Not to worry, it’s your chick’s umbilical cord! Be sure not to confuse this with pasting, which is a poopy butt, this does need immediate attention. Usually, the umbilical cord falls off immediately during hatching, but sometimes it can hang around for a few days (or it falls off but the belly button takes a while to heal, leaving a scabby spot). This can happen whether you hatch at home or order from a hatchery. It’ll eventually fall off on its own, and the spot will heal as it does for a human infant. Don’t try and remove it. If the other chicks seem to be picking at it, you may have to separate this chick until it does fall off, but that isn’t usually necessary.
A New Way to Keep Your Chicken Coop Clean & Smelling Fresh
Coffee grounds chicken bedding is a new type of bedding material for chicken coops that utilizes used coffee grounds. Instead of disposing of the coffee grounds, they are repurposed as bedding material for chickens. The idea behind using coffee grounds as chicken bedding is that it is a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to traditional bedding materials such as straw or pine shavings. Not to mention, the coop certainly would smell great! It’s important to note that coffee grounds should not be the only source of bedding material in a chicken coop. They can be used in combination with other materials such as pine shavings to provide a comfortable nesting box for egg-laying and broody hens. I haven’t found this new product anywhere in Phoenix, but other chicken keepers have found it available at Rural King. Unfortunately, we don’t have that store here. Some people have found it at Tractor Supply, but our neighborhood TSC hasn’t gotten on board with this new product yet. Therefore, I haven’t been able to try it, nevertheless, I wanted to at least keep my readers informed with new products that might make chicken-keeping chores easier. Using a long-handle litter scoop would be handy in keeping the coop clean on a daily basis. The litter scoop is available on Amazon.
Litter ScoopRecycled Coffee Grounds, Made in USA
Here’s what Rural King Farm & Home Store Says About Recycled Coffee Grounds Animal Bedding
Our 100% All Natural Animal Bedding is made from 100% recycled coffee grounds. To answer the question you’re asking yourself – Yes! It is completely safe for your animals. There is no caffeine or anything harmful in our coffee grounds. Our bedding makes your coop smell like your favorite local coffee shop, it doesn’t decompose and break down into dust, and it acts like a cat litter for your animals’ droppings, making for a quick and easy clean up! When you’re ready to swap out your used bedding for new, go ahead and toss our grounds in your compost pile or in the yard! Here are the Benefits: Grounds All Natural Animal Bedding is made from recycled coffee grounds and is great for chickens (chicks), ducks, and turkeys! Grounds bedding has a great coffee scent. Pet bedding has no dust and does not break down like traditional wood shavings. Small pet bedding is easy to clean and scoop out unwanted waste Natural pest repellent. Longer-lasting clean coop, less maintenance required. Made in the USA from recycled coffee grounds with virtually no caffeine. Spread 0.5-1 in. depth in the chicken coop.
What The Labels Mean & Which One is Right for Your Birds
There are many brands to choose from, these randomly picked brands will give you an idea of what each feed type is for. I have fed all these brands and have been happy with them.
Starter / Grower Feed
Specifically formulated for baby chicks. You will feed this all the way until the first egg.
Layer Pellets (I feed my hens this brand)
Layer Feed: This feed is for adult laying hens that are producing eggs. It usually contains higher levels of calcium and other nutrients to support egg production and shell formation. Also available in crumbles, either is suitable for your birds.
Broiler/ Meat Bird
This feed is formulated specifically for meat chickens, also known as broilers. It has higher levels of protein and energy to promote rapid weight gain and muscle development. I mix this higher protein feed in my Silkies’ feed as they tend to need a bit more protein than other breeds.
Scratch Grains
Scratch grains are a mixture of grains such as corn, wheat, and barley, and are typically fed as a treat or supplement rather than as a complete feed. Scratch should not be the sole source of nutrition.
Organic Feed (Expensive)
Organic chicken feed is made from ingredients that are grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Medicated Chick Starter
Medicated chicken feed that contains added antibiotics. I use medicated feed for mail-order chicks for the first week after they arrive.
TBN Ranch Chicken Keeping Resources 