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Summer Flock Care: How to Keep Chickens Cool

Thursday, May 15th, 2025

Summer FlockSummer Flock Care: How to Keep Chickens Cool! Summer is a time for fun, adventure and excitement – for both backyard chicken raisers and their flocks. To keep birds cool in the summertime, provide fresh, cool water for hydration, maintain chicken coop ventilation and choose a layer feed with the Purina® Oyster Strong® System to help your hens lay strong and stay strong.

As humans, our habits change in the summer. We adapt to stay comfortable. By providing our backyard chickens the tools they need, they can also adapt and enjoy the sunshine. The summertime essentials are similar for both humans and backyard flocks: stay hydrated, protect yourself from the heat and maintain a complete and balanced diet.

Many people don’t realize that birds are unable to sweat. To cool down, they open their beaks and pant or spread their wings away from their bodies. If these cooling strategies are not enough, birds are more likely to become lethargic and may stop eating feed, which can lead to subsequent health challenges and reduced egg production.

We want to avoid these signs of heat stress by preventing problems before they begin. With the right care, birds will maintain their routines of foraging, pecking and chattering throughout the day.

Hydration is key: Provide the right chicken waterer

Staying hydrated in the summer is a clear choice for humans. As temperatures rise, a good rule for people to follow is to calculate half your body weight in pounds and drink the equivalent number of ounces of water.

For our backyard chickens, the practice should be similar: Clean, cool water is essential. Follow the general rule of providing 500 milliliters of fresh water per bird per day. This equates to one gallon for every seven adult birds.

Drinking water helps cool a chicken’s body temperature. In high temperatures, chickens will drink up to twice as much water as during temperate conditions. If birds do not have quality water, they are less likely to eat or lay eggs.

Here’s how to keep chickens cool through hydration:

  • Provide extra waterers so each bird always has access.
  • Place waterers in a shaded area to help keep the water cool and the coop dry.
  • Offer fresh, cool water in the morning and evening.
  • Freeze water in a storage container. Place the resulting ice in the chicken waterer in the morning to keep the water cool.
  • Place marbles in waterers to prevent splashing.
  • Wash waterers weekly with a mixture of 10 percent bleach and 90 percent water. Rinse thoroughly.

Chicken body temperature: Keep it in check

Think of your most recent day in the sun. You likely incorporated a few cooling practices to maintain an adequate body temperature and avoid heat stress.

A consistent body temperature is equally important for backyard flocks. Normal chicken body temperature is between 105 – 107 degrees Fahrenheit. If a bird’s body temperature climbs, it can cause a lasting strain. Create a cool and comfortable environment for your flock to enjoy.

Use these tips for keeping chickens cool and comfortable in warm weather:

  • Provide shade by placing roofs on the run or shade cloths over the door. Add misters outside of the chicken coop that spray onto the roof or shade cover for evaporative cooling.
  • Create adequate air flow to maintain chicken coop ventilation. Open all windows and roof vents to allow hot air and ammonia to escape. Add a small fan for air circulation.
  • Swap solid chicken coop doors with screen doors and keep lights off during the day. Reduce bedding to two inches or less to avoid heat being trapped.
  • Provide a peat moss dust bath for your backyard chickens to play in. If mites are a concern, switch to a mix of 90 percent peat moss, 10 percent diatomaceous earth.
  • Avoid overcrowding by providing at least 4 square feet of indoor space and 5 – 10 square feet of outdoor space per bird.

 

What to feed chickens in the summer

It can be argued that fresh-from-the-garden fruits and vegetables, summertime snacks and potluck picnics are true summer highlights. But, no matter the treat, it’s important to maintain a balance.

Summer is perfect for spending time in the backyard with your flock and giving them a few indulgent snacks, but don’t forget the 90/10 rule: 90 percent complete feed and 10 percent healthy treats or snacks!

Choose a layer feed with the Purina® Oyster Strong® System to help your hens lay strong and stay strong. Which layer feed Oyster Strong® System is right for your flock?

