Archive for the ‘Raising Chickens’ Category
Bird Flu: A Chicken Raiser?s Nightmare
Since its outbreak, every poultry owner had become aware of the consequences that can happen if this deadly disease is not prevented. Bird flu or what is also known avian (meaning bird) influenza (flu), is the number one killer of poultry chickens in Asia and some parts of the world.
Bird flu started in China and became a widespread disease for their chickens thus wiping out over millions of poultry businesses and dropping the chicken industry to a devastating point. The thing about avian flu is that, not only can it affect birds but also humans which makes the illness more dangerous to various lives. It can be passed from chicken to chicken, chicken to person, person to person, person to chicken, and so on. That is why authorities in the health sectors are taking this serious matter in their hands and are making strict surveillance.
Avian influenza is not just a disease underlying a typical cold. It is more than that. In fact, it can kill an entire poultry habitation within a week. If passed onto a person, it can be more lethal as a person can interact with hundreds of people in a day without even noticing that they have become the perfect carrier of the disease. Worse, this sickness is not a picky disease. It could affect everyone including children.
The incubation period, if passed to a human, is not exact but as record shows, it may take about three to five days from the exposure to the disease-causing virus. Till then, the person will experience signs and symptoms that are similar with the common cold like fever, cough, sore throat, and aching of the muscles. Sometimes, the only thing that could indicate if the person has bird flu is if they are having conjunctivitis.
If the person who was affected and has experienced the signs and symptoms stated above ignored the indications, it may lead to severity of the disease. The person now will start to experience viral pneumonia and eventually, acute respiratory distress which is the most common cause of deaths among bird-related diseases.
If your Raising Chickens facts are out-of-date, how will that affect your actions and decisions? Make certain you don’t let important Raising Chickens information slip by you.
But this pandemic crisis can be pretty much prevented if certain precautions are practiced if everyone who is involved will cooperate with the measures that were given out by the authorities.
Through thorough surveillance, WHO (World Health Organization) supports in eliminating the disease. Through this, they can trace the source of infection and track down those who were affected by the flu. They will confirm instances of the disease and how many deaths were known. Once WHO officials find out the extent of the disease’s proximity, they will contain the area under quarantine.
Those who are in the zone will not be allowed to go beyond it and those who wanted to enter will be prohibited. That is why the concerned officials must be responsible enough to bring in reliable data otherwise there would be miscalculations that can result to more chickens and people being affected instead of being saved.
With the word spread out all across the globe, the government is also having strict participation for the observance if there are any occurrences of the virus in their community. Residents are the one who have to be more watchful because they will be the one more affected.
Their communication and participation is the most important tool to evacuate the presence of this disease and make raising chickens safer to both chickens and owners.
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By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO
Proper Construction of a Pen Suitable for Raising Chickens
Constructing a pen is easier than it seems. You need to pinpoint some important matters like the materials to buy and the tools to use. Plus, you also have to consider the area where to build the suitable pen for raising your chickens.
Alright, the easy yet crucial part begins with planning. First, the area, then the size of the pen. The pen size usually depends on how many chickens will be raised. Look at the option on what kind of birds you are dealing with.
Novice or not, it is still better to start off with the most basic pen ? using the wire and post design. Here, the materials that you’ll need are the posts, wire, and staples that can be used for fences. The tools are also basic namely a sledgehammer, the ordinary hammer, wire cutters, and crowbar.
Now that you have gathered all materials and tools, surveyed the area, and is assured that there is none to worry about, it’s time for the construction.
To start with, look at the ground you’re working on. Notice the stiffness and dryness. If it’s anything like that, you have to bring in with you a bucket full of water. This will help soften the ground. Pound the ground using the pointed tip of the crowbar. By doing this, a hole is being formed.
If you find yourself confused by what you’ve read to this point, don’t despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.
While pounding, occasionally pour few amounts of water in the hole to soften the ground. By leaving your crowbar inside the hole, pull your body against it. By doing so, you’ll widen the proximity of the hole. If the hole is prominent enough and is 20 cm deep, that will be sufficient. Make sure that the hole has a wideness that can hold a pole in place.
