An Journal For Poultry Friends Raising Chickens, Ducks, Quail and Geese

Two Interesting Resources

2009-07-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of poultry news out there. Top stories that may interest you poultry folk include a group of Columbia residents pushing the city to loosen its rules on raising chickens, and SUCCESS! Buffalo's city council has OK'd raising chickens. That's a cause for celebration everywhere. :)

Now, this may seem weird, but we think you may want to know more about fading skin spots. Does that seem vain of us, or slightly presumptuous? Perhaps. But if you are like us, you spend a lot of time outdoors taking care of your chickens and poultry. All that time outside can lead to a lot of ultraviolet exposure, which can cause skin spots, brown spots and age spots. We may be chicken farmers, but we also want to look good. Are you feeling us? Skin spots can make you look a lot older than you really are. That's why we had a lot of fun reading all about how to fade skin spots. It's quite comprehensive, and pretty interesting learning.

Quail are saving the world of science!

2009-07-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Did you know this? According to Texas A&M: "In the past decade, Japanese Quail, or coturnix, have become important experimental animals for scientific research in universities, federal and state laboratories, private industry and individual investigations."

I mean, we always knew that quail were a great poultry species to raise. But we never knew that, you know, quail were THAT important! Fascinating reading, really. Texas A&M goes on to say that "Coturnix are used extensively in genetics, nutrition, toxicology,
embryology, physiology, endocrinology and pathology."

That's crazy stuff. Who ever though that quail could be so important in the realm of science? Backyard quail are definitely on the rise in terms of backyard popularity. And that's music to our ears.

Texas A&M acknowledges the popularity of quail among backyard hobbyists, going on to say: "At the same time, many fanciers and hobbyists have become interested in raising these quail. Science classes and 4-H clubs find them excellent subjects for projects.
Sportsmen find them desirable for use in training hunting dogs because of their habit of sitting very tight until flushed. Gourmets enjoy Japanese quail eggs and meat—hard-boiled, pickled quail eggs are popular as hors d'oeuvres, and barbecued or charcoal-broiled quail are a delicious treat." That's even MORE great reasons to start raising quail, to say nothing about how cute the quail are!

Did anyone go to this city chicken workshop?

2009-07-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

Out of curiosity, did anyone go to the NMSU Extension workshop that taught about raising chickens and building mobile coop? “Chickens are an easy animal to raise,” said Del Jimenez, an expert poultry, farming and agriculture specialist at New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) Cooperative Extension Service. In the workshop, Mr. Jimenez taught attendees all they needed to know about raising backyard chickens and building a mobile chicken coop, colloquially known as the famous chicken tractors, on June 30th at NMSU’s Sustainable Agriculture Science Center in Alcalde. The cool thing? This educational community program only cost $10 and included some yummy snacks and lunch. If you went, what did you think about this urban chicken workshop? Chickens have definitely taken off in popularity!

Raising Peacocks

2009-07-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie - raising chickens is my main hobby when it comes to raising poultry. However, like many backyard hobbyists, I've wondered what it would be like to raise peafowl. Peafowl are a little more complicated to raise compared to other bird species, simply because there is not as many informational resources and supplies out there for this type of poultry. You can't just go to the store and by peacock feed like you could for chickens. However, raising peafowl has its own group of enthusiasts and they can definitely make an exciting and very beautiful addition to your poultry yard! Oh, and did you know they are related to pheasants?

Raising Guineafowl at Home

2009-07-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

By some conservative estimates, there are over three million guinea fowl being raised commercially and domestically in the United States alone. This puts the guinea fowl hobby at a significantly smaller population than that of chickens, ducks, geese and even other gamebirds such as quail. However, raising guineafowl is an incredibly fascinating hobby. Guineas are unique and absolutely interesting. Some individuals use them as pseudo-watchdogs due to their protective, territorial nature and loud bird call. They are definitely an interesting addition to any backyard poultry flock. Do you raise guineas? Why do you raise them, and if you don't - tell us why you don't raise guineas!

Seven Things EVERY Chicken Coop Should Have!

2009-06-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

Living the Country Life magazine, the officials glossy magazine for the 14,000-member Country Living Association (and read by 760,000 homeowners throughout the United States), just published an excellent piece on chicken coops. Anyone interested in building their own chicken coops should definitely check it out. It goes over all of the basics, including space requirements for chickens and some helpful insulation tips!

Read the article: Chicken Coops on Living The Country Life.

A New Poultry Site

2009-06-04T17:21:00.001-07:00

We just got word of a new site launched by Mother Earth News called CommunityChickens.com. Have you heard of it? What do you think? Now, it's now to be confused with the new PoultryCommunity.com, which is a message board for poultry enthusiasts. CommunityChickens, so far, looks to be mostly article-driven with none of the content actually on-site. It looks like they did get a bunch of advertisers, though!

What to do when you find a wild duck's nest?

2009-04-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

One of our readers recently asked us, What should I do when I find a wild duck's nest? It is quite common to find wild duck nests on your property, especially if you live in a rural area near wetlands frequented by wild ducks.

According to Feathersite, "If you find a wild duck's nest on your property and don't see the mother on the eggs, don't necessarily worry. Ducks lay an egg every day or two until they have a full clutch (usually 8 to 15); only then will the mother start to sit on them. It takes the eggs 28 days to hatch from when she starts sitting all the time. When they hatch, she will soon lead them to a nearby body of water. The father takes no part in caring for the eggs or young." Read more here: http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Ducks/BRKDucks.html

If you think wild ducks are cool, wait until you start raising ducks in your backyard! Raising domestic ducks is so fun and so many people think it's a great alternative, or addition, to raising chickens. What do you think?

What are the top 10 reasons for raisign chickens?

2009-03-30T11:34:00.001-07:00

We found a great list of the top ten reasons people give for raising chickens over at Chicken Video. Here are some of the reasons that we loved!

Of course, we didn't like this reason:

Read the whole list on ChickenVideo.com. What are you reasons for raising chickens? Share it with us!

A Duck Question from a Poultry Reader

2009-03-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

Someone asked: "How much room do I need to give my pet ducks? I'm raising them from babies I hatched."

We're so happy you've decided to start raising ducks! A small pen that measures five feet by five feet will do just great for about ten ducklings, though you didn't specify just how many baby ducks you are raising. If you want to build an actual chicken-like coop for your ducks, make sure that is is free from drafts and secure from the elements. It is also useful if your ducks have access to the great outdoors, either via a fenced in section of pasture or a movable kennel with an open bottom.

We'll cover more questions about hatching and brooding ducklings later. Thanks for reading!

More people are raising quail!