To help keep your flock’s diet in balance:

  • Give fresh complete chicken feed in the morning and evening in a shaded area, offering treats only after the flock has finished its complete feed.
  • Offer cold or frozen fruits and vegetables as a summertime treat.
  • Provide special treats such as Purina® Flock Block® or hen treats as a complement to a complete feed. Treats formulated specifically for birds can provide beneficial nutrients while keeping birds active.
  • Offer oyster shell to help maintain calcium intake and eggshell quality when birds may be eating less due to heat.
  • Provide at least six inches of feeder space per bird.

Summer heat tends to reduce feed intake, so the complete chicken feed should be the first dietary priority. When birds have a balanced diet, plenty of water and a cool, comfortable environment, they are better able to remain healthy and productive and enjoy a fun and peaceful backyard summer.

In conclusion, visit Kissimmee Valley Feed for poultry care!

Resources:

Patrick Biggs, Ph.D. for Purina Mills

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Got Ticks? Chickens Might be the Best Way to Get Rid of Ticks

Monday, May 5th, 2025

Got Ticks? Chickens Might be the Best Way to Get Rid of TicksGot Ticks? Chickens Might be the Best Way to Get Rid of Ticks! Ticks are dangerous little arachnids. They can carry over a dozen different diseases such as Powassan virus, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

In Florida, ticks are most active throughout Spring and Summer.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recently released that in the United States illnesses caused by mosquitos, ticks, and fleas have tripled since 2004. If someone has symptoms such as fever, a sore neck, tiredness, headaches, bull’s eye looking rashes, nausea, or any kind of aches all over their body, it could possibly be tick-related. Lyme Disease can cause other serious issues like heart problems, joint pain, and nervous system degeneration over time.

Tick Prevention:

There are many ways to fight these nuisances. Common ways to keep ticks at a distance is by keeping your grass short, spraying for bugs, and reducing leaf litter. Tactics such as these, however, can get expensive, tiresome, and often times they don’t work. One of the best ways to get rid of an arachnid problem is to produce a predator: chickens.

Chickens don’t only eat vegetation, in fact, they are omnivores.  A scientific study in 1991 tested the effect they had on tick reduction in a controlled environment. The results showed that not only were they a natural predator of ticks, but also that they removed an average of 81 ticks each among infested cattle. Chickens protected farm animals from arachnid sourced diseases in this case, which means they can also help households by protecting pets and family members from ticks.

Although chickens won’t eliminate the tick problem entirely, they can keep it controlled. Another predator besides chickens are guinea hens. They are omnivores and can help with insect, arachnid, and small pest problems. Unlike chickens, however, guinea do have a tendency to be loud. If the noise can be tolerated, these little hens can help keep disease away from your home.

Kissimmee Valley Feed has all your chicken and guinea needs covered. Check out our poultry feed selection here.

Resource: Texas Hill Country

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Mixed Flock Guide: Can Chickens and Ducks Live Together?

Thursday, February 20th, 2025

Chickens and DucksMixed Flock Guide: Can Chickens and Ducks Live Together? Have you ever been tempted at the farm store, looking for chicks, only to see adorable ducklings and wonder, “Can I raise chickens and ducks together?” The answer is a resounding YES! Ducks and chickens can coexist harmoniously, if their basic needs are met with the right feed, water, and conditions. Let’s discuss how to make this happen and what you need to know for a successful mixed flock.

How Is It Different When Raising Chickens and Ducks Together?

Raising chickens and ducks together is a rewarding experience, but there are a few key differences to be aware of. One of the main differences is their growth rate. Ducks grow much faster than chicks, so you need a larger brooder to accommodate their size as they develop. Ducks also require more niacin, a nutrient essential for their rapid growth, which means you’ll need to ensure your feed contains enough niacin to support both species.

Another difference is their water habits. Ducks love water and will make a mess of their brooder by splashing and spilling, so you’ll need to clean and refresh their water more frequently to keep their living space dry and hygienic. Additionally, ducks are more likely to nest and lay eggs on the ground, while chickens prefer elevated nesting boxes.
Despite these differences, the basic needs for brooding–temperature, feed, and water–are similar enough that chickens and ducks can be raised together successfully from the start. Understanding and adjusting to their specific needs will help your mixed flock thrive.

