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Raising Chickens: Tips to Raising Chickens

Raising Chickens: Tips to Raising Chickens


  • Category Archives Coop News From Chicken Tender
  • Raising Speckled Sussex Chickens For Brown Eggs

    Raising Speckled Sussex Chickens

    I purchased my Speckled Sussex Chickens from Dark Eggs Daily this year and I am so very happy with them. I have always enjoyed raising The Sussex breed of chickens, especially the Speckled Sussex. They are a very calm and docile breed of chicken that is very inquisitive in nature. They will follow you around chattering away to themselves around the yard looking for anything and everything to explore.

    Speckled Sussex Chickens, Brown egg laying chickens

    Speckled Sussex Chickens, Brown egg laying chickens

    I have one speckled Sussex hen that we named Dora the Explore that flies up and over the fence everyday I let them out into their outside run. She will wander the yard all day exploring and chattering to herself.

    Speckled Sussex Chickens are a great dual purpose breed that is bred for both meat and for excellent egg production, You can expect to get around 240-260 eggs a year form your Speckled Sussex hens. The light Sussex and the White Sussex breeds are the most prolific layers of the Sussex Chicken breed.

    The Speckled Sussex is a popular breed for exhibitors as well as the backyard chicken raising enthusiast. Seriously what more could you ask for in a chicken.

    Watch my video below and I will show you some of my Speckled Sussex chickens I got from Dark Eggs Daily Hatchery.

    If you want a breed of Chickens that will suit every need a poultry enthusiast could want look into getting some Speckled Sussex from Dark Eggs Daily!


  • Raising Chickens In Your Backyard.

    Raising Backyard Poultry For Fun!

    Raising chickens in your backyard is a great experience. I put together a short video of some of my chickens for you to see.

    I get all my baby chicks from Dark Egg Daily. They take extra precautions to ensure their flock is free of diseases so that I will have healthy baby chicks when they arrive to my home. I have been ordering the French Marans breeds that lay the dark brown chocolate eggs such as the Wheaten Marans and the Black and black copper Marans. I also have purchased the Speckled Sussex breed of chickens form Dark Eggs Daily. The speckled Sussex like the Marans are a very nice cold hardy breed of chickens that are pleasant to raise and they get along well with each other and other breeds.

    Dark Eggs Daily is a great Chick Hatchery to order baby chicks from online.


  • Dark Brown Egg Laying Chickens. Awesome Website.

    Dark Brown French Marans Eggs

    Dark Brown French Marans Eggs

    Where to purchase Dark Brown Egg laying Chickens.

    If your looking for a great place to buy The breeds of chickens that lay the dark brown eggs or dark chocolate eggs I found a great place that I am extremely pleased with.  it can be found at http://www.darkeggsdaily.com.

    This site features all of the beautiful French Marans breeds.  These beautiful chickens are the chickens that lay the darkest chocolate brown eggs you have ever seen.

    The French Marans is a breed of chicken that is lightly feathered on the legs and feet, and a very good chicken for egg production and are winter hardy for the states that have colder winters such as Michigan where I am from.

    I recently purchased some chicks from this Hatchery and they have proven to be top of the line birds as they mature.

    The Marans seem to mature very quickly compared to other breeds I have purchased this year such as the Lavender Orpingtons, and the Coronation Sussex.

    If your looking for chickens that will lay the dark brown eggs as shown in the picture I have put in this post I recommend you check out Dark Eggs Daily.


  • Raising Chickens… What I need To Know

    protecting your flock of chickens

    Today I was having a chat with a couple of the other hens on Facebook and a friend of my owners seen the conversation and she expressed her interest in raising chickens.  This was a brand new experience for her if she made the decision to get a few chickens and she had lots of questions.

    One of her first concerns was that she lived in the city.

    I told her a couple facts that she should consider first.  First was her city ordinances and second was her neighbours.  Some local areas have rules on keeping chickens so you should always check for any restrictions before building / buying your coop.  Even if you are allowed to get chickens, it may be a good idea to have a word with the neighbours first if they are very close by – particularly if you are thinking of getting a rooster.  Now being a hen I am all for having a good looking rooster in the crowd as he adds a lot of color to the flock, but your neighbors may not be so excited about being woke up at 4 or 5 AM in the morning when that good looking fellow starts a crowing.

