What is a Turken?

If you’ve spent any time watching cooking shows, you may have heard of a turducken However, have you ever heard of a Turken?

 

Yes! A Turken is a real thing, although it is not as it sounds A Turken is a special breed of chicken that lacks feathers on its neck and vent area It is not actually part turkey Turkeys and chickens are unable to breed and produce offspring (Although guinea fowl and chickens can!-but that is a story for another time!)

 

Along with being a great conversation piece, Turkens actually make quite amazing backyard chickens Turkens, or Naked Necks,

Preventing Frostbite

With the cold weather officially here, the danger of frostbite rears its ugly head

Frost bite occurs when moisture in the air freezes This moisture tends to settle on the faces and combs of our chickens As the chickens are sleeping, their breath is released, creating moisture in the air Chickens with larger combs are more likely to get frostbite for the single reason that they have more unprotected surface area on their faces Parts of the body covered in feathers are protected from the settling moisture The freezing particles of water burn the skin and actually cause tissue damage

DIY Winter Feed Mix

Winter can be a very enjoyable season to raise your chickens One of my favorite winter pastimes is sitting on the front porch with a warm cup of coffee, and watching my colorful flock explore the yard Winter can be great- you don’t have to contend with flies in the coop, and lets be honest- the barnyard doesn’t have that summer time stink

Despite being a relatively easy time to have chickens, winter does come with its own challenges

Chickens are omnivores, meaning they need to consume both plant and animal matter In the warmer months, there is a steady supply

How Eggs Get Their Colors

If you’re deciding on new chickens and what new breeds to add to your flock, egg color is probably one of your top considerations Long gone are the days of plain white eggs

How did colored eggs come about?

Eggs from the very first chickens of the wild started out as tan, or light brown Wild jungle fowl were domesticated around 2000 BC All our domesticated breeds stem from these wild fowl

All eggs start out INSIDE the hen as white Through simple genetic tweaks, eggs now can come in white, tan, dark brown, speckled, blue, green, olive, and every color in

Tips for Treating Bumblefoot

Bumblefoot is one of the most common ailments in poultry If you have chickens for any length of time, you are sure to run across it Bumblefoot is the term used to describe a bacterial infection in the foot, most often on the bottom The bacteria responsible is usually staphylococcus It is imperative you wear gloves when treating!

Unless you regularly flip over your chickens and look at the soles of their feet, then you might never know they have it One of the first noticeable symptoms is a limping chicken They

DIY Mouse Trap

If you have chickens, unfortunately you will have mice!

Attracted to spilled feed, mice will find incredibly crafty ways to invade your coop Removing feeders at night is a tremendous help However, it isn’t always easy to remember to do that If you’re like me, at the end of the day, the last thing you’re looking forward to is another farm chore

I’ll never forget the horror I witnessed one night in my coop I had gone to lock the chickens up at bedtime, but was a little later than usual The sun

Raising Turkey Poults (Entry 4)

This week our little turkey friend has officially reached 2 months of age!

 

He is still enjoying his complete NatureServe®   Gamebird feed While he is now old enough to eat the pellets, we still are giving him crumbles without issue He gets his feed in the evening, separate from all the other numerous birds we have! The Gamebird starter is safe for chickens and ducks; it just has higher protein levels than your average layer pellet He gets his food separate because he is a special little guy!

Although his name is Peter

What Types of Animals can Live with Chickens?

What should “live” with chickens?

Well…chickens!

When it comes to housing in the coop, really only chickens should roost together Other poultry, such as ducks and geese, can be housed with chickens, but have different requirements Waterfowl require a good water supply, and a place to sleep that isn’t under roosting chickens!

Turkeys sometimes are housed with chickens, however, there is a disease called blackhead to worry about Blackhead only affects turkeys, and is spread from chicken to turkey

HOWEVER, if you let your chickens out to free range everyday, they can peacefully coexist with all farm animals!

Dogs, horses, goats, cats, rabbits, ducks,

Chicken Combs

Why do chickens have combs?

Despite being iconic to the look of a chicken, combs actually serve a very important purpose Besides being attractive to the opposite sex, combs are important heat regulators Chickens are unable to sweat Heat radiates out of their combs and wattles, thus keeping them cool

As we know, roosters are the showmen of the poultry world Long shiny feathers, huge combs, a sharp spurs, they are certainly lookers!

A rooster will have a larger, redder comb due his influx of hormones This helps him look impressive to his ladies In addition, studies has shown that wild game

Raising Turkey Poults (Entry 3)

We have officially reached the 15 month mark here on our little farm!

 

Speaking of “little farm,” if you’ve ever had animals, you’ll be familiar with disappointment

I regret to say, 2 or our 3 turkey poults passed away

 

One was lost to what I believe to be a sly weasel (As it was the only sized predator that could have gotten past the small wire) The other passed away unexpectedly We did all we could, and it passed peacefully in the comfort of our home

This speaks to the fragility of turkey poults Sometimes, no matter what you do or how well