2009-03-27T12:34:00.001-07:00

Quail are tiny little gamebirds and don't come to mind when you think of backyard poultry hobbyists. However, a lot of people are discovering the joys of raising these tiny gamebirds.

According to Wikipedia, "Quails are small, fat terrestrial birds" that eat seeds as well as insects. The encyclopedia also says that quail "nest on the ground and are capable of short, rapid bursts of flight. Some species such as the Japanese and Common Quail are migratory and fly for long distances. Some quail are farmed in large numbers. The Japanese Quail (or coturnix quail) is kept mostly to produce eggs."(source)

Quail can be a lot of fun to raise, though the returns in terms of eggs and meat are not nearly as bountiful as with chickens. In case you're interested, there's some great information on raising quail at home over at Raise Quail.com. Read some of the articles on raising quail and tell us what you think!

Why should you raise ducks?

2009-03-27T12:30:00.001-07:00

More and more people throughout the United States have begun raising ducks. Raising ducks is a lot of fun, though not nearly as popular as raising chickens. However, we expect that the popularity of raising ducks in your backyard will quickly rise.

Here's a great poultry article on Raising Ducks for Beginners on Hubpages. It covers a lot of the basics and you'll learn quite a few neat things about ducks in your backyard.

Enjoy!

Squidoo: Raising Geese

2008-10-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

Just found this great poultry link on Squidoo: Raising Geese on Squidoo. It's a Squidoo "Lens," which is a static page that anyone can create (think of it as a poultry wiki of sorts). What do you think of this goose lens? Like it? Love it? Write your own!

Beginner's Guide to Raising Ducks

2008-10-20T15:18:00.001-07:00

Ducks are the second most popular type of poultry to raise, coming in just under the hobby of raising chickens in your backyard. Raising ducks in your backyard can be very rewarding. About 22,000,000 ducks raised in the United States each year. Most of those raising ducks choose to utilize duck housing, closed under the conditions of production of specialized duck farms in several important areas of commercial duck production. However, many duck farms also made a number of ducks for family use or raising ducks for local sale. The purpose of this publication is for the latter group. Shougang made primarily for meat. Although most of the varieties used by the relative level of poverty, ducks should try to save the eggs for food production or use of incubators. Commercial duck industry is the breeding ground for the establishment in Beijing. Pekins weight to reach the market early next year and a good egg producers, but they are poor, rarely raised a pot of chicken. In Rouen is a popular breeding farm groups. It is the slow growth is higher than Beijing, but it reached the equivalent weight of the 5-6 month period of feeding and feeding of the sheep farm in accordance with the conditions. Its economy is slowing down and feather color to make it undesirable for commercial production. Muscovy duck in a variety of other unrelated domestic ducks and are also used to some extent, the farm group. The poultry practice of feeding ducks: They are good foragers and good person. Muscovy duck is far greater than men aged women in the market. Meat production usually is the most important choice of varieties, breeding and egg production, the trend of young, white feathers, have an attractive dressed carcass should also be considered.

All About Raising Geese

2008-10-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

Raising geese has become a popular hobby among backyard poultry hobbyists, ranking with raising chickens and raising ducks as a successful waterfowl hobby. The hobby of raising geese is made in almost all areas of the United States, although hobbyists raising geese only total some 0.2 percent of the total raising poultry population. For raising geese breeds, Emden goose breeds and Toulouse goose breeds are the two most popular varieties; many African goose breeds and Chinese goose breeds are also raised by goose enthusiasts. One of the leading resources for raising geese says that raising geese is very easy, as long as you know how to start the goose hobby such as feeding geese! There are considerable differences in geese species and strains, so that the characteristics of the goose should be fully assessed in order to better meet the needs of production. If the birds are breeding to maintain, and then the production of eggs and reproductive efficiency an important factor. Gosling if only a group of the market, the market's meat production and the requirements of the carcass is of paramount importance.

Guide to Feeding Chickens

2008-06-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

How to feed your chickens is often one of the first questions that someone might ask as a beginner. Even if you're not new to the hobby of raising chickens, you might still occasionally wonder: How much should I feed my chickens? Can I feed my chickens kitchen scraps? Does it matter what I feed my egg layers or my meat chickens?

The simple answer: It matters what, and how much, you feed your chickens.

The best advice we can give you is to buy the chicken feed that is formulated for the age of your chickens. That's right, there are specific feeds for chicks, growing chickens, and egg layers. Each type of food has varying amounts of certain nutrients that your chickens need for that age. For example, chick starter is high in protein, and egg layer feed is high in calcium for strong egg shells.

poultryOne undergoes major website upgrade!

2008-05-22T21:36:00.000-07:00

Our favorite poultry web site, poultryOne.com, has a whole new layout! We love it and we hope you do, too.

In other news, a recent zoning fight about keeping chickens in the city was recently decided in favor of the chickens. You can read the news story on SalemNews.com.

Chicken Q&A: Debeaking Chicks

2007-05-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

Question: What age should I de-beak my chicks?

Answer: Chicks should be debeaked at about 2-2.5 weeks. However, many folks are debating whether debeaking is really beneficial. I'll discuss this later on.

Chicken Q&A: Chicken Skin Color Genetics

2007-05-20T23:54:00.001-07:00

Question: What decides the skin color of a chicken?

Answer: The germinative layer of the epidermis is the home of the melanocytes. These are specialized cells which produce a pigment called melanin. Melanin is what's responsible for skin color. All chickens have the same number of melanocytes; however, the amount of melanin produced in these melanocytes varies among individuals. Production of melanin is a hereditary trait involving a number of genes (the units of heredity within the cell). Because of the many genes involved, skin color is a variable trait. There is also one gene that allows melanin to be produced regardless of the amount.Without this gene a chicken would produce no melanin and thus be completely devoid of skin color, an albino.

Chicken Q&A: Roosters Crowing

2007-05-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

Question: Are roosters only supposed to crow at sunrise? I live in a rural area and hear them at night all the time!

Answer: In days long past, the only light source was the sun. Originally, the roosters did crow at sunrise (and then throughout the day) since the sun's rays stimulated them to "let loose their vocal chords"... or what we call "crow". However, now that we have lights streaming through our windows into the chicken coops, street lamps glaring down into our yards, and an array of other light rays bothering the poor, confused roosters, they end up crowing day in, day out and all night long!
Also, did you know that when a rooster crows it's like a challenge to all the other roosters within hearing distance? That is why if there are several roosters in your neighborhood, once one rooster crows it sets off a chain reaction.

Chicken Q&A: Poultry Egg Development

2007-05-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

Question: How long does it take for an egg to develop into a chick and hatch?

