Raising Chickens in Cold Weather

Is this your first winter keeping chickens? When the temperature drops, it's important to know how to properly care for your backyard flock. Here are some common problems, along with must-know tips for preventing them:


Frostbite. Shows up as white spots on their combs and wattles; the spots eventually blacken and the affected part falls off. Not a huge worry unless you have prolonged periods of subzero temperatures. Gobs of petroleum jelly will protect frosbitten parts and encourage healing. Also, a 100 watt bulb or heat lamp on a timer works wonders for keeping small coops above freezing.
Dehydration. Avoid this by making sure your birds always have fresh, non-frozen water to drink. Instead of a plastic waterer, put out a galvanized or rubber bucket of warm water each morning, replacing the previous day's bucket (which has probably frozen overnight). Electric warmers also work well, if you can afford the additional electricity.
Breathing problems. Don't try to warm your chicken house by closing up all the vents! Remember, chickens put out tons of moisture through breathing and in their poop. Humidity and condensation (which can lead to frostbite) get worse when the air doesn't circulate. Also, deadly ammonia from their manure will build rapidly.
Few or no eggs. Given a choice between staying warm and laying eggs, chickens usually divert most of their food energy toward making body heat. If your chickens stop laying, try to get them to eat more. An old trick is to pour some warm water over their feed.
Low light. Winter days mean less daylight -- which leads to fewer eggs. Another source of winter blues: Chickens won't eat in the dark. Fight this with artificial light: Use a 60-100 watt bulb on a timer to maintain about 14 hours of light each day. Early morning is a good time for the light to be on, since those are the coldest hours of the day. (Remember to turn off the light after sunrise.)

We've covered some of the important things to think about when keeping chickens in cold weather. Egg production may suffer, but health usually isn't an issue unless your birds will be exposed to subzero (F) temps for weeks at a time.

Do you want to learn more about keeping chickens, and how to properly manage and care for your flock? Visit Harold's Web site at http://chickenhousesonline.com

(c) Copyright -- Harold Blackmon, Jr. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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Chicken Trivia

You can literally hypnotize a chicken by holding it and drawing a line in the dirt over and over. The chicken will stay still right there as long as you do this.

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Colonel Sanders (the Kentucky Fried Chicken guy in the white suit) was the second most recognized public figure in the world in 1979.

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Did you know that some breeds of chickens can lay coloured eggs? Sure enough, the Ameraucana and Araucana can lay eggs colored in shades of green or blue, depending on the breed and it's ancestry.

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In Fruita, Colorado, the town folk celebrate 'Mike the Headless Chicken Day'. Seems that a farmer named L.A. Olsen cut off Mike's head on September 10, 1945 in anticipation of a chicken dinner - and Mike lived for another 4 years WITHOUT A HEAD. Mike died from choking on a corn kernel.

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In Gainesville, Georgia - the chicken capital of the world - it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork!

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One punishment for an adulterous wife in medieval France was to make her chase a chicken through town naked. The source doesn't state whether it was the chicken or the wife who was naked.

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According to National Geographic, scientists have settled the old dispute over which came first -- the chicken or the egg. They say that reptiles were laying eggs thousands of years before chickens appeared, and the first chicken came from an egg laid by a bird that was not quite a chicken. That seems to answer the question. The egg came first.

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Beijing boasts the world's largest Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant.

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Chimney's used to be cleaned by dropping live chickens down them

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The closest living relative of the t-rex is the chicken which makes the phobia 'Alektorophobia' (Fear of chickens) slightly more plausible.

A Large Chicken Coop VIDEO...

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Making your own Chicken Food

So, you have bought your chickens and put them in the coop and wondering what to do next?

First thing you must do and not neglect is: water. Give them fresh water and make sure they have it on tap all the time. there are many fine water feeding system on the market, just pick a system that suits you and your pocket.

Next thing is your have decided to feed them yourself and not buy in food as such.
Well that is fine; people have been doing that for centuries. If you do it right and have the right breed, then your chickens will be healthy and give you a few eggs.

