Monday, February 3, 2014

How To Care For Young Chicks

 Supplies You Will Need
A brooder
Heat lamp
Chick starter (medicated or not)
Bedding (Pine shavings, towels, hay, etc,)
Water
Food Container
Water Container
Any additional things to keep them busy



My Opinion on Medicated vs. Non-medicated starter: I always give my chickens medicated chick starter. It prevents them from getting sick. Yes, they can still get sick if they are on medicated starter, it just isn't as likely. The other food is fine too, but if you can I would say get medicated, though some may disagree. 

Placing The Heat Lamp: Put your hand in the brooder while placing it, see if it seems to be a good height. You don't want it to be to far away or too close to the chicks. Raise the lamp about 2 - 3 inches each week. Make sure that part of the brooder is not heated, so the chicks can get away from the heat if they want to.

How Long Do The Chicks Need To Be Under The Heat Lamp: Chicks will need the heat lamp until they have most or all of their adult feathers. Do not keep them in too long, or not long enough. You may be able to figure out when it is time to get them outside on your own. 

My Chicks Are Bored, How Do I Keep Them Busy?: Chicks and grown chickens love to look at themselves in the mirror, so if you securely attach a mirror to your brooder, the chicks will have so much fun admiring themselves. They also like ping pong balls! And bells! 

Brooder Ideas:
  



Sunday, February 2, 2014

Amazing Chicken Facts


  • A mother hen talks to her chicks before they hatch. As soon as the chicks can hear and talk back they are having conversations through the shell! 
  • Chickens have complex conversations with one another. And of course everything a chicken says has a meaning. 
  • Chickens are one of the top 10 smartest animals. You can even train a chicken. 

  • Many people believe that when a rooster crows it means "Look at me!" 








  • A rooster crows all day, not just in the morning. The begin crowing in the morning and stop crowning in the late evening. 



  • Chickens can fly. They can not fly for long distances but can fly a good ways up. Bantams can fly higher than large fowls.



  • Chickens love to dust bathe
  • Chickens have amazing memories. They can remember over 100 different individuals. They have to remember every flock member and where they are in the pecking order!
  • Chickens are a lot smarter than young children, and though we don't know, they may be smarter than the average human.



  • Chickens are the closest living relative to dinosaurs.
  • Chickens have the ability to assume that an object still exists even if it has been hidden. Most children do not have this ability and develop it with age. 
  • Chickens have to memorize something called the pecking order. It is the order of who is allowed to peck who. It is part of their complex community aka a flock. 



Housing Requirements For Chickens

Chickens need a predator proof coop. Make sure no small animals can get in. Ferrets, Weasels, Possums, Foxes, Raccoons, Hawks, etc. are common predators. Raccoons are intelligent, so make sure that if you use a door with a knob, that you lock it. Raccoons could figure out how to turn a door knob. Remember, once a predator gets one chicken they will come back.
Your coop needs to block wind, especially if you live where it gets cold or windy. If you live where the temperatures drop to negatives during the winter, go ahead and install a heater. If you are building a coop like the one above, add windows that you can open to let in fresh air. You are going to want to put a run on your coop. Even if you free-range, a run is good to have if you ever can't let them out one day. 

If you live where it never snows, or gets cold, but it gets really hot, make sure there are lots of places where air can get into your coop. Also, you don't want your coop to be dark inside so add many windows. Chickens love looking out windows!  You can also build a tractor/mobile coop.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

48 Chicken Breeds & Facts

Americana: These birds have a poofy beard and poofy cheeks. They are medium sized with a pea comb.
this is a picture of an americana rooster:


Ancona: These chickens have a color pattern of black with white spots. These birds are great layers and do good in the winter.

Andalusian:This breed of chicken is very rare though are great layers. They lay large white eggs. This breed is medium in size and has a normal single comb.

Antwarp Belgian Bantam: They have a rose comb and are common chickens. They are not great in cold weather and are very sweet!

Appenzeller Spitzhauben: This chicken is the national breed of Switzerland though they are still a rare breed. They have a special v shaped comb

Araucana: These birds lay medium sized eggs and are great layers. They have a pea comb and are very rare because they are hard to breed.

Aseel: These are an ancient breed from India. They are very rare.