Answer: About three weeks, twenty-one days to be exact. Goose, duck, pheasant, and quail eggs vary widely, so you should go to a site specifically about those breeds, since Farmlinks is mainly about raising chickens.

Chicken Q&A: Chicken Breeds for meat

2007-05-09T13:44:00.001-07:00

Question: What breed would you suggest I should raise for meat?

Answer: If you want meat as soon as possible then you should buy a meat hybrid, such as the Cornish Cross. If you don't mind waiting a while, then a dual purpose breed such as the Barred Plymouth Rock should fit you just fine. Some people claim that home-grown chickens taste better than commercial meatbirds, but that's for you to decide. More people are raising meat birds for themselves, especially to avoid the harmful hormones and chemicals injected into commercial meat birds to boost body weight.

Chicken Q&A: How long do hens lay eggs?

2007-05-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

Question: About how long do hens normally lay eggs?

Answer: It depends on what breed you have, what your feed them, and what their living situation is like. For example, if you only feed your chickens every now and then, don't empty out their muddy waterers, and don't collect eggs regularly then you shouldn't expect your flock to even start laying (unless they are a strange, extremely hardy breed unknown to the world). On the other hand, if you take very good care of your hens, feed them exactly what they need (visit our archives to read a past article on chicken feed requirements), and cull regularly then your flock should be living 'till Kingdom come!

Chicken Q & A: Eating cracked eggs

2007-05-06T19:35:00.001-07:00

Question: Are cracked eggs edible?

Answer: Yes, they are edible, as long as the membrane is not broken and intact, the egg is refrigerated immediately, and it is used within a week. If you see yolk leaking out of a cracked egg then throw it away!

Chicken Q & A: Blood Spots in Eggs

2007-05-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

Question: My hen has blood spots in her eggs? Is it okay to eat them?

Answer: Blood spots are actually bits of tissue or blood that become molded with the egg as it passes through the oviduct. As an egg ages, the blood spots become paler or even disappear (that is one way to tell how fresh an egg is). Eggs with blood spots are edible, although if you are selling them your customers might think these blemishes are unappetizing. Blood spots occur in less than one percent of all eggs that are laid, and may be hereditary. If you are planning on breeding chickens, don't use hens who lay eggs with blood spots. Also, making sure that the hen has enough vitamin A in her diet might minimize the laying of eggs with blood spots.

Chicken Q & A: Scaly Leg Mites

2007-05-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

Question: My hen has scaly legs. The scales on her legs are pushed up and sticking out. She's also walking stiffly. What's wrong with her and how can I cure this problem?

Answer: It sounds like your hen has an infestation of scaly leg mites. The pests burrow under the leg scales of the chicken, which is why the scales stick out. Since leg mites travel very slowly from chicken to chicken, stopping the problem is relatively simple. Control the mites by brushing the perches, roosts, and bird's legs once or twice a month with a mixture of kerosene to two parts linseed oil (be sure not to use motor oil). Older birds are more likely to get this problem than younger ones, so if you cull heavily you will probably not run into these mites. Another way to treat scaly leg mites is by smothering the parasites with petroleum jelly or a kerosene/oil mix. According to A Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow, the most effective treatment is ivermectin, whose accompanying box says its a "Parasite Zapper".

Breeding Gamebirds

2007-05-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

KJ Theodore, of ShagbarkBantams.com, says:

"Let's begin with water. Providing good, clean water is probably one of the most important things you can do for your birds. This is especially true with waterfowl. All hens need an abundance of water when laying, while roosters require less. Waterfowl drink about four times the water that chickens and turkeys do, and they require clean water for bathing as well."

Continue reading this chicken article...

Giving Your Chickens Calcium

2007-04-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

An eggshell is 94 percent calcium carbonate. A calcium deficiency can show up in many different forms. Maybe its a shell-less egg, or an egg with merely a thin shell.

However, even healthy hens need calcium supplements. A hen's calcium requirements rise as she gets older, or as the weather heats up.

So how do you give your layer chickens calcium?

You can use limestone or ground oyster shell (offered free choice in a separate feed hopper), and Vitamin A, D, and E powder added to your chickens' water every other day of the week.

Breeding Chickens

2007-04-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

To breed out unwanted traits and improve your strain of chicken, you need to have a working breeding plan that includes the following steps:

1) Establish a long-term goal. Find out exactly what you are trying to attain.
2) Begin with the best birds that you can get. It's easier to start with quality chickens than to work hard to breed unwanted traits out of an unsatisfactory batch of birds.
3) Keep accurate, detailed breeding records. This is a must! Mark chicks (common ways to do this is through wing clipping or leg bands) to track their lineage, and be sure to carefully control matings to faster achieve your goals.
4) Cull cull cull, and again cull. Remove birds with negative characteristics as soon as you see them! Don't keep chickens with unwanted traits. This will waste precious time and resources, especially if you're doing this as a commercial project.
Obviously, you must first know what you want before establishing a long-term goal. Your goal depends on the quality of birds you are starting with, and what you want in the end. In selecting the breeding pairs, avoid birds with poor lineage and look for good ancestry and individual superiority.

Experienced breeders concentrate on one particular breed and only one or two varieties within that breed. This allows you to focus your time, energy, and monetary resources on improving your quality line. Each year, raise the standard for your line a little higher. It will take a while, but with determination you will achieve your goal! As the famous quote goes, "Never ever ever give up!"

Broody Hens

2007-04-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

Broody hens can either be a Godsend (many exotic-chicken breeders agree with this line of thought) or something worse than the plague (such as large corporations who want eggs and only eggs). It all depends on the individual farmer and his or her purpose for raising chickens.

The term "broody hen" basically means a hen who sits on her eggs for the purpose of hatching them. It doesn't matter if the eggs are fertile or not, she'll sit on them and get that "back-off-or-I'll-kill-you" look in her eyes if anyone tries to stop her.

Do you want your hens to remain broody or is it better to "break" them? Well...if you want the highest ratio of egg per hen per pound of feed, it would be best to break the hen or she'll lower the flock's overall percentage of lay. On the other hand, if you want to hatch your own batch of cute little chicks (for fun or to replace culled hens), you might want to let the hen go through the 21-day cycle.

So, you don't want your hen to be broody and want to break her? The process of disrupting a hen's broodiness is relatively easy. But first, you should take a precaution before your hens become broody to save you the time and trouble. To lower the chance of one of your hens becoming broody, you should not allow eggs to collect in a nest. Once she is broody, moving her from her nest, moving or covering the nest so she can't get in, moving the hen to a separate cage or coop, or putting the hen in a broody coop should be sufficient to break her out of broodiness.

Did You Know? EGGS!

