Health & Flock Care

Deworming Backyard Chickens

The first time I heard someone say, “Just deworm every 3 months, like clockwork,” I nodded politely, went home, and then stared at my flock like they were tiny feathered mystery novels. Because here is the truth from twelve years of muck boots and mixed flocks: some chickens need deworming, some do...

Poultry Mites and Lice: Identify, Treat, Prevent

If you have chickens long enough, you will eventually have the itchy week . Hens start doing that frantic scratch, you notice rough feathers, egg production dips, and suddenly you are staring at a tiny speck on a white paper towel like it owes you money. The good news is this: mites and lice are...

The 5-Minute Chicken Health Check

If you keep chickens long enough, you learn a hard truth: most flock “emergencies” start as tiny clues. A slightly crusty nostril. A hen who suddenly looks a little too fluffed up. A crop that feels off when you scoop her up for bedtime. The good news is you do not need a veterinary degree to...

Heat Stress in Chickens: Signs, First Aid, and Prevention

When a summer heatwave hits, chickens do not “sweat it out” the way we do. They cool themselves mostly by panting and moving heat out through their comb, wattles, and legs. That system works fine on a warm day, but once it is truly hot (and especially when humidity climbs), heat stress can sneak up...

Sour Crop vs. Impacted Crop in Chickens

If you keep chickens long enough, you will eventually meet the Crop Problem . One morning your hen looks puffy, grumpy, and not quite right. You pick her up, feel her chest, and there it is: a weird balloon of food sitting where it should not be sitting. The good news is that most crop issues fall...

Bumblefoot in Chickens: Diagnose, Treat, Prevent

Bumblefoot is one of those chicken-keeping problems that starts small and suddenly you are holding a grumpy hen like a football, staring at the bottom of her foot, thinking, “How did we get here?” I have been there. The good news is most backyard cases can be managed at home if you catch them...

Common Respiratory Infections in Chickens

The first time one of my hens made a little “snick” sound, I did what every new chicken keeper does: I panicked, Googled too much, and convinced myself my whole coop was doomed by morning. Twelve years and a whole lot of dusty bedding later, I can tell you this: not every sneeze is an emergency,...

Frostbite on Chicken Combs and Wattles

The first time I saw frostbite on a chicken comb, I thought someone had taken a marker to my rooster overnight. The tips looked grayish and dull, and he was acting a little too stoic about it, which is always my least favorite kind of chicken drama. Frostbite can go from “huh, that looks odd” to...

Stop Feather Pecking and Bullying in Your Chicken Flock

Feather pecking has a way of starting small. One missing tail feather. A little head-bobbing chase at the feeder. Then suddenly you are looking at a hen with a raw patch and a flock that seems to have learned a terrible new hobby. I have been there. In my early days with three Rhode Island Reds and...

Backyard Chicken First Aid Kit Essentials

The day you need a chicken first aid kit is never the day you feel like running to the store. It is usually a Sunday evening, in the rain, while a hen stands there looking offended that you are taking so long. I started with three Rhode Island Reds and a cardboard box labeled “CHICKEN STUFF” that...

Egg-Bound Chicken: Signs and Safe Treatment

Egg binding is one of those chicken emergencies that can go from “she seems off” to life-threatening in a shockingly short window. I learned that the hard way years ago with a sweet Rhode Island Red who looked like she was just taking an extra-long break in the nesting box. She was not. If you...

Natural Water Supplements for Chickens

I love a good, low-effort flock habit. Clean bedding , a dry coop, and fresh water are the big three in my backyard. But every so often, I’ll add something to the waterer on purpose, not because it’s trendy, but because it fits the moment: a heat wave , a stressful move, a rough molt , or a hen...

Mixing Chicken Breeds in One Backyard Flock

I started chicken keeping with three Rhode Island Reds and the confidence of someone who had never met a bored hen with opinions. Fast forward a dozen years, and my yard is home to a friendly chaos of Orpingtons, Wyandottes, and Ameraucanas. Mixing breeds can be delightful and it can also turn into...

How to Choose Healthy Baby Chicks

I still remember my very first chick purchase: three Rhode Island Reds in a little farm store bin, peeping like they had a lot to say about my life choices. I had brought the wrong kind of box, asked approximately 400 nervous questions, and left convinced I had chosen “the good ones” purely because...

About Maggie Harper

Hi, I’m Maggie Harper , and I’m so glad you’re here. Welcome to The Cluck Loom , my little corner of the internet where backyard chickens are taken seriously, but not so seriously that we can’t laugh when a hen steals your shoelace and sprints away like she just won the Olympics. I’m a suburban...