Making your own chicken food is very much a "suck it and see" sort of thing. The chickens will eat anything and if they don't like it, they will leave it...its as simple as that. Before we start, they are two things that you must not do.

Never feed the chickens meat of any kind and never ever feed them salt. Chickens like us, very much appreciate a varied diet and in the wild the birds will go round eating grains, seeds, bugs insects and small manuals. So with you home feeding system it is a good idea to let them roam round and pick up what they can. Doing this will also keep the "bugs" down in you garden as well as feeding your flock.

As well as water, the other thing that chickens need is grit. A home made method (a bit of an old wive's thing) for this is to take the egg shells that you get and put them in the oven until they are crunchy and then break them up as small as you can...try and get them like a course grit and then make this available to the flock. Do not give the chickens oyster shells because they are not good for them you would have to buy these anyway and we are not doing that, are we?

Summer or Winter it is a good idea to hang a cabbage up so that the chickens have to peck at it. This is good because it will keep them busy and also give them "greens"

Summer Feeding:

I am assuming that your chickens are running around outside and getting "their natural food" as well; so you can feed them anything that you have left from your table.

There are some foods that you must not feed them which are: raw green potato peels/dried or uncooked beans/avocado skins and pit/raw eggs/sugar/sweets/cirrus or chocolate. All these foods contain a toxin of one form or another (without being too scientific)
Chocolate is poison to most pets; thank God all the more for us! And as already been said; salt or anything really salty because salt can poison small animals.

Winter Feeding:

Once again, this is very simple: The same as in the summer only boil everything up and throw it in the trough when it has cooled down a bit.

Now if you are not buying food, there are ways of getting extra food in without handing out cash.
Barter....if you keep one or two more chickens then you need you will have a few extra eggs.
Go down to your local shop and see what they are throwing out because it is out of date..old cakes, bread, veg, grains of any type or anything else that they have and over them sum fresh eggs for their breakfast.
Your can also do the same with your neighbors; get them collecting scrapes and offer eggs in return.

There is one thing that you must remember with this type of feeding: have a cleaning routine for the feeding trough and do not leave old food laying about to get stale and attract vermin.

Richard has been keeping chickens for over 40 years: http://build-a-backyard-chicken-coop.blogspot.com/.

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Quick Guide To Keeping Chickens VIDEO...

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Keeping Chickens - Chicken Facts You May Not Know

Roosters and Hens - You don't need a rooster to have eggs. Hens lay eggs if they have a rooster friend or if they don't have a rooster. If you are thinking about getting some backyard chickens but worried about the rooster crowing at 4 am, then getting hens only is the way to go. Hen's do not crow but they do make some cackling type noises sometimes.

Egg Laying - Younger hens will lay eggs every day for 2-3 days in a row and then take a day off. Hens start laying around 5 months of age. Hens laying will begin to slack off as the days grown shorter. In winter there are fewer hours of daylight so hens will lay less. If you want hens to lay more in the winter then make sure they have a light on in their coop 12 hours a day. Hens will continue to lay for about 5 years but they will never lay as good as they did their first year.

Hen Pecked - Chickens really do have a pecking order. There will always be a chicken the flock picks on the most and can be down right mean to.

Handling Chickens - The best time to catch chickens is at night when they are sleeping. They really don't move much so you won't have to chase them around.

Chicken Friends - If you decide to let your chickens roam around free there are a few things you should be aware of. Chickens are highly entertaining. They are fun to watch and they like to watch what you are doing. Chickens love eating bugs! Chickens will get into pots and planter boxes. I stop them by place large rocks in the planters, they don't like the rocks in the way so they stopped hopping up. Free range chickens will often decide to sit on the porch and wait for you to come out to feed them. Chickens sitting on the porch = chickens pooping on the porch.

We're Out Numbered - There are more chickens in the world than there are people! China has over three billion chickens! its a rare occurrence but chickens can live as long as 20 years!