2007-04-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

Easter is coming up, so let's talk about eggs!

Did You Know?

** According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the whole egg is rated as one of the best sources of high-quality protein, surprisingly rating higher than cow milk, fish, beef, and legumes.
** Eggs are rated by their quality as AA, A, B, and Inedible. Hopefully none of your chicken eggs will be "Inedible".

** The egg is also known to have nearly every single nutrient needed for life, except vitamin C.

** You should collect eggs as often as possible. I collect eggs twice a day, sometimes more - Once in the mid-morning, and once in the afternoon. Collecting eggs often reduces the chance of spoilage and breakage.

** Egg whites are said to heal wounds, and raw eggs are used in facials, shampoos, and hair conditioners. Yum!

Now you know! Looking forward to a greeeeat Easter!

Chicken Breed Review: Barred Plymouth Rock

2007-04-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

The Barred Plymouth Rock, or Barred Rock for short, is not only a historic breed but also an essential part of the backyard chicken farmer's flock. These dual-purpose birds (which means they can be used both for eggs and/or meat) are one of the perfect breeds of chicken available!

In Part 2 of this article series I wrote that I would discuss meat birds next. Well, after the loads of emails that I've gotten about this site and our free e-zine (where the first two "Breeds 101" articles were published), I've decided to look at the dual-purpose breeds in detail.

The standard weights for Barred Rocks are 9.5 pounds for the roosters and 7.5 pounds for the hens. Cockerels (young male chickens under one year) and pullets (young female chickens under one year) weigh slightly less. Also, different strains of Barred Rocks also vary in size and weight, so the above measurements are just a generalization.

The main reasons that people raise Barred Rocks are for eggs and for meat. Barred Rocks lay large, brown eggs, making them a great candidate for someone looking to sell their surplus eggs (since large, brown, fresh eggs usually demand a higher price). Barred Rocks have the "perfect" skin color-yellow-which is the skin color preference for those raising chickens for meat because yellow-skinned chickens look more appetizing than white or black (yuck) skinned breeds.

The origin of the Barred Rock has not exactly been determined. According to one source, Barred Rocks were developed in America in the middle of the 19th century. It was first labeled a "breed" in 1869. Several individuals claimed its invention using crosses of breeds such as Dominique, Java, Dorking, Malay and Cochin. This breed became very popular (quite rapidly) until WWII. Until this war no other breed was kept or bred as extensively. Why? The fact that it was hardy, self-sufficient, docile, sometimes became broody, and had an excellent rate of egg and meat production made the Barred Rock's popularity explode!

Barred Rocks make excellent farm chickens. They are docile and become tame easily (especially if you've raised them from chicks), and excellent layers, make good mothers (when they become broody), make excellent meat birds, and are generally not aggressive. Taking everything into account, Barred Plymouth Rocks are wonderful chickens to raise, no matter if you are raising them for meat, eggs, showing, or just as a pet!

How many chickens can live in a chicken coop?

2007-04-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

How many chickens can live in an 8 ft X 10 ft chicken coop and run? Generally, you will want to factor in about 3 - 4 square feet per bird in the coop.

Too little space and you can run into overcrowding problems. This can provoke problems such as cannibalism. It is much easier to make sure your chickens have enough space to begin with rather than trying to fix a problem later.

We have an interesting discussion on our forums about how much space a chicken needs.

Chickens in Florida

2007-04-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

The University of Florida Extension offers some great poultry resources and documents that you'll find superb. In fact, their Backyard Flocks page offers some great articles about things such as egg-eating by chickens, as well as small-flock nutrition.

Florida offers a great environment for raising poultry due to their sunshine and temperate weather. How many of you readers are located in the "Sunshine State"?

Hello to all our new readers

2007-03-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

So far, poultryOne has received nearly a hundred thousand unique visitors. We are grateful for your support and are glad that we are able to help so many of you discover the joys of raising chickens.

Don't forget that our poultry forum has just undergone a gigantic makeover. Check it out and get into some fun conversations with other poultry hobbyists. poultryOne forums and message board

Five Things a Chicken Needs

2007-03-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

A chicken, whether it is a meat chicken or an egg laying hen, needs: Grit, fresh/clean water, a good layer feed (or grower feed if he's a meatbird), oyster shell (or similar calcium supplements), healthy snacks, and lots of fresh air. That makes for happy, healthy chickens!

Poultry Trivia:

2007-03-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

Do you realize that a chicken is designed to live thirty years? Did you know that a healthy hen can lay for up to 18 years?

Most chickens do not live that long because they succumb to a multitude of stresses, disease, and predation. But with a little common sense care and good nutrition, your birds can live a long, happy life.

Find out how to make your chickens live a long time.

Chickens and Hot Weather

2007-03-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

Most living animals, us included, are better adapted for keeping warm than for keeping cool. That's obvious at a glance when one sees the abundance of fur cats and dogs have (or in this case, feathers on your chickens). Although the domestic chicken is a descendant of the Red Asian Jungle Fowl (note the word "jungle", as in "hot, steamy, humid conditions"), even it is better able to keep warm than cool.

Have you ever stuck your fingers into a chicken's feathers and felt its skin? You might be surprised. The body temperature of the bird is about 106.5 degrees Fahrenheit. It keeps this temperature steady by converting energy found in its feed into heat. The less heat the chicken needs, the less feed it must eat. To get rid of excess body heat, the chicken doesn't perspire (since it has no sweat glands), but instead it pants like a dog.

The effect of reduced feed consumption, combined with the direct influence of strong heat on the metabolism of the chicken, produces several things.

First, a quick drop in production and efficiency as the heat rises. In meat birds, they'll stop gaining weight. In layer hens, the feed-to-egg ratio is reduced and they often completely stop laying altogether.

Second, heat stress. This is a quite obvious deduction.

Third, the chicken's system grinds to a halt. An observer will notice that the birds are just lying around like a bunch of limp socks...no clucking or preening at all.

And finally, death. This is when the owner begins frantically leaving messages on our poultry message boards in the hopes of finding some way to resurrect the poor creatures.

Please note that the chicken, thanks to God's wonderful creativity, will become acclimatized after a while. Experiments done by a panel of expert scientists have shown that, in layers, the body temperature returns to normal or stabilizes at a slightly higher temperature 3 to 5 days after the initial exposure to constant, extreme temperatures. Thus, if a chickens goes through varying high temperatures repeatedly, it will adapt and be able to survive at an ambient temperature 5 (F) degrees higher than before acclimatization.

The higher the relative humidity of the air, the less heat the mature birds can tolerate and the more stress it causes. However, high humidity has not been proven to affect the growth rate of young chickens.

