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23d •
Welcome to The Healthy Coop Collective! 🐔
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
5d •
🔦 Candling Eggs: The Science Behind Checking Egg Development🥚
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!
19h •
Poultry Digestive System: How Chickens Process Feed Differently
Ever wonder how chickens eat without teeth? Their digestive system is FASCINATINGLY different from mammals - let's take the journey! The Route Food Takes: 1. BEAK → No teeth! Chickens tear and swallow food whole 2. ESOPHAGUS → Food travels down to... 3. CROP → A pouch that stores food temporarily (you can feel it!). Moistens and softens feed before moving on. 4. PROVENTRICULUS → The "true stomach" - adds digestive enzymes and acid like ours 5. GIZZARD → The mechanical grinder! Muscular organ uses grit (small rocks) to pulverize food. THIS is why they need grit - it's their "teeth"! 6. SMALL INTESTINE → Nutrient absorption happens here (pancreas and liver add enzymes) 7. CECA (two pouches) → Ferment fiber, produce certain vitamins. Creates those occasional extra-stinky "cecal poops"! 8. LARGE INTESTINE/CLOACA → Final water absorption, waste elimination Key Differences from Mammals: 🐥 NO TEETH - must swallow food whole or in chunks 🐥 CROP for storage - allows gorging behavior 🐥 GIZZARD does mechanical grinding - requires grit! 🐥 Very SHORT digestive time - 2.5-4 hours vs. 24+ in mammals 🐥 CLOACA - combined exit for digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems Why This Matters: 🐓Chickens need appropriately sized feed particles 🐓MUST have grit available for proper digestion 🐓Fast transit time means constant eating/drinking 🐓Crop issues = whole system backs up! Your turn: ❓Ever felt your chicken's crop? First time finding it can feel weird! ❓What's the weirdest thing you've seen a chicken try to swallow whole?
6h •
Where has my chicken been?
So I have a small flock, 4 hens and 1 rooster. Three of the hens I have from the 9 chicks I raised last spring, the others were all taken by predators. One of the hens, Grace, and the rooster, Elvis, are ones I got from a neighbor a couple months ago, and they are both about a year older than my other hens. Grace disappeared a couple weeks ago, so we assumed she had also been taken during the day by a predator. She had started to isolate herself from the flock because of the other hens would bully her. But yesterday, in the middle of the day, she showed up in the coop. I was shocked to say the least. Then, later in the day she disappeared again….I looked everywhere around the coop and walked the woods behind where the coop is and I couldn’t find her anywhere on the ground or up in trees. So, where could she be going? Why is she not returning to the coop at night? Is she potentially broody and trying to hatch out eggs? Where would she go to do that? I want to try to find her and put her with the new chicks in a separate coop from the other hens to keep them from picking on her. For context, we live on 10 acres of mostly dense Florida forest, consisting of mostly pine trees, but also oaks and clusters of palm fronds. I took a video of her so my husband would believe me that she came back lol
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3d •
🪶Cannibalism & Feather Pecking: Understanding Causes & Prevention
This is a tough topic but an important one! Let's talk about when normal pecking becomes a serious welfare problem. What's the Difference? 🪶Normal pecking order = Brief encounters establishing hierarchy 🪶Feather pecking = Repeated pulling/eating of feathers 🪶Cannibalism = Pecking that causes injury, draws blood, leads to death Why It Happens: 🌾ENVIRONMENTAL 🐓Overcrowding (top trigger!) 🐓Boredom/lack of enrichment 🐓Too much light or no darkness period 🐓Bright lighting intensity 🍎NUTRITIONAL 🐥Protein deficiency 🐥Salt deficiency 🐥Insufficient methionine/cysteine (amino acids) 🤷♀️MANAGEMENT 🐤Mixing different ages/sizes 🐤Insufficient feeder/waterer space 🐤Poor ventilation (ammonia buildup) 🐤Stress from any source 🩸The Blood Problem: Once blood is drawn, it triggers MORE pecking! Red is highly attractive to chickens - the behavior can escalate rapidly to death. Evidence-Based Prevention: ✔️Provide 3-4 sq ft per bird minimum (more is better!) ✔️ Enrichment: cabbage to peck, perches, dust baths ✔️ Ensure at least 16-20% protein in diet ✔️ Reduce light intensity if very bright ✔️ Provide darkness period (8+ hours) ✔️ Address issues IMMEDIATELY before they spread ‼️Critical: Remove injured birds immediately - blood attracts more pecking! Your turn: ❓What's your best boredom-buster trick that keeps your flock entertained? 🎾 ❓Have you ever had to discipline an overly aggressive flock mate?
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Vet-led community for backyard poultry keepers. Dr. Nisana, DVM, provides expert guidance on flock health, disease prevention, nutrition, & wellness.
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