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The Hipster Hens and I just gathered around to blow the candles out on another birthday cake! Randy’s Chicken Blog just celebrated its 5th birthday! Getting from the 4th birthday to the 5th required traversing the pandemic. What a crazy year!
Somebody’s eating eggs before I can collect them out of the nest boxes. Before I can take any action, I need to find the perpetrator, and that’s not easy! Interrogations would probably not prove to be fruitful. Sitting in the coop 24/7 could waste a whole lot of time. But maybe a coop cam would be the perfect solution!
I’m surprised at the sheer number of articles out there on the internet that earnestly claim floating a few ping-pong balls on a water container will prevent them it freezing in cold weather. The idea seems to fly in the face of logic and science. Interestingly, of the 15 articles I found that tout ping-pong balls, only three indicate that the writer had actually tried them. And none of those three actually said that they’d prevented or slowed ice formation in their chicken water. And I found no mention of a controlled experiment. On the other hand, I’m being pretty earnest about ping-pong balls not working. Where’s my controlled experiment? Oh. Well. It’s right here.
I get a steady trickle of messages from readers, and that’s great! I love hearing from you! This was a banner week - with a superb question about car-eating chickens and a torrent of messages about the dinosaur/chicken connection from Oklahoma middle-schoolers.
As long as there have been domestic animals in cold climates, there has been the problem of keeping the animals’ water from freezing. Here is a list of suggestions for keeping your chickens’ water liquid this winter. I also debunk some widespread “solutions” that just don’t work.
I don’t know how you spent 2020, but more than likely it was pretty much like the way I spent it—lots of time at home. I’m fortunate to have my chickens to occupy my time. There’s absolutely no hardship in spending lots of time with the Hipster Hens. I also have no problem with the time I spend reading books. Of course, books with chicken themes or at least a chicken connection keep finding their way into my hands. Here are my favorite chicken reads from the past year.
Happy holidays! It’s time to shake the 2020 melancholy - Sing carols against the gloom! Light candles against the darkness! And show your loved ones your appreciation with a few thoughtful gifts. If any of your special people are chicken people, you may find some ideas right here. There are also some gifts here for your flock - because how would we have gotten through this year without our chickens?!
Goodbye to Paul the rooster
Farmer-ish - A literary journal of rural life
Sleeping with Chickens - Fun AND Healthy - bc Malaria!
The Randy’s Chicken Blog Newsletter
An eggshell defines an egg - if there was no shell an egg would be…well, disgusting and useless. Add the shell and an egg becomes both beautiful and functional. What are eggshells made of? And what makes blue eggs blue and green eggs green?
An eggshell defines an egg - if there was no shell an egg would be…well, disgusting and useless. Add the shell and an egg becomes both beautiful and functional. What are eggshells made of? And why are brown eggs brown?
An eggshell defines an egg - if there was no shell an egg would be…well, disgusting and useless. Add the shell and an egg becomes both beautiful and functional. What are eggshells made of? And how does a hen do that?
A 2019 study showed that most of the diseases that cause our backyard birds to die are infectious diseases. Many of those diseases are preventable.
What are the main causes of death of our backyard chickens? The six top killers, determined by a scientific study on chickens in eight different states, may surprise you.
If you’re looking for a book to enjoy and learn from, here’s one— a life well lived contained in a well written book. What more could you want? Oh…chickens? You want to read about chickens? Well, bingo.
The Hipster Hens Shelter in Place - COVID-19 and Black Soldier Fly Larvae - COVID-19 and Fine Chicken Art - COVID-19, Chicken Hoarding and Salmonella
Toby the Lab Digs Sticks - The Hipster Hens Dig to China - Chicken Love in the Time of Covid - Chicken Death in the Time of Covid
If Marek’s Disease strikes your flock there’s very little you can do except suffer as your sick chickens suffer, and end their suffering when it becomes severe. There is no cure. Thus, your best strategy is to prevent Marek’s from harming your flock in the first place. You can fight infection with biosecurity and prevent symptoms with vaccination.
Chicken Hoarding - Resources for Chicken Keeping - My Favorite Chicken Bloggers - Thoughts on Fishers
Some of the main recommended practices for keeping our flocks safe can, with a few modifications, be good guidelines for protecting ourselves from the marauding coronavirus.