Dairyman's Square to formulate chicken feed

2007-03-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

The following is how to determine the amount of energy and protein ingredients needed in the feed. The "equation" is called the "Dairyman's Square" (For more information on this, check out some of the poultry books in our new online store):

1. Draw a square
2. In the center of the square, write the protein content desired in the final mixture (such as 20%)
3. At the upper LEFT hand corner write "corn" and its protein content (9%)
4. At the lower LEFT hand corner, write "supplement" and its protein content (40%)
5. Subtract diagonally across the square (the smaller from the larger) and enter (in the corners) the results on the RIGHT hand side (20-9=11; 40-20=20)
6. The number at the upper RIGHT hand corner gives the parts of corn, and in the lower RIGHT hand corner you have the parts of supplement needed to make a mixture with 20 percent protein. Thus, 20 parts of corn mixed with 11 parts of supplement gives 31 parts of feed with 20 percent protein.
7. To convert this to a percentage basis, divide 20 by 31 and multiply the result by 100. The ending result, 64.5 percent, indicated the amount of corn that will be used. The supplement is represented by the remaining percent (35.5). And so...in a 100 pound 20 percent mix, there would be 64.5 pounds of corn and 35.5 pounds of supplement.

Why do you raise chickens?

2007-03-01T14:08:00.000-08:00

Raising chickens is a fun hobby. Some people treat it as more as a hobby and raise poultry as a money-making business. Why do you raise chickens? In an informal poll done by poultryOne on our forums, most people raise chickens for eggs. A few hobbyists also raise their birds for sheer ornamental or showing purposes. Tell us why YOU raise chickens!

A Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens

2007-02-21T18:51:00.000-08:00

Raising chickens and other types of poultry is fun, and you hve heard so much about it from us. In 2005, the NY Times published a large article about how more and more suburban families are discovering the joys of raising chickens. The idea of fresh chicken eggs or healthier meat can be more than just a dream...and I want to share it with you!

More...

Spring is coming!

2007-02-18T14:06:00.000-08:00

Spring is slowly arriving. Buds are appearing on the trees, a few bulbs are sprouting, and the weather is getting a little warmer! Here in British Columbia, Canada, the weather is getting quite nice. There's still lots of rain (it is B.C., after all!), but we've had a few very nice, clear, sunny days.

If you're thinking of getting into raising chickens, now is a great time to consider things like building chicken coops for your new flock!

Organic Chicken Feed

2007-02-15T13:23:00.000-08:00

How many of you raise chickens and feed them all-natural, organic chicken feed? The list of pros of feeding organic feed is long, especially if you eat your own eggs or your own chickens.

We just received a little ad from Shop The Coop, a new website that sells organic chicken feed.

How many of you feed your chickens organic food?

Tip: Chickens Eating Their Own Eggs?

2007-02-13T13:01:00.000-08:00

Chickens eating their own eggs can pose quite a problem for the hobbyist.

Take proactive measures, such as making sure the nests are padded, to prevent breakage and preventing the chickens from getting interested in the eggs in the first place.

You can also try darkening their nests (hang a piece of cloth over the opening), and supplementing their diet with extra protein.

There is a great poultry discussion on chickens eating their own eggs on the chicken message boards.

2007-02-11T08:11:00.000-08:00

Cold, cold as it gets here in Illinois, I dress in my coveralls, to go out and feed and water my animals. The weather has been, cold, but the word cold doesn't begin to cover just how cold it has been. As I type this, it is a whooping -6 F, and I know the water buckets are frozen. Even though they are the heated type, the ice still covers the top. The horses are made for cold weather, they actually seeem to like it very cold. I understand this, by watching them play in the snow, eat the snow, and yes, mine seem to like to slide in the stuff. Now my poor chickens are not liking the cold as well as the horses. The hens do not like the winter weather, they are all staying in the coop. Every winter, when it gets as cold as it is now, I will hook up a couple of heat lamps, to ward off the very cold nights. Not only does it help to keep the girls warm, it provides some extra light, so they will continue to lay eggs. The real challenge is to collect the eggs, a few times each day, so they won't become frozen. If the eggs are frozen, I will cook them up, shell and all, and feed it back to the hens. Chickens that are layers, need the extra calcium, to help in the formation of the egg. If a flock owner doesn't provide calcium in the form of oyster shell, the hen will draw the calcium from her bones, and that can lead to health troubles, down the road. So a person who goes and just does their chores, without thinking about the best of health for their chickens, can think they are doing the very best by them. In reality they are not doing the very best for their flock. With that being said, I will go and do my chores and keep in mind the health and well being of my girls.

New Poultry TV program!

2007-02-04T12:36:00.000-08:00

From poultryOne's free chicken message board:

GardenGirl says:

Please check out my TV show sample I'm trying to get made. I believe it will be the only show on televison with poultry care in it. I need lots of hits on my google site to get attention from Network types. So please spread it around, other websites have featured the content, maybe you will do the same on this site, making poultry raising that much more popular.

Thanks again and enjoy the show,

Patti (GardenGirl)

Click Here to Watch This New Chicken TV Program! This link will also direct you to a way to contact the author.

---> Here are what some people are saying about this TV show!

RonL says:

Great show. If it was scheduled, I would watch it

Newbrunswick says:

Thanks Patti - I enjoyed the clip and would watch your show

Sail2617 says:

I love your clip. I would definitely watch your show and it seems like something that PBS might be interested in. Sort of along the same line as This Old House. Good luck, I hope you get it aired.

What do you think?

Check it out today!

Shelling Fresh Eggs

2007-02-04T01:40:00.000-08:00

This is an excellent tip from an online poultry message board. If you've ever wondered how to easily shell your fresh chicken eggs, this is it! What is below is a portion of it. To read it all, follow the link at the end!

RonL says:
We know that the egg shell sticks to the thin membrane because fresh eggs have little or no air inside due to no evaporation as yet. Now, I figured that if the egg was still hot after hard boiling, and you cracked it all over, then placed it in ice water...

Read the rest of this egg-shelling tip on poultryOne's free online message board for raising poultry

There are many tips out there about shelling fresh chicken eggs (or duck, goose, etc.). These tips advocate using vinegar, or salt, or other similar tricks. This tip on shelling fresh chicken eggs does not require adding anything! Highly recommended.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Chicken Feed

2007-01-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

For the most part, chicks from 28 days of age and up are fed a "starter ration". This ration contains lots of protein (about 22 percent) to give them the energy needed to grow and develop properly. From 56 days (8 weeks) and up to when they start laying (usually around 6 months of age), the pullets (females under one year of age) are fed a grower ration containing about 17 percent protein. Once laying commences, layer ration is fed to them. Layer ration has a bit less crude protein content....about 15 percent in most feeds, and also adds extra vitamins and minerals like calcium.

