Chickens are no longer just barnyard animals — for many people, they’ve become beloved pets. Keeping chickens requires knowledge, not only about red mites in chickens, but also about their behavior, housing, and nutrition. Read our articles to learn everything you need to know about keeping backyard chickens. Still have questions or looking for advice? Feel free to contact us or request guidance. That’s exactly what this platform was created for.
Scaly leg mites
Scaly leg is a condition many chicken keepers will encounter sooner or later. Thickened scales, rough legs and sometimes even painful inflammations. Notably, scaly leg appears most often during the winter months. But why is that? And what can you do to prevent it?
Chicken talk
Housing
Unfortunately, this winter too, avian influenza is striking with full force. Thousands of chickens have been culled, farms are locked down, transport bans are in place, exhibitions have been cancelled and… chickens are being confined or kept under cover.
Health
Housing
Hobby chicken keepers know that from autumn onward they should expect few or no eggs from their hens. Professionally kept laying hens, however, continue to produce happily even in winter. How is that possible? Every hen is born with about 2,000 egg cells on her ovary, all of which could theoretically develop into an egg. A sexually mature hen starts to ovulate and therefore lay eggs. At least … if there is enough (day)light!
Health
Housing
They are absolutely not happy. Chickens and moisture are a bad combination. When it rains, they quickly seek shelter; high humidity in the coop causes breathing problems (and damages the housing), damp litter becomes a breeding ground for germs, and mud or snow can lead to foot injuries, and so on. Wet feathers lose their insulating power, the hen cools down rapidly and can even suffer from hypothermia.
Chicken talk
Housing
The hen (the one with chicks) has successfully hatched the eggs and is now proudly walking around with her brood. Although she will take good care of her chicks herself, it is important to keep an eye on a few things to ensure the chicks grow up healthy and well.
Chicken talk
Health
In my previous Kakelpraat, I talked about breaking a broody hen, but it can also be the case that you want to take advantage of this broodiness. Because how nice is it if your hen can provide offspring in the most natural way?
Chicken talk
Health
You enter the chicken coop and at first, you think you are dealing with a sick hen. The hen is sitting on the ground and roughly spreads her wings, she seems to be puffing up and makes a grunting sound. You want to pick her up to check her, but she is absolutely not having it, she complains even louder and pecks aggressively at your hand. This hen is anything but sick; she is just broody.
Red mites
Health
Higher temperatures lead to more activity among bacteria, parasites, and flies. Therefore, start the season with a thorough cleaning of the chicken coop. Remove everything, clean the coop, and replace the bedding material. Don't forget to take care of the nesting boxes and perches, as they are often favored spots for red mites. Disinfection is not necessary for red mites; plenty of water is the trick against them!
Red mites
Spring has begun! The days are getting longer, the temperature is rising, and nature is coming back to life everywhere. But did you know that this is also the time when bird mites become more active? As temperatures rise, these tiny parasites emerge and can quickly become a plague in stables and chicken coops.
Red mites
Health
Winter is coming to an end and the days are slowly getting longer. This is not only good news for your chickens, but unfortunately also for unwanted guests like red mites. As soon as the temperature rises, these parasites awaken from their winter slumber and can multiply rapidly. Good preparation during this period is therefore essential to keep your chickens healthy and vital. In this blog, you will read how to best protect your chickens against a red mite outbreak in the spring.
Red mites
Red mites are small parasites that become active at night. They crawl up the legs of your chickens to suck blood. Once they have enough blood, they return to their hiding place and lay eggs. Red mites love small, dark spaces where they cannot be easily eaten by your chickens. This makes your chickens' perches an ideal place for them to build a nest.
Chicken talk
But even without getting goosebumps, chickens can withstand the cold as long as they have enough to eat and drink. Due to the higher energy requirement, as the chicken needs to keep warm, feed intake will be higher. This also applies to water intake, as a chicken drinks about twice as much as it eats. A well-balanced complete feed supplemented occasionally with extras like mealworms or water fleas and some greens meets their feeding needs.