Keeping Chickens Warm

http://uticaphoenix.net/keeping-chickens-warm/

This is my article just printed in the The Utica Phoenix.

Chickens are amazingly hardy animals and are easy to care for. Choosing the right breed for your climate is only one way to ensure that you keep your clutch going strong through the winter. There are a few simple things that are needed to keep them warm in the coldest months.

You Don’t Have to Heat the Coop
There is always a danger of fire when you bring electricity into a coop filled with litter. When chickens are used to living in a heated coop they don’t acclimate to the weather in a natural manner. The main school of thought is that if chickens don’t acclimate and something happens to the heat source they will be unable to deal with the change.


The Deep Litter Method
The “deep litter method” is essentially keeping at least a foot of litter on the bottom of the coop and mixing it up regularly. By mixing in some food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) (bought through bulk food sources) there is no moisture and no smell. The natural composting adds heat and of course will help your garden grow at the end of winter.

Keep the Drafts Out but Keep Good Ventilation
Chickens need to have good roosts to sit on that are out of any draft. You do have to make sure there is good ventilation in the coop however the vents should be placed so the wind won’t blow into the coop and not in line with the roosts.

Without enough fresh air the moisture from their breath and temperature difference from body warmth will make it damp leading to not only frost bite on the combs but also respiratory problems. They must have fresh air no matter how cold it is.


Preventing and Treating Frostbite
Frostbite can be a big problem especially with chickens with large pretty combs. Some breeds have “rose combs” and are more cold hardy. Applying petroleum jelly to the larger combs when it’s going to be extremely cold will help protect them. It can also help heal if they do get some blackened areas on the comb.

Feathered feet such as on the Brahma breed are hardier in the snow but most chickens try to stay out of the snow. Keeping an area clear of snow will give them area to scratch and dust themselves. They do need a dust bath even in the coldest months. The easiest thing to do is to keep at least an area of the run covered to keep the snow out. Many chicken keepers will use a covered run for this purpose.

Short Egg Supply in the Winter
Some breeds are better winter layers than others, so keep that in mind when you are starting or adding to your clutch. There are two schools of thought when it comes to providing light during the darker months. Some chicken keepers provide artificial light to keep egg production up. The recommendation for this is to start the light on a time earlier in the morning so they may settle down through dusk naturally. Many chicken keepers don’t supplement light and wait out the shorter days. Hens will start laying more after the start of winter as the decline in laying is more dependent on the length of daylight than on temperature. They do reserve their energy when it is bitter cold.

Feed and Water Requirements in the Winter
The most important thing is that they never run out of food or fresh thawed water. Bring out warm water a couple of times a day. It is highly recommended that the chickens are treated to cracked corn during the day to help with energy needed to keep themselves warm. Many keepers also supplement with treats such as warm oatmeal in the morning or pasta later in the day.

Keeping chickens has gained in popularity in recent years as more people begin to wonder where their food comes from. Gathering fresh eggs from the back yard is becoming one of the small changes people can make to feel more in control of our healthy choices no matter what season it is.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/
http://blog.mypetchicken.com/

Where to get chickens
Craigslist – There are many local farms and people that order extra from the mail order hatcheries.
Tractor Supply – Chick Days in the Spring
Mail Order Hatcheries for Heritage breeds- order early for the best choice
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html
http://www.strombergschickens.com/prod_detail_list/Chickens-Chicks
http://www.purelypoultry.com/chickens-brown-egg-layers-common-c-154_169.html
http://www.cacklehatchery.com/page2.html
http://www.heritagebreedpoultry.com/

Fresh Eggs

Monday, September 10, 2012

Baby Eggs

  

"Hello....are you talking about me again?"

 This is Betty. She's a Dominique and is the softest, friendliest, sweetest, bravest, and all around fun young lady in the coop. I got her when she was a couple weeks old, so I'm not sure of her exact age. I keep forgetting to ask. Her cohorts are Yorkie the Barred Rock and Lemonade and Fifi the Salmon Favorollies.
She's the biggest of the group and she also has started hanging out with my older layers. It's like she's in the "in" crowd now. I wouldn't be shocked if it did turn out to be Yorkie, but we'll see.

 My husband is pretty sure the newest egg belongs to Betty. Ever since he built them the new nest box he has taken to collecting the eggs. I leave them in there until he gets home so I don't take his fun away. I love that he's getting involved with the chickens. He sees now why I love them so much. He's always been so good about it..even letting me let them live in the garage a couple of cold winters...<3

I know my coop isn't fancy, but it's 4x8 with these old windows that I can slide to open or close in front of the hard wire that's over every opening in the coop. It's safe and I have two doors in back I can get right in there if I want to. I do need to pretty it up a bit. I have screen door windows over the fenced run right now to keep the rain off the back of the run. They hang out under it a lot when they aren't running around the yard. It's hardwired all the way around the back. I've had my share of scares..so I have enough fear in me to double check everything every day. Knock on wood..I've never lost a feathered friend..sure have come close though.

