When a hen is egg-bound, she has an egg stuck in her oviduct that she cannot pass. This is a true emergency. Without intervention, an egg-bound hen can die within 24 to 48 hours from shock, infection, or pressure on her internal organs. I have raised laying hens for years, and egg binding is the … Read more
Bringing new chickens home is exciting, but tossing them straight into your existing flock is a recipe for blood, stress, and sometimes worse. Learning how to introduce new chickens to an existing flock the right way keeps your birds safe, healthy, and stress-free through the whole process. I have integrated dozens of birds into my … Read more
When I first started raising chickens, I made every mistake in the book with my eggs. I washed them all immediately, stored them in the fridge door, and wondered why some went bad within a week. After talking to experienced keepers and digging into food safety guidelines, I learned that learning how to clean and … Read more
Keeping chickens healthy through extreme seasonal swings is one of the hardest things I have learned as a backyard flock owner. Between blistering summer heat waves that pushed past 105 degrees Fahrenheit here and bitter January nights that dropped below zero, I have lost birds I shouldn’t have and learned what actually works the hard … Read more
When I raised my first batch of ducklings three springs ago, I watched one of my Pekins start sitting down more than the others. I figured she was just tired. Within five days she could barely stand, and I was on the phone with a waterfowl vet scrambling for answers. That experience pushed me to … Read more
If you’ve noticed your duckling’s wing sticking out at an odd angle, you may be looking at angel wing. I want to walk you through everything I’ve learned about this common waterfowl wing deformity, including how to spot it early, splint it correctly, and adjust your duck’s diet so the wing grows back into place. … Read more
Bumblefoot in ducks is a painful bacterial foot infection that, when untreated, can become life-threatening. After losing my first duck to this condition, I have spent the last three years learning exactly how to catch it early, treat it at home, and prevent it from coming back. This guide walks you through everything I wish … Read more
Goat bloat is one of those emergencies that doesn’t wait. A goat can look perfectly fine at morning chores and be in critical condition by lunch. I’ve talked with enough goat owners in forums and on farms to know that the panic is real, especially when you’re staring at a swollen belly and trying to … Read more
If you keep goats on pasture, barber pole worm is one of the deadliest threats to your herd. I have seen apparently healthy goats go from fine to critical in under 48 hours. The good news is that FAMACHA scoring goat eyelids gives you a simple, fast, and reliable way to catch anemia early and … Read more
Watching a pregnant doe pace, paw, and stare at the wall for 12 hours straight is enough to make any goat keeper nervous. I have sat through more kidding sessions than I can count, and I still get butterflies every time a doe starts showing early signs. The signs a goat is in labor can … Read more