Feeding Turkeys

To ensure the health of your turkeys, you need to mimic their natural diets as much as possible

Wild turkeys are found all over most of the United States Our domestic turkeys are descendants of these wild birds Although leaner, the wild turkey has a similar diet to that of the domestic turkey Turkeys, like chickens, are omnivores Omnivores need a mixed diet of both plant and animal variety Omnivores are foragers, taking bits here and there as they move through the environment Wild turkeys can have ranges of up to a mile in diameter that they use to find

Edible Weeds (And Poisonous Weeds!)

Most of us can agree that a weed is any plant growing where we decide it doesnt belong Millions are spent every year in America on spraying and killing these plant pests What if i told you most of those “weeds” in your backyard could supplement your chickens for free! Here are a list of the most common edible weeds for chickens

 

Although most commercial feeds can provide good nutrition for your flock, supplementing fresh greens really gives them a boost Most all the weeds I am going to list all contain huge amounts of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and

The Turken Breed

The Naked Neck chicken first appeared in Romania and Transylvania in about the 1920s These birds lacking neck feathers, were selectively bred, soon becoming popular and eventually spreading into England and the United States in the 1960s The Naked Neck chicken is an officially recognized breed by the American Poultry Association and the American Bantam Association

Unlike the name implies, the Turken is NOT a mix between a turkey and a chicken It is simply a chicken breed with a trait that gives it less feathers There are actually 50% less feathers

Proper Fresh Egg Storage

The first step in successful egg keeping is daily egg collection If you can, try to collect eggs everyday or every few days at least, to ensure freshness During hot summer months, fertile eggs can actually begin to incubate if the interior egg temperature reaches 90 degrees F

Fresh eggs are best when kept at room temperature, and here is why: the bloom

When an egg is laid, a protective, bacteria resistant film coats the egg This is a translucent covering that dries soon after being laid This is called the “bloom” This “bloom,” also referred to as the “cuticle,” provides

Candling Eggs

Candling eggs is a fun and educational activity for both children and adults When incubating eggs at home, candling ensures you keep only the healthy eggs It is also just really neat to see the embryos growing! You can candle your eggs at home, but be advised, if you have darker eggshells, they can be harder to see Lighter colored eggs are easier to see through All chickens’ eggs hatch after 21 days of incubating at 995F Stages of embryo growth are very similar throughout the bird kingdom, with only small variables differentiating them

Training Hens to Lay in Boxes

We’ve all had that one or two hens who love to lay their eggs in the most surprising places We had a hen that sat on the front seat of the side-by-side every single day, and left us a tan egg There was also our hen Dotty, who loved to lay her eggs in the dog bed, making the perfect organic dog treats Although it can be funny later, when you can’t find your chickens’ eggs, it can become frustrating very quickly

 

There are several reasons why a hen would prefer to lay her eggs anywhere other than the nesting

Apartment Style Gardening

Dreams of living the country life often start in times of our lives when we are not yet able to fulfill them Like many people out there, I myself once dreamed of rolling hills and a simpler life while living in an urban sprawl My husband and I lived in a small Japanese apartment for 2 years before we settled back in Alabama That being said, no matter the space you have, there are still many options out there if you want a piece of the farm life

 

Apartment style gardening has grown in the past decade, with more and

Black Australorps

The story of the Black Australorp breed began first in England in the early 1900’s A man named William Cook from Kent, United Kingdom, created the Orpington chicken Orpingtons are large, heavy feathered, docile poultry Orpingtons then were shipped to Australian homesteads in the 1920’s to fill a need for laying birds The Orpingtins were crossed with other egg production breeds, such as the Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, and Minorca Thus, the Black Australorp was born, and its namesake is a combination of the words Australia and Orpington

 

Black Australorps still exhibit some of the characteristics of their Orpington cousins

Composting Chicken Coop Bedding

If you’ve ever driven though the countryside on a Spring day, you may have been struck by the odor of chicken manure spread over the fields While a temporary, smelly inconvenience, chicken manure can drastically improve grass health Nitrogen is one of the most important indicators of pasture health, and chicken manure happens to be high in such an essential nutrient Along with nitrogen, composted chicken manure regenerates soil heath by adding phosphorus and potassium, common ingredients in store-bought fertilizers

Before adding your chickens’ spent bedding to your garden, it must be composted first Composting allows time for the breakdown

Duck Nutrition

There is a saying that chickens are the “gateway drug,” of livestock Many of us have started out with chickens! Raising chicks into healthy adult chickens takes some know-how and practice

All joking aside, you need to know the nutritional needs of ducks before you decide to add them to your flock Ducks and chickens can live together in the same area, but ducks will have different nutritional needs Ducks tend to be messier than chickens by nature, so ample room is a must

 

Water, water, and more water!

The number one key to