Snow in August?

Could it be snow in August? In the coop? No, it is actually food-grade diatamaceous earth (DE)-- little broken up glass-like diatoms (from the ocean) pulverized into a powder the consistency of flour. This is the treatment I am using to prevent mites. Earlier this summer, Minerva became infested with mites. Her tummy was raw and featherless, but the other hens seemed fine. I used an insecticide to spray all the hens, the coop, and places in the yard where the hens like to dust bathe or nap. I also used the DE as a second round of defense. In fact, I learned that I can just periodically spread it around the coop and yard to help prevent future infestations and to help limit the amount of flies around. Some people sprinkle it into the food, making the chicken poop poisonous for the flies (the structure of the DE disrupts the life cycle of the flies). DE is relatively safe, however because of the fine particle size, it is an inhalation hazard, so I wear a mask when I work with it.

I even treated the nesting boxes.











This is one of the hens' favorite dust bath spots.

Chicken Fight?

The coop is filled with feathers! Was there a chicken fight? I think that Ginger is molting, a natural process where hens lose their feathers and grow new ones. During this time, the molting hen's reproduction system is halted. No wonder Ginger hasn't resumed egg laying after her broodiness ended! Increasing hens protein in their diet (sunflower seeds, yogurt, mealworms, crickets, tofu, etc) helps them grow new feathers. Yogurt is also good for their digestive system.

Since Ginger has only been molting for a couple of days, she's not looking much different yet. I'll post a picture when she's looking good and scraggly.

Ginger Gone Broody

For about 3 weeks, Ginger was broody. This means that she really felt like being a Mama by hatching an egg. She sat in the nesting box that was preferred by all the hens and stayed in there for about 3 weeks, occasionally getting out to eat. Just about every day, Coby would pull her out of the nesting box so she'd join the flock foraging or dust bathing for a bit, but would go right back to the box after 15 minutes or so. Since it takes about 21 days for an egg to hatch, I guess she got over her broodiness after a few weeks. Besides, we continued to take eggs from under her (laid by other hens... Ginger did not lay during this time). However, Ginger is still not laying eggs... more on that in a future post!

XL Nesting Box

Cracked eggs on the ground! We wondered how it happened. Did the hens roll out eggs from the nesting box to crack and eat them? We noticed a pattern-- it was always Doily's egg! Did the other hens pick on her? After wondering about this for several weeks, I was cleaning the coop while she was in the nesting box. PLOP! It landed right on the ground. Doily is a fluffy hen and maybe she likes to face towards the back of the nesting box, rather than facing out like the rest of the hens. So her eggs were falling to the ground as she laid them! My father constructed a new, extra-large nesting box and we have not had any more cracked eggs. In fact, she seems to know it is just for her because she lays in that box all the time now (but the other hens like it too). Thanks Dad!