Archive for September, 2009
The Sebright is the only hen feathered chicken breed. Meaning that the male and female have identical feathering. Excerpt from the DVD Regarding Chickens, shows the silver version, there is also a golden.
Duration : 0:0:25
A collection of exotic chicken breeds at Purina Farms in Gray Summit, Missouri
Duration : 0:0:48
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This video shows an unusual chicken breed in unusual looks. Most Ameraucanas seen somewhere else are most likely mixed. In this video, they are in their original colors and genes. The black and red ones are Wheatens, while the grey and red ones are Blue Wheatens. The white ones are Ameraucana hens, while the others are other breeds. The white rooster is a splash, which is like a “wild card”.
Duration : 0:7:12
1. Build your chicken coop in a way that nothing gets in at night (racoons, dogs, cats or other chicken feeders). Make sure you can lock the doors and that they open inwards, not outwards
#2. Use concrete to build the coop flooring. They’re easier to clean and prevent predators from digging under the walls to get into the coop
#3. Ensure that the coop design includes proper ventilation and a source of light. Insulated walls help keep the chickens dry when the weather is cold & humid
I am going to be getting chickens, and I want some really unusual, but pretty looking ones. Does anyone know of some unusual breeds of chicken? I really like the Silkie from China.:) Any info would be great.
Thank You:)
White crested black Polish chickens are pretty unusual looking –>http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/2/2-2/Terry_Beebe-3.jpg
I would like to have Plymouth Rocks, Sussex, Wyandottes or Leghorns together. I’m raising them from chicks.
Yes, it shouldn’t be a problem keeping them together. All are easy going hardy breeds. You should have a nicely mannered flock that’s very attractive too.
Leghorns- originally from Italy, are considered "the best feed-to-egg conversion ratio of any pure breed". They come in a multitude of colors and can have both a single and a rose comb.
Plymouth Rocks-an all American breed and great dual purpose bird. Also comes in multiple colors with a single comb.
Sussex- a British breed, good all around bird, also comes in different colors and has a single comb.
Wyandottes- developed in the US, named after a tribe of Native Americans. Raised for both meat and eggs, is a really pretty chicken, no matter what color they are. Wyandottes have a rose comb.
I wanna try to convince my parents to let me get the chicks, and I need some tips on raising chickens/ building a coop. Thanks!
A "chicken tractor" would be a perfect shelter for a small flock. Its a portable chicken coop on skids or with wheels. They have 2 levels. The lower level doesn’t have a floor so the chickens can eat grass and bugs. The upper level is where the roosts and nest boxes are located. You would also keep the feeder and waterer there. I keep 6 hens in a 4′x8′ chicken tractor. I move it to a new spot in the yard every 2 days so they can get to a fresh patch of grass and the whole yard gets fertilized.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/chicken-coop-tractor.html
This page will give you some ideas. Build the coop first, then work on your parents about getting the chickens. If your parents don’t give in you can sell the coop.
Don’t forget to get a reference book about chickens. I like "Storey’s Guide To Raising Poultry".
I want to get 3(4 each) different breeds of chickens and house them together.Plus I would appreciate any info on guineas(their needs,behaviors etc.)
Different breeds can be kept together.
Rooster to Hen ratio:
Best: Hen Per Rooster Maximum: Hen Per Rooster
Bantam 18 25
Light Breed 12 20
Heavy Breed 8 12
Have you ever heard of a pecking order? Where the top guy picks on another, who picks on the next one down and so forth and there is always the little guy (not always little in size) at the bottom. Well, it’s called a pecking order because the chickens peck. But most social animals have a hierarchy too, cows do, people tend to, etc.
Now, before you even think about getting live animals you need to do a lot of reading. You need to know about common problems that you might run into, infections, bugs, mites, predators. You want to be as prepared as you possibly can or you’ll end up with no birds.
A very good website with a lot of information is
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/
really you should also go to your library and get some books on raising chickens.
Guineas are different. They are MUCH more wild than chickens and that means they are more wily too. You shouldn’t even think about raising guineas until you’ve read the book Gardening With Guineas. You run into a totally different set of problems with them. They like to escape and build secret nests and not come home at night (then they are sure to get eaten) They like to be close to water, and if your neighbors have a pond, they might decide they want to live over there. They are A LOT noisier than chickens. And remember, Roosters do not only crow in the morning, they crow in the afternoon evening and sometimes at 2 am.
And, the good part about guineas is that they don’t damage veggie gardens like many chickens will and they are good pest control, ticks and stuff. But you don’t get any of those benefits if they are penned and can’t get out. They need to be trained to go back in their house at night. Same as chickens.
Many people opt for a movable pen with movable electric fencing around chickens. It keeps out most predators, and being able to move them around helps them get fresh grass and greens to eat. Keeping them in one spot and feeding them only their grains is less healthy for them, and in turn they make eggs that are less healthy for you.
There is a lot to say about raising birds. But I’ll stop here.
your perch should be made like a ladder, slooping back to the wall and with enough space between each perch to keep the chickens roosting above from pooing on the chickens on the bottom rack… you can put the bottom perch any distance from the floor, two feet or so. Make sure there is plenty of room for the birds to roost without being too crowded. You can hang your waterer and feeder from your rafters and that will keep them from pooing in the water and feed, plus they can not dig out all the feed to get to the stuff they like best. Most chickens like things like watermelon rind and veggies too, so we always gave those to our birds as a treat, they will pretty much peck a rind till you could read the paper thru it! If you have a lot of chickens, you may want to buy lice dust just in case wild birds give them lice ,,,,thats a mess to get rid of and the lice will get on humans also. Oyster shell for grit and calcium and a good chicken feed is about all you need for feed. They love green grass also, so if you have them in a lot where there is none, you can take grass clippings, ONLY FRESH ones , and give them those too as a treat. Chickens need a safe place from preditors so make sure nothing can get into your chicken coop.. even a 2 inch hole will let rats in and we lost some chickens to racoons who found a 4 inch hole in the floor, still have no idea how on earth the coon got thru the hole , but he did! Good luck with your chickens, fresh eggs are great!
Enjoy this video that I put together that has some great tips on getting started building your first chicken coop.
- Jean