    I would have to say that another huge consideration to raising chickens in your backyard whether in the city or the country is, do you have the time :

    Chickens need relatively little care, but they do need to be locked into their coop safely at night to keep us safe from things like racoons, coyotes, weasel, mink, fox, and many other night time predators.  We also will need to be let out again in the morning.  Of course we will also need fresh water and feed every day, and the coop should be cleaned out regularly.  Us Chickens like to look and smell good.

    Cost is another factor to think about.   In terms of the monetary cost of feed and bedding, us hens usually more than pay for ourselves with the eggs we lay for you to enjoy with your morning breakfast or for your baking, (not to mention the enjoyment they bring as pets). The cost of buying or building a coop and run however, may take a few years for us to ‘earn’ back.

    How many chickens do you want or do you think you may need is another question that needs answered before taking the plunge.  How many chickens really depends on how many you think you would like, have the space for, and can look after. Chickens have a group mentality so having at least two or three is better than having just one. With most egg laying breeds you can expect to get four to six eggs per week from each hen (this number will probably decrease as they get older).

    Now when considering the number you will also have to take into consideration how you will replace your flock as they get older and drop off on egg production.  I hate to really bring this subject up as I know the process that usually occurs as the flock owners chickens stop laying eggs because of age.

    Will you replace them with your own baby chicks that you hatch?  Or will you buy them from your local hatchery or mail order?  Yes chickens can be shipped from a hatchery through the mail as day old baby chicks.  Our babies can survive a good 72 hours just on the yolk we obsorb after hatching.  If you are going to order chicks you don’t need to have a rooster.  You also do not need a rooster to get eggs but if you want one then the normal ratio is one rooster to every ten hens.

    So when considering starting your own flock of chickens to raise in your backyard chicken coop make sure you are prepared for the adventure.  We are a very EGG-citing addition to any household :)


  • Feeding chickens Pineapple is a NO!

    protecting your flock of chickens
    Feeding Chickens Takes common Sense.

    Feeding Chickens does not seem like it would be Rocket Science for most of you, and actually there is not much to it at all.  it just takes some common sense and some research.

    As I travel around looking at other Chicken sites I see several of you asking questions about certain fruits and vegetables that are allowed to be feed to us Chickens without harming us. One of the big questions is on pineapple.

    While us older Chicks may be able to handle the acid of the pineapple I will strongly recommend that you do not feed it to the younger babes. There tiny stomachs are not able to handle the strong acid of the pineapple and will cause them to have diarrhea and even cause death.

    My owners son decided to be very helpful one day and took out the peels of a delicious fruit salad that was prepared for the family.  He divided them up among all of us chickens.  Unfortunately he gave the pineapple peel to the 4-6 week old chicks.

    When my owner went out in the morning to check on us all he discovered a very sad situation had occurred with his new up and coming flock of chickens.  Several of the chicks had died and many more were very week and dehydrated.

    Confused why so many very healthy chicks the night before now lay dead he began an investigation only to discover the well picked over pineapple peeling.

    During his search on the internet to see if this was the problem he found many more asking the same question in chicken forums.  There was a wide variety of answers being given but the most common one was do not feed to young chicks as it contains to much acid that their tiny stomachs can’t handle.

    Now table scraps are not all bad as many folks like to give their chicken’s table scraps like vegetables, fruit, and meat. Now it may seem odd to give your chicken meat however if you think about it they are scooping up meat all the time outside in the form of worms, bugs, and possibly a mouse if you can imagine that. You will find that we  will eat nearly anything , just do not give us the peelings of citrus fruits, bananas, or green skinned potatoes.  NO PINEAPPLE

    Yep, just like your mom said eat your greens they are good for us chickens as well.  You can give us chickens greens from your garden as long as you have not used any pesticides. If you let us chickens roam free make sure that you have your flower beds and garden fenced in or else we will make a nice meal of your crops.

    Can you give your chickens your clips left over from lawn mowing? Yes, although, you should make sure they are very short clippings and only offer a small amount. If your clippings are too long they can cause some serious trouble. Your chicken might end up impacted and the clippings balled up. If you have a chicken tractor movable cage) let them feast on the grass clippings on the ground this way they will eat small pieces.

