Andy Schneider - Chicken Fact or Chicken Poop

In every workshop I teach, during the Blog Busters segment, I tell attendees that their four favorite words when reading chicken blogs and chicken forums should be show me the proof and if the only proof they receive is, It worked for me, they should tread lightly with the posted claim. About two years ago, I got so frustrated with all the bad information being shared on chicken blogs and chicken forums that I came up with the idea for a Fact or Chicken Poop website. It was such a success, I thought there was a great opportunity for the release of my second book based on the website. So, why have a book and website solely based on calling out the bad information? Because there is so much bad information out there, something had to be done. Social media, like so many other things, can have both good and bad outcomes. Unfortunately, the bad information would be shared, and some of the information would go viral.

So, where does the bad information come from? Most of the time, its just shared and shared and shared. But where did it originate? Most of the time, the information comes from folks that claimed they have done or used a certain method or treatment and claimed it worked. They had no proof it worked; they just claimed it worked. Heres a classic example of this: In the fall, people share that pumpkin seeds are an all-natural dewormer for chickens. When I see this post year after year, I always respond the same way by asking the person who posted it to show me the proof. They will in turn reply with, Well, I give my chickens pumpkin seeds, and they dont have worms. I then ask if they have ever actually had their chickens tested for worms by a veterinarian, and the answer is always no. Therefore, they truly have no proof whatsoever to back up their claim.

In most cases, they just saw this information posted on a chicken blog or chicken forum and are now spreading bad information. I did, however, have a young woman that thought she had stumped me and stumped me good during one of these discussions. When she claimed that pumpkin seeds were an all-natural dewormer for chickens, I went down the same path I always do. I asked her if she would mind sharing some proof to back up her claim. She responded like the others: She gives pumpkin seeds to her chickens, and they dont have worms. I asked her if she had ever actually had her chickens tested for worms by a veterinarian, and she responded, Yes, I have, and my chickens dont have worms. She thought for a second that she stumped me. However, I responded with asking her, So your chickens at one point actually had worms? And she replied that her chickens have never tested positive for worms. So, you can see where this is going. I then replied, So how do you know that pumpkin seeds are an all-natural dewormer if your chickens have never had worms to begin with? In order to make your claim that pumpkin seeds are an all-natural dewormer for chickens, you need to start with chickens that actually tested positive to have worms. Then, I want to know what variety (type) of pumpkin seed you gave them, how much (dose) pumpkin seeds you gave them, how long you administered the dose of pumpkin seeds and how you made sure that every chicken received the same dose of pumpkin seeds, and finally, a test that showed they no longer had any worms! This is a perfect reason why this book exists!

Unfortunately, the bad information would be shared, and some of the information would go viral.

Sometimes, the information comes from a study that was misread or misunderstood. A classic example of this is when a chicken blogger claimed that giving baby chicks probiotics would reduce the risk of Salmonella later in life. She referred to a study that was conducted on broilers, not layers. So now that this blogger has spread bad and incorrect information, there is no telling how many people are going to believe this nonsense!

There are even so-called all-natural chicken keeping blogs and websites that sell several chicken elixirs that claim to cure, prevent, and treat just about anything your chickens could have but, of course, dont offer any scientific data or proof those elixirs work other than the four words I discussed above, It worked for me. And even that response is not accurate because they have no idea if it actually worked!

Its bad enough that the chicken blogs and chicken forums are loaded with this bad information, but wait, theres more! A couple of years ago, a chicken-related television show was launched. I was actually invited to appear on one of the episodes and even taped my entire segment before the first episode ever aired. Once I started to see some of the information that was being shared on other episodes, I contacted the producer and immediately canceled my appearance in the episode. Why? I asked the producer if anything aired was actually being fact-checked for accuracy. His answer? No. So there was no way I could be associated with this show. And even today, I still see information shared by this chicken-related television show that is nothing more than quackery! While Im sure these people have good intentions, they are actually hurting the backyard chicken movement by offering questionable, marginal, and sometimes outright harmful information.

Lastly, I know this book, my other book, my magazine, and my social media pages like Facebook and Twitter are not for everyone. Some folks dont want the truth. They dont want science-based, fact-based, and study-based information. They want to be told what they are doing is right and refuse to accept anything else, especially if it proves what they are doing is wrong or harmful. The Chicken Whisperer is no longer about a person. Its become a brand of sorts, and when people see that brand, they think of science-based, fact-based, and study-based information they can count on to raise a healthy flock of chickens. Many have told me they still visit the chicken blogs and chicken forums to see funny pictures of chickens, chicken jokes, chicken crafts, and chicken-related treats. But they also tell me when they want science-based, fact-based, and study-based informationthe right information to provide care for their flockthey visit the Chicken Whisperer to get that information.

ANDY SCHNEIDER
The Chicken Whisperer

Adding red pepper flakes to your chickens feed will increase egg production.

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ANSWER PROVIDED BY

Maurice Pitesky, DVM, MPVM, DACVPM

Veterinarian/Assistant Specialist in Cooperative Extension Poultry Health and Food Safety Epidemiology