Category: Managing the Flock

Keeping your Chickens Safe from Fox

Fox Proofing the Chicken Coop & Suggestions to Keep Them Away 

The fox is an efficient and clever hunter with the capability to dig and maneuver through very small spaces.  With little effort, a fox can chew through chicken wire and open latches that are of simple operation. Factory-made coops often have both lightweight wire and flimsy latches which are merely an invitation to dinner for a fox.
Fox are mostly nocturnal animals, so your chickens are most at risk at night, unfortunately, when you’re sleeping.  However, a hungry fox who knows chickens are free ranging during the day, will hunt then.
They’re smart and patient, they will watch your coop for weeks before they attack. Every bird the fox can grab in the coop will be killed, often the entire flock will be completely wiped out. They’ll take as many birds from the coop with them. I think I have your attention now, so here’s what you can do to help protect your flock…
How to Fox Proof the Chicken Coop
A wire floor secured to the coop frame will prevent the fox from burrowing under the coop. You can get wire that has bigger holes so your chickens can still scratch in the dirt. If that’s not possible, attach a wire skirt around the coop so that a fox can’t dig or burrow near the coop. However, this means you won’t be able to move your coop.
Enclose the coop with heavy gauge wire and make sure there are no gaps in the corners, around doors, or where the sides meet the roof.
Put two sturdy latches on the coop door, or use a lock.
If there is access to the nest box make sure it’s locked at night.
Building or Buying a Coop?
Ideal housing for chickens where predators are a problem (which is everywhere) is a ventilated shed or structure with solid walls and a floor for overnight. An attached covered pen with heavy gauge wire and perimeter wire skirting for daytime use.
Suggestions to Help Keep Fox Away
Sensor lights near the coop help keep away foxes, you can easily buy solar and put them low to the ground.
Motion sprinklers near the coop are another option, predators are startled by water.
Hope this article helps you keep your flock safe!

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Winter Chicken Keeping in Phoenix

Preparing the Chicken Coop for the Colder Months Ahead

The winters are rather mild in Phoenix and your birds will be quite comfortable without heat added, as long as they are protected from wind, drafts, and especially rain.
Temperatures rarely drop below freezing in Phoenix, with the usual overnight temperature in the 40s. As long as your birds are kept dry, cool weather is quite welcome, especially after a long summer of brutal heat.
A heavy-weight tarp is a suitable protection from wind, along with ample clean pine shavings (preferred) or straw in the coop and nest boxes. Your birds will huddle together for warmth at night, if you stick your finger deep inside their feathers you’ll see they are toasty warm, even at freezing temps.
Never put a heat lamp in your coop, the risk of fire is far too dangerous. I wouldn’t use a light bulb for heat either. First of all, your birds don’t need it in Phoenix, and second, light is annoying and disruptive to the normalcy of nature.
You will hear other chicken keepers say egg laying is reduced or halted completely in the winter months. That may be so in other parts of the country, but in Phoenix, I never notice much change in frequency. Remember, the key to keeping the egg basket full is defined in two simple words… happy birds.

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Why Your Hens Aren’t Laying Eggs

Hens Not Filling the Egg Basket? Here’s a Few Reasons Why


First of all, don’t panic, egg production changes for many reasons, and they aren’t all bad, so let’s narrow it down and take a look at all the different scenarios. We’ll start with the most common reasons.
Molting
Every year your chickens will molt, in other words, lose their feathers and grow new ones. Unfortunately, it also means most hens won’t lay eggs until their molt cycle is done. However, there are variations to that rule. The molting process is fully explained HERE.
The Broody Hen
When a hen is broody, it means she wants to hatch eggs and raise chicks. Some breeds are more broody than others, for instance, Silkies. When a hen decides to go broody, there is little you can do to change her mind! She’ll stay in her nest and sit on her eggs, other bird’s eggs, or nothing at all! Remember, just because you don’t have a rooster, doesn’t mean your hen won’t go broody.  A hen will become broody and sit on eggs whether they’re fertilized or not.
The pic below is a broody Silkie, notice how she has a flattened appearance or looks spread out. That’s a classic look for a broody hen. Unfortunately, she will not lay eggs during this time. More Information.

Broody Silkie Bantam

Seasonal
As the days become shorter it is a signal that winter is on its way. It’s natural for hens to lay only a couple of eggs per week in the winter months, sometimes none at all. Hot weather can also affect egg production, here in Phoenix, production can slow or even stop when the heat becomes extreme. Summer Heat Tips.
Stress
If you move your birds, add new birds, or anything that has changed their routine, is a good enough reason to take time off from laying eggs.  Sometimes a predator scare can upset a flock and they’ll stop laying for a week or more.  Another important factor is your bird’s feed. Make sure they’re consuming quality feed, and I don’t mean chicken scratch. Protein and calcium are essential.
Chickens need adequate space, overcrowding makes for unhappy birds, and this is especially important, why? Because happy hens fill the egg basket! One more thing, pests can also cause a stressful environment, so make sure your birds are not bothered by mites.
Sickness
A sick hen will not lay, ever. All I can tell you about that is to look for the most common signs of illness. Watery eyes, droopy tail, Hen doesn’t leave the nest, coughing, diarrhea, etc.   A sick bird is pretty obvious and should be isolated from the flock immediately.
Let’s Not Leave Out the Inevitable…Age
Unfortunately, all hens reach the age when they no longer lay eggs. Of course, some continue to surprise us with an egg well after their productive years. It may surprise you to learn that hens usually only lay eggs until they’re around 3 years old. Their first 2 years are the most productive, then, fewer and fewer as time passes. Except for those special ladies that don’t agree with that statement, and I’ve had a few!

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