Heads up: This post talks graphically about disease. I’ve heard from several people who have had their hens die due to this syndrome, and I think that it is a service to be blunt.

Chickens are so much fun to feed. Unlike certain finicky eaters at our own tables (spoken as the mom of the pickiest eater on earth) hens look delighted by the simplest food, whether a squishy tomato or a bit of stale bread. It’s so enjoyable to feed our hens that we sometimes overdo it, and feed the wrong foods to excess. Just as overeating causes health issues in people, so too does an unbalanced and high-calorie diet cause problems in your flock.

Hens are designed to eat small amounts constantly throughout the day. Eating should take effort, Your hens should be scratching, foraging, and pecking for their dinner. But, most backyard flocks are confined, and so they don’t roam for their food. Add to that indulgent owners that love seeing their hens happily chortling at grain tossed at their feet. Chickens are getting fat, and they’re not just waddling around in discomfort, they’re dying from obesity.

A diet too high in corn and other scratch feeds lays on the fat. A layer of internal fat can physically get in the way of egg laying. The hen needs to have a smooth passage of that egg through the reproductive tract. Fat impedes it, and can even block the egg laying process.

But, yellow fat in the body cavity, and laying difficulty, isn’t the worst that can happen to your hen. The next step in disease is Fatty Liver Syndrome. This is also called Fatty Liver Hemorrhagic Disease, which reflects what happens inside of your hen. The fat marbles the liver and changes it’s texture. The fat infiltrates the ovaries. The hen’s organs can no longer function properly. Sadly, despite being fat, they begin to starve. The change in the texture of the liver makes the hen susceptible to lesions and hemorrhaging. The release of an egg from the ovary can tip the balance. Blood vessels will rupture. Your hen will bleed to death.

The right diet is the key to preventing this disease. I’ve written about a prudent diet here. Keeping your hens physically active and eating throughout the day is also essential. One thing that keeps my hens busy, even in limited space, is the compost in the chicken run. Of course, if you can let your hens out to forage, that helps, too. Exercise, fresh air, sunshine and a prudent diet high in vegetables – sounds like something all of us, whether hens or their keepers, should try to live by.

For more details on this disease the Mississippi State University Extension Service has a clear explanation. The Merck Vet site is also a good resource.

BTW, feeding excess protein, such as handfuls of mealworms, causes other severe health issues, especially kidney disease. I’ve written about that here.

The goats have been hemmed in by snow for months. (They claim that it’s been years, but they tend to exaggerate.) They’ve had only a small clearing in their paddock to hang out in and no place to browse. But, today the snow melted enough so that I could fix and turn on the electric fence, and open their gate. They were astonished!

First the boys had a celebration in the paddock.

Which was tiring. Pip wasn’t sure it was worth the trit-trotting into the pasture, and he was right as there wasn’t much more than some matted down brown grass and dead leaves there, but Caper was eager to see what he might be able to find.

Pip saw that Caper found a downed pine branch to eat, and so he deigned to push aside join his brother.

Which was cause for more celebrating.

(Perhaps this is not the most flattering picture.)

When that was done, Pip looked around and decided that he’d rather be back at the barn.

“I told you it wasn’t worth the effort.”

That pleased Caper, because now he had the scratching post all to himself.

You might have wondered why the view in the BarnCam is skewed like this:

The Gems are large and active birds. With all of the snow and rain, they’ve been indoors. A lot. They’re bored, but bored hens don’t just stand around. They still strut and scratch and roost and peck. To keep them busy, I hung a slice of cabbage in the suet holder. It’s worked, somewhat. They’ve remained healthy and I’ve not had any aggression issues which occur in confined hens that are crowded. Still, their combined energy did the BarnCam in.

Our cams aren’t the type that you can purchase cheaply at Radio Shack and use with your home computer. Ours are professional surveillance cams. This one, (the one hanging over the chicken manure tacked on with duct tape) cost $500. They last only about two years before needing replacing. Obviously, Steve is about to do some cam shopping. For the technical details of how our system works, read this FAQ.

Luckily for the Gems, and for the BarnCam, we’ve had a spell of mild weather. The lawn is visible – well, at least a few stretches of bare ground. The Gems will get to free-range this afternoon. And Steve will get out the roll of duct tape and see if he can patch things up for awhile longer.

There’s a lot going on here!

I’ve got a number of events coming up. Here’s a few highlights: On Tuesday I’ll be at the Dover-Sherborn High School, giving a Backyard Chicken Keeping Class. You don’t have to be a resident, so if you’re nearby, sign up! On Saturday I’ll be at the Concord Library with a chicken for a storytime. Drop in! At the end of March I’ll be in AUSTIN, Texas and hope to meet some of you there. For those in the Boston city area, I’ll be giving an Urban Chicken Keeping talk in Somerville in April,

I’ve scheduled two Chicken Keeping Classes here at my home. April 27 and June 8. Class size is limited, and these programs always sell out, so make your plans now. For a current and detailed list of all of my programs, and links for signing up, see my Upcoming Events page.

Chicken Keeping Workshop at Little Pond Farm

Just for fun, I’ve added a product in my store. A tote made from the Purina bag. Only four available (until I buy more chicken feed!)

But, I have plenty of Vintage Chicken Photographs: 30 Postcards in stock.

Meanwhile, it might not look it outside, but spring is coming, as is my order of 25 chicks. They’re arriving April 1. I know that you’re eager to hear my plans for them. The blanket of snow on the ground, and the weasel problem, has altered what I thought I’d do. I won’t be using broody hens, but instead will install a heat lamp. They’ll be in a brooder in the Little Barn. However, there will be a ChickCam. Details as soon as I’ve worked them out!

Along with chicks, I’d like to have get a rabbit this spring. Even with all of my chickens, it seems empty out there without one. There’s a rabbit show in May that’s not too far away. I’ve penciled it into my calendar. Who knows what I’ll come home with.

On other news, my publisher has informed me that the egg cookbook will not be published until 2014. I had no say in this, and of course, it’s frustrating. They might release the ebook this year. I’ll keep you informed.

What else? Yesterday I collected 9 eggs from the 12 Gems. This bounty coincides with a luncheon being planned for our small town’s library staff. One dish on the menu will be my deviled eggs.

Lily turns ten next month, and although she’s still capable of running down a squirrel, she has her aches and pains. I’ve noticed that she’s resting differently, with her legs stretched out instead of curled in, and she’s shifting positions in her sleep. Lily was no longer fitting comfortably on the dog bed in her favorite spot by my office window. So, I made her a larger one.

The only problem is, Scooter thinks that it’s his bed. Scooter has his own bed. It’s the smaller blue one.

LIly’s goal in life is to be a GOOD DOG. So, although she can face down foxes and wild turkeys, she took one look at Scooter and sadly went to a spot under the desk. This is her “calm down, you’re barking too much” place.

I

I, however, have no problem telling Scooter to get off of Lily’s bed. Lily is thankful.

GOOD DOG, LILY.