A Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens

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!

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Spring is coming!

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

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?

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.

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!

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

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!