You can now put the post inside the hole that you have made, pointed tip first. Using the sledgehammer, pound the pole to the ground. Do the pounding until you are sure that it has remained firm. Sometimes, it is better to have someone hold the post for you to ensure better stability. Always practice caution and focus on what you’re doing because you might pound your assistant instead of your post.
If your first post is standing firmly, you can now start on your second, and third, and fourth, and so on. Give about a meter from where the first post stands. That will determine elaborate spacing. To serve as a gate, let 2 posts stand about 1½ – 2 meters apart.
The moment you have firmly put all the posts in place, it’s time to put the wire around it. For this to be made possible, carry the wire on one corner then using your regular hammer, pound the fence staples at the end of the wire to the post. Once the end is tightly secured, unroll the wire going to the next post then staple the wire that touches the post. Do the unrolling and stapling process till you have completed wrapping around the entire posts. If you ran out of wire, get more then start where you ended.
Making a gate is also easy. All you need to gather are hinges, latch and a particle board. Start by cutting the board to fit the two ends of the posts. Now attach it together with the hinges and the latch.
There you have it. Raising chickens is easy for as long as you know the basics.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO
Raising the Not So Grown up Chickens
As the chicks get older, they would require less maintenance. Meaning, there are still some things to take care of but it’s less delicate than when dealing with babies.
There are quite a few differences between taking care of newly hatched chicks and those that are like 2 weeks up to a month old. These are the chicks that already have prominent feathers and their bodies are bigger compared than when they were quite smaller. These are also the chicks that you bought from hatcheries.
The basic needs are still important like food, water, comfort, and warmth. Those four essentials can never be taken away from the list even if they are already old enough to lay eggs.
The list remains the same, although, now that they are more grown up, their needs have increased. Their appetite and hunger increases, their need for space increases, their need for water increases. Everything about them increases. Thus, you should make proper adjustments and see to it that every matter is taken care of.
Unlike in their early stages, water must be boiled or otherwise, sterilized for ensuring that the water they drink is safe enough not to upset their stomach and affect their health. But now that they have already grown for a bit, any kind of water will do. Just be sure that you’ll give them clean water like something that came directly from the faucet. Not yet ensured with the water’s safety? Then boil it.
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You could now disregard the idea of putting an upside down jug on a dish. If you don’t take it away, the chicks will just frequently trip it over and the jug will fall and all its contents will be spilled. Use something that will not have the tendency to fall in any kind of motion, a pot or plastic water container can do. You can also buy the appropriate water container in agricultural stores.
Baby chicken foods can still be given. Though at times, you can introduce new kinds of stuff like including mashed potatoes in their meal. True, they hate potato peelings but they love the inner part of it especially when it is mashed. You could also include veggies like lettuce cut into pieces, cabbage, and grass is also a fine recipe to feed them. Insects? A first-class favorite.
When it comes to the temperature, you have to lessen your efforts and worries. Since these grown up chicks already have literary grown feathers, not full, but it’s getting there, sort of, warmth can be erased from the topic. The few feathers that they have grown are enough to keep their bodies warm during cold nights. But just to be sure that they get the heat they deserve, keep the heat lamp but in a more minimal state. Maintain a 20 degrees temperature within the chicken’s vicinity.
Chickens love to bathe in dust for some unexplainable reason. To add up to that, they love rubbing their feathers into the soil, and wag their feathers clean. It’s beginning to look like a tradition. With this kind of activity, it is therefore necessary to have a sandbox or let them roam around so they can dustbathe freely. But even so, maintain a clean environment. Provide a wider space for them to romp and for them to have enough room to sleep and not overcrowd.
If problems do arise, common sense can always work. These basics will definitely help you raise the chickens you need.
If you’ve picked some pointers about Raising Chickens that you can put into action, then by all means, do so. You won’t really be able to gain any benefits from your new knowledge if you don’t use it.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO
Raising Tips: How to Choose a Chicken Breed
When you think about Raising Chickens, what do you think of first? Which aspects of Raising Chickens are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.
