When the snow starts to fly and the thermometer drops, one question lands on nearly every backyard flock owner’s mind: Should you heat your chicken coop, or leave the birds to their own devices? Some keepers say absolutely not, while others wonder why you wouldn’t give your hens a little warmth on a brutal night The honest answer is that the decision to heat a chicken coop comes down to your climate, your setup, and your comfort level Here’s the information you need to make the right call for your flock
Tips for Integrating Chicks Into an Existing Flock
Oh happy day! Your baby chicks are fully feathered and you’re excited to put them in the chicken coop with the other chickens But wait! Don’t just put the new birds in the coop and assume everything will be awesome Your older flock might not take kindly to the new birds, and there are several things you need to do to keep the younger chickens safe
When integrating chickens, size matters If at all possible, wait until your chicks are roughly the same size as your exiting flock I have successfully integrated smaller chickens, but you will want to be
Summer Heat Busters for Chickens
Someone turned the heat on this past week! With temperatures in the 90s and heat warnings well over 100 degrees out here in Eastern Iowa, it’s important to keep your chickens cool Here are some summer heat busters for chickens Did you know that the summer heat is harder on chickens than the winter cold? If it’s sweltering where you are, here are a few quick ways to make sure that your chickens stay cool
Lots of water
Fresh, cold water during hot weather is so important not only for chickens, but for all of your animals Make sure that waterers
Raising Turkeys- How are They Different From Chickens?
This is our first year raising turkey poults, but we have had an adult Tom turkey, Tarzan, on our homestead for several years We enjoy keeping a mixed flock of birds and are excited to share what we’ve learned so far about turkeys versus chickens If you’re already familiar with raising chickens, turkeys are similar, but there are a few differences you will want to be aware of
Turkey Poults
Turkey poults are actually more fragile than chicks They are started in a similar brooder to chicks but are very sensitive to heat and light fluctuations The first three days are
Chicken Coop Pest Control: Keeping Rodents, Snakes, and Wild Birds Out
Pests can be a real headache in the chicken coop, and if you have kept backyard chickens for any length of time, you already know the usual suspects Rodents, snakes, and wild birds all want a piece of what your flock has, whether that is feed, eggs, or, in the worst cases, the chickens themselves Good chicken coop pest control starts with understanding why these pests show up and what keeps them coming back The good news is that with a little forethought and some simple habits, you can keep coop pests down to a minimum and protect the
Make This Your Year to Start Keeping Chickens!
Spring is right around the corner and that means warm weather, spring bulbs, and baby chicks If you’ve been on the fence about starting that chicken flock, 2019 is your year! Here are several reasons why you should stop putting off your first order and start your backyard chicken journey this year!
CHICK LOVE
There is not much cuter than baby chicks Their peeping is precious, and the potential is enormous Chicks have taught my family so many useful skills Together, we have learned how to be mindful of the creatures we bring to
How to Help Your Chickens Through a Molt
Have you noticed that your chickens start to lose some of their feathers late in the summer every year? A couple times a year, chickens go through a process called molting where they lose feathers and their egg production drops off Molting usually happens in adult birds twice a year (in the fall and spring) as the amount of daylight changes
Chickens go through several molts as they grow Their first molt happens when they lose their baby down and grow in feathers when they’re only about a week old Then they molt again around eight to twelve weeks, and
How to Easily Prepare Your Chickens for Winter
How to Keep Chickens Warm in Winter Without Extra Heat
Winter is coming!
If you believe the Old Farmer’s Almanac, we’re in for another cold, snowy, and icy winter across the Midwest That means it’s time to start thinking about how you will keep your chickens warm this winter There are several things you can do to make the winter much more pleasant for our feathered friends Preparing now means you won’t have to brave the elements to make sure your chickens stay warm
The debate on whether or not chickens need a heat
Five Easy Ways to Deter Poultry Lice & Mites
Five Ways to Deter Poultry Lice and Mites Naturally
There are several types of poultry lice and mite parasites that love infecting chickens Primarily carried by visiting wild birds or rodents, they can also be introduced if you unknowingly add infected full-grown chickens to your flock, and they can tracked into the coop on shoes too
You’ll want to be vigilant about poultry lice and mites Not only can they make life uncomfortable for your flock, but if they get out of control, they can cause anemia and reduce egg production as well Here’s how to be on lookout for chicken
How to Encourage Chickens to Lay in Nesting Boxes: 4 Proven Methods
That moment when your spring pullets start laying their first eggs is one of the best parts of keeping chickens After months of feeding, watering, and watching them grow, finding those first little eggs feels like a real reward What is not so rewarding is the daily Easter egg hunt that happens when your hens decide a hidden corner of the yard is better than the cozy boxes you built for them If you want to encourage chickens to lay in nesting boxes instead of scattering eggs everywhere, you are in good company, because nearly every flock owner runs