Daylight Savings Time and Chickens

Does Daylight Savings Time affect chickens?

Well, the short answer is no Of course chickens don’t have a need to understand numerical times, but YES they are affected by the shortening of days

 

Autumn can be a rough time for chickens You probably have noticed all of your birds molting Molting happens to every chicken, every fall They drop their old feathers, and grow in a new, fresh set for winter They can be more vulnerable to cold during this time Some of my girls go almost completely naked during molting season One named Smarty, gets so puny, she literally looks

Best Breeds for Hot Climates

Summer’s dog days are miserable Plants droop in the heat as wildlife retreat to shady places On scorching days people sequester in the comfort of their air-conditioned home But, what about the poor chickens out in the coop?

 

Chickens feel the heat That seems ironic since the species evolved in the steamy tropics of Southeast Asia  Despite their origin more chickens die of heat stress than from the frigid cold of a northern winter

 

Heat can stress or kill chickens nearly everywhere, not just in the deep south North Dakota and upstate New York, both famous for frigid winters, often see

What to Do With Aging Hens

It’s springtime! And for many of you that means the exciting time of bringing home new chicks and eventually integrating them into your flock The joy of new life, new egg colors and new personalities in the coop is so fun, isn’t it? But what about the hens that have been around for a few years?

I

Chicken Boo-Boos Be Gone!

As you know, keeping a first aid kit on hand for your coop is essential to raising backyard chickens While boo-boos don’t happen all that often in our coop, they do happen It’s important to me to be prepared when one of these situations occurs It could be anything from a cut or scrape from scratching around the ground, Bumblefoot or even a fight between two chickens A new addition to my first-aid kit is a wound spray by Strong

Chickens Love a Bath

People mowing their lawn, tilling the garden, or doing almost any home or yard chore usually finish tired, hungry, and dirty Nothing’s quite as luxurious after a hard day’s work as a warm bath or sudsy shower to remove grime and relax taxed muscles

 

Chickens aren’t as lucky Like humans they work hard scratching the dirt for delicious bugs and seeds and giving their human owner a nearly daily nest gem……an egg  Unfortunately, they can’t end the day’s labor with a bath or shower the way people can   Yet, chickens are fastidious about body care and appreciate the opportunity to

How to Clean Your Chicken Coop Only 2 Times a Year

Spring is in the air! We are looking forward to longer days and warmer temperatures around here! The girls are starting to pick up in their egg production and the long winter days are coming to an end

I often get asked how many times I clean our chicken coop per year Since we utilize the

What is Chicken Tractor?

The term “chicken tractor” is commonly used in today’s circle of chicken collectors No, we are not referring to the big green thing with a deer on it We are referring to simply a movable chicken shelter without a bottom

Uses and Benefits

A chicken tractor is most commonly used for those wanting to raise their own meat birds However, I have also found they come in handy if you ever plan on adding baby chicks to your existing flock I have used our chicken tractor over 6 times as a “grow-out pen,”

Raising Backyard Chickens: What I Wished I Would Have Known

I am so excited to write this blog! We have been raising backyard chickens on and off for the last 15 years So, naturally, we’ve learned some of the do’s and don’ts of raising backyard chickens While the list could be quite long, I’m going to give you the top 3 things I wished I would have known when first starting out on our backyard chicken adventure!

How to Keep Up with Chickens During the Holidays

Chickens can demand a good bit of your time, especially if you have a lot of them  As someone who has always had chickens, I know how much work they can be  But, I’m also a busy mom to three kids and I love to travel, which means that I had to learn how to manage my chickens effectively, even when I’m not around  The holiday season is much like traveling- you may be home more, but in between family dinners and shopping for gifts, your time to care for your chickens is going to be limited  Here are