    Feeding Chickens does not have to be something that causes so much grief and confusion if you just do your research and follow common sense.

    What us adult birds maybe able to handle, may not be something you should feed your young replacement chickens.

    Talk to your local feed stores and veterinarian if you have any questions whatsoever when it comes to feeding your back yard chickens.


  • Raising Meat Chickens-Do You Have The Stomach For It?

    protecting your flock of chickens

    protecting your flock of chickens

    This Spring we decided to do something a little different; we decided to raise meat chickens.  Now, I have to say that we have raised all manner of animals for food in the past.  One would think that raising egg layers and raising meat chickens wouldn’t be all that different.  In theory it is not; they require proper amounts of food, water adequate space for roaming and roosting; and, a constant eye for predators, as well as diseases that can cause them harm.   This is no different from what one does in regards to raising egg producers, as opposed to raising meat chickens.  That however, is the end of the similarities in my humble opinion.

    The idea of raising meat chickens sounded good to us as we still have children at home to provide for; and, the whole concept of knowing what you put into your food supply is very important.  When you raise your own meat sources you know what kinds of foods that they have eaten, what kind of growing environment they were raised in and you know how they were treated health-wise regarding medications.    With all of the news reports out there about contamination and pesticides; and over treatment with antibiotics these are issues worth examining.

    Now, back to the meat chicken dilemma.   What could be bad about the raising of meat chickens when that was the plan from the beginning.  Well, the head understands the concept of raising the birds, knowing what you do and do NOT put into them solely for the purpose of having meat for the table.  The reality is much different. Continue reading 


  • Take Out Chicken: Protecting Your Flock From Predators

    protecting your flock of chickens

    protecting your flock of chickens

    Just so you know, chicken is tasty; and, humans aren’t the only ones who know that little nugget of information.  If you have chickens in your backyard you may have already discovered the fact that you have to be on your guard at all times from predators.  Goodness there are predators who fly, dig, crawl, climb and slither.  It is good to know these things so that you can protect your birds from as many of those critters as possible if you want to maintain your investment in a backyard flock of chickens.

    With a little bit of pre-planning you can cut down on opportunities that the predators have for thinking of your chicken coop as a take out chicken place.   Consider the design of your chicken coop for instance.  It’s a good thing to build a coop that is up off of the ground either by placing its structure up on bricks, poles or elevating it from the ground level by a frame-work of two by fours.    Having a solidly constructed floor without holes for rodents or snakes to be able to enter the coop is important for protecting your eggs from being stolen from you.  If you must have a dirt floor in the chicken coop; invest in some chicken wire and lay it on the ground and staple it to the building so that there is no way for a digging predator to find their way into the building.

    It is also important to cover any windows, vents or under eve openings with chicken wire, again that is to prevent climbing or flying predators from gaining entrance to the building.  This will eliminate the chances of such critters sneaking into the building unnoticed.

    If your birds are totally free range chickens there is little you can do to protect them yourself, outside of planting many bushes and trees that will provide shaded coverage for them to shelter themselves from flying predators.  However, if you desire to give them the best of both worlds…you can fence in a large area which will allow them the freedom of motion and the ability to dig in the dirt and grass for bugs & worms.   When you plan out your fencing boundaries, plan to include some landscaping perks such as small trees, bushes or tall grass.  The chickens will adore the shelter from the elements that they provide as well as the variety of pests for them to find to eat under the brush and leaves.

    As you perform your feeding and watering chores daily; do a little security check of the premises.   Make sure that your fencing is upright and not bent, nor dug under around the perimeter.  Watch the birds closely in how they interact with one another.  The rooster will usually give you a heads up if there is a chicken hawk or some other flying predator in the area by the way he acts with his hens.   He will make noise and act protective which usually causes the hens and chicks to take cover either under the trees, bushes, tall grasses or in or underneath the chicken coop.   That is his job to protect his ladies.

    Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to do your best to provide a safe environment for your backyard chickens to live, breed, and produce well.  If you happen to enjoy the process…all the better!


  • Worming Chickens, Use Pumpkins The Natural Chicken Wormer

    chickentenderPumpkin Seeds Natural Dewormer For Back Yard Chickens

    Chickens love pumpkins and they are very healthy for your chickens so feed up!