Chickens are wonderful animals. They are like the coconut. You see, the coconut can be used in many ways- from the leaves to the roots. In more ways than one, chickens are bred and raised because it entails a lot of benefits. In Asian countries, chickens can be eaten from beak down to its funny-looking feet. Thus, making it one of the sought after poultry products in the animal community.
Yet, chickens aren’t used only for food but for ornamental purposes. It all depends on the owner of the poultry farm if he’s going to raise chickens for food or for exhibition. Whatever the purpose is for these critters, you can settle on one simple question?what breed should you get?
There are actually four ideas to consider when choosing a breed ? egg production only, eggs and meat combined, exhibition, and meat only. Aside from these four, people also account chickens as a hobby and they very well enjoy watching and caring for their chickens.
Egg Production
If you are concerned with only the eggs and are not really a fan of chicken form and features, white leghorns or Red Sex Links and Golden Cornets fits the job. These breeds lay eggs in a very excellent way. There is a point to ponder upon though, if you wanted white eggs, choose a chicken breed that have ear lobes that are white. But if you wanted brown eggs, choose a chicken breed that has red ear lobes.
Meat
In meat, you have to purchase a breed that grows quickly and weighs big like the Cornish Cross. It is a cross breed between a White Cornish and a White Plymouth Rock. These breeds weigh four to five pounds in six weeks and weighs more than 6 pounds within 8 to 12 weeks.
So far, we’ve uncovered some interesting facts about Raising Chickens. You may decide that the following information is even more interesting.
Eggs and Meat
Breeds that are dual purpose is a combination of a breed that is both having the talent of vast egg production and grows larger and faster than the rest of the species. One typical and popular example is the Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes and Sussex. They are both English and American breeds.
Exhibition
These are the kind of birds that are appreciated for their eloquent beauty and features. Every part of their feather-covered body must be exceptional. Usually those that are chosen to wind up in exhibition during fairs are those that are crossbred. Exhibitions shows for poultry raising are most popular in places like the Midwest and Indiana.
Usually, chickens are judged based on their color, breed type that’s supposed to be ideal, their body weight and shape, etc.
Bantams are one of the chicken types that outnumbered larger fowls during shows. They have a characteristic that a judge would adore ? takes less space, easier to feed, eat less, and easy to handle. Their eggs are also expected to be small but are pretty much good for eating like other ordinary eggs. Some of the popular breeds of bantams are the Wyandottes, Cochins, Old English Game and Plymouth Rocks. These bantam breeds can most likely win in exhibitions.
Bantams are not the only birds that can have the right to the throne. Larger fowl breeds also hog the limelight. Some of these breeds are the leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, and Black Australorps. These breeds vary in their type, size, color, comb type and shape.
That’s the latest from the Raising Chickens authorities. Once you’re familiar with these ideas, you’ll be ready to move to the next level.
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By Anders Eriksson, who just launched this great product..
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Hints for Hatching and Raising Chickens out of Eggs
This interesting article addresses some of the key issues regarding Raising Chickens. A careful reading of this material could make a big difference in how you think about Raising Chickens.
As a poultry raiser, you have to know that from the moment they were lain, eggs must hatch after 21 days of incubation. It’s a good thing if your hen wanted to continue incubating her eggs. But if she doesn’t, there is always an alternative ? an incubator.
An incubator should have a temperature of at least 98 ? 99 degrees. To measure the humidity inside the incubator, use a hygrometer or a thermometer. Hygrometers can be bought in a price that’s quite practical. You can buy it in any cigar shop or even online. For the first 1-18 days, your humidity can be at least 50% and the remaining days till day 21 must have a maximum of 80%.
You should maintain adequate moisture inside the incubator. To do this, you can use paper cups or a pan containing water. To evenly apply the heat, mark the eggs with an O on one side and an X on the other side. This will determine which side needs to be heated. Do this process at least three to four times a day. If you started heating all X sides, the next time you turn it, all sides will be O. Do not skip until hatching day comes or else the eggs will get deformed from the inside. Sometimes, you get nothing.