Chicken Egg Facts - Chickens lay eggs in shades of green, blue, brown and white. Different breeds lay different egg colors. The biggest chicken egg ever laid was 12 ounces! Chickens often lay double yolk eggs. These eggs are typically longer than regular eggs. Double yolk eggs are more common in younger chickens.

Check out Katie's newest website Easy Chicken Coop Designs dot com. Tips for picking out perfect Chicken Coop Plans. Chicken Coop Design made easy. Please stop by and check it out!

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What Breed of Chickens Lay Brown Eggs and at What Age

There are all kinds of myths and misconceptions about what chicken will lay what kind of egg. You may have heard that the color of the chicken plays a role in the color of the egg, this is a common misconception. Below are some of the most common chickens that lay brown chicken eggs as well as the age you can expect them to begin producing.

Golden Comet Chickens

Golden Comet Chickens lay beautiful brown eggs and although some people believe rich in color rich in taste white eggs are just as nutritious as brown. These chickens mature at an early age, generally laying by 4-5 months and they lay golden brown eggs of excellent quality. The size of the egg is most always either large or extra large. She is a low maintenance bird that does not need protection from colder weather.

A Golden Comet Chicken is a quite a quiet bird. She is the perfect bird for your back yard, or smaller egg hatchers because of their low maintenance. Golden Comet Chickens are golden red and has beautiful white under feathers. However, you can also find these hens with White feathers with red tips.

Rhode Island Reds

Rhode Island Red chickens will also lay beautiful large brown eggs. They are used for both meat and egg laying; this is what you call a utility chicken. They are one of the more beautiful chickens around; they have reddish and maroon feathers with red/orange eyes and yellow feet. One of their other beautiful features are their reddish brown beaks. The Rhode Island Red is also a show bird because of their beauty.

Rhode Island Reds lay a variety of brown eggs some are light brown and other can lay very dark brown eggs. They can lay 250 to 300 eggs a year. These eggs are almost always extra large eggs. These hens like to be feed more and have a great diet they also like to have good weather standards of comfort, such as cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The better treatment they have the more and bigger eggs they will give you.

Conclusion

The most common way to find out what color egg your chicken is going to hatch is to look in their ear area. There is a tiny tuft close to where the ear would be that would tell you what color the eggs they will lay will be. You cannot look at the total color of their feathers to tell what color eggs they will be hatching. Here are several other varieties of chickens that lay brown eggs are:


White, Silver Laced, and Columbian Wyandot
Light Brahmas, Buff Rocks, Delaware, Sussex, Turkens
Buff and White Orrington's
Red Star and Black Stars
Golden Comet Chickens and Rhode Island Reds are two of the most beautiful chickens that produce brown and larger eggs than others. Both of these birds would be great choices for laying hens, and the Rhode Island Red can even be used for meat.

Suzie O'Connor is the owner of ChickenHousesPlus.com which carries a variety of fertile chicken eggs and eggs for hatching. The site also offers an extensive library to help customers raise happy, healthy chickens. The company is located in sunny Florida and can be reached at 866/579-1347.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suzie_OConnor

