Keeping your flock well
Poultry Health
Hardware Disease in Poultry
Chickens’ curious foraging habits can put them at risk for hardware disease—a serious condition caused by ingesting metal objects. Learn the warning signs, treatment options, and simple prevention tips to help keep your flock safe.
Probiotics For Your Flock
Probiotics can be a helpful supplement for supporting your flock’s gut health, digestion, and immunity. Learn when to use probiotics for chickens—including after antibiotics, during stressful times, when introducing new chicks, and while recovering from illness—and how beneficial bacteria can help keep your birds healthy.
Tips to Reduce Feed Waste
Save money on poultry feed with simple strategies that reduce waste while keeping your flock healthy. Learn how proper storage, smarter feeding methods, fermented feed, the right feed type, and free-ranging can help you get more value from every bag of feed.
What Your Chicken’s Comb Can Tell You
Learn what your chickens’ combs can reveal about their health, laying status, and overall well-being. From bright red to pale, blue, or blackened combs, discover the key signs to watch for and how daily observation can help you catch potential health issues early.
Poultry Health and Feed Additives
Discover the key supplements that help keep your flock healthy, productive, and thriving. From probiotics and garlic to essential minerals and vitamins, learn which nutrients support gut health, immunity, egg quality, and overall poultry wellness year-round.
What is NPIP and Why Does it Matter When Buying Chicks?
Learn why choosing an NPIP-certified hatchery matters for the health of your flock. Meyer Hatchery’s strict biosecurity practices, regular disease testing, and NPIP certification help ensure you receive healthy, high-quality poultry while helping prevent the spread of disease.
Keeping Chickens Cool When It’s Hot and Dry
Keep your flock cool and comfortable all summer long with simple, effective strategies. From providing fresh water and shade to improving ventilation and offering frozen treats, these practical tips help maintain healthy, happy chickens—even in the hottest months.
Why Chickens Might Stop Laying in Nesting Boxes
Why are your chickens laying eggs everywhere but the nesting boxes? From stress and overcrowding to cleanliness, parasites, predators, and even seasonal changes, several factors can influence your hens’ behavior. Learn the most common reasons behind misplaced eggs—and simple ways to encourage your flock to lay where they should.
Toxic or Poisonous Plants for Poultry
Keeping your flock safe starts with knowing what’s growing in their space. Many common plants—like hemlock, azalea, rhubarb, and lily of the valley—can be toxic to chickens. A quick walk around your property can help you spot and remove any potential dangers before they become a problem. Use tools like plant ID apps or your local Extension office to identify unknown plants, and check out our Toxic Plant Lookup Tool for a more complete list. With a little preparation, you can create a safe, healthy environment for your chickens to thrive.
Ammonia Causes & Preventative Measures
Ammonia buildup in poultry coops is unavoidable, but it can seriously impact bird health if left unmanaged. Learn how ammonia forms, why it’s worse in colder months, and the simple steps you can take—like proper ventilation, bedding, and odor control products—to keep your coop healthy and your flock safe.
How to Supplement Niacin with your Waterfowl
Niacin is essential for healthy waterfowl growth and development, especially during the first eight weeks of life. Since standard chicken feed lacks sufficient niacin for waterfowl, supplementation is often necessary to prevent leg weakness and deformities. Learn how to support your ducks with niacin-rich foods, water additives, and proper feeding practices to keep them healthy at every stage of life.
Breaking the Habit! How to Stop Hens from Sleeping in Nesting Boxes
Hens sleeping in nesting boxes may seem harmless, but it’s often a sign of discomfort or problems in the coop. From low roosting bars and overcrowding to mites or drafty conditions, several issues can push hens into the wrong sleeping spot. Learn why this habit forms, how to retrain your birds, and the messy problems it can cause—from dirty eggs to broken ones. Find out how to fix it for a cleaner coop and healthier hens!
Raising Baby Waterfowl: Tips for Success
Raising Baby Waterfowl: Tips for SuccessRaising newly hatched goslings and ducklings is a little different than raising chicks. These differences are important to know as they can help you to succeed when raising your new fowl friends. It is important to brood your...
The Amazing Benefits of Marigold for Your Chickens
The Amazing Benefits of Marigolds for Your ChickensMarigolds are versatile plants that can serve various purposes in gardening, such as deterring pests, attracting pollinators, and beautifying a landscape. However, marigolds also provide unique benefits for chicken...
Fly Control Tips for Your Coop and Run
Fly Control Tips for Your Coop and RunFlies are an equal-opportunity nuisance to all flock owners alike. Not only do they bother the flock, but they also frustrate the flock tenders! Let’s discuss some great ways to keep the fly population down to a minimum in your...
Caring For a Chicken with Cross Beak
Caring For a Chicken With Cross BeakAlthough it does not happen often, you may experience some health conditions when raising your own flock. One condition you may see is "cross beak" (also known as scissor beak), a deformity where a chicken’s upper and lower beaks do...
Avian Influenza: Separating Fact from Fiction for Backyard Chicken Keepers
Avian Influenza: Separating Fact from Fiction for Backyard Chicken KeepersIf you’re scrolling through the news or social media lately, you’ve probably seen a lot of talk about Avian Influenza (AI), also known as bird flu. Unfortunately, not everything you read online...
The Pecking Order Problem: Managing Mean Hens
The Pecking Order Problem: Managing Mean HensOh, the dreaded mean girl! No, I am not talking about teenagers, but the pecking order wreaking havoc in your chicken coop. The pecking order establishes each chicken's place in the flock, often based on age, personality,...
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