The above-mentioned hint is done by some egg hatchers and poultry owners. But others say that to turn or not to turn, hatch rates are always a success.
Hatching Eggs from Incubators
One good thing about incubators is that, in the absence of the mother chicken, they can come in handy. Very handy. Above all, these incubators can be bought in very cheap and practical prices. An incubator is an instrument that gives newly born egg a moist and warm state similar to that of the chicken’s tummy. Options are endless depending on its features including the capacity, and others.
Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.
Fertility
The fertility of a hen is unlikely. It is very rare not assuring a hundred percentage accuracy. It varies from a close 56% to an 80% that can also depend on the condition, season and the bird type. Fertile eggs can be at least 75% expected to hatch.
Determining the egg’s fertility can’t be done before the incubation. This can only be detected after 3 days or so by candling. Candling can be done by holding a candle in front of an egg which is typically white-shelled. As you do this, you could see a slight silhouette of the embryo. That will be the time when you can determine if it is fertilized or not. If they don’t look anything close to ?normal?, otherwise damaged or cracked, you have to rid of them because they will develop a very unpleasant odor.
If the eggs are uniformly white, the candle will be hard chance. So instead, you have to use a light bulb. Place the light bulb inside a can or a small box. Punch a small hole through the can or box wherein only a small percentage of light is reflected. You can place the egg over the hole where the light slits through.
If you have noticed the cloudiness of the egg or a mass is prominent, assume an embryo has been successfully fertilized. But if the inside of the egg is clear, the egg is unfertilized.
With these slight hints, you can diagnose the end product of an artificially incubated egg and not compromising the outcome of the chicks raised.
Of course, it’s impossible to put everything about Raising Chickens into just one article. But you can’t deny that you’ve just added to your understanding about Raising Chickens, and that’s time well spent.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, who just launched this great product..
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Hatched Chicks: Raising To Do?s
The following paragraphs summarize the work of Raising Chickens experts who are completely familiar with all the aspects of Raising Chickens. Heed their advice to avoid any Raising Chickens surprises.
Chicks that are hatched inside an incubator must stay inside the incubator for a couple of days. Don’t get too excited to take them out. Give them some time to realize that they are already hatchlings and have to cope with their environment. Birds like quails, pheasants and chickens can survive for three days without any source of water or food.
One very good thing about chickens is that when they are still inside the egg, days before they come out, the yolk is drawn to the navel and travels off through the stomach of the young one. The yolk will serve as nourishment for transition of the baby chick from the moment it hatches, to the time it gains sufficient strength till it fluffs out and becomes active to search the world for food. Physically, no gain weight will occur but there will be gain in activity, stature and faculty use.
Upon noticing that chicks get interested with water drops or his companion’s toes, don’t mistook this as being hungry but part of the transition phase where they learn to adapt and familiarize themselves with their environment. It is the point of experimentation of the chicks. When evidences of experimentation are seen in such interest, a baby’s learning and exploration comes in.
You can take the hatchlings out after a day or 24 hours from the time that they hatched. If you have forgotten that you have babies left in the incubator and 48 hours has already passed, that would be fine.
There are three important things to do upon hatching of the baby chicks ? brooder, feeding and prevent them from drowning.
Brooder
This is like a baby chick’s second pit stop after life inside an incubator. A brooder is sort of an incubator but is bigger. It can be made or bought. The thing about brooders is that you have to provide your own heat lamp and make sure that the temperature is adjustable.
You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about Raising Chickens. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.
Before putting the chicks inside the brooder, you should have it set at an environment that the temperature is not less than 90 degrees. A 95-degree heat can be a start. You maintain the heat lamp until the 6th week. From a 90-95 degree heat, you can decrease the heat by 5 degrees every week until it reaches about 60-65 degrees by the 6th week.
Feeding
Once you put them out of the incubator, you have to make sure that there is already available food and water inside the brooder. Never let these two essentials run out. They should always have something to put their beaks into.
