Rent the Chicken. Backyard Chickens. How To Train Chickens To Go To The Coop & More. Recently, my husband's grandmother visited our house, took a look at our hens, and said (shaking her head in wonderment): "How do you get them to do what you want them to do?
" She couldn't imagine how we got them in and out of the garden, or kept them out of our favorite plants, or put them "to bed" at night. Caring For Chickens In The Winter. Now that it is getting colder outside, it’s time to change the way I take care of the backyard ladies.
Some of my chickens are a little more cold-tolerant than others, but since they all provide me eggs and hours of entertainment, I like to make sure they are comfortable. As the days grow shorter, you can expect egg production to drop way off. Chickens need 12-14 hours of light each day to be on top of their egg-laying game. If you want them to lay steadily through the winter, you’ll need to add light.
Feeding Chickens. Chicken Health & Egg Laying Problems. DIY Chicken Coops & Tools. Spring Time Chores: Chicken Pens, Drugs in Chicken Feed and Preserving Eggs. Spring time chores on the homestead include chicken pen care, knowing how to preserve eggs, avoiding commercial chicken feed and health benefits from lambs quarters.
The Luxuries of Spring One thing that spring affords us farmers is a chance to get back into shape with out paying those high costs at the gym. I call it my farm girl aerobics. There is the shoveling out the winter barns heavy with muck that has been frozen down all year. Forget those leg weights as walking through the mud with boots now weighing 20 pounds or more, does more then any strap on weight ever could. When To Butcher Laying Hens. Natural Chicken & Duck Care Guide. Here are some of our most popular blog posts organized by category to make it easier for you to find what you're looking for.
All the images are pinnable, so please feel free to share on Pinterest or bookmark for future reference. (Scroll to the very bottom if you have a specific question you would like answered after browsing the various articles included here.) The Basics. How To Incubate & Hatch Eggs. How Weather Affects Your Chicken Runs & Coops. Weather can affect your chicken runs and coops in different parts of the world.
How does the weather affect your chicken runs and coops? We will look at some of the different situations, conditions and recommend a few solutions in this article. Desirable Climate. Poultry: Small Flock Management Downloads. Home •College of Ag & Life Sciences •MAFES •Extension Small Flock Management Extension > Small Flock Management Poultry producers take pride in owning a well-managed, productive flock.
However, most flocks suffer from management problems that prevent the birds from ever reaching their productive potential. The vast majority of problems encountered in the poultry house are not related to nutrition or disease, but from mismanagement by the poultryman. The information contained in this section is designed to assist the poultry producer in avoiding management problems and preventing potentially serious problems in the flock. Connect. Poultry For Small Farmers: Journey To Forever. There's a lot of good poultry information on the Web, along with some excellent books for small-scale or backyard poultry keepers.
Keeping Ducks. Temperament: friendly, messy, lovableCost: $20 plusLifespan: 7 yearsRecommended for: Backyarders, hobbyistsMaintenance: Medium Many people dream one day of having some ducks in the backyard and there are quite a few different breeds you can pick from.
Ducks are bred for all sorts of purposes; as snail eaters, egg layers, for meat or simply as a hobby so it's just a matter of choosing a breed that suits your backyard and needs. Breeds The Pekin is described as an attractive large white duck, although the plumage can show a tinge of cream or yellow. They weigh 3.5-4kg (about 8-9lb) with yellow or reddish-orange bill and legs. Other duck breeds mentioned in our segment include the Muscovy which is actually a separate species. The Cayuga takes it name from Lake Cayuga in the US. Khaki Campbells are medium sized ducks (2.25-2.5kg (5-5.5lb)) with slender necks. Raising Ducks & Geese. Whether you raise them for fun or frugality, ducks and geese are great additions to a homestead.
They forage for much of their own food, need only a simple shelter and fencing for protection, and convert insects and weeds into healthy proteins. So, aside from the charms of honking, waddling, quacking and splashing, what can ducks and geese offer your family? Eggs. Some duck breeds will actually lay more eggs than chickens will. Duck eggs are not much different in flavor from chicken eggs. Meat. Weed and pest control. Feathers. Duck Breed Comparisons. Six Duck Breeds For Your Small Farm. Runner ducks Photo credit: Wikipedia CC If you are considering adding ducks to your small farm you will be making a wise choice, as they will be pleasant companions and entertain you daily while providing pest control, manure for your soil, meat, eggs, down and feathers, and left-over grease that can be used for cooking.
Granted, they do make “messes” with water and mud, depending upon your tolerance for that sort of thing. If your land has water, adding ducks would be a perfect fit. Poo-Free Self-Filling Duck Waterer. The mob If any of you have had any experience with ducks, you’ll know that they produce and deposit enormous amounts of nutrient — aka duck poo. It usually ends up over everything they come in contact with. Raising Turkeys; Feeding, Housing,Diseases and Organic Care.
Raising turkeys is no different to keeping chickens, in fact, and in some ways turkeys are easier to raise. The one problem with turkeys is that they are big, ungainly birds with the larger breeds being so big that they cannot breed naturally. The males are so heavy that they find it difficult to mount the females successfully and the females often get scratched and injured after the many attempts.
The other problem with turkeys is again related to their size. American Poultry Association. Small-scale Poultry Processing. American Bantam Association. Thepoultryguide. Chickens & Coops. Chickens.