Reba - The best layer and dog-chicken

 Reba is now 2 years old and lays about every single day. My 3 1/2 year old Australorp also lays like 4-5 a week when she isn't broody....which drives me and all my hens nuts! My 3 1/2 year old Easter Egger is really not a great layer at all. She was hiding them at one time, so I can't say for sure. I do leave her in the run some days to see if she is laying. I think she holds them in until she can find a hiding spot though. She has such great personality that even if she doesn't lay I can't see letting go to someone else. She's the alarm bell and has saved the clutch in the past.

I wish they all layed like Reba! We run low on eggs with 6 of us and my husband likes to show off my deviled eggs. I haven't had enough to send to work with him. Now that Betty and her cohorts are going to start laying I'll have 7 layers. That will be good for us. It will be a while for Lilly to start and well....I'm thinking Dovie never will:( I'm not letting her/him go until there is absolutely no doubt and Lilly is big enough to cuddle with the bigger girls. They still haven't really accepted the little ones. They do let them hang out with them, but they won't let them on the big roost. They'll be big enough soon. Ahh..they grow up so fast.

Diving Hawk

Just kidding....if I saw that thing coming it would be more than my chickens running for cover!

Sunday, September 30, 2012 

Diving Hawk

I have been under the misunderstanding that my chickens were too big for the seemingly small Red Tail Hawks we have flying all around us. I've been letting my girls run around the yard for the past three years. I've only been letting them out in the center of the day where I've felt safer from the foxes. I have seen a fox in the middle of the day, but most often in the morning or evening. I'm always on the watch for coyotes but it's actually been a while since I've seen one of those mangy things running through the yard. They are my least favorite animal of all! Of all the things I feared for my hens I was just blind to the threat flying above us.

Perhaps it's because my cat has cleared out what ever field mice and moles there were in the open field next to us. Perhaps this hawk just woke up and felt like a change in diet and felt extremely bold. I do have to say that a Red Tail Hawk is a beautiful majestic looking creature. I admire them from my front window as I see them circle above. They always seem so small. It's hard for me to believe it could really pick up one of my hens. That didn't stop her from trying.

I was standing on the deck talking on the phone and admiring the zen-fullness of the clutch pecking around happily under the willow tree when from out of the tree dives the bold hawk. I screamed and got off my call to run down to protect my girls. As I was standing there the hawk took another dive right next to me! I always walked over and stood in the middle of my hens whenever I saw the flying predator before. I just assumed that my presence would deter any interest. I was wrong. This bird either didn't notice me standing there shooshing it or it was simply amused by my waving arms.

To make a long story short, I rounded up all my girls with my super duper pool noodle and got them back into the run in a flash before the attacker had a chance to take another dive. All is well, however, my girls complain to me when I refuse to open the run door. I'm going to leave them in the run or the tractor now. It's such a shame. They were loving those bugs in the ditch area. At least they are safe.

(the picture is from the "How to Train Your Dragon" live show in Albany...WOW...cool show!  My mother-in-law took all the grandkids....12 plus parents! )

Good-Bye Mr. Dove

Sunday, October 21, 2012 (brought over from LifeAsWeGrow)

Good-Bye Mr. Dove

 

After 2 hours on Criaglist Mr. Dove has a new home. I tell you, if I was looking for a business to be in, I'd have one that focused on chickens. I know they don't sell for much, but anytime I've posted a chicken on Craigslist.com I've had response in a matter of hours. I've had people drive for hours for some of my extra chicks. Granted, we live in Central New York and you have to drive hours to go anywhere it seems, but still...for a little chick them come from miles.

I thought a rooster may be more difficult to find a home for because there were a few listed. However, we are taking little Mr. Dove to his new home on the way to the soccer game today. I always get so nervous when we part with a feathered friend. I can't come out and say "you can't eat him!"...though I'd like to. I always charge, because I feel that a free chicken is sure to end up in the pot..but then again $5 is nothing for an organically grown chicken. He's small though....

You can tell that we're not actually farmers. It's a shame really. I do see the irony in it. We eat chicken, and I spend a lot on the local chicken. Why can't we grow and eat our own? That was that plan really. A friend and I were going to each grow a small clutch of meat chickens and then trade them. That way we would have no emotional attachment....and neither would our children..to the chickens we were eating. Organic chickens are crazy expensive and I'm forced to only offer chicken occasionally because we are too weak to grow our own food. We wouldn't survive in the wild.

My husband looked at all the YouTube instructions on how to process them and thought for a while he could do it. ( what would life be life without YouTube??? It's the best thing EVER!!) He thought about it for a while and we got all excited about being homesteaders. Then it kind of hit him. One of my sons is a total vegetarian. We are all pretty close to being meat-free (except my oldest son - he would eat a cow on his own if he had never met the cow face to face) I guess we just have to accept that we can't do it. Our chickens keep us in fresh eggs and friendship.

We wish Mr. Dove well, but we know his fate is his own. I don't want to know.

The Molt is Over!!! Hallelujah

My beautiful Australorp "Mama" - missing feathers on her neck.

