UCP Episode 021: Listeners’ Questions Answered (Session #1) on Scissorbeak, Designing the Perfect Coop & Treating Chicken Wounds

The Urban Chicken Podcast - The Urbanite's Podcast Resource for Keeping Backyard Chickens

Scissor Beaked Hen, Buffy the Egglayer – photo by AinaWGSD

Urban Chicken Podcast listeners have been reaching out lately and sending me their chickens questions. These questions are interesting and relevant to all chicken enthusiasts and so I have decided to answer their questions on today’s episode.

The Main Segment show questions come from three different listeners: Kimberly Swenson of Texas, Carol Wyss-Mason of Oregon and Erin Reid of Oregon. Kimberly poses questions about building the perfect chicken coop and what a newbie needs to know when designing their hens’ future home. I share some general advice on building a good chicken coop and also recommend three chicken coop design books (see Main Segment resources list below) to help with the chicken coop research process.

Carol Wyss-Mason’s hens in their tractor — photo by C.B. Wyss Mason

Urban Chicken Podcast fan Carol, inherited a small flock of laying hens and an A-framed chicken tractor. She asks the Urban Chicken Podcast how to treat a wounded, hen-pecked bird and how to stop this behavior. As discussed in my response on today’s show, some of Carol’s problem may be stemming from her hens feeling cramped in their coop. Each full-sized chicken that is going to be inside the coop all the time, needs approximately 4 square feet of space (per bird.) Spacing issues are a common cause of hen pecking. I also discuss the use of Blue Kote, chicken saddles and beak bits to deal with bullying issues.

Scissor-beaked Buffy as a Chick — photo by AinaWGSD

Listener Erin Reid wrote the Urban Chicken Podcast with several chicken related questions. Erin’s questions were regarding: 1) why chickens lay eggs everyday; 2) why won’t her hens eat many of the treats she offers and what should she try feeding them as treats instead; and 3) how to properly care for a scissor beaked hen. Erin has one hen that suffers from severe scissor beak. I answer all of her questions and give several tips and suggestions for raising healthy special needs cross-beaked birds.

In the Chicken News – you are not the only cool kid raising backyard chickens. Now even movie star Jennifer Aniston is getting in on the urban chicken trend. Chelsea Handler talks with Jennifer Aniston about her backyard hens in the following video clip:

In Sally’s Sidenotes, I discuss a half and half chicken that my good friend Lisa Breuerowns. This odd bird, named Tiny, is the progeny of a Buff Orpington rooster and a Blue Cochin hen. Their “daughter” is a hen that is feathered on her top half like an

Tiny (the half breed hen) – photo by Jen Pitino

Orpington and on the bottom half of her body, she is colored and feathered like her Blue Cochin mama. Tiny is a very strange hen, indeed. Do you have any strangely feathered birds like Tiny? If so, please send me a picture of your chicken. The Urban Chicken Podcast audience is interested in seeing your odd birds.

CHICKEN NEWS:

• Huff Post – Jennifer Aniston Raises Backyard Chickens ARTICLE
• UK Daily Mail – Jennifer Aniston’s $21 Million Home Gets Coop ARTICLE
• E! – Celebrities who Keep Backyard Chickens ARTICLE

MAIN SEGMENT:

• William&Sonoma — their Agarian Line of Chicken Coops CATALOG PAGE
• Costco – Chicken Coops for Sale CATALOG PAGE
• Review of Costco Chicken Coops REVIEW
• Chris Gleason’s Coop Book – Art of the Chicken Coop: A Fun and Essential Guide to Housing Your Peeps
• Judy Pangman’s Coop Design Book – Chicken Coops: 45 Building Ideas for Housing Your Flock
• BackyardChickens.com Coop Book – Backyard Chickens’ Guide to Coops and Tractors: Planning, Building, and Real-Life Advice
• Dremeling bird beaks VIDEO
• Dremel tool Vet used to file beak in video above Dremel 1100-N/25 7.2-Volt Stylus Lithium-Ion Cordless Rotary Tool Kit with Docking Station
• Chicken Chick – How to Trim Scissorbeak Chicken ARTICLE
• My Pet Chicken – What to Do with Cross-beaked Chicken ARTICLE
• BYC Forum – Thoughtful Forum Advice on Scissorbeak Care FORUM & FORUM
• City Chicken Farm Blog – Hand filing Scissorbeak ARTICLE
• Blue Kote Wound Antiseptic & Repellent – Blu-Kote – 4 ounce Pump Spray
• Chicken Saddles –Chicken Saddles (Chickens, Medium 6″-7″)
• Chicken Watering Nipples –***Threaded Style*** Oasis Poultry Water Nipples, 10 Pack, Sanitary Water for up to 30 Chickens, Turkeys, Geese or Ducks
• Omlet.uk – Beak Bits for sale LINK
• Backyard Poultry Forum – Discussion on the use of Beak Bit with Pics FORUM LINK

SALLY’S SIDENOTES:

One more photo of Tiny, the half Buff Orpington/half Blue Cochin hen:

Tiny (1/2 Buff Orpington and 1/2 Blue Cochin) Hen — photo by Jen Ptiino