Babies must be fed with dry mash. Pheasant and chicken babies love baby chick mash. Solid food like grains is unsuitable. Grits aren’t necessary when you choose to use mash feed. You can buy all these in a feed store.
Drowning Prevention
Receptacles can be life threatening to baby chicks especially during the first week of inhabitation inside the brooder. If they are so active, they can drown themselves inside those receptacles. There is an explanation why chicks love to flounder on water. It is said that as baby chicks that came out of an egg filled with fluid, they have this urge to throw themselves in the water thinking that it is still their sac. This is true with younger birds. But don’t worry, they’ll snap out of this once they get older.
To do away with drowning use a water cup that is shallow instead of the one that is deep.
So now you know a little bit about Raising Chickens. Even if you don’t know everything, you’ve done something worthwhile: you’ve expanded your knowledge.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, who just launched this great product..
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Raising Tips: Gearing up for Chickens
Certain equipments must already be present upon the arrival of the chickens in your own backyard. You have to be geared up before presenting your not so baby chicks outside the world. The transition period can be quite stressful therefore being prepared can help you rid of half of the stress.
You have to purchase a lot of items for your chicks to stay comfortable from where they would lay. You need to pamper them so that when selling or butchering day comes, there are no regrets.
1. Food
Without this, who will live? The food you will give will entirely depend on the kind of chicken that you have. But to sum it up, just give something that is ?complete?. It must contain the right food substance that your chickens will need like carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and minerals and if the budget can still take it, buy them vitamins. There are two kinds of feeds: conventional and organic. Either of the two can be purchased online or at an agricultural poultry store.
If the time has come for your chickens to lay eggs or is about 20 weeks old, purchase a layer feed. But if they are younger than 20 weeks, starter feed is highly recommended.
2. Waterer and Feeder
Purchase a waterer and feeder that are suspended from the ground. They should hang at least a couple inches off it. A very good advantage when purchasing such items is that they will prevent your chickens from jumping on top of it and smudging off their feet filled with feces inside the container. An automatic refill feature is also included which is very reliable during times when you have to go somewhere and will take you a couple of days before you come back. Worry-free.
It’s really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of Raising Chickens. What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.
3. Bed
Yes, no matter how absurd it seems, you have to provide them with the proper bedding to keep them warm, comfortable, healthy and happy. But this doesn’t mean that you have to buy them sheets from Best Buy. Beddings can be in the form of a pile of clean haystack, old or used newspapers, or if you wanted it to be extra special, there are beddings that can be bought online or in a poultry store.
Beddings are best inside the coop where it can provide chickens a soft surface to roam around with. Beddings are also beneficial for your flock because it absorbs the odor and droppings. You don’t want a foul-smelling coop, right? Another advantage of the bedding is that is saves the eggs from cracking making it an area where eggs are safe to land.
There are a lot of bedding varieties. But whatever the bedding that you’ve chosen, always make it a point that it is at least two inches thick and is truly absorbent.
4. Dust Baths
If you see your chickens digging a shallow hole and creating a mess with dirt, they are dust bathing! Chickens enjoy bathing in dust. But did you know that when chickens take dust baths, they are actually protecting themselves from parasites and those creatures that find it interesting to live inside their legs and feathers. Therefore, it is necessary to have dust baths.
If you have a dry area in your chicken run that has patches of fresh ground, it’s the perfect spot to do their thing. But if your pen consists of entirely cement, worry not, because there are artificial dust baths available in agricultural stores.
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By Anders Eriksson, who just launched this great product..
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Important Information on Feeding Raised Chickens
If you’re seriously interested in knowing about Raising Chickens, you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about Raising Chickens.
Chickens can eat almost everything from meat to vegetables. You can give them dog food and they’ll peck it with full gusto. You can give them pig food and they’ll eat it without hesitation. Chickens are cleaners of garbage tidbits. They can even wipe out every insect, worm, or anything little and more vulnerable than they are. The good thing about raising chickens in your backyard is that it needs no feeding qualifications other than vitamins and boosters.
