July 2024 - Eggshell Online

Scaly Leg In Chickens And How To Treat It

Posted on 22 July 2024

Scaly Leg In Chickens And How To Treat It

Whether you keep your chickens for commercial purposes or they are just beloved family pets,

Top Reasons To Keep Chickens

Posted on 19 July 2024

Top Reasons To Keep Chickens

We are without a doubt a nation of animal lovers with many of us now keeping chickens in our gardens. Read on and find out why chickens make such great pets

Top Tips For Keeping Your Chicken Coops Clean

Posted on 18 July 2024

One of the best ways to keep your chickens healthy and happy is by ensuring they have a clean space to sleep. Chicken coops protect them from the elements and ensure they are safe from predators. The chicken coop is also where your chickens will roost and lay their eggs. Cleaning might not be the most pleasant task, but regular cleaning can actually help to make the task less taxing. By keeping on top of the cleaning with daily maintenance, you can minimise the work and ensure that it never gets too unpleasant. Follow these tips to help keep your chicken coops hygienically clean and your flocks healthy. The daily clean You need to carry out a quick clean every day to help remove damp or soiled material and replace this with new sawdust. How long this task takes will all depend on how messy your chickens are. Some well-trained chickens will always head to their roosting boxes to leave their waste. And if your chickens have free roam of a chicken run during the day, they’ll be less likely to make a mess in their coop. The weekly clean Once a week, you need to remove everything from the chicken coop and give it a good clean. This will help to reduce the risk of infestations from parasites like red mites, as they won’t have anywhere to hide. Remove everything from the coop and wash down the floors with a chicken-friendly disinfectant. In the summer, you can hose down the coop completely and allow it to dry in the sun. Pay close attention to the roosting box as this will be where the majority of the waste is found. Start by sweeping out the waste and then using a spray cleaning and water before scrubbing the area. Vinegar is a highly effective cleaning product that will eliminate bad smells without leaving behind a smell that will bother your chickens. The deep clean Around once a month, you may want to consider a deep disinfection cleaning to help prevent the build up of smells and to eliminate the risk of parasites causing problems with your chickens. You could use a pressure washer to get into the cracks and crevices and remove all traces of mites and their eggs. Boiling water is also a highly effective way to deal with parasites. Make sure the space is dry before adding fresh bedding and sawdust on the ground. You should also pay close attention to the chicken feeders and drinkers and make sure you deep clean them at least once a week. Algae build up can be dangerous for your chickens so it’s vital to keep the drinkers and feeders hygienic. Coop maintenance As you are cleaning the chicken coop, make sure you check for signs of dampness or leaks. Address any issues with the roof or walls quickly to keep your chickens happy and healthy. It might be necessary to replace the roof felting after some time, so keep an eye on its condition. If there are cracks or breaks in your feeders or drinkers, replace these as a matter or urgency. Cracks and breaks will not only make them less efficient, but they can also leak, or they can allow bacteria to build up. If you have vents to increase air flow, check that they aren’t blocked as this can quickly lead to a build up of moisture which can make the space damp and unpleasant for your birds. With a daily routine, you can make light work of the weekly clean, which will make the deep cleaning process much easier. And all of this will contribute to a healthier and happier flock.

Read this latest post from the expert team here at Eggshell and follow these top tips on how to keep your chicken coop and house clean all year round.

How To Get Rid Of Red Mites From Your Chicken Coops

Posted on 16 July 2024

How To Get Rid Of Red Mites From Your Chicken Coops

Red mites are one of the most dreaded infestations that chicken owners can face. These

Frostbite and Chickens: What You Need to Know

Posted on 14 July 2024

Frostbite and Chickens: What You Need to Know

Chickens are known to be very hardy and able to put up with cold conditions,

Protecting Your Rabbits From Predators

Posted on 12 July 2024

Protecting Your Rabbits From Predators

It doesn’t matter where you live, your rabbits will be at risk from predators if

Do Rabbits Make Good Pets For Children?

Posted on 12 July 2024

At some stage, your child may become attached to the idea of having a particular pet. Perhaps they have seen them on their favourite TV show and want their own pet to love and take care of. Or perhaps their friend has recently brought a pet home and they want to enjoy the same experience. Before deciding if a rabbit is right for your family, there are a few things to consider. There is a common misconception that rabbits have a similar life span to hamsters, but you need to be prepared to care for your pet for much longer than 2-3 years. Rabbits will live for around 8-12 years, so it is a long-term decision. In this guide, we’re looking at some of the pros and cons of giving children a rabbit to take care of. Reality check The first thing to note about rabbits is that they like to chew. They have to gnaw to keep their teeth in good condition, and this means that anything in their path is fair game. If they are allowed to roam outside of their hutch, you can expect them to chew on anything in their path. For indoor rabbits, this could mean important items like wires, furniture or possessions. The easiest way to manage this is to give them something suitable to chew on. Another thing to consider is the level of care they require. You will need to clean their hutch once a day and carry out a deep clean once a week. Rabbits can live indoors or outdoors, but indoor rabbits will need more supervised play time. In the winter, outdoor rabbits will require extra attention to keep them warm. And finally, while rabbits can be sociable, they aren’t always keen for cuddles. Your child will need to learn that their pet might sometimes want to be left alone. They aren’t afraid to nip to let their wishes be known. This can be difficult for children to handle if they feel like their pet doesn’t enjoy their attention. The positives of keeping rabbits as pets Once you and your child are happy with the reality of keeping a rabbit, there are some positives you can enjoy. While rabbits will need daily attention, it’s actually very easy to keep them happy. This can be an excellent way to teach your child about responsibility. They will need to keep up their end of the bargain, by feeding their pet daily and helping out with the cleaning. Older children may be able to handle the cleaning entirely on their own. It’s important for parents to oversee these processes to make sure they are actually happening. It would be cruel to the animal to let it suffer in a dirty cage just to teach a child a lesson about responsibility. Rabbits are also beautiful creatures with lovely soft coats. One of the best ways a child can bond with their rabbit is through regular grooming. This is particularly important for long haired rabbits as regular grooming will help to avoid hairballs. Rabbits are highly sociable animals, so it’s often a good idea to buy a pair so they won’t be lonely. Just be sure to get your rabbits from a reputable source who is confident of the sex or you could end up with a lot more rabbits than you expected. If you’re considering a rabbit for your child’s first pet, make sure you invest in a quality hutch that is easy to maintain. This will help to simplify the weekly deep clean and ensure that your rabbit leads a long and healthy life.

At some stage, your child may become attached to the idea of having a particular

Top Tips For Raising Healthy Rabbits

Posted on 11 July 2024

Top Tips For Raising Healthy Rabbits

Rabbits are excellent pets that are both entertaining and affectionate. They are highly independent, which

How To Clean Your Rabbit Hutch To Prevent Bad Smells

Posted on 8 July 2024

How To Clean Your Rabbit Hutch To Prevent Bad Smells

There’s nothing quite like the smell of a rabbit hutch that needs a good cleaning.

How to Keep Your Chickens Warm In Colder Weather

Posted on 7 July 2024

Keep Your Chickens Warm In Colder Weather

Chickens are remarkably adaptable to a range of conditions. Most chicken owners worry about them