Articles by BYC Project Manager

Herbs can provide a lot of health benefits to your flock of backyard chickens. Furthermore, they can save you money, keep your coop clean and fly-free, and do a lot more. Here's what you need to know about giving herbs to your chickens. What are the benefits of feeding your chicken herbs...

The egg float test method has been used for quite a while as a quick and easy way to determine whether eggs are safe for consumption and for freshness. The purpose of this article is to explain how to perform the egg float test, if it's accurate, and more. How to Perform the Egg Float Test...

How can you prevent dirty eggs in the chicken coop? Fortunately, there are a few ways you can use to prevent dirty eggs. Only some simple preventive measures are required. When To Wash Dirty Eggs If you're reading this, chances are you know where those tasty eggs come from. From the butt of a...

What is molting and what happens during it? In late summer/early fall, your coop is full of feathers, and your birds are half-naked. First, if you don't know what is happening, you might panic and wonder if they have a parasite or something attacking them but that is not the case, they are just...

Chicken owners would love nothing more than to open their nest boxes and see a gorgeous array of eggs representing every color of the rainbow. Although you won't be able to find any purple eggs anytime soon, there are easy ways to ensure that you'll have chocolate, pink, blue, and green colored...

When provided with adequate shelter and their environment is managed properly, chickens can withstand surprisingly cold winter temperatures. Despite this, chicken keepers sometimes think it's a good idea to close up the coops and add heat in the winter. These practices can both cause health...

Top 10 Ways To Save On Feed Costs Keeping chickens is a wonderful hobby, but the price of their companionship and fresh eggs is the feed bill, which can get scary especially when you keep a large number of birds. To make chicken keeping more economical, or perhaps even profitable, here are a...

There is something about chickens & gardens that works well together. Like peanut butter & jam, or carrots & peas, chickens & gardens go hand in hand. Chickens are not only a gardener's best friend, supplying free fertilizer & tilling, but a well-tended garden can also provide feed for your...

Flatulence, the act of passing gas, is something that humans and many animals do on a regular basis. From cows to dogs, it is not uncommon to hear a little toot here and there. But what about chickens? Do these feathered friends have the ability to fart? The answer may surprise you. In this...

We all love to spoil our beloved flock with treats every once in a while. Giving treats to your chickens helps give their diet some variation. It likewise helps to keep them happy and laying eggs. But have you thought about giving your chickens unconventional treats? These chicken treats from...

Most people know chickens provide delicious eggs, but don't realize the many other benefits that come with having your own backyard flock. So we ran a poll to find out the top 5 reasons people keep chickens. Here are some of the most common reasons people keep chickens, as voted by you our BYC...

Summertime is a wonderful time, but with the sunshine and long days comes a potential hazard for our flocks: extreme heat. Chickens naturally wear a warm coat of feathers and can overheat easily, therefore it is essential that we provide means for them to cool down, if needed, and regulate their...

You may have already done a good deal of research about the food, housing, and other requirements for keeping backyard chickens healthy if you have laying hens. But have you ever thought about oyster shell? Oyster Shell: What is it? As its name suggests, oyster shells are simply ground-up...

Chicken keeping has become increasingly popular over the past few years. It is unfortunate that some people have done so without even conducting a basic amount of research on how to care for their flocks. A lack of necessary care and attention leads to some birds languishing or dying. There is...

People tend to talk a lot about double yolk eggs! An egg with two yolks is not only an oddity but also a pleasant surprise when raising chickens. The availability of double egg yolks in some places has become somewhat of a luxury that caters to those that can afford them. In the United States...

There's no denying that Spring has finally sprung as the snow melts and the crocuses push through the earth. We rush to plant gardens, care for newly born animals, and enjoy extra time outside during this busy time of year. But spring is also an important time in chicken keeping as well. Taking...

From aerial to ground predators, chickens often fall prey to many of these. There are many different things that happen from the most obvious to the least. No matter what, it seems like they're always getting into trouble. But we can limit predator attacks if we know how to prevent them. From...

Summer is drawing to a close, and cooler, shorter days and daylight hours are in store. Mice and rats begin to seek out warmth to survive the coming winter months. As a bonus, fall brings berries, hips, and harvests. So, what should we do this season to maximize positive aspects and minimize...

It can be challenging to care for chickens for some. Novice backyard poultry keepers can spend sleepless nights worrying about some of the problems that can befall their flock. The best way to deal with common chicken conditions in your backyard flock is to identify them and treat them...

When it comes to keeping backyard chickens everyone has their favorite breed. For a variety of reasons some enjoy better popularity than the rest. So we held a poll to find out your favorites - here are the results: 1. Orpington Coming in at number 1 we have the Orpington. They are a dual...