Keeping chickens is easy and fun, but how do you cope when something goes wrong?

The naughty dog from next door gets loose and before you know it your chickens have been chased, possibly killed, but worse still, badly maimed in the attack.

It is a horrible thought, but domestic dogs - not usually your own - and foxes are the most common demise of domestic poultry.

First you have to ascertain just how bad the attack was. Is it plain obvious that the chicken won’t survive and needs to be put out of its misery? Are there injuries that are treatable - bearing in mind that canine attacks often involve difficult to spot puncture wounds? Even if there appears to be no outward damage, keep a close eye on the birds for a few days, and take very seriously any birds slowing up or off their food. There may be a fatal slow burn infection to deal with.

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Things have just got better for urban chickens, their owners, British Manufacturing and the environment.

New for Summer 2012 the CluckBuddy chicken coop has been designed and manufactured here in the UK by a small company run by urban chicken enthusiasts who set out to develop the perfect chicken coop. They believe they have done just that.

This 100% recycled plastic chicken coop with it’s slot together design is unique and it has been designed with the intention of revolutionising the way we keep chickens. It has been specifically designed to accommodate the needs of ex-battery hens as well as normal laying hens.

For your chickens, perhaps the most important feature to point out is it’s impossible for Red Mite to infest the coop as it’s made from recycled plastic that slots together leaving no where for them to hide. They are a common problem and its hard to get rid of them… until now.

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The Partridge and Pencilled Wyandotte Club is holding a special BBQ Summer Show for its members on the 12th August in Blackfordby, Derbyshire.

The club will be holding talks and discussing non standard colours as well as other happenings. This is to encourage new members to join and exisiting members to continue showing this breed and to raise all important funds for the club. The judge for this show will be Geoff Parker who judged the Supreme Champion at the Federation of Poultry Clubs Show in December 2011.

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At Chicken Vet we often see and hear from many owners whose birds are suffering from respiratory disease with sneezing and swelling around their eyes being the most common signs.

One phrase that invariably comes up during the conversation with owners is that 'respiratory disease is very common in backyard flocks'. But just how common is respiratory disease in backyard flocks? And which organisms are most commonly involved?

The truth is nobody really knows but most poultry vets would say that Mycoplasma and Infectious Bronchitis are most commonly involved.

But hopefully we are about to find out!

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All are welcome to this year's Fillongley Agricultural Society's 88th Annual Show, to be held on Sunday 12th August 2012 at Stonehouse Farm, Corley, North Warwickshire.

The Fillongley Show always attracts visitors from far and wide who are treated to a traditional country show with attractions such as show classes for cattle, sheep, pigs and horses, show jumping and Morris Dancing, gun dog display and historical machinery, the Atherstone Hunt and Shire Horses.

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Verm-X, supporters of Stepney City Farm are delighted to update you on the farm's progress as they leave winter behind and look forward to the joys of spring. Based in the heart of Stepney, in London's East End, the farm provides a severely deprived community with an opportunity to experience rural life and interact with animals.

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