In the U.K. we have the well-known Eurasian magpie. This is a very distinctive black and white bird that comes from the Corvidae family. Unfortunately, they are trouble for poultry keepers! Magpies can kill chicks and young birds but magpies can steal or eat eggs from nest boxes inside chicken houses …
Red mites (Dermanyssus gallinae) are blood-feeding ectoparasites that live in small cracks inside poultry houses, coming out at night for a blood feed from chickens and turkeys during the warmer months. They are difficult to eradicate and have significant welfare and egg production implications in commercial and backyard flocks. Red mites …
This article describes common worms that infect chickens, the symptoms of worms, how you can reduce the worm burden by worming chickens and what products you can use and how often. Most of this information is common to all poultry, but I talk mostly about chickens for simplicity. A separate …
The chicken house or coop is usually considerably more expensive than the chickens who will live in it. While the choice of chicken houses has never been wider, and purchasing one has never been simpler, it’s never been easier to make a costly mistake. Poor quality or workmanship will not …
Farmers in the Netherlands have slashed their antibiotic usage by more than 60% since 2007, and British vets are using their experiences to help UK farmers meet their own reduction targets. In a recent tour of British and Dutch farms, organised by Applied Bacterial Control (ABC) – a firm founded …
Well, for the Club’s second Poultry Club of Great Britain Regional Show, held on Valentine’s day 14th February 2016, the love of poultry keeping was certainly in the air with a Valentine theme for the day. The show had a total entry of 675, made up of 555 birds and …
Advice on incubation humidity varies wildly from different sources and it seems to be a constant worry to newcomers who are incubating their first few batches of eggs. One of the sources of confusion with humidity comes from incubator manufacturers, since there are a number of recommendations in their manuals …
The Reading and District Bantam Society Championship show was held last weekend (27th-28th February) and I was again really pleased to be invited to take photos. With 2256 bird and egg entries and more than 500 people coming through the door, the show continues to be the most important event …
Last weekend Rupert and I visited the Federation of Poultry Clubs’ Championship Show or “The Fed” as it’s called by most to take photos of some of the prize winners. The Federation 2015 had over 7000 poultry & waterfowl in more than 1450 classes, it’s one of the biggest in …
Once again, I had the pleasure of visiting the Poultry Club of Great Britain’s National Poultry Show 2015 which was held at the International Centre in Telford. With nearly 7000 entries and 500 sales pens, it’s one of the biggest poultry shows in the country and a highlight of the year. I …
If you don’t want to use a chemical wormer on your hens or would like the reassurance that a herbal product is working then the Westgate Labs Worm Count Kit could be the answer! Keeping chickens on the same ground for a number of years can cause a build up …
As always, it was a pleasure to visit the British Watefowl Association National Waterfowl Exhibition held at Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire last Sunday 1st November. This has been an annual date in my diary to see some of the best domestic waterfowl in the UK, together with a chance to catch …
Backyard chickens can stand very cold temperatures and most breeds don’t normally have any problems getting through a UK winter providing they have shelter available from wind and rain and sufficient food which they turn into energy to keep warm. There are however a number of things to consider as …
It’s mid-October and the chickens are in the middle of their annual moult. This is the time they take a rest from laying eggs and need a little extra care and attention.
A range of parasitic worms are frequently found in backyard chickens and over the years, I have always been a strong advocate of having a regular worming regime to ensure they don’t take a hold. The damage caused by some species of worm can be significant, so to write an …
Avian Influenza, or Bird flu, is an infectious virus that affects many species of birds, including chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese. There have been a number of outbreaks around the World including here in the UK. This page intends to offer basic advice to backyard poultry keepers and will be updated …
There is always confusion over the term ‘Point of Lay’ (POL) used by breeders and others selling pullets (a pullet being a female chicken under the age of a year). Point of lay is often a bit vague. It’s a term that’s used to describe a pullet that is approaching …
The preferred wormer for chickens is Flubenvet. It kills all worms, including tape worm. This is currently the only licensed in-feed wormer on the market. As I write this (August 2015), the 60g packs of Flubenvet have been out of stock for a couple of months and we have been inundated …
I was very sad to learn of the passing of David Scrivener, a very well-respected author and fancier here in the UK. David or Dave as he liked to be called had a National Diploma in Poultry from Harper Adams Agricultural College in Shropshire, was a ‘Panel A’ poultry judge …
Ducks love to forage for insects, snails, worms, especially near water where they will also find aquatic insects when dabbling or ‘sifting’ through the water or mud. While free ranging on grass, they will also consume seed heads as well as small amounts of grass, chickweed and clover. Given sufficient …