Grains can also be fed to your chickens. Scraps of food bits and peelings can also be fed. You see, feeding isn’t that hard for as long as you save some of those leftovers for your poultry to feed on. Chickens are also intelligent for they know when the bucket of treats is ready for lunch.
You can feed your chicken in many ways. You can either put it in a container that is big enough to accommodate their number during mealtime. Scattering their food isn’t also a bad idea without the worry that it will go to waste and remain scattered. Bones with tiny bits of meat are also their favorite.
Now, when it comes to hens laying eggs, calcium is required for their diet. During the months when laying season is on its verge, you can feed your hens calcium just by including in their meal clam shells that are already crushed. Do not, by any means give clam shells that are whole. They may be at risk of recognizing these clams as their own egg shells. So you have to see to it that the clam shells are thoroughly crushed into pieces before giving it to them. These are available in your local feed stores.
The most advisable food for your chickens are feeds, pellets, corn and grains. Meat, fruits and vegetables can be given out too. But chickens can’t have all the fun gobbling everything up. Their diet must also be kept in observance because there are certain kinds of food that aren’t advisable for them to eat. These foods can either be harmful or worse, deadly. Aside from the foods mentioned below, basically, other feedings are safe.
Reason why chickens should not eat these types of food
The best time to learn about Raising Chickens is before you’re in the thick of things. Wise readers will keep reading to earn some valuable Raising Chickens experience while it’s still free.
Chicken If you were given the opportunity to eat the thigh of your neighbor, would you do it? Same reason why chickens will dearly object if served with their own kind. But they will not know this. They never will. That’s why, it is alright if you have included chicken bones to their meals. But the consequences can be outstanding because if given large amounts of chicken meat or parts of the spinal cord and brain, this may lead to the development of encephalopathy.
Apple: An apple every two weeks given to 4 birds is fine but if this routine is done every day, you could expect digestive problems.
Peelings of Potato: Chickens don’t really like the idea of eating roots crops. The taste isn’t that enjoyable either.
Orange Peelings: The toughness of this is too much for them to take.
Tomato: Given in small quantities, tomatoes can be good but be careful cause if given in excess, they might affect the chicken’s droppings.
Banana: For some reason, they just don’t like them.
These are just some of the foods that aren’t really advisable to give to your chickens. Just take note: Root plants aren’t on top of their list; hard fuits can never be favorite; if given in large quantities, whatever the food is, will give their digestive system a hard time.
About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, who just launched this great product..
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Chicken Raising Terms from N – W
Would you like to find out what those-in-the-know have to say about Raising Chickens? The information in the article below comes straight from well-informed experts with special knowledge about Raising Chickens.
It is necessary to know all the terms needed for raising chickens for you to be more equipped on what to buy or need. With this information, you can fully comprehend what needs to be done to raise chickens effectively.
Nest box ? a box, usually improvised, that is designed for hens to lay their eggs. It is a requirement that for a number amounting to 4 to 5 hens, one nesting box is needed.
Non-setter ? this is a kind of chicken breed that don’t have any desire to care for their chicks, if they have one, or never wanted to incubate or hatch fertilized eggs.
Ornamental breed ? a kind of chicken that is used only for ornamental purposes and nothing more. These breeds are the ones that are often seen in fairs and poultry shows. They are appreciated because of their stunning stature and appearance but not used for producing eggs and chicken meat.
Poultry show ? this is a kind of show that is organized for the sake of judgment. The proudest breeds are displayed and are judged according to their standard breed. This show is organized by the APA or American Poultry Association. Not only chickens are brought to this kind of affair but also other poultries like geese, ducks, turkeys, etc.
Production breed ? are the kind of breeds that are used for mass production of eggs.
Pullet ? a juvenile or young hen.
Roost ? the time when chickens are resting on a pole to sleep. It is also what you call the actual pole where chickens use to perch.
Rooster ? male chicken.
Roosting pole ? a perch that is made out of wood. It can be constructed and put inside the coop.
Rumples ? a kind of chicken breed that does not have feathers on their tails.
Run ? an area connected to the coop where chickens can roam around freely.
Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you’re fully informed about Raising Chickens, keep reading.
