It has been a long time in the making, but we now have the main HenCam camera sending out high-definition, high-speed video. Now you can really see how fast Phoebe is!

If you want to have a similar set-up you will need a few things.

You’ll need a cam. It will cost you $500.

If you have a rabbit,

you will have to make sure that all of the wiring is encased in bunny-proof conduits. Speaking of electric, you will need this. You won’t be able to find an electrician who knows how to install it, so you’ll have to do it yourself.

If you know what the above photo is, and you know how to get WiFi out to the coop, then you are likely already a computer geek and are paying a hefty fee for your internet service. To be able to stream fast video worldwide, be prepared to spend about $1,000 yearly above what you’re already paying.

There’s no out-of-the-box system for you to plug in. So, you’ll likely have to spend months teaching yourself how to configure and program your website to accommodate the video.

Really, what you need is one of these:

Sorry, you can’t have my husband. He did, though, write a FAQ to share what he now knows about how to run a cam. Read here.

Although the cams are outdoor, surveillance cams, designed to withstand graffiti vandals, they are no match for goats and hens. They need replacing every two years. The other three cams are beginning to fail, and will hopefully be replaced with this new high-speed system when we can. Seven years ago, when I started this website, I thought that it would be a simple way to let readers know about my books. The books never did cover the costs of this site, even as HenCam became my full-time job. It became time to treat what I do here as my “real” work, which is why I have GoogleAds in the margins. The “coffee” money goes a long way to enable me to do what I do here (and some really does go to my coffee habit.) Thank you to everyone who has already contributed to this site! I love what I do, and I love sharing the animals in my backyard with you. Now you’ll be able to experience more as I do. What fun!

PS: There are bound to be glitches. There might be a delay before the video comes on – up to 10 seconds. There might be a lag time with the livestream. We’re not sure what will happen when there’s a lot of you watching at one time. If you can’t access it at all, please leave a comment with details, like the device that you watch on and your server. It will help ITGuy get the bugs out.

The chicken’s egg comes out an orifice called the vent. It’s the same exit that manure plops out of. But, in nature it’s essential that the shell is not covered in excrement as that would put the chick developing inside of the egg in danger of bacterial infection. So, there are layers of safeguards in place for the egg to be laid spotlessly clean.

First of all, a hen does not poop in the nesting box. A broody hen always leaves the box to leave her daily, (truly disgusting) poop. If your hens are fouling the boxes, that’s because they’re sleeping in them, which should be discouraged. If there is an occasional mess in the box, clean it up with a kitty litter scoop.

Many hens have manure on their bottoms’ feathers, but chickens lay their eggs standing up and in such a posture that the egg mostly avoids the mess. (Note that I prefer shavings in nesting boxes because it’s easy to keep clean; in these photos, Twinkydink is in Phoebe’s hutch, and it was too good a photo opportunity to pass up!)

See how she tips and squats when the egg comes out?

The round end comes out first.

But what of the manure inside the vent’s passage? The egg never touches it! As the egg is laid, the oviduct that the egg has traveled through, turns a bit inside-out and fills the vent and protrudes out a tad. So, it’s the same hole, but the egg travels down a different tube than the manure. Amazing! You can see it retracting in this photo.

When laid, the egg is wet, but dries in about ten seconds, Here it is, glistening at Twinkydink’s feet

It doesn’t look very safe there, does it? Our chickens are not exactly dainty-toed. The other hens will come into the box, with their dinosaur feet, stomping around, and finally, after much hullabaloo, will lay their own eggs. Shells are remarkably sturdy, and the first year of lay, the shells will be quite strong and able to withstand the trodding. As a hen ages, her shells thin. A good diet can help keep the eggs from cracking and breaking. In any event, if you haven’t watched your own hens lay their eggs, take a stool out to the coop and watch. It’s worth waiting for.

After a challenging week here it seemed as if things were on the upswing. By Thursday evening it was clear that the bacterial infection wasn’t going to claim the lives of any of my chickens. Even Opal was on the mend. Opal is one tough hen to come back so resoundingly well from such a serious bout with that respiratory ailment. When I closed up the barn last night, all of the hens were clear-eyed. They were breathing better and I breathed a sigh of relief.

But this morning when I opened the barn up, it looked like Pearl had had a pillow fight with herself. Soft cochin feathers were everywhere.

What was going on? There was a big bare patch on Pearl’s back.

Had she been attacked? The skin was smooth and I didn’t see a sign of injury or aggression. Hmmm…. I picked her up and a clump of feathers came off in my hand. I checked her for feather mites and lice. None. I concluded that Pearl is molting. (Read all about the molt here.)

Pearl was unaffected by the respiratory bug, at least she didn’t have the symptoms. However, stress can bring on the molt. Maybe that is why she lost about 500 feathers overnight. Then again, maybe it’s her time. The poorest layers molt first and heaven knows she doesn’t earn her keep her in eggs. I collect only one a week from her.

