Too many roosters in a pen will fight.
Some will hound poor hens too much and you have to separate them.
You don't have to have roosters to get plain eggs of course.
Some people even put pics of roosters in the hen house instead of having a rooster.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Moving your chickens
Anytime you move chickens try to move them at night. Keep the chicken house as dark as possible to keep from spooking them. Most of the time you can find the chickens all on their roost by about 6pm. This makes them much easier to catch.
You can always take them from one roost to the other.
Transporting chickens you will want to use a pet carrier or box with plenty of air holes.
You can always take them from one roost to the other.
Transporting chickens you will want to use a pet carrier or box with plenty of air holes.
Adult chickens
You chickens will start laying around 6 months old depending on the type of chickens you have. Once they start laying we move ours to the big chicken house.
Don't be surprised if you find an odd shaped egg. Or an egg with no shell in the nest.
Just like with medium chickens they may peck at each other for a little while. giving them scratch or a chicken toy will help prevent this.
Like a snake sheds its skin a chicken molts to grow new feathers. This happens around 18 months and lasts for 2-4 months. They might stop producing eggs during this time. Molting looks like this...
Remember keep 1 rooster in a house per 10-20 hens.
We gather eggs in the evenings. lots of people gather in the early mornings.
Ours however lay throughout the day. We gather eggs and then feed them
some Scratch each day.Be sure and wash the eggs with mild soap and water.
Some people used a dish scrubber by itself.
Chickens love a dust bath. They bathe in loose dirt which keeps them from getting parasites. This hen was just getting ready for her dust bath when i took her picture.
Don't be surprised if you find an odd shaped egg. Or an egg with no shell in the nest.
Just like with medium chickens they may peck at each other for a little while. giving them scratch or a chicken toy will help prevent this.
Like a snake sheds its skin a chicken molts to grow new feathers. This happens around 18 months and lasts for 2-4 months. They might stop producing eggs during this time. Molting looks like this...
Remember keep 1 rooster in a house per 10-20 hens.
We gather eggs in the evenings. lots of people gather in the early mornings.
Ours however lay throughout the day. We gather eggs and then feed them
some Scratch each day.Be sure and wash the eggs with mild soap and water.
Some people used a dish scrubber by itself.
The flock will follow...
You flock will follow you like a dog if you let them get used to you.
Feed them out of your hand occasionally.
Pet them daily.
Give them a nickname. We call all of ours "Babies". They know that
name so well they run quick outside cause they know its time to get a snack.
Feed them out of your hand occasionally.
Pet them daily.
Give them a nickname. We call all of ours "Babies". They know that
name so well they run quick outside cause they know its time to get a snack.
Medium sized chickens
Don't put older and younger chickens together fighting may occur. Or the older ones will
guard the feeder and not let the younger ones eat.
If you have more than one size of chicken you might want to consider building a small building with a perch inside. Base how big of a flock you have as to how big you want it to be.
Keep a close eye out for any cuts or anything you might see. Because the chickens will peck even more on another with a cut. If it does happen follow these instructions:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-treat-cuts-and-wounds-in-chickens.html
guard the feeder and not let the younger ones eat.
If you have more than one size of chicken you might want to consider building a small building with a perch inside. Base how big of a flock you have as to how big you want it to be.
Keep a close eye out for any cuts or anything you might see. Because the chickens will peck even more on another with a cut. If it does happen follow these instructions:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-treat-cuts-and-wounds-in-chickens.html
Monday, September 10, 2012
Baby chicks
You will need:
Red brooder lamp
Thermometer
A cage or box at least 1-2 foot high (Brooder)
Pine shavings
Water container
Packet of Durvet Duramycin 10
Feeder
2 blocks of wood 1" thick
Hang or place the red brooder lamp above the brooder. The red tint will prevent the other chicks from pecking a hurt chick. They don't see blood as easy.
Place a thermometer inside the brooder. Always make sure the temp stays between 90°-100° for 2 weeks. After that reduce the temp by 5 degrees each week by raising the lamp until they get there first feathers. If the chicks huddle up under the lamp they are cold. If they are scattered out around staying away from the lamp they're too hot.
You can raise or lower the lamp to adjust the temp.
Place a good layer of shavings on the bottom of the "brooder".
Place the water container and the feeder on a 1in thick block of wood. This keeps them from getting shavings inside as much.
Place a tablespoon of the Durvet Duramycin 10 in the water until they are old enough to move out of the brooder. This will prevent them from getting diseases.
After about a month they will need a stick inside a few inches off the floor of the brooder. This will get them use to roosting.
Keep the brooder, water container, and feeder clean.Change the shavings as needed too.
Red brooder lamp
Thermometer
A cage or box at least 1-2 foot high (Brooder)
Pine shavings
Water container
Packet of Durvet Duramycin 10
Feeder
2 blocks of wood 1" thick
Hang or place the red brooder lamp above the brooder. The red tint will prevent the other chicks from pecking a hurt chick. They don't see blood as easy.