    What to do with the pumpkins after Halloween?  Usually we just throw them out or let them set and rot until the spring when we scoop them up and discard the remains.

    If you have chickens you are doing them a big disfavor by not feeding them the pumpkins, especially the seeds.

    So after carving the pumpkin for Halloween please do your Chickens out in the backyard a huge favor and feed the seeds and also the meet from the pumpkin to them.

    They will pick the meet and seeds from the pumpkin until all there is left is a thin membrane of the skin left.

    Why feed them the pumpkins?  It’s for their health. Pumpkin is a natural wormer.  Pumpkin seeds have a coating on them  that paralyzes the worm and then the worm can be expelled by the digestive action of the gut..  Ground raw hulled Pumpkin Seeds are the best but what a significant difference in the overall health of my flock after feeding whole pumpkins to them.

    I broke the pumpkins into chunks and threw seeds and all right into the coop.  the chickens needed no coaxing at all, in a matter of a few hours there was nothing left except for a thin membrane of orange pumpkin skin.

    I recommend grinding the seeds up for your younger flocks to make them easier to digest.

    Next year there will be a special place in my garden for pumpkins.  Not for Halloween though… I am planting chicken de-wormer :)

    I am looking into seeing if squash will give the same results…  Maybe you know the answer to this?  Leave your comments below.


  • Backyard Chicken Coop Chickens

    Chicken Tender with the Backyard Chicken Coop News

    Chicken Tender with the Backyard Chicken Coop News

    Hey Chicken Tender here and I thought I would share a few pictures of some of my friends from the Backyard Chicken Coop.

    The pictures below are just some of the other chickens that Jeff has.  He had just let them out of the coop to enjoy the evening scratching for some grain that he just scattered out on the ground.  This is my favorite part of the day… Out of the Chicken Coop where I feel free to strut my feathers.

    The hot speckled chick in the lower middle of the picture all by her self  is Tilly.  Tilly is a 4 year old Speckled Sussex that I have been crowing for ever since I first set my eyes on her.  What a chick!

    I have to keep my eye on the big black fellow in the bottom left picture… that’s Big Black.  he is a Jersey Giant crossed with an Ameraucana chicken, which is called an easter egg chicken that lays shades of blue, green, and pink eggs.  He takes after his Pa and just kept on a growing.  The Standard weights of a Jersey Black Giant at maturity are males-13 lbs. and hens-10 lbs, but they grow kind of slow.  The hens do lay nice big brown eggs though, and are good looking chicks.

    The other guy on the right of Tilly is Wyant.  He is a  Silver Laced Wyandotte…Wyant and I get a long much better. Wyandottes are a nice docile chicken and the hens are a very good layer of brown eggs.

    Now the big fellow down below they call him Jake.  He isn’t really part of the Chicken flock as you really should not raise Chickens and Turkeys in the same coop because of diseases.  Jake is a Narragansett Turkey.  He thinks he is pretty good looking because he is always strutting around, Gobbling, and drumming his wings for his mate.  The pattern of the Narragansett turkey is similar to the Bronze, but bronze is replaced with steel gray and the brown in the tail is a lighter tan. The gray has a slightly golden or brown tint. . . . My preference for the Narragansett is based mostly on a calm disposition and size.  Calm and not to big :)

    The nice looking building right next to Jake is his coop.  My chicken coop is just like it only we have a little bigger chicken run attached to our 8 X 10 shed that Jeff built in just a day.  We enjoy the wild grapevines growing over the top of the building as it gives us nice shade during the hot summer days.  Jeff comes out and trims them back every year so they do not grow to wild and spoil the view of looking at the nice variety of day lillies that he planted just outside the coops.

    Well thanks for stopping by the Backyard Chicken Coop.  I will be sharing some more great tips on how you can get the most enjoyment out of raising chickens!

    Backyard Chicken Coop Chickens

    Backyard Chicken Coop Chickens

     

    Narragansett Turkeys The Backyard Chicken Coop

    Narragansett Turkeys The Backyard Chicken Coop


  • Chicken Coop Plans; Building Your Chicken Coop

    Chicken Coop Scoop Straight from the Chicken Coop

    Chicken Coop Scoop Straight from the Chicken Coop

    Proper Construction of a Pen Suitable for Raising Chickens

     

    Constructing of a chicken coop 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.

    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.



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