Some of the minerals needed in general chicken feed are zinc, copper, iodine, magnesium, calcium, sodium (0.15%, also equal to 0.37% sodium chloride), phosphorus, potassium, manganese, and iron. Some of the vitamins needed by chickens that must be in their feed are Vitamin E (requirements vary as bird grows and diet changes), Vitamin D, Vitamin A (may be Vitamin A or pro-vitamin A), Vitamin K, Thiamine, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Riboflavin, Pantothenic acid, biotin, Vitamin B12, choline and folacin.

Confined Free Ranged Chickens and Poultry

2007-01-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

A fenced in bird yard provides sunshine, grass, fresh air, space, and most of all....SAFETY. But I'm not talking about your ordinary chicken run that's permanent and located in one spot. The confined-free-range method uses a large, floorless wire coop that is moved around in a pasture on a periodic basis. This allows the birds to be "free" yet still kept safe under your control.

Where can you get such a cage? The easiest thing to do is purchase a big, wire dog kennel. Most of these cages are large enough to hold nearly 10-15 chickens (less for ducks or geese, who need more space), more than adequate for most small-scale poultry farmers.

However, to make this plan work you need to use something called "range rotation". Basically, its the same thing as rotating your garden. Even if the cage is cleaned often, parasites and bacteria become concentrated in the ground, increasing the chance that your flock could become sick. Of course, sick chickens aren't any fun to raise. To prevent such a problem, you rotate the cage in your pasture, ensuring that the soil your birds are living on is given time to rest and recover from the heavy pecking/scratching it endured under your poultry.

Another thing you need to remember about confined-free-range is that you must build, or buy, range shelters. They can be as simple as a lean-to constructed from scrap lumber on posts or as fancy as a giant "permanent" coop attached to a tractor and dragged around by chains. However, the purpose is nearly the same: to provide protection from the elements. Because you are not free ranging but are instead placing the range shelters in a confined area, you do not need to build an enclosed area since the birds are already protected from predators.

Feeding and Watering young chicks

2007-01-20T15:22:00.000-08:00

Commercial waterers are fine, or you can build your own! Water should be placed in a shallow waterer. Simply get a small tomato sauce can, poke two small holes on opposite sides of the can about one inch from the rim, fill with water, and invert in a shallow saucepan. The reason the dish must be shallow is because a curious chick will often venture into areas he doesn't belong, and there's nothing more awful than finding a drowned baby chicken! Think of it as child-proofing for a midget.

Food should be provided as commercial chick starter. You could potentially formulate your own chick feed, but why reinvent the wheel? Chick starter is extremely high in protein, which helps all those little chicks to grow up into big, healthy kings and queens of the coop.

Feeding kitchen scraps

2007-01-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

Many hobbyists also feed their chickens kitchen scraps. This is a great way to supplement their diet. Keep in mind that you should only feed your chickens HEALTHY kitchen scraps such as vegetable and fruit scraps. Certain things that shouldn't be fed to your chickens include meat, fat, spoiled food, onions (it will taint the eggs), raw potatoes, and sugary human food.

Don't forget to give your chickens water!

2007-01-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

Did you know that a chicken's body is more than 50 percent water? Water is a very important thing to provide your chickens with. Too little water results in dehydration, excessive stress, and a decline in egg production. Depriving them of water for 24 hours will take 24 more hours to recover completely (not something we recommend doing!). If you are starting your flock from chicks, a gallon of clean water per day should be enough for one hundred birds. Mature birds need about 1 to 2 cups of water a day, with layers needing more water than non-layers. The weather/heat also affects how much water a chicken will drink. Water should be clean, fresh, and available at all times.

THANK YOU to all our poultry readers!

2007-01-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

poultryOne received OVER 230,000 visitors in 2006. Thank you for all over your support!

We can't wait to see what this new year will bring for us and our loyal readers.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from poultryOne and this blog! We're thankful to have great readers like you. We look forward to 365 more days of poultry fun!

Watch for new features on our website, coming soon.

What to feed chickens!

2006-03-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

Now that you're raising chickens, what should you feed them? What do your chickens like to eat? What are some healthy kitchen treats to give your chickens?

Chickens love to eat. Here are some basic guidelines you should follow when feeding your chickens:

First, feed your chickens good store-bought feed designed for the purpose you are raising them for. For example, egg layers should eat chicken feed for egg production and meatbirds should eat chicken feed that encourages healthy weight gains.

Second, supplement your chickens' diets with as much natural feedstuff as you possibly can. I like to let my chickens free range, which allows them to feast on all sorts of natural goodies like grass and seeds and, of course, lots of bugs!

Third, you can give your chickens healthy treats from your garden and your kitchen! When I go out to prune my garden, I give them old vegetables and fruits like tomatoes and lettuce. This is safe and an excellent treat as long as you do not treat your plants with chemicals (yet another great reason to "go organic"!).You can also give your chickens healthy treats from your kitchen such as vegetable scraps.

And finally, give your chickens lots of fresh, CLEAN water to drink. Chicken bodies need lots of water to keep them healthy. This is especially important during the heat of summer.

If you supply your chickens with lots of great food and fresh water, they will live longer, happier lives. And happy chickens are fun!

The Scientific Name for the Chicken

2006-03-08T14:39:00.000-08:00

The Scientific Name for the Chicken and The Scientific Name for Poultry

-------------------

This is useful information for students doing research projects and school essays on the scientific names of animals. We have compiled a list for your personal reference.

The scientific name for the domestic Chicken is Gallus domesticus.
The scientific name for the chicken is Gallus Gallus.

The scientific name for the Pigeon is Columbia livia.
The scientific name for the Duck is Domestic Anas platyrhyncha.
The scientific name for the Duck is Muscovy Cairina moschata.
The scientific name for the Japanese Quail is Coturnix coturnix japonica.
The scientific name for the Guinea Fowl is Guinea Numida meleagris.
The scientific name for the Turkey is Melleagris gallopavo.
The scientific name for the Peafowl is Phasianidae.

We hope this page has been helpful to you in researching chicken scientific names and the scientific names of common poultry. In most cases, all breeds will be the same species. For example, even though the Barred Plymouth Rock is a specific breed, its chicken scientific name is Gallus domesticus.

If you have any questions, post them on our free poultry message board.

2006-03-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

[ From a blog on raising backyard chickens ]

Poultry Post Edited

2006-03-06T20:21:00.000-08:00

Deleted!