Place a thermometer inside the brooder. Always make sure the temp stays between 90°-100° for 2 weeks. After that reduce the temp by 5 degrees each week by raising the lamp until they get there first feathers. If the chicks huddle up under the lamp they are cold. If they are scattered out around staying away from the lamp they're too hot.
You can raise or lower the lamp to adjust the temp.
Place a good layer of shavings on the bottom of the "brooder".
Place the water container and the feeder on a 1in thick block of wood. This keeps them from getting shavings inside as much.
Place a tablespoon of the Durvet Duramycin 10 in the water until they are old enough to move out of the brooder. This will prevent them from getting diseases.
After about a month they will need a stick inside a few inches off the floor of the brooder. This will get them use to roosting.
Keep the brooder, water container, and feeder clean.Change the shavings as needed too.
Buying chickens
Lots of people and stores buys their chicks from Murray McMurray Hatchery
*Straight run means you could get a rooster or hen.
Our chickens came from friends and the local tractor supply.
When you buy make sure you get only 1 rooster for ever 10-20 hens. If you put more than one rooster with a small groups of hens you will have trouble.
When choosing your chickens think about what you want them for. There are 3 types: those that are good layers, are good meat (to eat), or they are just pets.
If your looking for good layers make sure at least some are the best layer breeds.
If your buying older birds look and see if they have a bigger comb. Bigger combs are roosters.
*Straight run means you could get a rooster or hen.
Our chickens came from friends and the local tractor supply.
When you buy make sure you get only 1 rooster for ever 10-20 hens. If you put more than one rooster with a small groups of hens you will have trouble.
When choosing your chickens think about what you want them for. There are 3 types: those that are good layers, are good meat (to eat), or they are just pets.
If your looking for good layers make sure at least some are the best layer breeds.
If your buying older birds look and see if they have a bigger comb. Bigger combs are roosters.
Feeding your chickens
DuMor is our favorite brand of feed. Southern states is cheaper on there feed though. Here is the following feeds by age DuMor brand:
Baby chicks 0-10 weeks- starter/grower
Medium size chickens- 10-18weeks- grower/ finisher
Mature chickens and for laying hens- layer pellets or layer pellets mixed with crack corn
In the evenings we give ours a scoop of Scratch to keep them happy.
Also, occasionally a hand full of Oyster shell to keep the eggs from being too fragile.
Egg shells that are washed and crushed can be fed to them instead of oyster shells.
Never let a chicken eat raw egg. They will be more likely to crack their eggs.
Some people feed their chickens table scraps. This is fine but I wouldn't give them things like onions, sweets, spicy nor raw foods. This will cause the eggs to taste bad.
Some stores carry bags of treats and such for chickens these are fine.
Ours absolutely love chunks of apple.
Baby chicks 0-10 weeks- starter/grower
Medium size chickens- 10-18weeks- grower/ finisher
Mature chickens and for laying hens- layer pellets or layer pellets mixed with crack corn
In the evenings we give ours a scoop of Scratch to keep them happy.
Also, occasionally a hand full of Oyster shell to keep the eggs from being too fragile.
Egg shells that are washed and crushed can be fed to them instead of oyster shells.
Never let a chicken eat raw egg. They will be more likely to crack their eggs.
Some people feed their chickens table scraps. This is fine but I wouldn't give them things like onions, sweets, spicy nor raw foods. This will cause the eggs to taste bad.
Some stores carry bags of treats and such for chickens these are fine.
Ours absolutely love chunks of apple.
Preparing for your chickens
A walk in chicken house should always have a inside latch. We don't no little peeps going out the door.
Totes with locking lids are great for storing food. And a feed scoop or too.
Make sure there is no holes around the bottom of the house if so cover with packed dirt or boards to keep out squirrels and other creatures.
The following is how we made our feeders and water containers. This idea is better than the feeders you can buy which have no lids. Chickens like land on the top and poop inside.
Totes with locking lids are great for storing food. And a feed scoop or too.
Make sure there is no holes around the bottom of the house if so cover with packed dirt or boards to keep out squirrels and other creatures.
The following is how we made our feeders and water containers. This idea is better than the feeders you can buy which have no lids. Chickens like land on the top and poop inside.
Makes sure the nest boxes have a slant to them. The chickens will not roost on them.
Keep a golf ball inside the nests to bribe them into laying eggs. If a chicken is cracking eggs the golf balls will teach it to stop.
Sometimes you might have a hen that likes to set on a nest without any eggs under her.
You will have to remove her from the nest. She will get the point eventually.
Some chickens will set on the nest with eggs and a golf ball. Our bantam hens done this.
Covering your pen with bird netting or 1" chicken wire is best. Chickens do fly. But, this keeps predictors away.
Fence the pen with 1" chicken wire. 2" will allow the little peeps to wriggle out.
Place 1x1's in the corners of the pen. Roosters love to crow from these.
Chickens love grass so in no time the grass inside there pen will be gone.
They love to eat grass clippings too. So after you mow the lawn throw some
in their pen.
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