What To Expect When Raising Baby Ducks and Chicks Together

Ducks and chickens can be kept in the same brooder and chicken coop. As mentioned above, expect your ducks to grow faster than your chicks. This is okay. They can still be kept together, but your ducks may be ready to move to the coop sooner than the chicks. The difference in growth may also require a larger brooder with more temperature zones–larger ducks can move to the cooler zones while smaller chicks can still get to the warmer zones. You will also need to be diligent in cleaning and refreshing the water in your brooder. Ducks LOVE water, and they spill and make a mess any chance they get!

What To Expect When Raising Adult Ducks and Chickens Together

Once the ducks and chickens are adults, they can absolutely be kept in the same coop, if that is what you want. Ducks and chickens can all free-range during the day and return to the same coop at night. Generally, ducks will stay together as one flock when exploring, while chickens are much more independent. They may venture out in small groups, but they usually explore individually. Your ducks will also nest and lay on the floor of your coop. Don’t be surprised if that also influences some of your hens to lie on the ground! It’s common to find brown or green chicken eggs in the same nest as white duck eggs. If you’re raising birds for egg production, provide a single high-quality complete layer feed for everyone. That makes feeding easy and keeps the egg quality great.

Feeding Chicken and Ducks Together

Baby ducks grow extremely fast and require 60 more kilocalories in each pound of feed than slower-growing baby chicks. Baby ducks do not convert their nutrients to niacin well, so they require extra niacin during rapid growth. With all these differences, how can a poultry owner balance the nutrient needs of their mixed flock while still keeping their feed manageable?
The magic lies within a really great flock feed. When we formulate mixed flock feeds, we focus on the essential nutrients for each poultry species we want to feed. Then, we balance those nutrients against the needs of the other birds. There is definitely some compromise, but in the end, we have a well-balanced feed that will work for many scenarios and different poultry types.

Chicken and duck mixed flocks are probably the most popular in many of our backyard flocks. As discussed in previous articles and above, baby ducks grow faster than baby chicks. They also have some unique nutritional requirements. Niacin is a B vitamin (B3), and most B vitamins are used to help convert food into energy.

Ducklings usually require about 20-60% more niacin than baby chicks, and that is because ducks grow extremely fast, and they are not very good at converting their other nutrients to niacin. Ducks deficient in niacin may develop leg deformities that can affect how they walk. Because of these unique requirements, you want to choose a high-quality flock feed that specifically mentions ducks as one of the species in the purpose statement or the feeding directions. This ensures that the unique nutrient requirements of ducks were considered when the feed was formulated. You can choose to feed Kalmbach 16% Flock Maintainer, which has a broader nutrient profile for all types of poultry. Or, if your ducks are layers, you can choose from any of our complete layer feed options.

Medicated Precautions

It is important to note that medicated chick feeds are NOT labeled for ducks. If you choose to raise baby ducks and baby chicks together, you should select a non-medicated feed. All feed companies are legally required to declare if a feed is medicated. The word MEDICATED will be noted on the label along with the type of medication, the purpose of the medication, and the inclusion of the medication. If nothing is written on the label to indicate that the feed is medicated, it is a non-medicated feed.

The great thing about Kalmbach 16% Flock Maintainer and another option, the Kalmbach 20% Flock Maker, is that these feeds contain LifeGuard® Poultry, an all-natural blend of ingredients that naturally supports gut health and immunity. These feeds are a great way to help protect and boost your birds’ immune systems without using medications. On a side note, most medications (amprolium) used in chick feeds are very safe. So, if your ducks have accidentally consumed medicated chick feed, it is unlikely to harm them.

Can I Add Turkeys or Gamebirds to My Mixed Flock?

Before we dive into nutrient needs, I encourage anyone who wants to have turkeys in a mixed flock to do your research on Blackhead Disease.

