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- Why Have My Chickens Stopped Laying Eggs?! Probably One of These Reasons
  
  Posted at 3:46 pm by HomeDabbler, on December 29, 2019
  
  Chickens are sensitive creatures.
  
  While it’s amazing to have a small egg-producing flock in your backyard, there are several very natural reasons why chickens (hens) stop laying eggs, at least for a while.
  
  The good news is that most times, they start laying again soon. Here are the most common causes.
  
  1. Weather Extremes
  
  I live in North Florida where the summers are brutal. Every August my hens stop laying eggs. The heat is just too much and most of their energy goes to surviving it. Same with cold. If your flock slows or stops laying, check the recent weather.
  
  Don’t worry, this usually works itself out when the weather moderates.
  
  2. Shorter Daylight Hours
  
  This is related to weather. On short winter days, chickens will slow or stop laying. Adding a light to their coop and keeping it lit a couple hours in the evening can help with egg production.
  
  3. Molting
  
  Most chickens molt once a year. It’s creepy to watch but perfectly natural. However, hens will not lay during a molt. Their body needs all the nutrients it can get to generate new feathers.
  
  Btw, here’s an article about molting in case you need it.
  
  4. Poor (Or Improper) Nutrition
  
  Not all chicken feed is the same. There are different mixes of protein, minerals, fats, and nutrients depending on what you want for your flock. Bottom line: wrong mix = no eggs.
  
  Make sure your layers are eating a quality 16% protein layer pellet. Other varieties include chick starter and feed for meat birds. We like the Nutrena brand (no, they don’t pay me, but I wish they would. Pass the word).
  
  5. Trauma or Shock
  
  If your birds have had a recent scare or attack—a hawk is menacing them or a raccoon killed one of them—they will typically stop laying for a while. Again, they usually pick back up a few days after the incident.
  
  6. Disease
  
  Sick hens won’t lay. Most disease in a small backyard flock can be prevented by purchasing vaccinated chicks from a reputable supplier (Murray McMurray is our favorite), giving them quality food and clean water, and providing plenty of open space.
  
  Treat the disease and she may start laying again. I say “may” because chickens are pretty fragile when it comes to sickness. Many times they simply don’t recover. Doesn’t mean they won’t though. Fingers crossed.
  
  7. Age
  
  This is the only one you can’t fix. A hen’s prime time for laying are her second and third years. After that, her eggs will get progressively smaller until she stops laying altogether.
  
  Some folks butcher their hens after they stop laying, but we don’t. Our girls are free to convalesce into their twilight years.
  
  In Conclusion
  
  If you are serious about having a reliably-laying flock, buy sturdy egg-laying breeds from good dealers and you should be fine for the most part.
  
  We prefer Buff Orpingtons and Rhode Island Reds.
  
  Questions? Feel free to message me through the HomeDabbler Facebook Page.
  
  Kevin
  
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged backyard chickens, backyard poultry, Chickens, raising chickens
- Preening: How Chickens Groom
  
  Posted at 1:29 pm by HomeDabbler, on November 23, 2019
  
  Each afternoon as your chickens get ready for bed, they will congregate and start picking through their feathers with their beaks. They are preening.
  
  Preening is a way chickens clean themselves. They pick out old feathers and release new ones, clean bugs off their skin, and oil their feathers.
  
  You didn’t know chickens oil their feathers? Yep, they have a small oil gland at the tip of their tail.
  
  Watch as your chickens preen – when their heads disappear into their feathers and poke around by their tail, they are getting a drop of oil on their beak to spread through their feathers!
  
  The oil helps keep their feathers healthy and also acts as a water repellent. This lets them scratch around in the rain without getting wet and cold.
  
  Here’s what preening looks like:
  
  Preening, along with dust bathing, is a natural way for your birds to stay clean and healthy. So make sure they have space to gather, roll around in the dirt, and pick themselves clean.
  
  You’ll have a lower maintenance and happier flock. And it’s fun to watch. 🙂
  
  Kevin
  
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged backyard chickens, backyard poultry, Chickens, preening
- Let’s Talk About Roosters
  
  Posted at 8:00 am by HomeDabbler, on September 20, 2019
  
  Roosters are gorgeous and majestic, the iconic poultry specimen. That said, I do not have them in my flock and haven’t had for many years.
  