Scratch ? a treat made for chickens that are composed of different kinds of grains; this is the one that is scattered on the ground. It can also be referred to as the behavior chickens make wherein they use their claws to dig up either worms, bugs, rocks, and tiny little insects that are inside the ground.
Sexing ? determining the sex of a chicken.
Sex link ? a type of new chicken wherein the chicken’s sex is soon indicated even before the eggs hatch. Female of the sex link kind is known for producing eggs in a massive state.
Shanks ? part of the chicken’s legs which can be seen at the bottom.
Sickles ? what is called to the rooster’s tail feathers.
Spur ? this is the protrusion that is seen on the shank of a rooster that used for fighting.
Started pullet ? a hen that has started laying eggs but is only on a juvenile stage.
Starter feed ? it’s the complete feed that is formulated and made especially for baby chicks.
Vent ? part of the chicken where poop, eggs and other waste matters pass. It’s like the anus of humans.
Waterer ? this is the trusty partner of the feeder which delivers and holds the water supply.
Wattles ? it’s similar to a chicken’s crow but instead of being on top of the head, it’s found under the neck of the chicken. It’s composition is red and has rubber-like flaps.
Wheezer ? in colloquial terms, it’s what they call a chicken’s butt.
Wormer ? a kind of medicine that can treat or rid animals of parasites inside their intestines like worms.
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Gathering the Right Materials before Building the Pen
This interesting article addresses some of the key issues regarding Raising Chickens. A careful reading of this material could make a big difference in how you think about Raising Chickens.
Being a starter in the world of raising chickens, one of the important thing you should consider and is also necessary is the fact that you can protect your raised chickens without even being on a shot-gun watch for 24 hours every waking day; that is why you have to build a pen that will last for a very long period of time. Before building, planning and gathering is the very first step.
Location is the first thing to consider. Do you live in a rural or in an urban area? Your answer will depend on the chickens you can keep. Usually in rural communities, the number of livestock you want can be unlimited but when in urban settings, raising chickens can have restrictions regarding its number. Or sometimes, they are totally banned.
Another thing is the kind of chicken that you are planning to raise. If they weigh heavier, this will be an advantage because this kind of status will make it more difficult for them to fly away. A simple wire and post design pen can be used. But in most instances chickens are more prone to flying away. Especially if they are not used to the place, a fence with a higher walls or wires is more appropriate.
The place where you construct your pen must be safe and sturdy enough to withstand any predator’s mark. It should be constructed in a way that your poultry are not easily snatched not only by scavengers but also by people who are pretty much interested in chicken stew. They must be protected and locked-in, especially at night.
What is a post and wire type of pen? It is by far the simplest kind of design wherein materials like posts, strong wires, fence staples are used. The tools needed to help you complete the job are the ordinary hammer, wire cutters, crowbar and sledgehammer. Gathering these materials are the very first thing you have to do upon planning.
I trust that what you’ve read so far has been informative. The following section should go a long way toward clearing up any uncertainty that may remain.
Fence post can’t be bought one at a time but in bundles. If you became worried that the excess lumbers will go to waste once the fence is finished, worry no more. This is because fence posts can be used in incredible purposes like supporting beams for sheds. Chicken wire is usually used. But for safety purposes a stucco wire is stronger and is more recommended for holding building sides.
There are really no actual fence staples, that is why the local staples used for wiring can be used as an alternative. Skimping the staples should not be stressed. You need a lot while construction is ongoing and also additional supplies in cases of emergencies.
The sledgehammer is used to pound the post into the soil. Weight is the first thing that you have to take note of when choosing a sledgehammer. Make sure that it is not too heavy that you can’t lift it up and not too light that you will need to exert all your efforts just to pound your post.
The crowbar is used for digging a hole where the pole will be placed. Lastly, the regular hammer will be useful for those hardheaded staple wires to dig in the posts.
Now that all materials are properly intact, you can plan on the actual building of the pen.
Now might be a good time to write down the main points covered above. The act of putting it down on paper will help you remember what’s important about Raising Chickens.
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