What are these three things chickens don't need? When raising chickens naturally, in winter, there are things chickens don't need. I know its hard to believe that chickens can and do make it through the winter months, even in very cold climates, without our interfering. How can a chicken possibly survive the cold and reach the warmer spring months healthy and happy? Because this happens over and over. Chickens all over the world weather the winter without these three things chickens don't need … [Read more...]
Why Keep the Rooster with Your Flock?
Why would you keep the rooster? The general feeling from most chicken keepers seems to be just the opposite. Rightly so in the case of neighborhood rules, or possibly having small children around. But in many cases, if you keep the rooster, your flock will benefit from a good leader. When you picked up your chicks this year, the little fluffy balls of fun were so cute! No doubt one was your favorite. Now that the chicks are reaching 10 to 12 weeks of age, you have begun to notice something a … [Read more...]
Can Chickens Eat Mashed Potatoes?
Can chickens eat mashed potatoes? Believe it or not, too much of any food can upset the delicate balance in the chicken's digestive tract. Being Omnivores means that technically, chickens can eat anything they want to eat. Their diet in the wild would consist of varied plants, bugs, dead animals, and live rodents. However, they have some of the choice taken away from them when we keep them in coops and runs. Faced with a delicious plate of mashed potatoes, next to the regular dish of layer feed, … [Read more...]
Dropping Board -Keeping a Clean Coop
How to Keep the Dropping Board Clean Dropping board is a term used to describe the area directly below the roost bar in a chicken coop. It helps by collecting the manure and keeping it contained so that removal of the chicken manure is easy to complete. With chores, I always find that the easier they are to complete, the more likely that the chore will get completed. While chickens are sleeping on the roost at night, feces drop from them onto whatever is directly below. Not cleaning up … [Read more...]
10 Signs You Have a Broody Hen
How do you handle broody hen season? What is a broody and how do you know you have one? The spring weather brings on the urge to set on eggs and hatch out a clutch of chicks. If the eggs have been fertilized by a rooster, in approximately 21 days from when the hen finishes collecting her eggs and begins to set on the eggs, you will have cute new chicks! I specifically bought bantam Cochin chicks, because they are often serious broody hens. We ended up with six hens and 5 roosters, … [Read more...]