Raising Chickens - The Benefits of Keeping Chickens As Pets

Keeping chickens as pets has actually become quite popular these days. But if you are someone who lives in an urban area you need to check the rules and regulations with the local zonal authorities, so that you don't have any difficulties with the law in the future. There are some cities which have strict rules and regulations against it.
People usually want to keep chickens as a hobby nowadays. You can also keep a few hens, if you have children as these provide excellent sources of entertainment for them. If you keep your chickens as pets and give them a little training, they will even start to peck food out of your hand. You can even talk to them and they will listen. Often these chickens even learn to follow you wherever you go.
Moreover if you keep a chicken as a pet, your children will play with them, learn to give them food and older children will even help you raise chicks. There are various advantages to keeping chickens at home, you get a fresh supply of eggs everyday, throughout the year. A chicken will usually produce eggs for 4 to 5 years and they will live for almost 15 years!
On top of this, the chicken manure you get is full of nitrogen so you can use it as a fertilizer in growing small gardens. There are a few disadvantages to keeping chickens as pets, especially in a city. The first being lack of space. Again the manure which we have talked about needs to be utilized or else disposing it turns out to be quite a headache. There may just be some laws which won't even let you keep chickens in gardens.
But let's look on the bright side. It's very easy and simple to keep chickens, unlike other pets. You barely need a maximum of 10 to 15 minutes to play with the chickens' everyday. Now when you go for buying a chicken, make sure that you get a good breed which has all the vaccinations given.
You should also try and avoid roosters as they are impossible to take care of. They are also quite loud and very aggressive. You children can even help you with your chickens. They can feed them and change the water everyday. You can give them table scraps, wheat, corn or even soaked bread.
Another thing you could do, if you want to keep chickens as your pets, is read up books on them. Go in for some research and this will help you out a lot.
Stop buying expensive chicken coops! Save $100s with DIY Chicken Coops.
Click here for Building A Chicken Coop Advice.
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Raising Chickens for Food

The commercial breeders have devised a strain of birds that grow up in only six weeks of living on chemicals during which time they never have a chance to be chickens. They live in a totally controlled artificial environment. They never breathe fresh air or feel the warmth and health-giving rays of the sun. Then they are sent off to market. No wonder they don't taste like anything. Home-grown chickens live a full chicken life, as they were meant to. And they taste like a chicken should without using any flavor enhancers.

In choosing chickens for raising, there are five basic types to choose from:

For Eggs - The egg producers are White Leghorns and are white-feathered, skinny temperamental birds. They will lay some 200 large white-shelled eggs in the egg factories in their sixth through nineteenth months of life. After that, they give up laying eggs and are sold for cat food, as the meat they do have on them is pretty stringy.

For Meat - The meat producers are bred to fatten out rapidly with a maximum feed economy. Most of these are hybrids between a cross of White Cornish and White Rock breeds. They are slaughtered at four weeks of age and sold as Rock Cornish game hens.

For Meat and Eggs - Hybrids of several kinds are common in New England where they produce jumbo-sized brown-shelled eggs and develop into roaster size. If raising chickens for eggs, the disadvantage to this breed is that they show more of a maternal instinct than other full-sized breed. If the hybrid eggs are hatched, the offspring will be all different colors and if left to breed themselves, they would probably revert back a generation or two and become unproductive, multicolored and scrawny wild creatures.

Fancy Breeds - This is a breed kept for show or hobby. Some will have odd coloring or plumage or lay odd colored eggs. As far as meat and egg production goes, this breed isn't worth their feed bill and are only good for a hobby. Bantams are pint-sized and seem to have more sense than the larger chickens and they will do a good job of keeping the bug population down in the garden.

Best Choice - According to the hatcheries, the main flock should be a variety of Purebred Multipurpose chickens. These would include the heavy-bodied breeds such as the Rhode Island, New Hampshire Reds, the White, Plymouth and Barred Rocks. These breeds will produce good brown eggs and fine meat. Most importantly, they will produce good strains. The Barred Rocks have black and white feathers and are reported as being of calm temperament with good meat and eggs.

For more information on raising chickens, please refer to the author's blog at http://buildingachickencoopebook.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carol_J_Miller

Keeping Chickens VIDEO...

Clucking Mad About Keeping Chicken

Why in the world would I invest my time and money in keeping chicken? Chicken are demanding, bossy, peck like hell and the rooster crows every hour of the day and don't get me started on the chicken poop.

But wait a minute! They are good to eat; both eggs and meat and I hear they are very social, probably make good pets too. They are also comical, especially when the rooster is chasing after the hens. They keep pests away and provide the best organic fertilizer for my flower garden and more importantly I can sell the eggs and make some extra cash. I guess I will keep my own chicken after all!

So how do I get started? First, I need a backyard, the apartment is not ideal; don't want my chicken wearing diapers and pecking away at my furniture. Secondly a chicken coop, to shelter the chickens from rain, cold and safe place to spend their night. The size of the coop will depend on the number of chicken, but for starters three are good.

