A Broken GoatCam

The cams that we use here at HenCam are outdoor security cameras. They are built to withstand graffiti and bad weather. They are no match for goats and other things found near the ground in barns. The GoatCam has not been functioning up to par, and has recently been off more than on. The cam is designed to be mounted on a metal pole in the city, not near stall bedding, and it certainly isn’t rated for use as a goat scratching post. Recently, ants have moved in. Yes, inside of the cam. Yuck! It’s time to retire this piece of equipment. (Read this FAQ to learn more about how the cams work.)

ants in cam

 

Steve and I decided not to replace it. Now that it’s summer, the goats are usually out of view in the back meadow.

goats in pasture

 

There’s delicious growing things to eat out there, although in this case it’s true that the grass is greener on the other side.

greener grass

 

It’s a lovely day to be out in the sun with food at one’s feet.

Caper

 

You’ll still be able to get glimpses of the goats via the main HenCam. And I’ll be sure to post photos of the boys.

Pip

 

Instead of replacing the GoatCam, we’ll be adding a cam to the outside pen of the Big Barn. We’ll also be adding sound to the inside cam. Finally, you’ll be able to hear the nighttime hen lullaby!

Keeping this site up and running is expensive. Hosting fees for the cams cost several thousand dollars a year. The cost of each cam is in the hundreds. As always, I appreciate your support. Starting your Amazon shopping by clicking through the icon on this site, and buying me a “cup of coffee” helps us to keep the cams up and running. Many thanks!

Scooter and the Container

In an attempt to keep big dog Lily occupied while on bed rest, I gave her the almost empty yogurt container. In fifty seconds she licked it clean, and went back to observing the world through the window. Scooter found the tub.

Scooter1

 

 

It did smell good.

Scooter2

 

 

However, he wasn’t as efficient at licking it as Lily.

Scooter 3

Why to Feed Chickens Pellets

I’ve kept backyard hens for twenty years. I’ve had this website for ten, and it sees over a hundred thousand visitors monthly. Between my blog and private emails, I hear about chicken health issues. Often, it takes much back and forth to figure out what is going wrong with someone’s hen. But, within the breadth of situations that I’ve consulted on in the last decade, some patterns have emerged. One situation that I’ve seen, too many times, is that of a very well-cared for flock in which a hen seemingly suddenly takes ill and dies. I now know the questions to ask. Was she laying thin-shelled eggs? Did she exhibit discomfort when laying? Did she look weak but still hungry? Finally, are you feeding crumbles or mixed grains and not pellets? Is it organic?

Laying hens need a specific level of protein and minerals in order to produce those eggs day after day. They don’t have much in the way of reserves. To make a shell, she has to first take in calcium from her feed, deposit it in her skeleton, and then extract it from those bones. The egg white is almost pure protein, and so she needs to steadily eat protein to then expel it in the form of the egg. But too much protein in the diet leads to kidney disease.

sick leghorn

An ill leghorn.

 

Obviously, high quality feed is essential. I understand why many people turn to purchasing non-GMO, no soy, organic feed. It promises the best ingredients. The nutritional information on the label is exactly what your hens require. However, most of these specialty brands do not come in pellets, but rather in the form of crumbles, or a mixture, with each ingredient in distinct view. Chickens are picky eaters. They don’t like the protein source in this feed. They toss it on the ground and eat the other stuff. Over time, the shells they make thin. It becomes difficult for the hens to lay eggs. There might be internal breakage or infection. This can kill your hen. But, catch this in time, and switch to a pelleted feed in which the hens consume everything that they’re supposed to, and you can reverse the decline and mortality. I’ve seen this reversal back to health, time and again. Pellets are not necessarily the highly-processed product that you might worry about. Read this post to see how they are made at a small mill in Vermont.

I recently did a necropsy on a hen that exhibited the symptoms that I describe above. She’d gone broody, hatched chicks, was a wonderful mother, and then went back into lay. She went through a period of discomfort, and died. The necropsy revealed no gross abnormalities, but it did show an non-functioning shell gland, and yolks and whites with no way to be formed into complete eggs. Another hen in the flock was going through something similar. However, with this backyard flock, the feed seemed fine. What was going on? Was the illness of the second hen unrelated to the first? A couple of weeks after my visit, the owner of this flock emailed me to say that yet another hen showed signs of laying thin-shelled eggs. She double-checked the feed. She thought that she was providing laying hen pellets to her flock. That’s what she asked for at the feed store. But, this brand’s bags are identical – it’s just the tags that indicate what’s inside. She’d been given the wrong bags. She had been feeding her mature hens grower feed for months. It didn’t provide calcium, and it had the wrong level of protein. (By the way, she does offer oyster shell free choice, but that’s not enough.) She’s back to feeding pellets. Her flock is back to laying good eggs.

chicken pellets

This is why I’m an advocate of commercial pellets for backyard flocks. Hens kept only one laying season before harvest can manage on a non-optimal diet. But our beloved flocks of older hens need the balance and concentration of what is in the pellets. That’s not to say that’s all they can have. I also believe in providing nutritious treats, letting them free-range and forage. But, that’s for dessert. Make sure that they have a nutritious main meal first.

The Garden

Today I need to get into my (neglected) garden, and so will forgo a time-consuming post about chickens. For the last two days we had chilly temps and rain. Today is my chance to get the last of the tomato plants in. Also, now that the ground has softened up, I can pull up weeds (it’s a difficult task when the soil is like concrete.) A thorough weeding now will greatly reduce my workload later in the summer.

The deep winter snows provided cover for voracious voles, who girdled the rose bushes and the grape vines. A hard pruning has brought those plants back, shoots are growing on the stumps, but it will be a long time before they are once again the tall plants that they were last year. On the other hand, my shade garden thrived with that blanket of snow. The bleeding hearts are more robust than I’ve ever seen them.

bleeding heart

 

Are you getting into the garden today? What chores do you have to tackle?

Two’s a Crowd

Most of the hens lay mid-morning. There are three nesting boxes for six Ladies. Plenty of room for all. Except, for some reason, this morning, the middle box is the place to be. Owly looks in. The spot is taken.

Owly looks in

 

Veronica looks in. Being Veronica, she complains loudly.

nesting boxes

 

Veronica thinks about pushing her way in. But someone has already done that.

two hens

 

It doesn’t look very comfortable, does it? Neither Nancy Drew, nor Beulah are going to give an inch. I leave them be. A half-hour later, the Black Stars are out and about. Veronica is in the nest, and look what’s under her.

two eggs

 

It would be comical, except sometimes what with all of the stomping and jostling and squatting, an egg breaks. So far the eggs that the Ladies lay are sturdy enough to withstand the commotion, but that’s not the case with the Gems. A few of those older hens lay thin-shelled eggs, and several times a week I find a broken one. I know the hens that are no longer able to make strong shells – Jasper and Opal – and if I was a real farmer, they’d be gone. But, lucky for them, they get to stay put while I tidy up after them.