Keeping your chickens healthy is not an easy task, chickens are small and gentle and prone to many diseases.
There are some things that every chicken keeper must do in order to provide his/her chickens a healthy and productive life.
When we were discussing today`s article we wanted to give our readers some simple but very useful tips on how to keep their chickens healthy.
While reading these tips it is on you to decide if you should make some adjustments to your chicken keeping process or no.
1. Providing The Proper Feed Makes All The Difference
Why Does it Make All The Difference?
In order for your flock to produce healthy eggs, you need to be able to provide feed with a sufficient number of nutritious materials.
When chickens lay eggs they take calcium from their own bodies to produce the eggshell. Chickens need a source of freshwater and healthy food even though they are omnivores.
Leftover food can be a good source but make sure that it is not spoiled.
How To Do It Properly?
Feeding chickens can be done properly and be fun at the same time. Regularly giving them feed is completely necessary but if you have extra time you can also give them treats.
Giving your chickens a variety of healthy treats can be fun. Some people like to give their chickens different kinds of mixtures from leftover food.
How NOT To Do It!
Don`t overfeed your chickens. Keep them on a healthy scheduled diet and from time to time it is nice to give them treats. But don`t overdo it, because gaining weight is very bad for chickens.
Keep count on the flock, their breeds, age, purpose and coop and you will know how much is enough.
2. Don`t Forget About The Water
- Why?
Chickens are prone to get sick from things they get trough water. This happens because many chicken keepers forget to clean their waterer regularly and bacteria stacks up. Also NOT giving your chickens fresh water can lead to bacteria stacking up and getting your flock sick. Almost everything the chicken organism does need water in order to work properly. - How To Maintain Proper Hydration
Keep your waterer clean and safe for your chickens. Change their water by schedule and sometimes give them liquid food. Mixtures with yogurt and different kinds of fruits and vegetables as treats can keep your chickens hydrated. The temperature of the water should counter the weather conditions, if the weather is hot give them colder water and if it is cold give them warmer water. - How Not To Do It
Do not leave water outside during the night it may attract predators. Don`t do it in a way that can hurt your chickens – use a safe and easy to clean way to provide water to your chickens. Don`t wait for your chickens to drink it all then change it but change the water by a schedule.
3. Keeping Your Flock And Their Coop Clean Means Keeping Them Healthy
- Why?
Bacteria stacks up and mites multiply and it smells if you don`t clean your chickens they may get sick. Chickens are small and gentle and tent to get hurt. Some wounds are not so easy to see because of the feathers and bad hygiene may lead to infections. - How To Do It Properly?
Try and cleaning your coop on a weekly or monthly basis and do the same with your chickens. Regular water baths for the chickens can prevent mites, infections etc. Providing proper dust baths for your chicken is also important because that is their way of keeping themselves clean. - How Not To Do It Properly!
Don`t skip the schedules of the coop and chicken cleanings and if you use store-bought materials make sure you check if they are safe for animals. Don`t forget to clean the dark corners of the coop. If you want to know a natural way to clean your coop check out this article.
Do you agree with this list?
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