You can choose to have a fancy or creative coop to blend with your beautiful garden. Most importantly it should be predator proof and shelters the chicken from rain and cold. The floor can be lined with dry grass or saw dust, but eventually the chicken will dig it up, they love to play in the dust. It should also be well ventilated.

Have the chicken house about an inch or two from the ground and at the door provide a ladder, which they can climb up and down into the coop. The chicken coop should be well fenced to prevent predators like fox and dogs from eating the chicken.

How about the interior? You will need a water dispenser, need not be expensive that old bowl in the kitchen will do. Have a another bowl for the food and your done with utensils. The darling hens sleep airborne, therefore get milk crates or wooden boxes they can perch on.

Now that the chicken coop is all set up, it's time to bring the birdies home. You can get chicks from a hatchery or buy young birds from the feedstores or bird traders. The only problem is there's a fat chance that a rooster may be part of the hens.

It's advisable to get 12 weeks old birds, chicken breeders say that you can differentiate the young and old chicken by the size of the crown. For the 'green' breeders who can't differentiate the crown sizes, better visit a chicken farm or agricultural fairs and for $5 to $20 you can buy a laying hen.

You have purchased the chicken, its time to settle them in their new home. Get them to roost in the chicken coop for a couple of days until they know their home. Hens like fresh clean water to drink and feed them on 'laying egg pellets' which should contain protein and carbohydrates. Vegetables are also good in their growth and egg composition. They also like to feed on people's left- over.

Keep the coop clean, shovel it out every other week and compile the shavings and manure, this is good for your flower garden. So what are you waiting for! Isn't it time you began keeping chicken on your farm or backyard and start enjoying those scrumptious organic eggs!

If you are mad about keeping chicken I dare you to take the Free 11 part Mini-course, on how to raise the best chooks around. Visit: http://chickenkeepinganswers.com/

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Building a Chicken Coop VIDEO...

If you want to learn how to build a chicken coop, so it will meet expectations and needs of your chickens, this article is for you. Chickens aren't choosy animals, but they require few things in their life to stay happy, health and lay eggs regularly. However, this article isn't only about convenience of your chickens, by following tips I share below, you will be building a chicken coop that is easier and faster to clean as well as keep in good condition.

Light

Chicken are very dependent on light when it comes to their life cycle. They go to sleep when it is getting dark and wake up with sunrise. That is why you have to build windows in your chicken coop that will supply a lot of light.

You should place windows in your chicken coop in a way that will allow your flock to get as much sun as they only can. Especially in the mornings. Most of the windows in your chicken house should be in a direction of the sunrise.

Second use for windows is creating air circulation inside your chicken coop. They allow your chickens to breath with fresh air and save you from dealing with bad smells while you are cleaning the chicken coop.

Failing to supply your chickens with an appropriate source of light will decrease their performance and cause them to lay eggs less frequently or during weird hours. So if, for some reason, you can't supply them with natural light, try to substitute it with electrical. This, however, should be done under supervision of someone who knows how to build a chicken coop.

Electrical light is a great idea, but you have to make sure that the installation is well hidden and won't become a pecking target. The other thing you have to remember is that with electrical light, your bills can get really high, so my recommendation is to always search for natural solutions.

Size

You have to remember about creating a chicken house of the right size. You should estimate how many chickens you are going to keep and based on that choose an appropriate plan. Each chicken requires from 4 to 5 square feet to feel comfortable.

If you are unable to find a perfect fit for your flock, always choose bigger coop. Small chicken coops will force your birds to crowd on a very limited space and that can cause disease spreading and in some extreme cases cannibalism.

The next dramatic result of keeping your chickens in a small space is, aggression. Chickens that don't have enough room, can become aggressive towards you, other members of the flock and the chicken coop itself. They also tend to break their own eggs so, pay attention to the size of your chicken house.

What is your budget?

Budget is a very important factor you should consider while learning how to build a chicken coop. It can be the single reason that will kill your entire undertaking. That is why you should always establish how much you can spend before starting to build.

