Preparing for Baby Chicks

Preparing for Baby Chicks

Spring is almost here!

If you’re like me, you’re excited to add some chicks to your flock! (Personally, I am hoping to add some Welsummers and Cochins!) Whether adding new breeds, or re-stocking on your old favorites, preparation is key!

 

Go ahead and have all your set-up complete and ready before your chicks arrive That way, you won’t be scrambling last minute to go buy something they need Instead, you’ll have everything in order and you can just enjoy spending time with your new babies

1 Brooder

Whether an old stock

Tips for Adding Waterfowl to Your Flock

Spring will be here soon! It will be the perfect time to add some cute, fluffy ducklings or goslings to your collection of farm animals! Before you start, there are several big differences in adding waterfowl vs adding chickens to your flock

 

Separate Housing

As adults, chickens and ducks, or geese, can coexist happily in the same yard With enough space, all birds can get out of each others’ ways while still having a peaceful existence

This being said, all birds have a pecking order Sometimes, as much as we would hope for everyone to get along, they just do not

Chickens (especially

Best Chicken Breeds to Raise Around Children

One of the most common questions a new chicken owner asks is: What are some good chicken breeds to raise around children?

You want your children have a positive experience with chickens You want chickens that are more prone to being calm, gentle, and patient The honest answer is, any chicken breed can be gentle and people oriented! The experience goes both ways If the chicks are raised by gentle, patient children, they will most likely grow up to be friendly, calm birds

Even though this may be the case, some breeds have consistently made the list of gentle chickens!

Tips to Keep Hens Laying in Winter

Winter can be a slow time for chickens Some hens will take a permanent break from laying eggs, while a select few lay once or twice a week

It can be disappointing to have chickens at home, but still have to buy store-bought eggs in the winter I certainly know the shame of buying eggs at the grocery store, when I have over 25 hens at home! Please know, this is cyclical and all part of mother nature Our chickens have to maintain their body conditions in the cold, and contend with less sunlight Their energy goes into surviving, and

Nana’s Cornbread Chicken and Dressing

With turkey shortages on the rise this year, why not try a recipe with chicken instead?

Northerners make stuffing, Southerners make dressing

Although both are delicious, I may be a little biased towards the Southern classic Chicken dressing is actually a very popular Southern dish and is served all times of the year That being said, it is absolutely a Southern Thanksgiving staple! I hope y’all can give it a try this year!

Chickens specifically bred for meat production, such as Cornish Cross or Rudd Rangers work great for this recipe However, you don’t have to have a special breed At my

Making Up for Cold Weather Foraging

All spring and summer long, our flock takes care of us They give us tons of eggs on very little feed If you let your chickens out to free range everyday, you get even more “bang for your buck”

This all changes when cold weather sets in Our chickens need us now, more than ever, to take care of their dietary needs

 

While free-ranging during the warmer months, chickens easily fill their diet with everything they need Chickens are omnivores, meaning they need to consume both vegetable matter and protein Fresh grass and seeds are readily available in our yards during

Understanding the Autumn Molt

With the coming of autumn, leaves aren’t the only things falling

You may have noticed some of your flock members dropping feathers Every year, the sight of suddenly nearly naked chickens causes panic for new chicken owners

Birds, almost overnight, start looking like a strong wind came and left them stripped!

Although it seems alarming, chickens could naturally lose their feathers in autumn during their MOLT

A molt is the shedding of old feathers, to make way for new ones In the same way humans shed skin cells daily and reptiles and crustaceans shed their old skins, chickens molt out of their old

Why Chickens Slow Down Laying in the Fall

The long, warm days of summer are coming to a swift end Just as quickly, you may have noticed a sudden drop in your flock’s egg production!

Chickens will slow down laying during the fall for two reasons; less sunlight and the molt

In the world of chickens, less daylight equals less prolactin

Prolactin exists in most creatures and is a reproductive regulating hormone Prolactin is responsible for stimulating the ovulation cycle in a hen No one really knows why, but in our domestic chickens, prolactin levels decrease when days begin to have less than 12 hours of sunlight

Without a normal ovulation

The Old Hen

She’s beautiful A classic She has been a part of your flock for years and years There is just one problem; she’s growing old

When a hen who was once productive begins laying less eggs, eventually halting egg laying permanently, it can be very disappointing

Hens start laying their first eggs at around 6 months of age

Hens lay the most eggs in the first 2 years, with egg production slowly decreasing each year after age 3 On average, chickens live 8-10 years That means, there will most likely be several years your beloved hen will go on living without producing eggs

Egg

Hen Hierarchy

We’ve all heard of the old term: pecking order

The truth is, the pecking order is a very real thing in a flock of chickens Although it may seem brutal to us, establishing a pecking order, is inevitable if you have more than one chicken It establishes the leaders from the followers

All the way down the totem pole, each and every chicken has their place

The number one contributing factor in hen hierarchy is age

Age, not size, separates the bosses from the underdogs

One of my most assertive hens, happens to be the tiniest,