Backyard chickens

Collecting, cleaning, and storing eggs

Collect eggs often; eggs that sit in the nest get dirty or break, and CDC advises throwing away cracked eggs, because bacteria on the shell can enter through the crack. Clean dirt and debris off a shell dry, with fine sandpaper, a brush, or a cloth. Do not wash warm, fresh eggs: colder water can pull bacteria through the pores into the egg.

Then refrigerate. CDC guidance for backyard flocks is to refrigerate eggs after collection, and USDA stores eggs at 40°F or below. The counter-storage advice that circulates among keepers rests on the bloom, the natural coating on a freshly laid egg. The coating is real, but neither CDC nor USDA supports room-temperature storage of backyard eggs. Cook eggs until whites and yolks are firm, cook egg dishes to 160°F, and check your state and local rules before selling or giving away eggs in quantity.

Back to your question

What chickens can and cannot eat

Safe: most vegetable scraps, cooked grains and pasta, fruit (in moderation), plain yogurt, cooked eggs (scrambled is fine), mealworms.

Unsafe: raw or dried beans (contain phytohemagglutinin, toxic to poultry), avocado skin and pits (contain persin, which can cause heart failure in birds), chocolate (theobromine toxicity), raw potato skins that have turned green (solanine), and anything moldy, salty, or heavily processed.

Commercial layer feed should remain the primary diet. Scraps are supplemental, not a replacement for balanced nutrition.

Back to your question

Hardware cloth, not chicken wire

Chicken wire keeps chickens in but does not keep predators out. Raccoons, foxes, weasels, and dogs can tear through it. The standard for predator-proof coops is half-inch hardware cloth (welded wire mesh), secured with screws and washers, not staples.

For digging predators, bury hardware cloth 12 to 18 inches deep as an apron around the coop perimeter, or bend it into an L-shape extending outward underground. Close and latch the coop every evening before dusk, when most predators become active.

Back to your question

Sudden deaths get a phone call, not a wait

USDA lists these as warning signs of highly pathogenic avian influenza: sudden death without prior signs of illness; low energy and appetite; a drop in egg production or soft, misshapen eggs; swelling of the eyelids, comb, wattles, or shanks; purple discoloration; gasping, coughing, sneezing, or nasal discharge; stumbling or falling; twisting of the head and neck; diarrhea.

If you see these signs, or unexplained deaths, report them right away to your state veterinarian or to USDA toll-free at 1-866-536-7593. Make the call before moving birds anywhere; the people on that line will tell you what to do next. Wild birds can carry the virus without appearing sick, which is why the report matters even when the cause seems unclear.

Back to your question

Thirty days apart before they meet

USDA's Defend the Flock guidance is to keep new birds separate from the rest of the flock for 30 days to avoid introducing disease, and to wear separate gear when caring for them. Birds can look healthy and clean and still carry germs, and a swap or auction brings together birds from many flocks.

Buy from NPIP-participating breeders, hatcheries, or dealers where you can. The National Poultry Improvement Plan is a voluntary federal-state testing program, and CDC points buyers to participating hatcheries to reduce Salmonella in baby poultry.

Back to your question

Under five means watching, not holding

CDC advises that children younger than 5 not handle or touch chicks, ducklings, or other poultry, because young children are more likely to get sick from germs like Salmonella, and that chicks not be given to young children as gifts. Live poultry should not be kept in schools, childcare centers, or other facilities with children under 5.

For everyone else: wash hands with soap and water right after handling birds, eggs, or anything in their environment, supervise young children's handwashing, skip the kissing and snuggling, and keep poultry out of the house, especially anywhere food is prepared, served, or stored.

Back to your question

Secure the lamp before the chicks arrive

Penn State Extension's brooding guidance: secure every heat source so it cannot be moved or slip close to flammable materials, suspend heating equipment with a chain or cable, and keep heat lamps at least 20 inches from anything that can burn. A clamp alone, over dry bedding, is how brooder fires start.

Measure temperature at chick level, directly under the heat source, and read the chicks along with the thermometer: cold chicks huddle under the lamp, chicks in a draft huddle away from the draft, and chicks that are too warm move as far from the heat as they can. Give them room to move toward and away from the warmth.

Back to your question