Turkeys and gamebirds have very high nutrient requirements when they are babies. Turkey poults require 40% more protein than chicks intended to become layers. They also need a lot of energy to support their rapid growth. Unless you are raising slow-growing heritage varieties, the gap between turkeys/gamebirds and chicks’ nutrient requirements is too wide for a good compromise. This is why starting turkeys and gamebirds on a feed specifically formulated for those species is probably best for those birds. You may have to feed turkeys and gamebirds separately from other poultry species for the first 3-6 weeks of life to give them the best start.

Nutrient Needs

Most of the differences mentioned in this article result from rapid growth that occurs in the first few weeks of a bird’s life. Each species grows differently and has different nutrient needs during those times. Do you remember how much your kids ate during a growth spurt? Poultry do the same thing! Chickens and ducks included. However, once those birds reach adulthood, most species actually have quite similar nutrient requirements. For example, an adult laying duck has nutrient requirements similar to a laying hen’s. This is why most adult laying ducks do very well on complete layer diets.

Adult non-producing poultry – turkeys, roosters, gamebirds, retired hens – are all in a nutrient state called maintenance. These birds still need good, balanced nutrition, but their bodies are no longer in rapid growth or production. Maintenance requirements are usually much lower than those of birds in the growth or production stage. A high-quality maintenance feed like Kalmbach 16% Flock Maintainer is the perfect option for mixed flocks. This feed still provides solid, quality nutrition to help your birds stay healthy, strong, and beautiful without excessive nutrient waste.

Keeping mixed flocks is fun! There is something so charming about seeing a nice blend of poultry out, pecking around, and enjoying a peaceful afternoon. We encourage all our poultry lovers to keep expanding their flocks, learning about different types of poultry, and having fun! We are here to help you on every step of your poultry journey!

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Chicken Predators – What You Need to Know

Thursday, February 20th, 2025

ChickensChicken Predators – What You Need to Know: Humans aren’t the only animals that enjoy a delicious chicken dinner.

Foxes, coyotes, raccoons, dogs, mink, owls, and some hawks also find chickens a meaty, easy-to-catch meal.

It is frustrating to discover chickens killed by a mink or carried off by a fox. Fortunately, predators can be foiled.

Predators are everywhere. No flock is completely safe from some carnivorous species that would like to eat them.

Raccoons and domestic dogs probably kill more chickens than any other animals and live in both rural and urban areas. Raccoons are surprisingly abundant even in New York City!

Seeking revenge is often the first reaction a flock owner has when birds are killed.

Shotguns and traps are sometimes used but killing a chicken-eating fox or raccoon can be both illegal and dangerous. Preventing predation is far more effective than shooting or trapping an animal or two.

Most chicken losses occur at night when raccoons, skunks, opossums, owls, mink, and weasels are most likely to prowl.

The best defense against night shift chicken snatchers is a sturdy tight coop. Chickens come inside at dusk and are almost comatose when sleeping. Once they get inside predators can easily pluck a plump hen off the roost.

The solution is making entry nearly impossible. That’s easier said than done. A mink can ooze through a one-inch diameter hole while weasels can fit through even smaller cracks.

Some ways to keep predators out of the coop include:

  • At dusk and when you plan to be away until after dark, close and securely latch all doors, especially the pop hole door.
  • Cover all windows with sturdy wire mesh. Raccoons can tear through hexagonal chicken wire, so the stronger wire is essential. One half-inch square hardware cloth thwarts raccoons and even keeps mink out.
  • Fill in any holes or cracks in walls or around doors with concrete, caulking, wire, or expanding foam.
  • Watch for signs of animals digging tunnels under the coop walls. A concrete coop floor prevents this type of entry, but wire mesh placed on a dirt floor beneath litter and tacked to the coop’s sidewalls also works.
  • Eliminate predator hiding places near the coop. Piles of firewood, debris, old vacant sheds, and brush piles offer predators a safe haven as they approach. The fewer places they have to hide the less likely they are to invade.
  • Install a sensor-activated light that turns on as a hungry raccoon approaches.

