Resources and insights for a happy, healthy flock
Do you wonder why your chickens stop laying eggs in winter? And is there anything you can do about it? Good news, friends! Watch this video from Nutrena Poultry Specialist Twain Lockhart for everything you need to know about lighting your chicken coop to keep the girls laying eggs!
Leave comments below, or questions if you’ve got some!
Everything is better when it’s clean, right? Your hands, your house, your kid’s face…but what about your eggs?
When you buy eggs from the store, you’ll notice they are pristine and clean. If you collect your own eggs, you know they don’t naturally come that way!
It is interesting to note that as a chicken lays an egg, it gets a nearly imperceptible coating that is called “bloom”. Bloom acts as a natural barrier and prevents germs and bacteria from getting to the egg through the shell. By leaving your eggs unwashed, the natural barrier remains intact. Commercial egg producers are regulated and required to wash all eggs before shipment, which is why the eggs you buy in the supermarket are so tidy.
If you are producing your own eggs for your household, you have more control over how your eggs are handled. Wiping eggs off with a dry cloth will knock off the feathers and dirt. And if you get the occasional “messy” egg? Go ahead and wash it – then store it in the refrigerator and try to use it before you use your other, unwashed eggs.
Eggs are most often stored in the refrigerator to slow decomposition and refrigerating your eggs is a common practice in the U.S. In many other countries, however, eggs are stored at room temperature and never refrigerated. Whatever your preference for storage, you may want to consider foregoing absolute cleanliness – at least when it comes to your eggs!
Ever wondered why you should feed grit to chickens and other types of poultry? Check out this short clip from Nutrena Poultry Specialist Twain Lockhart for answers!
Leave a comment if you have one, or feel free to ask questions below!
A common question among poultry owners, especially those new to raising birds, is “How much do my birds eat, so I know how much feed to buy?”.
Below are some general guidelines to go by, keeping in mind that a variety of factors, from weather to other available food sources, can influence the exact amount of prepared feed your birds will consume.
Feeding amounts for newly hatched birds:
| Type of Bird | Feeding period | Total amount of feed |
| Layer chicks | First 10 weeks | 9-10 lbs per bird |
| Broiler chicks (based on Cornish Game Birds) | First 6 weeks | 8-9 lbs per bird |
| Turkeys | First 12 weeks | 72 lbs per bird |
| Geese | First 8 weeks | 53 lbs per bird |
| Ducks | First 8 weeks | 22 lbs per bird |
| Gamebirds | First 8 weeks | 9 lbs per bird |
Feeding amounts for laying birds:
| Type of Bird | Total amount of feed |
| Chickens | 1.5 lbs per bird per week |
| Turkeys | 4 – 5 lbs per bird per week |
| Geese | 3 lbs per bird per week |
| Gamebirds | 1 – 1.5 lbs per bird per week |
Instead of asking “Why did the chicken cross the road?” poultry hobbyists may better ask, “How does the chicken chew its feed without any teeth?” Even without teeth, chickens have one of the most efficient digestive systems in the animal kingdom. Let’s take a look at how the poultry digestive system works.
Food is taken in with the beak, which is the perfect tool for pecking feed in crumble or pellet form, small grains, grass or insects. Chickens are omnivores – meaning that, in addition to a commercial feed, they can eat meat (grubs, worms, the occasional mouse) and vegetation (grass, weeds and other plants). A small bit of saliva and digestive enzymes are added as the food moves from the mouth into the esophagus.
From the esophagus food moves to the crop, an expandable storage compartment located at the base of the chicken’s neck, where it can remain for up to 12 hours. The food trickles from the crop into the bird’s stomach (proventriculus or gizzard) where digestive enzymes are added to the mix and physical grinding of the food occurs.
The gizzard is why chickens do not need teeth. It is a muscular part of the stomach and uses grit (small, hard particles of pebbles or sand) to grind grains and fiber into smaller, more digestible, particles.
From the gizzard, food passes into the small intestine, where nutrients are absorbed. The residue then passes through the ceca, a blind sack along the lower intestinal tract, where bacteria help break down undigested food. From the ceca, food moves to the large intestine, which absorbs water and dries out indigestible foods.
This remaining residue passes through the cloaca where the chicken’s urine (the white in chicken droppings) mixes with the waste. Both exit the chicken at the vent, the external opening of the cloaca.
And don’t think of chicken manure as “waste” to be disposed of…it makes a great fertilizer for your flower beds or vegetable garden. Because it is high in nitrogen, it is recommended to let it age for a bit in a compost pile before adding it to your gardens.
It is important to understand how a chicken or other fowl digests its food. Here’s a quick tour of how food moves through their digestive tract.
Nutritious feed, access to fresh, clean water, and adequate housing are important to the health of your flock. Good management and sanitation practices are essential as well. Proper ventilation in the brooder and coop will reduce moisture and disease organisms. Caked or wet litter should be removed as soon as it forms to keep the house clean and dry.
For most backyard poultry enthusiasts, diseases are rare as long as the flock doesn’t come into contact with other flocks. The most common disease for young, unmedicated flocks is coccidiosis, which is characterized by diarrhea, unthriftiness and some mortality. A medicated chick feed can help prevent coccidiosis.
A rigid sanitation program can help prevent parasites. If internal parasites become a problem, products to treat them are available from your feed dealer.
Check your flock daily to spot diseases or parasites so you can start treatment right away. For more information about identifying, preventing and treating poultry diseases and parasites, contact your local veterinarian. Your local feed dealer can help you choose the right feed to support the nutritional needs of your flock.