Australorp: Australorps are very sweet and are very common birds. They are excellent egg layers too.
this a picture of 2 Australorp chicks:
 Here is a pic of a grown Australorp:












Barnevelder: These chickens are medium in size and a common breed. They are good layers and have large sized eggs.

Belgian Bearded d'Uccle Bantam: These are common birds. They have feathers on their feet and have a sweet personality.

Booted Bantam: These chickens are rare and look just like the Belgian Bearded d'uccle Bantam but the Booted Bantams have no beard.

Brahama: These birds have a pea comb and beautiful feathers on their feet. Their personality is sweet and usually very quiet.

Campine: These birds are good layers and lay medium eggs. They are intelligent and do great in cold winters.

Catalana: These birds are common in Spain and South America but not in North America. They are amazing layers and very active birds.

Chantecler: These birds are very common and known for being the first ever Canadian breed.

Cochin: Cochins are a Chinese breede they are very friendly and make fabulous moms.

Cornish: These are common meat birds and poor layers.

Crevecoeur: This breed is very rare and today is mostly used for showing.

Cubalaya: These are rare chickens mostly kept in Cuba. They are known for their beautiful tail feathers.

Delaware: These are rare chickens and very good layers.

Dominique: This breed is a lot like a Barred Rock but Dominques have a wonderful pea comb.

Dorking: The Dorking is a rare breed and are large in size.

Easter Eggers: These chickens have a pea comb and are great layers.

Faverolles: These are rare birds with 5 toes not 4 but 5 toes!

Fayoumi:The Fayoumi is an Egyptian breed they are very alert and tend to be untame.

Hamburg: These are active birds that love to live in a free range home.

Holland: This breed is a large bird weighing 6 or 7 pounds.

Houdan: The Houdan is a rare breed that comes from France. They have adorable feathers coming off their little heads.

Japanese Bantam: The Japanese Bantam is only a Bantam they do not come in a large size. This breed is white with a pretty black tail.

Java: This breed is very rare. They are very pretty and are very sweet.

Jersy Giant: This breed is the largest breed of chicken and lay extra large brown eggs.

La Fleche: This bird is a rare breed and makes a good layer.

Lakenvelder: These birds come in bantam and large. they are also rare.

Langshan: These are common birds and tend to be calm.

Legbar: These chickens are extremely rare in the United States and make good layers.

Leghorn: This is a common breed and make excellent layers and are not great moms.











Malay: This breed is rare and has a bad reputation for being aggressive.

Marans: These are rare chickens that lay large beautiful dark brown eggs.

Mincora: This breed makes a good layer and lays large sized eggs.

Modern Game: These chickens are very common and are poor layers. They are mostly for show.

Naked Neck: This is a common breed with no feathers on their neck and come in about 4 different colors.

New Hampshire Red: This breed looks like a Rhode Island Red though they are 2 different breeds.

Orpington: This breed is very friendly so they make great pets. They are good layers and are very common. The most common Orpington is the Buff Orpington. here is a picture of a baby Buff Orpington:
here is a grown Buff Orpington:


Penedesenca: This is a Spanish breed. They are very rare and not very tame chickens.

Phoenix: These birds make wonderful looking roosters with amazing tails.They are Japanese chickens. They are Bantams and poor layers.

Plymouth Rock: These birds are also know as Barred Rock. They lay very well. They are commonly grey and a lighter grey.

Polish: These are pretty birds. They have crazy feathers on their head. They come in many colors and are okay layers.
Rhode Island Red: This breed is extremely common and make perfect egg layers. They lay extra large eggs and are a pretty dark red color. here is a picture of a young (not a chick) Rhode Island Red:


Here is a grown Rhode Island Red:
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Chick Egg Growth (Chicken Egg)

Egg growth is amazing, in 21 days after putting a fertile egg in an incubator you get a cute little fluffy chick! 

    

700
Day 18

700

DAY 21: 700

Pictures from: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101  

Sexing Chickens

If you need help sexing a chicken, here are some useful tips:

Sexing can not be done accurately until your chick has all or most of their adult feathers. Chickens have feathers called "saddle feathers". These feathers are located near the tail. Saddle feathers are always pointy on roosters, and curved/round on hens. 


Older roosters have spurs, which are sharp nail like things located on the leg. You will not find a spur on a hen. However, game hens can easily trick someone into thinking they are a rooster. For they mount other hens to show that they are higher on the pecking order. Note: Spurs have nerves/feeling.


