Managing your flock well makes chicken keeping easier, calmer and more rewarding. In this Flock Management section, you’ll find tips on understanding chicken behaviour, managing the pecking order, handling broody hens, safely introducing new birds and more.
For new keepers, a great starting point is Chicken Pecking Order Explained or How To Handle Broody Hens.
Why Won’t My Hens Go Into The Coop At Night? Causes And Fixes It can be really frustrating when dusk falls and your hens flatly refuse to go into the coop. Why won’t my hens go into the coop at night is one of the most common questions I get asked, and there are several…
How To Raise Friendly Chickens Chickens get a reputation for being skittish, but in reality, they’re perfectly capable of being sociable, confident, and even quite cuddly – if you raise them with a bit of care. Some will happily follow you round the garden, jump on your lap, or peck at your laces while you…
Why Do Chickens Peck Each Other? Pecking is normal behaviour for chickens, but when it turns aggressive, it can leave your hens stressed, injured, or even dead. I’ve seen aggressive pecking happen in my own flock, and while it can be upsetting to witness, it’s usually something you can fix once you understand what’s causing…
Chicken Pecking Order Explained If you spend time observing your chickens, you will quickly notice that not all birds behave equally. Some always eat first, others get chased away, and one usually takes charge of the flock. This natural social ranking is known as the pecking order. In this article, we will explain how the…
How To Clip Chicken Wings Safely Wing clipping is a simple and safe method to help prevent your chickens from flying over fences and escaping your garden. If done correctly, it causes no pain and allows your flock to roam safely within their designated area. In this article, you will learn how to clip chicken…
Chicken Dust Bath Guide Dust bathing is one of the most natural and important behaviours your chickens will display. Watching your hens fluff, wriggle and roll around in a patch of dry earth might look odd at first, but it plays a crucial role in keeping them healthy. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly why…
How To Handle Broody Hens A broody hen can be both a fascinating and frustrating part of keeping chickens. While some owners welcome their birds’ desire to hatch eggs, others find broodiness disruptive, especially when there are no fertile eggs involved. In this guide, you will learn how to recognise, manage and handle broody hens….
How To Introduce New Chickens To Your Flock Introducing new chickens to an existing flock can be both exciting and challenging. Done correctly, it allows you to grow your flock smoothly, but without care, it can lead to stress, bullying, and injury. In this guide, we explain how to introduce new chickens safely, helping you…
How Intelligent are Chickens? How intelligent are chickens? Much more than most people realise. For years, the phrase “bird brain” has unfairly painted chickens as dim-witted and clueless. But scientific research is beginning to reveal a different truth — one that shows these birds possess far more brainpower than they’re given credit for. From self-control…
How to Stop Chickens’ Water Freezing in Winter Finding out how to stop chickens’ water freezing in winter is a challenge all chicken keepers eventually face. On frosty mornings, it’s common to find drinkers iced over, and sometimes solid – meaning your birds are left without water when they need it most. Keeping your hens…