The New Bird

 

I know that feeling: You’ve been coveting your friend’s beautiful rooster, who’s the perfect match for your hen.  Then one day, your friend tells you she just can’t keep him, and wants you to have him.  You (of course) give her an enthusiastic “YES!!! YES!!! OF COURSE I WOULD!!!”  without giving any thought to where you will put him, how to get him home, or what the rest of your family will say about another chicken.  This is a simple rule to help you make sure you get your chickie home happy and safe.

First of all, you must understand my ideas on biosecurity measures.  I do not follow most of their standards.  I do try to keep my chickens clean and healthy (fresh food and water, plenty of bedding, washing my hands after handling, etc., etc.) but I do not keep separate clothes for handling my birds, in fact, I do the opposite.  If I’m walking to the car, no matter how dressed up, I usually end up hugging a chicken.  We have not had a chicken die from anything (besides predators) while they have been under my care. Basic biosecurity standards (that’s from my biosecurity calendar) states that ‘New chickens should be kept separate from the rest of the flock for at least two weeks’.  And that brings me to my number one rule:

1. Separate your new chicken (for a little while).

This is why I explained biosecurity.  I do not separate new chickens for two weeks, usually only two days. The best place is a chicken tractor (see http://ultimatechickenownersmanual.blogspot.com/2011/03/6-things-every-chicken-owner-needs-to.html) or a chicken run with a kennel or some sort of shelter/windbreak in it.  As long as it’s somewhere that everybody can see the new chicken and work out their differences.  Here’s an example from my life:

We rescued 3 hens and a rooster.  Naturally they fell to the bottom of the pecking order.  2 months later I got a new bantam rooster.  The hen that fell to the very bottom (below her siblings) decided to get above this new rooster.  I was very lucky she was tiny and her big brother didn’t decide to fight.  Because the new rooster and the hen were able to work out their differences through the fence (so fairly safely) we had no problems when I let him out.

This should help you get you chicken settled in nicely.  Just remember to not try and move him around to much to avoid stress.  If you have a similar sized chicken at a comfortable level on the pecking order go ahead and put her in with the new chicken, she might exert her dominance once but after that they should get on fine.  Good luck and my best wishes!

6 Things Every Chicken Owner Needs to Have

Here is a list of 6 things every chicken owner NEEDS to have:

1. A Chicken Tractor

A Chicken Tractor is basically a miniature chicken coop on wheels.  Here’s a picture of our chicken tractor:

Chicken Tractors are fairly easy to build and are totally worth it.  They can be used for a variety of things such as:

• Separating sick chickens
• Isolating roosters who fight
• Raising Chicks.  Be careful with this one though and make sure that chicks are (a.) old enough they won’t freeze (b.) big enough they can’t stick there heads through the mesh or bottom (c.) big enough they can climb up the ramp to the top. 
• Trying special feeding regimens
• Raising chickens that are lower on the pecking order
• Keeping Chickens dry after washing
• Keeping Chickens looking good before showing
• Many, Many, Many other ways!

Our chicken tractor has two levels and a ramp so chickens can get to the top.  The bottom is open (like most chicken tractors) so chickens can scratch and peck around.  My hens love to go in the chicken tractor and scratch and peck, if I provide food and water I can let them stay their all day and night. 

2. Lots of Extra Tubs 

Any tub works just have some on hand at all times.  They work for storing food, storing litter, keeping dirty litter contained and many other things.  I have 1 tub for scratch, 1 tub for goat sweet feed, and another tub for layer.  I also have a large mortar mixing tub for alfalfa.  If you have tubs also keep lids so snow, rain, and mice can’t get in.  We seem to have a lot of leftover materials left laying around after renovating our house and I’ve gotten a little…say…creative.  Here’s a list of lid substitutes that work great:

• Old scrap plywood
• Old scrap paneling
• Any scrap wood
• Old plastic tub lids with no match
• Old doors (like you might take out after renovating a house)
• Tarps
• Other large and solid materials
• Leftover tin (probably also from renovating house

3. Old Gardening Tools

Old gardening tools work great for mucking out the chicken coop.  Even new gardening tools work great if you don’t mind them getting really dirty.  We have ducks with our chickens so they seem to like spilling the water and making mud so I have tried (and tested) all of these and they will break up the hardest mud. Here’s a little list of tools that work great for me:

• Hoes for scraping stuck on dirt and poop
• Rakes for well, raking straw
• Old wire brooms for sweeping dirt and hay
• Pitchforks for picking up chunks of hay
• Old crowbar for loosening up chunks of mud or poop that have been stuck for a while
• A sharp spade breaking up mud
• A dull spade for scooping up
• A wheelbarrow for carrying “debris” from place to place (this is really a priceless tool and I don’t know how I could have ever lived without it)

4. Milk Jugs

Milk Jags are great for hauling water.  I usually keep about 3-5 on hand, but we also have goats so I need more than most “only chicken” people.  It's best to keep them in the house though because they tend to blow around in strong wind.  And remember to keep the lids so water tends to spill when chickens are jumping all over you.  Just don’t keep too many, five is usually enough for one five gallon waterer and some goats.

