Keeping Roosters Quiet Several times each month I receive letters, emails and phone calls from concerned chicken owners asking how they can keep their roosters quiet. More times than not, they are keeping chickens in urban areas. Many cities around the country ban roosters to prevent nuisance complaints from their citizens, even though there are several ways to keep roosters in urban areas quietly and responsibly. In my opinion, roosters have two main purposes, which they do very well: protect and fertilize. There are many great reasons why people choose to keep backyard chickens in urban areas, but breeding is rarely one of them, so keeping a rooster is not necessary in most cases. On the rare occasions when I did have a rooster or two, I would keep them quietly and responsibly. Overall, I think roosters get a bad rap, but I understand that they are not for everyone.
Animal Handling Since 1991, the AMI Foundation has encouraged its members to subscribe to voluntary animal welfare guidelines and to embrace auditing programs and they have done so. The meat industry was the first sector in animal agriculture to develop such guidelines and to begin self-audit programs. Data collected by Colorado State University's Dr. Temple Grandin for the U.S. The AMI Foundation released its updated 2013 Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines and Audit Guide in July 2013. Many companies also retain third party expert auditors. The AMI Foundation supports the efforts of the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization, Inc. To download a customer-friendly brochure about AMIs audit program, click here.
Meanwhile, in the Gravity Chicken Run… The Gravity Chicken Run is now entering its second winter as one of the gravity-powered (and chicken powered) composting experiments at Milkwood Farm. We’ve made some modifications since last winter, and things are looking good. As with all on-farm experiments, we’re learning as we go. But egg production is good and, as we continue to tweak things, all-round chicken happiness is high. Gravity Chicken Run in Winter 2011… going well, but could use some terracing logs and heaps more mulch. The run in Winter 2012 – log terraces in place to slow the progress of materials and deep litter at about 20cm average depth that is constantly being renewed… The Rawbale Chicken House is working well – keeping the chickens warm and snug while allowing for good airflow. The idea with this chicken run (or straw yard, as it’s become known) is that weekly we dump a wheelbarrow full of straw in at the very top of the run, which over time the chickens scratch down the hill. Here come the chooks to help out…
Good Nutrition for Healthy Vegan Dogs Contents IntroductionPutting Together a Basic MealProtein & CarbohydratesEnzymes & Beta-caroteneTaurine, L-Carnitine & B12Oils & Essential Fatty AcidsConclusionResources for Information and Supplies Introduction Many people are surprised to learn that not only can dogs enjoy vibrant health on a vegan diet, but just like people, their physical condition can actually improve as a result of eliminating animal foods. By genus, dogs are classified as carnivorous, but metabolically, they are actually omnivorous. Skeptical? “When we first found him on the streets of the Dominican Republic, Piggy was just a pup – he had no hair, he was skin hanging over a skeleton, and he could barely walk a couple of blocks,” Tod recalls. Still not sure? Michel recommends using commercial pet food that has gone through the Association of American Feed Control Officials feeding trials. Sandy Anderson, owner and founder of VeganPet in Australia, explains the philosophy behind the development of her products:
Clicker Training Chickens When my 10 chicks were a week old, I knew I wanted them to be trained to come to me. Food was the motivator, I knew. I did not want to be calling “chick, chick” all the time or clicking “chk, chk” all the time. I would say in a high, drawn out tone, “dee-lie-laah” each time I brought food. Now, three years later, they still come when I call. When they are obviously full and wary of being locked up when I need to leave in the middle of the day, refusing to step foot in the pen, I have another ploy after they respond to my call and just don’t want to be locked up. Hens just cannot resist the sight of a sprinkle of oats or corn falling, obviously. Only feed them in the pen, even if you are not locking them up. When I got my hens, I read and watched all the clicker training information I could find–fascinating! Another thing–I used a yellow, half cup, tupperware container for their oats.
Les Steaks Les Steaks On the evening of Tuesday October 4th, 1994, my wife and I were completing our first full day in Paris. We spent the day doing some of the things that everyone does on their first trip to Paris. What she didn’t write about, but we both remember quite well even today was the two men sitting opposite each other at a nearby table. Although I was to later learn many different names for steaks in France, I noticed that I continued to see the English word steak listed on many menus and chalkboards. But the French have many ways of spelling steak. French menus will generally list the type of steak in the dish description. • Tournedo niçoise: cook in butter, niçoise garnish, serve with thickened tomato gravy. • Tournedo Saint-Gothard: grilled, dress on croûtons, set on half a grilled tomato filled with béarnaise sauce, surround with souffle potatoes. • Tournedo italienne: cooked in butter, garnish with quarters of artichoke bottoms cooked à l’italienne, served with italienne sauce.
10 tips to train your hen to lay eggs in her nest box Are you pissed at your cute chubby hens because of their annoying habits? Relax, that is normal for the poultry dwellers. My 10 years experience has lead me to conclude, you may not agree with it but my opinion remains the same – hens love laying eggs everywhere except for the place where they should. When I bought hens for the first time, I went mad almost – they use to lay eggs all over the farm but not their next boxes. It was bothering because most of the eggs used to get wasted as I was not able to locate them or other animals used to break eggs. Are you going through the phase when the hen laid eggs in the garden, trees, hay bales but not their boxes? 1: Place nest boxes in quantity: You must have at least 4 to 5 boxes for a flock of 20 hens – in this way hens would feel comfortable laying eggs in the boxes because of ease. 2: Alluring nest boxes: The nesting boxes must have something that the hen would not to eat or maybe play with. 3: Placement of the box: 5: Limit their movement:
Natural worming-what to feed chickens to help prevent internal parasites worms(graphic pic) My flock is my little family; I mean all my chickens are babies to me. They are so adorable and beloved that I cannot resist if something goes wrong. One fine morning I went to backyard to feed the babies and get the eggs too; I saw two of my fellows looked really tired and lazy. I thought it was because of food or maybe something other and sadly, I did not pay much attention. The next morning I found one of them lifeless; I was startled. I was too late to figure out what went wrong and my mistake cost my baby’s life. Beware of internal parasites: One of the most common poultry ailments include internal parasite infections and in simpler words, worm infections. Types of worms: The most common worms in chicken include: 1) Roundworm: These worms are found in the intestine and look somewhat like threads. ThreadwormsHairworms It is not that the worms instantly affect the chicken as birds manage to stay with the blight; however, this worm infection is contagious. 2) Gapeworms: 3) Tapeworm: Garlic: