Tag: raising chickens

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Feeding Supplies for Chickens

So, you decided to raise chickens. You have your plan in place for acquiring some chicks, preparing the chick nursery, and building the chicken coop. When we started raising chickens, we did so with three objectives in mind: 1) to be more self-reliant, 2) help with the food budget, and 3) teach our sons some important life skills. 

Nowadays, with all the things you hear and read about raising chickens, it seems like an expensive endeavor. You might actually be wondering if it’s just not a better idea to buy your eggs at the store. There are other reasons to raise chickens besides possible cost savings. There are health benefits…you know where your eggs came from. Farm fresh eggs taste better. Caring for chickens can be fun, they are quite animated and entertaining to watch. And raising chickens doesn’t have to be expensive if you don’t want it to be. Our first chicken coop was framed out of wood pallets that were free!

Chicken inspecting cabbage
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The Chick Nursery

Now that you have figured out whether or not you are getting baby chicks and when, it’s time to start thinking about and preparing for where you are going to keep them. You want to make sure that your chick quarters are conducive to their health and well-being. When we got our first batch of baby chicks twenty-some years ago, we got a plastic kiddie pool, put some sawdust in the bottom, pulled a chair up next to it that we could hook a heat lamp to and called it good. Surprisingly, all but one chick survived. The next attempt involved a cardboard box, and then we tried a round plastic tub that sat on top of the washing machine in the laundry room with the heat lamp hooked on to the cupboard door. That set up worked fine, except on laundry days. The point here being that any kind of container and set up that works for you and keeps your chickens safe and warm will be just fine, you don’t have to buy or build an expensive set up.

Chicken Nursery
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Thinking About Some Chicks?

Now that the holidays are coming to a close and as we move into the new year, it’s time to be thinking about if, when and where you are going to get your new chicks. February seems to be the month that feed stores typically start getting in their supply of chicks, and that’s just around the corner! It’s best to plan for starting or expanding your flock before the fact, rather than just going to the feed store one day and coming home with baby chicks. Now is the perfect time to start planning and preparing.

chicks in nursery cage
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Preening and Dust Baths

Preening is a chicken’s favorite pastime! It’s the method that Mother Nature has given them to not only look their best, but to protect and condition their feathers. A chicken’s feathers are their first line of defense in battling the elements and protecting their bodies. They have several different kinds of feathers, each serving a unique purpose, and they have several layers of feathers which provide insulation and protection against the weather. A chicken also has an oil gland near the base of their tail. If you watch them preen, you will notice the chicken rub their beak at the base of their tail, collecting oils which they will then spread on their feathers. This oil helps with insulation and waterproofing factors as well as aiding in the battle against external parasites.

chicken sun bathing 1
chicken sun bathing 2
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Chicken Aggression

When I was fairly new to chicken keeping, we got some chicks from the feed store and one of the hens turned out to be a rooster. He was a feisty guy. My boys were ages 2, 4 and 6 at the time and this rooster would chase them all over the yard. It got to where they would not go out back if that rooster wasn’t locked up. They named him ‘Killer’! He would go after anybody that came near his territory and if you have never been attacked by a chicken, as funny as it looks and seems, those little buggers can inflict some serious pain! For the safety of the kids, he was culled. I have only had one other rooster that would go after people and he was exiled from the coop. No longer having a harem to protect, he calmed down.

Chickens eating at feeder
Establishing a ‘‘pecking order” is natural in chicken culture.
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Is There Egg on My Face?

A few years ago I began to notice a decrease in egg production without any real reason as to why. In trying to figure out what was going on, I started watching my chickens very closely. My first clue was a hen with egg on her face! Then one morning I actually caught another hen in the act of eating an egg. So the challenge, and major research, was on‼

Chicken eating eggs
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Why Raise Chickens?

Have you been thinking about raising chickens? Have you sat down at the kitchen table and started a pros and cons list?  Maybe the cons list is longer than the pros list. Perhaps you are wondering if its really worth the time, effort, and cost. Well here are some of my thoughts; maybe a little different perspective will help you make up your mind.

(pullets) young chicks with new feathers
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