5. Coffee Cans (with lids)

My family tends to drink a lot of coffee so there’s always extra coffee cans piling up.  I keep the lids so when a storm rolls I can prepare by putting some food in the cans, leaving them in the food bucket, put on the lids back on and when it starts to snow I don’t have to get food ready in a blizzard.  This works great for me because I love my chickens but hate working in the snow.  Just remember, as with the milk jugs, don’t keep to many around and recycle the extras if you collect more than ten.

6. Egg Cartons

If you’re looking for a couple extra bucks find some egg cartons, pack up some big eggs, and take them to your friends, family, and neighbors.  Ask family and neighbors for extra cartons or buy some online.  I actually deliver fresh eggs to neighbors every week for $3.00 a dozen, and they save egg cartons for me.

 

 

 

 

 

Tips for Building a Chicken Coop

Weather you are looking to build a chicken house from scratch or you just want to renovate an existing coop there are some important things to keep in mind that can help you get the most of your chicken coop.

1. Price

Chicken can range in price from $200 for the simplest coop to over $3,000 for more elaborate coops.  Of course if you have tools, materials, and know someone with carpentry experience you could save some money.  You could also use an existing building like I did.  It helps if the building was previously a chicken coop.  Unfortunately ours was previously a tool shed so it’s not ideal but we make do.

2. Make sure your chickens like it

If you build a chicken coop for hens and don’t put in nesting boxes your chickens probably won’t be comfortable.  Make sure nothing sharp protrudes from the walls.  Equally important is that you make sure the chicken coop is the right size.  If you have 3 chickens in a giant coop your chickens may get cold in the winter.  Also if you have 30 chickens in a coop meant for 10 they’ll get very hot in the summer. 

3. Make sure YOU like it

This is true for the interior and exterior.  Although it’s probably not a good idea paint the walls or get very fancy on the interior because chickens will poop on ANYTHING.  I have a raised platform in the coop I can sit on when I go to see my chickens.  Keep it simple though, chickens don’t like HD TVs.   The exterior is a different story.  Do whatever you want with the outside!  If your favorite color is purple paint your chicken coop that color!  Just make sure it is a coop you want to look out from the outside and coop you want to spend time in.

4. Make it easy to clean

This is extremely important.  If you can’t clean it easily then you won’t clean it and, well, it will get filthy and your chickens might get sick.

5.  Make it flexible

Make sure you can use it for many things.  Make sure pullets, hens, bantams, chicks, and roosters can all comfortably use the same coop. 

6. Make sure there are no drafts

This one’s pretty straightforward.  Chickens are tough but they will freeze to death (unfortunately some of ours have died this way).

If you follow these tips you can make the best of your chicken coops.

The Wonderful World Of Chickens

Chickens are not just petting zoo animals.  They are smart, beautiful, and loving animals.  Some of the best chickens are more loyal than some dogs I’ve known!  Getting chickens means more than just fresh eggs and meat, it means loyal pets and companions.  Getting chickens also means work.  All and all though investing even in a small flock of chickens can be rewarding and profitable. 

Pros of Getting Chickens

One of the main reasons people get chickens are for the fresh eggs.  Fresh eggs and fresh meat.  These are both excellent reasons to get chickens, but they are not the only reasons.  Chickens also make excellent pets.  Chickens are smart, loyal, and beautiful animals.  Chickens will be companions and friends.  Chickens will listen to anything you have to say.  Chickens understand the difference between crying and smiling the same way a dog does.  Chickens are wonderful pets but they are not without a few downsides.

Cons of Getting Chickens

Chickens require work.  Chickens that are kept in confinement need to have there coop mucked out once or twice every two weeks depending on the size of the coop and number of chickens.  Chickens need extra feed in winter and lots of water in the summer.  Chickens need to get certain amounts of vitamins and minerals that can’t be found in most “free range” pastures.  Most of these vitamins and minerals will come from commercial or homegrown feeds, but neither one is cheap.  Chickens can’t be left alone when going on vacation.  Predators can also become a problem.  It would be almost impossible to count all the chickens I have lost to hawks alone.  We have never had a problem with coyotes after we rescued our lab pit-bull mix.  He always stayed up at night to bark at coyotes and trained our puppy to do the same.  Probably the best defense against coyotes is a good dog but even good dogs might discreetly kill chickens them selves.  I’ll talk more about predator control later.  All and all chickens are wonderful animals