Memorial Day weekend brought an unpleasant and unexpected heat wave to the upper Midwest All time high temperature records shattered as the mercury hovered near 100 degrees Hardly a breeze wafted across the land, but clouds of gnats attacked any warm-blooded creature that dared venture outside The combination of heat plus gnats killed many chickens Normally July and August are the hot months, so flock owners have some time to take action to keep their birds as cool as possible This unexpected heat-wave and the swarms of gnats did in four of my neighbor’s chickens
Learning From Chickens
All across America millions of families have begun raising a small chicken flock in the yard Most have no experience, so many nature centers, farm stores, and garden centers are holding workshops on how to efficiently and humanely care for a few laying hens Classes are filled with young parents who say they want to raise chickens so their children learn where food really comes from and develop responsibility by caring for animals Their motivation isn’t just delicious food It’s an educational family project
Caring for chickens can give kids the satisfaction of helping provide family food
Letting The Girls Do The Work
Opening a box of just delivered peeping baby chicks is an exciting spring event Perhaps not as dramatic but just as fascinating is dropping bean, squash, corn, lettuce, and many other garden seeds in moist spring soil Both chicks and seeds promise delicious future food
About the time those spring chickens start laying, the summer garden is fading and tired as fall’s days shorten Then comes one of the least exciting of garden chores Dried vines, leaves, stems, tomato cages, and row markers need to be carted off to tidy up the space to rest for next
Making A Simple Chick Brooder
In our modern world, only a tiny percentage of baby chicks are lucky enough to have a caring mother For nearly all of the 6,000 or so years that chickens have been domesticated the only way chicks came into the world was under a broody mother hen Broodys patiently incubate eggs for three weeks then switch to mother mode as soon as the babies almost miraculously emerge Moms keeps them warm, show them how to find food and water, and protect them from danger
That changed with the invention of artificial incubation and brooding The ancient
Managing A Chicken Run
A joy of keeping a backyard chicken run is watching hens frolic outdoors Spending time in the fresh air gives birds a chance to sunbathe, dust their feathers, flap their wings, run, and enjoy dining on tasty green shoots and the protein-rich insects The best housing for a small flock includes a sturdy coop that protects birds from the weather, predators, and biting insects plus a run where they can enjoy the pleasures and healthful benefits of being outside
A well-managed run should have a sturdy pop hole door connecting the coop with the run Most chicken
Adventures in Ordinance Change
During the past few years thousands of American families have started a backyard chicken flock Bringing a breakfast’s worth of fresh eggs into the house is as prideful and delicious as growing and enjoying home grown vegetables
Gardening is legal and encouraged everywhere Sadly, some towns have enacted ordinances banning chickens inside city limits The good news is that change is sweeping the nation Town and city councils all over are recognizing that citizens want to legally keep a small flock, and they realize that it can be done without causing problems So, many towns have
Do Chickens Make Good Pets?
A woman is occasionally spotted on a New York City sidewalk, leash in hand, walking a chicken Ask her if chickens make great pets and you’ll get an enthusiastic, “Yes! They are wonderful” Her chicken lives with her in her apartment
Ask the same question of a family that raises batch after batch of Cornish Rock Broilers destined for the barbeque grill and you’ll get a resounding, “No, chickens are food animals”
Most families that keep a small
Choosing Chickens For Their Traits
In many ways chickens are like people Both species come in a dazzling array of sizes, body shapes and colors On top of easily seen features are less visible traits Chickens, like people, are individuals They have personalities Watch a flock and soon behavioral differences appear, and close observation makes keeping chickens fascinating Sometimes their antics are downright hilarious
Physical characteristics and behavioral traits are generally predictable by chicken breed Orpingtons, for example, are usually calm, quiet, and inquisitive, while leghorns excite easily and often make a racket They can also fly like a pheasant Yet
Keeping Feeders and Waterers Poop-Free and Clean
Like most birds, chickens love heights Their natural perching instinct is to sleep on a high perch that’s relatively safe from predators while also giving an eagle eye view of what’s going on in the coop during the day
Chickens readily use roosting perches installed in coops, but they also love to sit on the top of feeders and waterers Perching birds often poop That may not be a problem beneath a roost but manure-fouled drinking water or feed is neither attractive nor safe
Kauai’s Wild Chickens
Visitors to Hawaii’s island of Kauai are surprised and often delighted to spot chickens nearly everywhere Kauai’s wild chickens lead strings of chicks across shopping center parking lots Rooster crowing seems to come from every direction, and often cars must stop to prevent hitting the abundant birds as they prance across roads
It wasn’t always the case Hawaii is one of the world’s most remote places with thousands of miles of the Pacific Ocean separating it from any continent