This past week, our Rudd Rangers have been truly enjoying their new found freedom!
Every morning, I walk out to their tractor and pull it onto a fresh spot (Might I add that you will not want to keep them too close to your house as they do poop a lot!) Next, I open up the door and all the excited chickens come running out! I fill up their feeder with pellets and fill up their 3 gallon water tank, and forget them until evening comes In the past, we kept our meat
This week marked another first for the Rudd Rangers; they experienced freedom!
It was brief, it was supervised, but it was freedom! It was really hilarious to see them running and FLYING out of the tractor door! They were very excited!
However, the possibility of losing one to a predator scares me to death, so I usually end up corralling them back inside after an hour or two Since they have grown up in the chicken tractor, they do not stray to far from it When the sun is gets
My lovely assortment of chicks have officially made it to the one month mark! At about 3 weeks old, they graduated to the handy-dandy chicken tractor to receive some much needed fresh air and more space They also are now eating pellets, instead of crumble It is important to always keep youngsters away from older hens If you put them together too soon, you’ll quickly see nature’s “pecking order” in full swing It is best to keep your babies separate until they are almost equal in size to full grown hens (about 4 months of age)
Anyone who has tried to herd an escaped flock back into the coop quickly discovers that chickens have a mind of their own Some run this way, while others go that way Few un where their owner intends The result is exercise for both humans and chickens and little else
Fortunately, chickens are easy to trick Herding doesn’t work well but tasty lures do Chickens can’t resist a delicious snack No matter where the flock is, as soon as one bird spots treats being served, she’ll cluck and summon her fellow flockmates to the feast
Here’s
This week, the Rudd Rangers are officially 2 months old!
They have made it about 2/3 of the way through their time here on our farm It seems like a lifetime ago that they were fluffy chicks in a delivery box!
Big storms were due to roll in Sunday night, so we decided to move the Rangers into a more secure coop The chicken tractor is fine for rainy days, but it is very lightweight With the threat of strong winds and possible tornadoes, we decided to move all 13
Having your own laying hens can be super rewarding, and it can be extra exciting getting eggs from your flock!
This week I received a box of happiness from Hoover’s- an assortment of egg layers!
Upon opening the box, I was struck by how beautiful they all were! It was like opening a treasure box for a crazy chicken lady! They looked like tiny gemstones; each one different from the other! As soon as I opened the box to inspect them all, I saw one of the dark grey chicks was acting very weak It had
Joining FFA and 4-H is an excellent way to improve your agricultural knowledge, meet people with the same interests as you, and compete in fun activities It’s not a requirement to have poultry to join these clubs, so you may be wondering how owning poultry can enhance your FFA or 4-H experience Get all of the details below!
How can poultry benefit me if I join 4-H?
Although there are many activities that you can do in 4-H, one of the largest and most recognized is showing livestock This includes poultry! You can raise purebred birds and
The chicks are now 6 weeks old and moving their tractor everyday has become a part of my daily routine It is hard to believe that not too long ago, they were little fluff balls arriving in the mail! They are still the most friendly birds we have ever had! It is the highlight of my daughter’s day to go see them She even has a pony, but poor Sebastian cannot hold a candle to the love she has for her chickens!
This week the Rudd Rangers are turning 7 weeks old, with about 5 weeks left until processing day This week they have seemed to have made a leap in growth That is one thing I have learned about meat birds; they will appear to have a “lull” in growth for a couple of weeks, then you turn around, and almost overnight they have made huge leaps in size! They are still drinking about 2 gallons of water per day, but this week have increased their feed intake to a full feeder each day! Last week, they