A young hen (depending on the age) will have a pinker comb, while the rooster's combs will be bigger and a dark red color. If your rooster has a pea comb and is the same age as a hen who has a single comb, the comb size comparison doesn't necessarily apply. The redness always applies, unless of course you have a breed that doesn't have a red comb. (sometimes a chicken's comb will be a bluish color) 

Roosters tend to be very proud, and sometimes stick out there chest to seem larger. If you have more than one young rooster they will play fight. Their neck feathers will stick up and it may look like a fight. Older rooster's do this but it isn't play, but a serious fight that should be broken up. 



Broody Hens

Here are useful facts when owning a broody hen. 

Some Breeds That Make Good Broody Hens 
Orpington                    Australorp
Cochin                         Easter Egger
Silkie          
There are other broody breeds, the breeds above are just suggested breeds when in search of a broody. 

Breeds That Rarely Go Broody
Rhode Island Red
Leghorn             Barred Rock 
Rosecomb          Polish
Sebright
Here is a good link for non broody breeds: http://www.citygirlchickens.com/non_broody_chickens.html

Should I Let My Hen Brood?
1st just decide whether or not you want more chickens. If you want more chickens then you have to decide, do I hatch my own in the incubator, Let the broody hatch, order chicks from a hatchery, or get full grown hens. Chicks always seem to be much happier with a mother, so I would vote broody. Chicks being raised and hatched by a mother hen is more natural. If you want certain breeds of chickens, you can order hatching eggs and give them to your broody. Some broody hens will accept day old chicks. Remember this is risky, because the hen may kill the chicks if she doesn't accept them. 

I Have Decided To Let My Hen Brood, What Now?
Your broody hen is going to need to have a nest separate from the rest of the flock. You can put together a dog crate with bedding, and put her in there. Maybe put the crate in the garage. But, she can't be with the other chickens. Then once or twice a day your broody will want to take a break. She must come off and eat, drink, and poop. Some hens won't come off the nest, so you must take them off once or twice a day. I have had 2 broody hens, one I had to pull off once a day, the other hen came off on her own. But, they must take a break. Some hens will just sit and never come off, and eventually starve, get dehydrated and very sick and sometimes die. Caution: When taking a hen off the nest, she may have tucked an egg or 2 under her feathers. So check her belly area before taking her off. The eggs will fall out from her feathers and crack. So be careful.     In 21 days you will have a broody with chicks! (if you have a chick who is struggling from an egg and absolutely needs help getting out, or he/she may die, then carefully follow these instructions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlzBNH_LNG8 ) 
 



The Chicks Hatched Now What? 
The hen will take care of them. All you need to do is supply the hen and her chicks with chick starter and water. The hen won't mind eating the chick starter. Do not let baby chicks eat laying pellets, because they don't need the added calcium. Keep the hen and her chicks separated from the rest of the flock for about 2 weeks. Then you can put the hen with her chicks with the others. The hen will protect her chicks. You can always put her and the chicks in a crate inside the coop at first so the chicks can get to know the others. You do not need to take the chicks from broody, and I highly suggest you don't. 

Breaking a Broody
If you have decided you don't want your broody to brood here are some ways to break a broody. This is a technique that I find works on less serious broody hens. Like the ones who weren't that into the idea of being broody. (this technique mainly works on free-range chickens only, depending on the size of your coop) You pick up the hen from the nest, and carry her far from the nest, chances are she won't return, but many do. I would try that twice if it doesn't work the 1st time. If you continue to do that more then 2 times it becomes mean. The best way if that doesn't work is to put her in a wire bottom cage for a few days. (with food and water of course) 

Identifying a Broody Hen
A broody hen will sit in her nest and when you or another hen comes up to her she may fluff herself up and make a growling noise. 
She will sit there and sit there. If you free-range your hen may find a nest in a bush or anywhere private.
 Julie+Bittinger's+pic.jpg (Not my picture) 
This hen has layed in a tree trunk. I have had a broody sit in a bush for 21 days! Your hen may peck at you if you try to touch her. 


Enjoy your broody (or don't if you don't want a broody) and here are some helpful links:
Sorry I went crazy finding links for the readers! :) 
Good Luck if you get a broody hen!