The bird flu

2006-03-06T20:18:00.000-08:00

Everyone is so worried about the bird flu! I know we are. This topic has been popping up ALL over poultry message boards. One of our favorite discussions is taking place over at poultryOne where they are currently debating the bird flu (avian influenza) and what it means for chicken hobbyists. It's definitely an interesting read. The best part is that you can chime in!

One reader wrote in saying:

A.I. is a serious disease of birds

Agree? Disagree? Chime in on what you think about the bird flu.

The Mysterious Red Breasted Goose

2006-03-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

Has anyone ever raised the red breasted goose?

It sounds intriguing!

[ from GamebirdWorld.com's article on raising the red goose ]

Raising Gamebirds

2006-03-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

From the creators of poultryOne.com:

Raising gamebirds (pheasants, quail, etc) and waterfowl (ducks, geese, etc.) has never been easier!

poultryOne has just "soft" launched a new poultry website devoted entirely to raising gamebirds and raising waterfowl! ("soft" launched meaning they're not releasing it to the public....yet....but we're letting you preview it here!)

GamebirdWorld.com - Guide to Raising Gamebirds and Raising Waterfowl

They're got a *small* article section up with a few choice articles from poultryOne and Dr. Leland Hayes (our favorite gamebird expert!). They'll be adding more later, but feel free to check it out and let them know what you think!

GamebirdWorld.com

More great chicken websites

2006-03-05T18:24:00.000-08:00

Here are some great chicken links.

How to Feed Your Chickens (includes MUSIC!!!)

2006-02-13T03:35:00.000-08:00

Never before have we seen a feeding frenzy like this! We really dig the soundtrack too.

Watch this video and others over at http://keepingchickens.blogspot.com/

Raising Your Home Chicken Flock

2006-02-13T03:30:00.000-08:00

Greart article from the University of Maryland!

Why Have a Small Flock?

Before You Plan a Flock

What Kind of Chicken?

[ Finish reading this poultry article here ]

Frequently Asked Questions about Raising Chickens

2006-02-13T03:29:00.000-08:00

As a beginner, and even as an expert, there are some questions that frequently pop up in the course of a day.

Well, we've found the perfect article for you! You can read those questions and more, as well as the answers (of course!), over at keepingchickens.blogspot.com. It's another great poultry blog and we know you'll love it!!

Pastured Poultry pt 2

2006-02-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

Now that you're interested in raising pastured poultry, let's look at the income returns on such a venture.

The following data was collected from 4 farms between the years 1997 and 1998.

------------------

The average net return per bird per year for all farms was $2.43, with a range that varied greatly from $-2.82 to a whopping $7.05.

The average net return per farm per year for all farms was $3,580.25, with a range of $-1,609 to a HUGE $11,040.

There are other variables, such as the price of feed and the farm's location. The primary goal for raising pastured poultry, whether monetary or something else (attracting customers, building soil fertility, being a "green" consumer, health reasons, etc), also explains the wide financial range.

[ Data from UW - Madison ]

2006-02-12T16:10:00.000-08:00

This is too funny! We found it on poultryOne.com, and it's definitely a hilarious read!

Raising Chickens for the first time can be intimidating. When I first called the Feed Shop, I was trying to sound like a pro. I asked, “Do you sell pullets?” “Yes”, the man replied. “Are they all females?” It’s been an uphill battle ever since.

Pullet parenthood is an much of an adventure as child rearing, only with more feces per pound of body weight. However, I’ve been reading quite a bit on poultry matters. (Yes, my coolness just turned over in its grave.) So if I am correct and I am quite certain I am not, here is how chicken rearin’ goes.

[ Finish the article on Chicken Rearing 101 ]
Courtesy of poultryOne.com

Happy Chicken Saturday!

2006-02-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday from your favorite chicken blog! We are the *finest* poultry blog ever, or at least our rooster thinks so. He keeps crowing and won't stop! Probably because he heard the poultry jokes below:

*groooan* Ok ok, enough "road" jokes. Here are a few others, and if they don't make you smile then you woke up on the wrong side of the coop today!

Ooooh boy. We hope that made you laugh. It sure dragged a chuckle out of us, albeit with a few groans and rolling eyes. :)

Remember, NovaPoultry at http://raisechickens.blogspot.com is your best friend in the poultry world! We are constantly posting stories, interesting articles, tips on raising chickens, and links to other relevant sites. We also take user contributions! If you want us to include something in our blog, let us know in a comment! We'd love your suggestions.

So spread the word, tell a friend, and start a revolution! A poultry revolution, that is. Please don't use violence, and don't scare the baby chicks!

Raising Pastured Poultry

2006-02-10T22:44:00.000-08:00

What's pastured poultry?

The term "pastured poultry" is a common way to raise chickens! It includes putting a bunch of young meat chickens in floor-less, transportable pens during the growing season. These pens are moved every day by sliding them along the ground, providing fresh pasture to the birds. The chickens also receive regular grain feed to supplement their pastured diet. They are then butchered and sold like regular meatbirds.

Why pastured poultry?

You should raise pastured poultry for many reasons, including your health! Some studies show that free-ranged and pastured chickens are better for you than regular cage-grown birds. Here are a few other reasons!

Can be run by one person

Strong demand

Low capital investment

No need to invest a large amount

Potential for extra income!!

Provides sustainably produced meat

Chicken manure is great for the soil

So what are you waiting for? It's a great opportunity!

Reducing coop heating costs

2006-02-10T16:12:00.000-08:00

This article is especially relevant what with the rising costs of energy bills. While you can't make winter any shorter or any warmer, you *can* do a few things to reduce the energy used to heat your coop. We found the following information very timely, courtesy of our favorite poultry resource website: poultryOne's Guide to Raising Chickens.

That's not all! Finish the article here.

By Tom W. Smith, Ph.D., Extension Poultry Specialist

Information Sheet 1617
Extension Service of Mississippi State University, cooperating with www.usda.gov U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published in furtherance of Acts of Congress,
May 8 and June 30, 1914. Ronald A. Brown, Director

Copyright by Mississippi State University. All rights reserved.

This document may be copied and distributed for nonprofit educational purposes provided that credit is given to the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Egg Drop Syndrome?

2006-02-09T23:51:00.000-08:00

KJ Theodore is one of our favorite online poultry authors. In the following article, she discusses one of the problems you might encounter when raising chickens for eggs.

[ Finish the article at the Poultry Youth Association ]

For more information about the PYA, one of the few website for kids, visit their website at poultryyouth.com.

The Open Directory Project

2006-02-09T21:40:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of great poultry sites on the ODP.

One example is their Poultry Sites list (which we also link to in our navigation bar on the right). Lots of high quality stuff there.

