Ferndale Backyard Chickens

10/01/2025

I'm quiet but alive, and when I got a call from Channel 7 about doing an interview about bird flu I knew it was time to make a post.
Follow the link to my thoughts on how our ordinance creates some built biosecurity and what else you can do to keep your hens safe.

https://ferndalechickens.com/2025/01/10/preventing-avian-flu-in-your-michigan-backyard-chicken-flock/

29/12/2023

Peanut, the oldest chicken in Michigan, has died. I can tell you as someone who has deeply grieved the loss of each and every chicken, I feel for Marsi Darwin so very much.

“I know brighter days will come in time. But she will be forever missed,” Marsi Darwin said.

01/11/2023

Accurate.

25/01/2023

As baby chick season approaches and the price of eggs keep rising, I’m sure a lot of people are tempted to raise chickens themselves. Before people flock (no pun intended 🤣) to their local farm store and start buying all the baby chicks please consider the following 10 fun facts….

1. Most hens do not start laying eggs until 18-22 weeks of age (that’s about 5 months give or take)

2. For the first few weeks of their lives baby chickens need to be kept at a temperature of around 95 degrees Fahrenheit

3. Chicks need to eat…SURPRISE! And like the price of everything else chicken feed has went up. A 50lb bag of layer is over $20.

4. Chickens need a place to roost and lay eggs. The cost of constructing a good chicken coop can be substantial. Mine cost around $500, even while using some reclaimed materials.

5. Chickens don’t lay as many eggs (and often stop laying entirely) in the winter months.

6. The average lifespan of a chicken is 5-10 years.

7. Predators such as foxes, coyotes, neighbor’s dogs, hawks and even raccoons will hunt your chickens. You have to constantly be vigilant and construct a home with a run for them that is predator proof (and vermin proof).

8. Chickens produce waste. You need to have a waste management plan, for your health and your sanity.

9. Chickens love to dig holes and destroy bedding around flowers in the yard.

10. Chickens can get medical issues just like any other animal. It gets costly. Ask me how I know ($$$)

I’m not trying to discourage anyone from keeping chickens- you know I think they're amazing. However chickens are animals, animals that require attention and proper care.

So while I get that you don’t want to spend $7+ on a dozen eggs double think your decision before you get excited about getting chickens.

Sincerely,
Your friendly backyard chicken advocate

22/07/2022

Bossy died earlier today. I knew it was coming, but I’m still a wreck.

She was the last of the original crew, my 3 “Golden Girls” from 2012. She was the most charming chicken of our flock. She was the first to lay an egg, the first to molt, and the first in pretty much everything except dying.

She had the sweetest voice of any chicken I’ve ever met. She used it to her advantage too; she would beg for treats on a regular basis and I almost always gave in. She loved mealworms, and people food, and anything else you’d present to her. She was game to try pretty much anything I offered up to her, from noodles to little dried fish and strange exotic fruit.

Bossy was, by far, the gentlest of my chickens. She was the only one I knew for sure that I could trust around little kids, and she was very deliberate in how she would take treats so as not to peck your fingers. There were two exceptions to this: 1.) when she pecked an earring I had on and almost ripped it out of my ear and 2.) her obsession with a mole I have on my arm, which she would mercilessly peck if she got close to it.

She loved being around people, and was incredibly social. However, she would just kind of collapse and slink away if you tried to pet her; I’m positive this is because she didn’t want anyone to mess up her pretty feathers.

Bossy was the only chicken who seemed to know how to pose for the camera, and she was a total camera hog for it. If I pulled out my camera, she came running right to it. She was featured in a Freep article, and was a model chicken in the Tractor Supply magazine.

She absolutely knew she was pretty, and took great care to maintain her feathers and beak. She was easy to identify, as she was the lightest and littlest; what she lacked in size she made up for in moxie.

Bossy was delicate, and prone to injury and issues. She once broke her beak, tore off a toenail, got bumblefoot a few times, and occasionally had to get a nice long soak in the tub when she’d get a yeast infection.

Bossy was perpetually curious and bold, always the first to come out of the coop and investigate. She was the first to walk in snow, and first in line to investigate anything new in the yard. She approached our dogs like she knew they were friends, and was nonchalant about new animals in the yard. She was always the first to try to ‘make friends’. That said, she was happy to throw down if friendship wasn’t on the menu.

She was the perfect ‘yard bird’. If you were doing something in the yard or garden, Bossy had to be front and center supervising and helping. Any time I had to dig a hole or w**d, Bossy made sure to get involved, usually scratching at the dirt or beaking it like she was helping the project along. She would even sneak under me when I was squatting to w**d, just so she could get a prime spot to get in on the action.

Bossy reluctantly took up the leadership position after Dumptruck’s death earlier this year. She was fair and equitable, even if it was obvious she wasn’t very interested in it. I think she had seen so much at this stage in life that she really couldn’t be bothered by petty flock dynamics, and was happier just ambling around looking for fun.

She lived an exceptional 10 years. I just wish we could have had 10 more.