  Most roosters are extremely aggressive once they reach sexual maturity (about six months old). After that, they are prone to attack you or your children.
  
  See that spur? It has one job – to stab.
  
  Don’t roosters protect the flock?
  
  Contrary to the idea of the noble rooster protecting his flock, more often than not our roosters spent more time harassing the hens.
  
  If you get a serious predator like a raccoon or fox, even the burliest rooster will be no match, especially at night when these varmints attack.
  
  Ready for a 24-hour serenade?
  
  And the crowing. Roosters do not just scream at day break. They crow around the clock, disturbing you and your neighbors.
  
  But what about eggs?
  
  The idea is that, without a rooster, your hens will not make eggs. Not true. The female of almost every species makes eggs no matter what. If you have no roosters, you will have no fertilized eggs, so no baby chicks.
  
  That said, hatching your own chicks is overrated, in my opinion. There are good reasons for just buying them.
  
  You’ve been warned.
  
  I know it’s romantic to have a towering rooster commanding your flock. But unless you want to hatch your own chicks, I recommend against it.
  
  Kevin
  
  P.S. – Want more chicken articles? Visit our Chickens page.
  
  Posted in Chickens | 1 Comment | Tagged backyard chickens, backyard poultry, chicken coop, Chickens, raising chickens, roosters
- Chicken Wire is Useless
  
  Posted at 8:00 am by HomeDabbler, on September 9, 2019
  
  It sounds so right.
  
  Chicken. Wire. Wire for enclosing chickens. What could go wrong?
  
  A lot. Chicken wire, also called poultry netting, is a lot like duct tape. Used for everything but good for nothing.
  
  You’ve seen it, the cute honey-comb pattern wrapped around rustic coops, the very model of American farm yard-ery. The only problem is that chicken wire, while visually pleasing, doesn’t do its job, at least not long term.
  
  The primary reason for enclosing your chickens in their own space – a coop, run, or nursery – is to keep them safe. Chicken wire is made of, well, wire. However, the wire is very thin. It is galvanized to withstand the elements, but will not over the long haul.
  
  Eventually, your chicken wire will rust and corrode. Because it is so thin, predators like raccoons can (and will) break it. And they don’t need much space to get in. A raccoon or fox can slink through a hole the size of a grape fruit.
  
  These predators play for keeps. I lost my entire flock of 12 chickens in one night when two coons broke in.
  
  2″ chicken wire. See how corrode-y?
  
  There is a better way
  
  There are three better options to chicken wire, based on application.
  
  1. 2″ x 4″ weld wire
  
  Weld wire is also made of galvanized wire, but it is much thicker than chicken wire and will last longer.
  
  While I do not recommend using weld wire for high-security areas like your run, it is fine for a broody breaker or yard fence.
  
  2. “Rabbit wire”
  
  Love this stuff, especially the kind coated with PVC. Rabbit wire is the common name for 1″ weld wire (it is commonly used for rabbit hutches).
  
  It is expensive, so use it sparingly. You would not use it to cover an entire run (you could, but you better have serious budget), but it is great for nurseries. The small spaces make it impossible for even the tiniest chick or slither-i-est rat snake to pass through.
  
  3. The ultimate: chain link
  
  Lasts for ages. Virtually unbreakable. Chain link is the ultimate poultry protection device.
  
  It is also expensive but you will not have to replace it for years and years and years. No predator (save a bear, maybe) can penetrate it. I use chain link to cover my run – top, sides, and along the ground – and haven’t lost a chicken to a predator since.
  
  My coop and run. Chain link on top, sides, and along the ground.
  
  You won’t regret it
  
  I used chicken wire for way too long and lost many birds along the way. If there is one tip that I wish someone had shared with me when I was a new chicken raiser, it would be this one.
  
  Dump the chicken wire and use something actually made for chickens.
  
  Kevin
  
  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged backyard chickens, backyard poultry, chicken behavior, chicken care, chicken coop, chicken raising, chicken run, chicken wire, Chickens
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