Preventing daytime predators from snatching chickens is more challenging as the birds are often outside.

Dogs are probably the major daytime chicken killers, but several species of hawks may also prey on hens.

Mink, foxes, and weasels are occasionally active during daylight hours but raccoons, opossums, and skunks rarely are. Preparing the run in two ways will reduce predation.

First, confine the flock with a sturdy fence that keeps chickens in and dogs out. Usually, a stout four-foot-tall fence will prevent heavy chicken breeds from flying over it while excluding dogs and foxes. Light breed chickens are adept flyers and a six or eight-foot-tall fence may be needed to confine them.

Second, provide overhead protection. A sure-fire way to keep raptors from snatching an occasional chicken is to cover the run with wire mesh. Small outdoor runs can feature a roof that also keeps rain and snow off the ground.

Chickens, like rabbits and other prey species, recognize that danger can come from the sky. They are safer when the run provides some overhead cover.

A few shrubs planted in the run give chickens places to safely loiter beneath their intertwined branches. A picnic table placed in the run also gives birds a safe haven from the bright sun and overhead predators.

Predators are crafty and often catch chickens and their owners by surprise. Months can go by with no loss. Then in just a sort time, many birds can be killed. Preventing predators from accessing chickens is the best way to keep them safe.

In conclusion, Kissimmee Valley Feed cares about the safety and health of your chickens! See our poultry selection here.

Read more articles similar to this one and the original article at Nutrena, Scoop from the Coop.

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The Molting Process

Tuesday, November 5th, 2024

The Molting ProcessAhh, the molting process. Shorter days and cooler temperatures…For people, it’s a sign that it is back to school time and fall. To chickens, it’s a sign that it is time to renew their feathers. Losing feathers and re-growing them is called molting and occurs every year when the days get shorter.

During molt, chickens typically stop laying eggs and use this time to build up their nutrient reserves. Even though they are not laying, it is critical that your chickens have a high quality diet during this time.

Feeding a high quality ration such as NatureWise Feather Fixer™ during molt will help your birds get through the molting process and back to laying eggs as quickly as possible. Feather Fixer™ is a unique and innovative life-stage product that can also be fed year round if desired. It has elevated levels of protein as well as a mix of vitamins, minerals and amino acids that help maintain healthy skin and develop strong and beautiful new feathers.

Top tips for feeding through the molt:

  • Feed a high protein feed like NatureWise Feather Fixer that is a complete feed, so you don’t have to worry about feeding other protein supplements to feed along with layer feed during molt.
  • Make feed available free choice
  • Limit scratch to 10% of diet during molt so you don’t dilute the protein content of the ration
  • Molting and growing new feathers requires a lot of energy. Feathers are 85% protein… so be sure your birds’ diet includes a highly nutritious feed like NatureWise or Country Feeds that consists of at least 16% protein, or ideally, the higher protein NatureWise Feather Fixer. You don’t need to add medications or other vitamins if you’re feeding one of these feeds.
  • Just as your chickens have individual personalities, they will go through molt differently as well. Some lose a few feathers and grow them back in as quickly as 3-4 weeks. Other chickens lose a lot of feathers and take 12-16 weeks to grow them back.

Other tips for helping chickens get through molting:

  • Reduce stress as much as possible, avoid bringing new birds into the flock if possible
  • Chickens should act normal during their molt – if they seem sick, something else is wrong
  • Both roosters and hens go through molt
  • Avoid handling your chickens during molt, it is painful for them and increases stress

Chickens will lose feathers in a sequence starting with the head and neck and then down the back, across the breast and thighs and finally their tail feathers. The new feathers that emerge are called pinfeathers and will grow in following the same sequence they were lost.

So don’t panic when your chickens start losing their feathers and stop laying eggs. Molting is a normal and natural process of shedding feathers and re-growing them that all chickens go through. The best thing you can do to help your chickens through molt is to feed a high quality, high protein layer feed.

In conclusion, visit Kissimmee Valley Feed for all things chicken!

Article source: Nutrena World

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