How to raise mealworms (Tenebrio molitor)
Everyone who has a small flock of chickens should raise mealworms, not because they need them, but because they love them. It's very easy to do and once set up they are virtually maintenance-free and very inexpensive. I give my girls a hand-full or...
Building a Treadle Feeder
I like wild birds. I used to feed them on purpose, but now that I have chickens the wild birds have become a cost and potential risk. The wild birds were eating more of my chicken feed than were the chickens. I dealt with the doves with a shade cloth curtain over the...
My Extreme Heat Coop (in progress)
I live in the Sonoran Desert, where it gets very hot and my chicken coop and run have to provide a cool and safe refuge for my birds. I also live in the city and have limited space. In fact, there was only one place for me to put them, a 4’ X 50’ strip...
Welcome to the wonderful world of Poultry Ticks (Argas persicus and A. sanchezi)
(under construction--let the itching commence)
In the first year of raising chickens here in Arizona, I discovered that my coop was infested with poultry ticks (also known as fowl ticks or blue bugs). I had...
My exploration into parasitic worms—this is completely a work in progress. Please check back for updates.
Here’s what I learned about testing for worms.
Let me start by saying that I’m not an expert on veterinary parasitology. I’ve been quite interested in parasites in backyard flocks and...