15/06/2022

It's going to be horribly hot today, so here are a few tips for keeping your birds comfortable and preventing heat related death:
1. Provide deep shade. I have areas where trees create really deep shade, and on hot days like this the chickens stay under there almost exclusively.
2. Provide clean water, and move the water to the shade as well.
3. Spray down the soil/lawn in shady areas with cold water. It'll cool that area quite a bit.
4. Remove any cracked corn treats/feed. That ups their body temps. Continue providing layer feed.
5. Provide water melon as a treat.
6. If you see heat stress like pale combs, open beak breathing, and drooped wings, keep an eye on your birds and get them somewhere cooler if the stress looks severe.
7. Provide poultry electrolytes in cool fresh water. Follow the directions on the packet.
8. Ventilate as much as possible. They are susceptible to heat death primarily in the coop while laying eggs or roosting. Open the coop up as much as you can to allow air flow.
9. Aim a fan at the coop/roots if you can to increase air flow.
10. Clean your coop. Remove waste that would be adding moisture/fumes/heat to the coop.

Hot humid weather is honestly more challenging than cold temps for many breeds of chickens. Do what you can to keep them comfortable today.

(Picture is my fenced in area showing the deep shade from trees, and two chickens tucked into the left corner enjoying the cool ground that had just recently been sprayed with cold water)

20/05/2022

Looking for a home for a meat bird. This bird will be picked up this weekend, and I (Laura) can help coordinate getting it to a home.

Here's the thing: it will likely have a short life. Meat birds genetically grow fast, and as a result they often develop heart problems or their legs break under the weight of their body. They are very sweet and docile. They can live longer with a diet, there are birds out there that live several years if on a diet, and diet groups are available on Facebook.

If you are interested please send a message and I'll reach out.

14/05/2022

Those two chickens have a weird relationship.

13/05/2022

Bossy is my 10 year old chicken. She's such a good girl- polite with taking treats, gentle around people, engaged and interested in everything you do.

11/05/2022

The lights are on but nobody's home.

28/04/2022

Please, please bring in your feeders for a short period.

Part 2 of 2:
Update on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

🦆What can you do to help?

-Remove bird feeders and baths. Birds are able to find food this time of year without feeders, and the risk is just not worth it. There are still many unknowns, but we DO know that bird feeders attract blue jays, ducks, turkeys, and raptors- all of which are affected by HPAI.

-If you have chickens or domestic ducks, avoid visiting farm sanctuaries or bird sanctuaries with birds! You can carry deadly virus on your shoes AND clothing. Please protect your birds AND rescue residents at these refuges.

-If you are a birder or visit places frequented by waterfowl, make sure to clean your clothing and shoes immediately after your visit and BEFORE traveling to other places birds may be present, like our Wildlife Park.

-If you see birds who appear sick or have neurological symptoms such as tremors, circling, or holding their heads in unusual positions, report them to the DNR Wildlife Disease Laboratory at 517-336-5030.

🦆Safety at home

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections do not present an immediate public health concern. No human cases of these avian influenza viruses have been detected in the United States. As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 ˚F kills bacteria and viruses.

If you have chickens or domestic ducks

It is important to keep wild birds and their f***s out of domestic bird enclosures and to practice good biosecurity. Check out the following links for great resources:

https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/animals/diseases/avian/avian-influenza

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/defend-the-flock-program/defend-the-flock-program

08/04/2022

Dumptruck died.

I haven't been able to post about it until now. It happened the same day that I posted about being happy that she and Bossy were still alive and well at 10 years old. It was an absolute existential gut punch, and I've had a really hard time processing the loss after losing my dad earlier in March.

She was an absolute gem of a chicken. She was the best leader, and when she took over the flock we entered into a golden age of peace among the chickens that was a relief after the reign of Little Girl (the Terrible).

She had a bearing and gravitas that naturally lent itself to leadership. She was calm and just, never overreacting or bullying; she knew her power and never felt that she needed to force it onto others. She was secure in herself, and had a dignity and unhurried nature that calmed the more flighty birds and inspired the love of those who watched her. She had a wisdom that came from years of experience & diligence, and I and the flock relied on her to watch the skies and to teach the newer birds to do the same.

She is preceded in death by her lady love, Crow. She leaves behind Bossy and the young flock (Jo Pesci, Beefcake, Blonde, and Red). Bossy has reluctantly stepped into the leadership position, but doesn't have her heart in it the way Dumptruck did.

She wasn't just a chicken. She was a pet of 10 years, a local celebrity, and a dear friend. She is and will be missed terribly.

25/03/2022

Avian flu is in Michigan. It was bound to happen.

If you are a chicken keeper with a small flock, you should consider taking precautions, especially if you live near where waterfowl congregate. Do not allow wild waterfowl near your chickens, and this is a good time to refuse to bring in new adult birds/fowl into your flock.

If you are visiting an area where wild waterfowl congregate, you should disinfect your shoes or change into new shows before going near your flock.

21/02/2022

6 hens: 2 red, 2 barred, 2 Japanese bantam
2 roosters: 2 Japanese bantam

Please coordinate with David, they are located in Dearborn Heights. Call 313-333-0793