Happy Week 3, Coop Collective! 🐓 📚This Week's Topics📚 🐓Sunday: Cannibalism and Feather Pecking - Causes and evidence-based prevention methods 😤Monday: Ammonia Management - Sources, health impacts, and control strategies 🐥Tuesday: Poultry Digestive System - How chickens process feed differently than mammals 🥚Wednesday : Calcium Metabolism - Understanding shell formation and skeletal health ☀️Thursday: Light and Egg Production - Photoperiod requirements explained 🪨Friday: Understanding Grit - Why chickens need it and common misconceptions ✝️Saturday: Sabbath - Rest, reflect, and enjoy time with your birds! 🌿 🌟 Loving what you're learning here? Help us grow this amazing community! Do you know other chicken keepers who would benefit from science-based, myth-free poultry education? Share The Healthy Coop Collective with them! The more diverse voices and experiences we have, the richer our discussions become. Plus, your chicken-keeping friends will thank you! 😊 Let's build the best backyard poultry education community together - one flock keeper at a time! 🐔

Planning to hatch eggs? Candling lets you peek inside to monitor development without cracking them open. What IS Candling? Shining a bright light through an egg to see internal development. The egg becomes translucent, revealing what's happening inside! When to Candle: 🥚Day 7-10: Check for development and blood vessels 🥚Day 14-18: Assess growth and air cell size 🥚Day 18+: STOP handling eggs (lockdown period) What You're Looking For: FERTILE & DEVELOPING: 🐥Spider-like blood vessels (Day 7) 🐥Dark mass (embryo) growing larger 🐥Movement in later stages 🐥 Expanding air cell at blunt end INFERTILE (Clear): 🥚Egg looks clear throughout 🥚Only yolk shadow visible 🥚No blood vessels or development EARLY DEATH (Blood Ring): ☠️Red ring visible inside egg ☠️Development stopped ☠️Remove from incubator Equipment: A simple LED flashlight works! Or purchase a dedicated egg candler. Dark room = better visibility. Critical Tips: 🧼Handle eggs gently, wash hands first 😓Don't candle too frequently (stresses developing embryo) 🌡️Room temperature eggs candle more clearly ✔️Mark questionable eggs, recheck in 3-4 days Fun Fact: You can see the chick moving inside around Day 14-16! The air cell also grows as the chick develops and needs more oxygen. Your turn: ❓Ever candled an egg and been totally amazed (or totally confused) by what you saw? 🤔 @Casey Balkcom I'd love if you showed your awesome candling video!

Lost a bird and don't know what happened? Predators leave "signatures" that help identify the culprit - and prevent future attacks! RACCOONS 🦝 🦝Kill at night, often inside coop 🦝Head/neck eaten, crop removed 🦝Birds dragged away or partially eaten 🦝Can open simple latches! FOXES/COYOTES 🦊 🦊Entire bird missing (carried off) 🦊Scattered feathers along path 🦊Attack dawn/dusk or daytime 🦊Dig under fences HAWKS/OWLS 🦅 🦅Breast meat eaten, rest left behind 🦅Neat piles of plucked feathers 🦅Hawks = daytime, Owls = night 🦅Attack in open areas WEASELS/MINK 🐁Multiple birds killed (surplus killing!) 🐁Bite marks on head/neck 🐁Little meat eaten 🐁Blood draining behavior OPOSSUMS 🌙Messy eaters, scattered kills 🌙Target young chicks/eggs 🌙Eggs broken and partially eaten 🌙Nocturnal, slower moving DOGS🐶 🐶Multiple birds injured/killed but not eaten 🐶Widespread destruction 🐶Birds scattered around property 🐶Often daytime attacks SNAKES🐍 🐍Missing eggs or chicks 🐍No mess, no feathers 🐍Eggs swallowed whole Prevention Key: Knowing WHO you're dealing with helps you predator-proof effectively! Each predator requires different strategies. Your turn: 1. Ever played "CSI: Chicken Coop" trying to figure out what got in? What was the culprit? 🔍 2. What predator do you worry about most in your area?

I was scrolling some of the backyard poultry Facebook pages and came across this. I wanted to share my response with the group😊 Yes, blood on the outside of eggshells is completely normal for new layers. ❓What causes it❓ Blood-stained eggs (blood on the exterior shell) typically occur in pullets (young hens) just starting to lay. This happens when eggs are contaminated by smears of blood from the vent area during laying. The primary causes include: 🐓Pullets coming into lay - The reproductive tract is new to passing eggs 🐓Overweight pullets - Extra body weight can strain the vent 🐓Sudden, large increases in day length - Rapid hormonal changes 🐓Prolapsed cloaca - Tissue protrusion during laying 🐓Vent pecking or cannibalism - External trauma The blood comes from minor tissue trauma as the egg passes through the vent. Young pullets' reproductive tracts are still adjusting to the egg-laying process, making small vessel ruptures or tissue tears common. ❓Is the egg bad?❓ No. The egg itself is safe to eat if you want. Simply wash the blood off the shell before use. As long as the shell isn't cracked, there's no food safety concern. ‼️Important: Check the hen's vent When you find blood on an egg, examine the hen's vent area for any visible blood or injury. Vent pecking and cannibalism are recognized causes of blood-stained eggs. Blood visible on the vent can attract other flock mates to peck at the area, which can quickly escalate from minor trauma to serious injury or death. If you observe blood on the vent: 🩸Isolate the affected hen immediately 🩸Clean the area gently 🩸Monitor closely for continued bleeding or prolapse 🩸Keep her separated until fully healed to prevent flock mate aggression Management considerations Maintaining proper flock nutrition is important for overall reproductive health. A balanced diet with adequate vitamins A, K, and C helps maintain healthy blood vessels and tissue integrity throughout the reproductive tract. Most pullets naturally outgrow this issue within a few weeks as their reproductive systems mature and adjust to regular egg production.

Hi everyone! I'm Dr. Nisana, and I'm thrilled to launch this community dedicated to helping you raise healthier, happier backyard flocks. A bit about me: I'm a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine specializing in avian and poultry health through my practice, Covenantal Wings Veterinary Services. My background includes working in commercial poultry, and now I focus on bringing that professional veterinary expertise to backyard poultry keepers like you. I live on an 80-acre homestead in Oklahoma with my husband and daughter. What to expect here: I created The Healthy Coop Collective because I saw too many backyard keepers struggling with conflicting information online and limited access to poultry-savvy veterinarians. This community bridges that gap. Here's what's coming: ✅ Daily Engagement - Tips, discussions, case studies, and community support to keep your knowledge growing ✅ In the Premium plan: Weekly Educational Resources - In-depth guides, protocols, and tools on disease prevention, nutrition, biosecurity, and wellness management ✅ In the VIP plan: One Private 1-on-1 Veterinary Video Consultation Per Month - Personalized flock health guidance from me directly This is a space for learning, asking questions without judgment, and building confidence in your ability to care for your birds. Whether you're brand new to poultry or have years of experience, you belong here. Let's get started! Drop a comment below and tell me: - What type of poultry do you keep? - What's your biggest flock health challenge right now? - What topics do you most want to learn about? I can't wait to get to know you and your flocks. Here's to healthier coops and thriving birds! 🌿 —Dr. Nisana