrub objects before applying
disinfectants. Disinfectants cannot work on top of caked-on dirt and manure, so thoroughly wash surfaces before disinfecting.
Apply disinfectants using brushes, sponges, and spray units. Allow adequate contact time (follow the manufacturer’s instructions.)
Dispose of used disinfectant according to local regulations.
Examples of Disinfectants
Roccal®: Mix 1/2 fluid oz of Roccal per gallon of water.
Nolvasan® (chlorhexidine diacetate 2 percent): Mix 3 fluid oz of Nolvasan per gallon of water.
Household bleach (sodium hypochlorite 6 percent):
Mix 3/4 cup of household bleach per gallon of water.
Lysol® spray for footwear
Purell® hand pump for hand disinfection.

Source: United States Dept. of Agriculture

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Thin Shelled and Brittle Eggs

Why and What to Do About It

About 95% of the egg a hen lays is calcium carbonate by dry weight. Over a year, the calcium she puts into her eggshells could equal 20 times the calcium that’s in her bones. So it only makes sense that a steady supply of calcium will help her stay healthy and produce strong eggshells.
I suggest ground oyster shells, and I recommend putting them in their own container so the hens can take what they need. They like them, they’re readily available in feed stores, and they’re not expensive.
Feed Variances and Calcium
If your hens are fed high-quality layer feed and get nothing else, their calcium intake is probably sufficient. But if they’re in the yard, fed table scraps and scratch feeds along with commercial feed, they are good candidates for a calcium supplement.
Note: Only feed oyster shells to hens already laying eggs.

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Feed Store Chicken Lottery

The Pullet is a Rooster? Options and Solutions

They’re pullets, all female, and that’s why you bought those cute little chicks from the feed store. You certainly didn’t expect to get stuck with a rooster, but now you’re the unlucky one who has fallen into that teeny tiny margin of error and has an unwanted cockerel.
Considering your Options
Check your city ordinances, roosters are often banned in suburban areas, so considering the impossibility of hiding him, an eviction notice is definitely in order. I know this is a hard decision, but it only takes one neighbor to complain and the law will be snooping and sniffing around your property.
If you are allowed to have a rooster you still may have a problem if you already have one. Rule of thumb… more than one rooster to a flock is a no-no.  Another thing to consider is your hen’s eggs are going to be fertile, not exactly an ideal situation if you’re selling eggs.
Not all chicken keepers raise meat birds, so we folks who keep only layers have completely ruled out killing and cooking one of our birds for dinner. That’s an art in itself, and if you’re like me, one better left to somebody else.
Check with the feed store you bought the bird from, sometimes they’ll take it back.  But realistically, most unwanted cockerels share the same fate, a dinner plate.
If the feed store idea is a bust, it’s time to re-home the roo. Ask friends who might live in a more rural area. Craig’s List has come through for me time and time again. Last year I had six roosters to re-home, and they all sold for $5 bucks each.  Just keep in mind, cock fighting does exist, so weed out the riff-raff and dust off your good judge of character skills.
Beat the Odds of the Chicken Lottery
There is a solution to that 1% margin of error when buying sexed chicks.  If you want to be assured you’ll never get stuck with a rooster again, buy sex-linked chicks.  They’re idiot-proof in the sexing department because the hens hatch one color and the roosters another.  They’re hardy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they wrote the book on egg laying.
Sex Link Chickens
Two common varieties are the black sex-link (also called Black Stars) and the red sex-link (also called Red Stars).

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