Notice the completely missing butt feathers.....

I have to say that when this started I didn't have a clue what was going on. I started giving her yogurt and oatmeal because I thought she was just sick. When I noticed she no longer had tail feathers I totally freaked out. I went through the coop thinking that there was some nightmare lurking in there somewhere.  I have seen posts about rats getting into the coops and literally chewing on chickens.....ohhhh the thought makes me sick. I LOVE the internet! The information at our fingertips changes my world.

Once I learned that what Mama was doing was natural and she was going to be fine it became more annoying. She was renamed "Mama" because she started going broody one time after another. She has been my best layer for 3 years. Yes, 3 years. I guess there is nothing for her to feel bad about. This past summer has been bad for her. It seemed that she was broody starting the beginning of the summer. I even put her in with the babies thinking that she would snap out of it. It didn't work.

Australorps are known to be good mothers, so I wasn't surprised the first time she started puffing up and screaming at me when I went near the nest. I have to say that we got a lot of entertainment out of her. I wanted to make sure she got some foraging time in every day so I would pick her up and put her outside and close up the coop. She would puff up to 3 times her size and run around like a football player. My kids thought this was the silliest thing they had ever seen. It became popular around my house to run around looking puffed up and squawking. I have 4 kids....that's a lot of squawking going on through my hallways:)

Ok, so going broody was one thing. I knew the signs. I knew the behavior. I knew how funny she looked with a featherless belly...(sooooo soft but creepy at the same time)....but I had never seen this before! I thought I had another pecking problem and began chaperoning like an old school marm. I'm going on 4 years with my hens and Mama was one of my original clutch. I've read where molts take place after 18 months, but I either missed it because she has been so broody or she just didn't do it until now. My Easter Egger Jumpers went through it too, but I thought she was just getting older and not laying. She never lost her tail feathers and I also thought she was being pecked on. Boy, I may have gotten rid of a hen a few years ago that I shouldn't kept....I thought she was being beat up so I gave her to a friend. Hmmm...I won't think about that now...

So, a long story short..it's over! I know my hens..I can look at a dozen eggs and tell you who laid which egg. It's official...the 4 month long molt is over. I have in my refrigerator a pretty dark brown egg with little dark specks on that for the first time in a very long time. That's the one I'm having for breakfast tomorrow:) Jumpers should be done also...so I'm looking for the light brown egg...yes, she is an Easter Egger...but she's a bit defective..hey, we all have our faults..don't judge...her eggs should be green/blue, but I love her anyway. It's very interesting that her white beard feathers are now black...if I had more than one Easter Egger I might wonder who she was because she looks so different. We'll be up to a full egg basket soon. My kids wouldn't eat the store bought eggs I had to buy.....ick...I used them for baking...we couldn't actually eat them. Yes, fresh eggs are that different. I love my Hens:) I'm so glad the long molt is over! Hallelujah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDJgxE-0PZI
(this is one of the best renditions I've heard..sooooo pretty. - it's in English..don't let the comments fool you.)

I was going to enter her into the ugly chicken contest...but I felt bad about it.

I would love to hear about other molting stories...this was actually my first time...so I must have a few more coming up soon... I LOVE comments:)

Coyote Attack

Coyote Attack

Jumpers - My Easter Egger - She is now almost 4 years old. Lucky Hen!

 

This was the first time that I've ever been scared for my safety because of a wild animal. When I ran out the door to see why my chickens were going crazy I saw a flash of red and thought it was a fox.  Jumpers, being true to her name, tried to fly/jump to the roof right at our front door. When she fell back to the ground what I thought was a huge fox--now I know it was a coyote, grabbed her in its mouth and went running. I ran out the door and almost grabbed the thing with my bare hands I was so close.

When I used to live in Colorado I read often that when you came across a Bob Cat you were supposed to yell and be all crazy. This is something I'm very good at. I figured that's what you do with any animal and it worked. I chased the coyote with my dear Jumpers in its mouth and she was dropped as they crossed the road. This was all good until I saw this magnificent reddish brown coyote turn around and stare at me. I had only seen the fluffy dark tail with the black tip until this time...when it was heading in the opposite direction of me. Now this picture postcard looking animal was in full pose looking at me eye to eye. My God this was a beautiful animal. I do have to say though that next time we meet I don’t plan on just standing there.

My sons and I looked it up and saw cases where coyotes have taken off kids. One article spoke of a two year old taken from the sand box. Well, I have a two year old...and a one year old and I do let them sit in the sand box while I garden a few feet away. Another article spoke of a coyote killing a Maltese dog and my little Coton - Tzu runs around the yard all the time. So, needless to say, this animal has spooked me. It would be one thing if it was a night time attack, but it was just before 5 P.M.. Time for a bee-bee gun. My sons are thrilled to end about that. 

reposted from LifeAsWeGrow from 2011 - update..the coyotes have moved out..and the foxes have moved in. I was told they don't often share a territory. I don't welcome foxes near my chickens, but they don't scare me as far as my children go. So they are at least an improvement.