Well, yesterday we figured that since you love us and all, we deserve being listed too! Besides, all these search engine people say that an ODP listings will help improve NovaPoultry's search engine ranks and is the best thing we can do to promote this blog. However, after scouring the web and reading up lots of geeky stuff, we discovered that it's a lot harder than it sounds. It takes most "excellent" sites up to 2 years just to be listed!!! (shocked gasp)

We submitted our site yesterday, so please cross your fingers for us. In our humble opinion, we're better than "excellent"....so maybe it'll only take us 6 months.

Woman saves her chicken....with mouth-to-mouth!

2006-02-09T21:32:00.000-08:00

This is from the "I love my chicken so much I'd do anything, including really weird stuff" Department. :)

Sometimes a chicken does have lips, just sometimes not her own. Marian Morris saved her brother's exotic chicken, Boo Boo, by administering "mouth-to-beak" resuscitation on the fowl after it was found floating face down in the family's pond.

Morris, a retired nurse, said she hadn't had any practice with CPR in years, but that she was interested to see if she "still had it."

[ Continue the story at Breitbart.com ]

Well, at least you know who to call the next time your birds need help!

Killing baby chicks

2006-02-09T17:51:00.000-08:00

From MotherEarthNews.com:

While on a trip to the local garbage dump to gather leaf mulch (conveniently prepackaged in plastic bags), my friend Tom and I discovered a yellow heap of dead chicks lying near an air-befouling incinerator.

In answer to my shocked questions, Tom explained to me that the local hatchery often dumped its "worthless" rooster chicks there ... birds that—since they couldn't produce eggs—"nobody wanted".

Well, that pile of dead birds set my brain to working, so later that afternoon Tom and I drove to the hatchery and told the dealer that we'd be glad to take a batch of those doomed roosters off his hands. The gentleman was most agreeable, and we left with instructions to pick up our gratis fowl on the following Friday. Our great chicken-raising adventure had begun!

[ Click here to finish the article ]

Asia bans homes from raising poultry!

2006-02-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

Here's some poultry news from around the world:

The avian influenza virus, aka The Dreaded Bird Flu, is spreading in Africa.

Meanwhile, the government of Hong Kong bans homes from raising poultry! Here's an excerpt from an article found at Bloomberg's

Hong Kong Bans Homes Raising Poultry; Bird Flu Spreads in Iraq

Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong announced regulations on residents keeping poultry in a bid to prevent the spread of the bird flu virus, as the World Health Organization said the disease may have reached an area of southern Iraq.

Households will be banned from raising chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons and quails in backyards from Feb. 13, Hong Kong's Health, Welfare and Food Bureau said today in a statement on its Web site. Residents will face fines of as much as HK$100,000 ($12,900) for violating the regulations.

Iraq is treating seven people for suspected bird flu in the country, where a possible third fatality indicates the lethal virus may have spread to the south, the WHO said. Most patients ``have reported a history of direct contact with diseased poultry,'' it said.

At least 19 countries have reported outbreaks in birds, which risks infecting people and increases the chance that the virus may change into a form capable of causing a lethal flu pandemic. Such a virus may touch off a pandemic similar to the one that killed as many as 50 million people in 1918.

[ Finish the article here ]

All about The Chicken

2006-02-08T17:54:00.000-08:00

You raise chickens, but do you know everything there is about them? That's why you have an encyclopedia!

Wikipedia entry for "Chicken"

Wikipedia entry for "Raising Chickens"

National Animal Identification System

2006-02-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

You might not have heard of it yet, but it is an issue that could potentially have a huge impact on how you raise your chickens. The NAIS (National Animal Identification System) is a program run by the US government. It's goal is to improve animal health surveillance by identifying and tracking specific animals. This could, theoretically, help protect us from biosecurity threats such as rabies or avian influenza (the much-talked about "bird flu"). It is administered by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a branch of the US Department of Agriculture, the NAIS will also be overseen by your state's animal health boards.

The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) will affect nearly all livestock species, including your chickens! Besides poultry, the NAIS will include cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, certain fish species, and other farm animals.

Locations where these animals are raised, such as your coop and backyard, will need to be identified under the NAIS. Also, the animals themselves will be identified and tracked whenever they are moved (such as when you travel across the state to a poultry show, or sell them to a breeder).

The goal of the NAIS is to be able to traceback to the animal within 48 hours of a diseased animal's movements. This traceback would help animal health officials identify all the animals and locations that have had direct contact with the animal. In situations like the bird flu, this could be crucial in stopping its spread.

More information about the National Animal Identification System [ from poultryOne.com ]

Cute picture of raising chickens!

2006-01-31T13:12:00.000-08:00

Here's a cute picture one of our visitors sent in:

Aren't those the cutest things? He writes in saying:

"These are three of my chickens. Unfortunately, they don't have names! When I first started raising chickens, I planned to *gasp* kill them when they stopped laying. 8 years later, I can't bring myself to eating these three darling old girls. They don't lay anymore, but I look at it as if they are simply using up their 401k retirement fund. When they were younger, they contributed greatly to it, so it's only fair!"

Since when did chickens have their own retirement fund? Oh well, we'd do the same! At least they are in a better position than us, who *knows* if we'll ever get to see any of our Social Security when we retire. This new generation of young folk better work hard and pay lots in SS taxes!

Oops, looks like we're letting some politics sneak into our blog. We promise it won't happen again!

Frequently Asked Chicken Questions

2006-01-17T18:10:00.000-08:00

In the course of your time raising chickens, you'll know doubt have a few questions. Shagbark Bantams has compiled a short little list of some common FAQs. For example:

What is grit and when should I use it for my poultry?

Grit is anything that would provide a grinding tool in the gizzard, where the feed is broken down. Tiny pebbles, sand, grit, canary or pigeon grit, etc. are all suitable for adults birds, but only canary grit (or something similar in size) should be used for chicks, when necessary......

Find more at http://shagbarkbantams.com/faqnew.htm!

Great hatchery for buying chicks and other poultry!

2006-01-09T17:57:00.000-08:00

While searching the web, we've come across a lot of people asking where the best place is to buy chicks. Here are some helpful webpages!

McMurray Hatchery
They're a favorite of ours. High quality, reliable, and they've been in the business for centuries! Ok, maybe not centuries....but a long time!

Also, check out this Wikipedia entry on finding a hatchery. Very useful stuff!

Hope this helps. :)

Welcome!

2006-01-03T01:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to RaiseChickens.blogspot.com!

The purpose of this blog is to alert you to important poultry news, great poultry sites we've found, and other neat chicken stuff.

We hope you'll enjoy it!