Oh well, about 9,000 more feathers to go.

Now that the intensive nursing is over with, I can get back into the garden. There’s a healthy population of bees and pollinators helping me out, as seen here on this sunflower. (Don’t miss the one in the bottom right flying in as I took the photo.)

This is a good note to begin a new week with, don’t you think?

When your flock comes down with a deadly respiratory ailment you need to treat them fast with something effective. Antibiotics can turn the tide and keep your chickens alive. But, these drugs can also be abused, and they have been, especially by high-volume “farms” that house animals in such unhealthy confines that they resort to putting antibiotics into the drinking water to keep their stock from dying. Bacteria multiply and mutate rapidly, and some will become immune to the medications. Feed antibiotics continuously and you’ll end up creating dangerous pathogens that are impervious to treatment. That has happened already, and to prevent a human health crisis now whole classes of antibiotics are illegal to give on a sub-therapeautic basis (this is a good thing.)

However, the drugs remain available for purchase, and can do much good when handled correctly. Some anitbiotics can only be had through veterinarians, but others can be purchased with ease at feed stores and on-line. Once in private hands, it’s up to the farmer to be careful with their use. The label might say, “for cattle and poultry” but the truth is that they are NOT legal for laying hens. The “for poultry” on the label is inexact – these drugs are approved only for meat and breeding stock, not layers. Backyard chicken keepers use them anyway to save our animals. But, because we use them “off-label” it means that there is little research done on how these drugs persist in the hen and in her eggs. There’s no research on how these drugs, manufactured for huge production facilities, should be appropriately dispensed to our own small flocks. One has to sort through science and trade publications, and then use common sense.

This last week I was grateful to have Duramcyin on-hand to treat my sick hens. No doubt some would have died if I had not dosed them with this antibiotic in the tetracycline family.

The first challenge is knowing how much to mix in water. The label recommends 200 to 400 mg per gallon of water. That wide range is not explained on the package or on the drug company’s website. And, most people don’t have mg measurers. I have a digital scale and calculated that 1/8 teaspoon per 16 fl. ounces (2 cups) is about right. That’s 1 teaspoon per gallon. Not much. After 24 hours, the Duramycin loses it’s efficacy. Every day the founts must be dumped out and filled with fresh antibiotics.

However, even when you get it mixed up properly, putting medication in the waterers will be no good if your hens, like mine, were too sick to drink.

For those chickens, I used a syringe to squirt the medicated water onto their tongues for them to swallow (directions here.) The problem is that the label doesn’t say how much each hen should drink of this antibiotic-laced water. A healthy hen can drink a cup or more of water daily. I can’t get that much in with a syringe. So, I mixed up 1/16 teaspoon Duramycin with a cup of water and dosed a few teaspoons over the course of the day with a syringe. By nightfall I saw marked improvement, so I knew that it was the right course.

Not all respiratory disease outbreaks can be resolved with Duramycin. Some require other antibiotics, and others are caused by viruses, which are unaffected by antibiotics. If there is no improvement in three days it is suggested that you stop the treatment and try something else. Tylan and Baytril are two other antibiotics that might work.

Then the question is: how long do you treat the hens? The package recommends “7 – 14 days.” That’s another wide range! If the hens are all fine by day 7 it is prudent to stop.

Hopefully, the hens survive and the big question beomes: when can you resume eating the eggs? The USDA has a website that farmers can rely on to check on drug withdrawal times. Although they can’t give out information for off-label usage, they have posted a review of the research of how long drug residues are seen in eggs after drug treatment has stopped. There’s a lot of data to wade through, and I did my best to come to a sensible course.

I’ve heard the concern that because the hen has all of her ova already in place, that drug exposure will contaminate her eggs for life. This is not the case. The germ is minute. It is the yolk that forms around that bit that absorbs the drugs. (Some chemicals are taken up more by the whites. It depends on the drug.) The yolk goes through about ten days of rapid growth before it is released by the ovary. This paper states: “Because of the protracted nature of egg development, many weeks may be required following treatment or exposure before eggs are free of drug residue.” The lab tests bear this out. Scientists varied the dosage and length of time that antibiotics were administered. In tests that compared somewhat to what my chickens were dosed with, their eggs were clear of residues by day 10. To be on the safe side, I’ll wait two weeks after my hens take their last drink of antibiotic water before eating their eggs.

While the hens are on medication, I’ll scramble up their eggs and feed them back to the chickens. They could use the boost from the eggs. Once off the meds, sadly, I will throw the eggs out. And then, two weeks later, I will be delighted to collect eggs and resume having two every morning for breakfast. Of course, by then, some hens will be going into the molt and eggs will be precious. When you raise your own, the egg supply is never steady!