There are many ways you can cut the cost of construction. One of the most obvious ones is buying cheaper, but still usable materials. This, however, requires information on what kind of materials are chicken safe and, which aren't.

Another way you can decrease the money you will spend is, by finding free materials. Yes, it is possible. Just ask around if some of your neighbors don't have spare pieces of wood they don't plan to use. You will be surprised how much stuff you will receive.

However, if all the above methods don't work for you, I recommend to hold building your chicken coop for some time. It is better to wait until you save an appropriate amount of money, then rush into construction. This will insure you are building a chicken coop that will last long and not some low-quality dummy that will fall apart faster than you have built it.

How much time can you spare

Your time limitations are very important when you are discovering how to build a chicken house. If you have problems finding an hour every week to clean up your chicken coop, you have to give it some thinking.

Taking care of your chicken house is very important. So if you have problems finding enough time to clean it, forget about complicated chicken house designs. By creating a simpler construction that is easier to access and keep clean, you invest in happiness and health of your chickens.

Always build chicken houses that have plenty of well designed access points. They will make cleaning and collecting eggs' way easier. By simply making the floor of your chicken coop slightly tilted in the direction of the entrance, you will cut the cleaning time by more than half. This simple trick will allow you to hose down your chicken coops floor, helping you to save a lot of energy.

Land and climate

It is really important to choose the right place for your chicken house. It should stand on an even, hard ground in order to be durable and useful to your chickens. That is why, you should spend some time thinking about this issue.

What kind of a climate you are living in? Does it rain a lot? What kind of a soil is in your backyard? Is it cold for most of the year?

If you are living in a place, where the soil is very soft and it rains a lot, you should raise your chicken coop above the ground, or else it will drown with time. Especially if your chicken house is very large, and you own a large flock.

If it is cold in your area for most of the time you have to use thicker materials and insulation that will help your chicken to remain warm during harsher weather conditions. If the thicker walls alone don't do the trick, you may also want to install an artificial heather that will keep the right temperature when it is needed. For more specific advice on heathers ask a person who has experience in the area of how to build a chicken coop.

Do you want a mobile chicken coop?

The next thing you should ask yourself is, will you move your chicken coop a lot. If yes, you may think about building a mobile chicken house. It will allow you to change location of your flocks' home with ease.

The only disadvantage of such a solution is the size limitation. In order to create a mobile chicken coop, you will have to attach wheels to it. This, on the other hand, will force you to build a chicken coop which size allows you to carry it. The next thing you have to think about is the hardness of the ground in your backyard. If it is very soft you won't be able to pull your chicken coop through it, without getting stuck.

Protection from predators

Topic of predators is often missed by many people who learn how to build a chicken coop. But this issue is of utter importance and if neglected can lead to loss of your entire flock.

You should start from establishing what kind of predators are in your neighborhood. You can do it either by asking people near you or searching this information on the Internet. The thing you are after is the method they will try to attack your chicken coop.

If they will try to go from the top, you should cover the top of your chicken run with a fence. If you are dealing with really big animals that may try to destroy the fence of your run or chicken coop overall, use the most durable materials you can find. If you think they will try to dig their way to your chicken house, make sure you dig the fence at least a foot into the ground.

In addition to these tips, you should also remember to tweak the weakest link of nearly all chicken coops and runs, doors. Try to find ones that have a tight fit, multiple latches and overall there is no way to get in, for unwanted animals.

As you can see learning how to build a chicken coop requires a lot of time and experience on your part. That is why you shouldn't rush in to the building. Don't hope you will combat all the obstacles along the way. It is plain stupid and you will have to spend more time doing necessary modifications then, you would spend on the entire construction, only if you would invest more time into crucial preparations. So spend some more time learning how to build a chicken coop and plan your chicken house with confidence.

If you would like to discover best chicken house plans, that will be convenient for you and your chickens, you have to visit my site. Aside from tips on creating a great chicken coop, you will also find a wealth of information about chicken housing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Emma_Karen_White

How to Raise Chickens VIDEO...