Backyard Chicken-Keeping
Transcription
Backyard Chicken-Keeping
Backyard Chicken-Keeping Cynthia Sandberg Love Apple Farms www.LoveAppleFarms.com Class Guidelines Please keep talking to a minimum. Hold your questions until I ask for them. Have faith in my agenda. Sometimes questions can slow down class and get us off topic. Begin at the Beginning ● Chicks came from Privett Hatchery in New Mexico ● Hatched on Wednesday, July 16, arrived by mail last Friday. Ameraucana Breed ● American version of Araucana ● Gentle and inquisitive ● Beautiful partridge plumage ● Layers of green eggs Cuckoo Marans Breed ● ● ● ● ● French breed Great for first time chicken keepers Friendly White feathers are trimmed in black Dark brown eggs Blue Andalusian Breed ● White eggs ● Medium size with brilliant “blue” feathers and white ears ● From Spain ● Very docile Rooster Disclaimer ● Hatchery guarantees 90% accuracy on sexing ● City rules and regulations ● Give away on CL - don't try to charge $ for him Box for Brooding ● Brooder box should be at least 18" x 24". ● Predator-proof room ● Hang light from above or loop around broom handle or board ● Put light in corner. ● Check temperature OFTEN Good Brooder Set Up Brooding Temperatures ● Lamp on 24 hours a day unless ambient temp is above 85 ● Ability to move away from heat ● Slowly raise lamp ● Started at 95 degrees 10 days ago ○ Decrease 5 degrees per week for 6 weeks ○ Careful of hot days ○ Use thermometer to check Protect from Predators: Kids, Cats, Dogs Even a kitten can hurt a chick! Be Careful of Kids ● Chicks are fragile ● Will jump and hurt themselves from heights above 2 feet Don't hold chicks in open palm. Hold chicks with fingers enclosed around them Fresh Food and Water All the Time ● Check on chicks at least twice a day ● Waterer will expel all water if not level ● Chicks can scratch shavings into feeder & waterer ● Put both on upside down salad plates to raise Chick Starter for first 4 Months ● Not scratch ● Doesn't have to be medicated ● Purchase at feed stores ● After 4 months switch to pellets ● No greens for first 2 weeks Organic or not? Your choice. Organic is 3x as expensive Check for Pasting on Vent Remove by kneading water into poo - DON'T pull! Shavings ● Can also use newspaper, sand or dirt ● Clean shavings weekly or add more - can be composted ● Purchase at feed stores What You are Receiving Today ●Feeder ●Waterer ●Chick starter ●Shavings ●Heat lamp and bulb ●3 chicks Move to Coop at 3 - 7 Weeks Essential for them to get a feel for returning at night Coop Parameters ● Coop: min 9 sq. feet for 3 hens ● Run: min 24 sq. feet for 3 hens ● 1 x 2 wire - NOT chicken wire ● Wire on bottom of run or dug into ground a foot Many Options for Coop ● Coop plans online ● Coops for sale on Craigslist Types of Coops On Craigslist today - local coops ● ● ● ● $395 $650 with everything including the stuff you are getting today ZenHenPens Looks like hardware cloth for wire, but ensure there is no chicke wire Links List Will contain: ●Coop plans ●Link to this PowerPoint ●Chicken Book ●Resource links Siting Your Coop ● Drainage ● Accessibility ● Water Source ● Shade Predator Proof Perching Rails on Inside of Coop Nesting Box and Nest Eggs ● 1 box needed for 3-4 hens ● 2 boxes for 5 -10 ● 12 inches square ● Privacy desired ● Use fake egg at first or golfball BREAK Let's go out and view coops Then let's break for a 20 minute snack or walk around Cleaning Out the Coop ● Straw or shavings inside coop (straw difficult to transport w/o truck) ● Smaller the coop, more often you must clean ● To freshen between cleanings, add more straw or shavings to top ● We clean out our small coop every few months, our big one twice a year ● Compost the litter before adding it to garden beds Free-Ranging Adding Free Space without Plant Damage Chicken “Moat” Short chicken wire around each bed Another example, more posh Free-Ranging Basics ● They need to learn their coop first, so temporary run essential ● After they are used to going back inside at night, can remove run ● They will eat desirable plants and scratch holes everywhere ● Use a chicken tractor or movable fence to contain them ● Make sure they go back inside predator-proof coop at night Types of Chicken Tractors Bigger Feeders and Waterers ● Mature chickens will need an upgrade to larger waterers and feeders ● These can be hung from rafters or set on ground ● Purchase from FarmTek, Jeffers, or us today! Eggs at 6 Months ● 1st eggs small or weird ● Gather eggs every day ● Egg shells are porous ● If they float, they are old Egg Laying Facts ● Chickens lay in the morning ● 4 - 6 per week in summer ● Less in winter - supplemental light increases production ● Lay for a few years ● Live for long time Washing and Storing Eggs ● Wash with cold, soapy water ● Air dry on towel ● Store at room temperature or in fridge Broody Hens ● Broody Hen: hen who doesn't lay eggs but won't leave nest, and is angry when disturbed ● Biological instinct to sit on nest ● Remove from nest for 1 week in a separate cage with food and water ● After 7 days she will stop brooding Roosters ● Don't just crow in the morning ● Not necessary for hens to lay eggs ● Sometimes difficult to have 2 in same flock ● Look for tail and pin feathers elongating ● Some hens can crow if no rooster around Combs Comb size doesn't mean it's a rooster Moulting ● Shedding of old feathers and replacement of new feathers ● Usually first happens at 18 months old, then yearly ● No eggs during this time Picking and Bullying ● Blood drawn will cause others to attack too ● Separate for several weeks ● Introduce her back into flock at night ● If it continues, separate aggressor for a couple of weeks Chicken Vet Hilary Stern, DVM Animal Hospital of Soquel 831.475.0432 Adding to Your Flock ● If you're adding chickens to your flock, they must be same size ● Today's chicks will reach close to full size at 4 months. ● Don't mix Bantams with bigger breeds ● Introduce chickens only at night ● Watch them closely the next day for bullying Setting up Brooder Steps ● Once you get home, put dogs/cats away. ● Put shavings in box ● Put tiny chick box on shavings inside big box and open lid. Gently take out chicks and place on shavings. ● Set up waterer and feeder ● Set up light ● After half hour, check temperature AT CHICK LEVEL ● Adjust lamp if above or below 95 degrees ● After another half hour, check temp again ● Put brooder in predator-proof room How to Tell if Too Hot or Too Cold If chicks spend all their time under the lamp, it's too cold and the lamp is too high. Lower it a bit. If the chicks spend NO time under the lamp, they are too hot and the lamp is too low. Raise it up! If the chicks are lethargic, lay down in a corner and pant a lot, that is also an indicator they are too hot. Upcoming Events at Love Apple ● Pizza from Scratch - next weekend ● Winter Vegetable Gardening - August 10 ● Using a Pressure Cooker - August 17 ● HOW-Kitchen Skills - August 24 ● Sausage Making - August 30 ● Gluten-Free Cooking - August 31 Who Wants Extra Chicks? ● Extra chicks are $10 each ● You will need a larger coop than discussed ● We take cash or checks Procedure for Taking Home Chicks ● Accept payments for extra chicks. ● We'll box up chicks for you and send you off ● Don't stop on way home or leave chicks in hot car ● Quickly set up brooder when you get home GOOD LUCK! TAKE CARE OF YOUR BABIES!
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● They will eat desirable plants and scratch holes everywhere ● Use a chicken tractor or movable fence to contain them ● Make sure they go back inside predator-proof coop at night
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