Backyard Chicken-Keeping

Backyard
Chicken-Keeping
Cynthia Sandberg
Love Apple Farms
www.LoveAppleFarms.com
Welcome to Love Apple Farms
Class Guidelines
Please keep talking to a minimum.
Hold your questions until I ask for
them. Have faith in my agenda. 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, October 3, arrived by
mail yesterday.
Surprise!
You get 4 chicks not 3!
Hold your horses: There's a reason!
One may not make it. One may be a rooster
Good news: You end up with 3 laying hens! 3-4
hens will lay 1 dozen to 18 eggs per week
Ameraucana Breed
● American version of
Araucana
● Gentle and inquisitive
● Beautiful partridge plumage
● Layers of green eggs
Welsummer Breed
● Chocolate Brown eggs,
sometimes spotted
● From Holland
● Gentle but Inquisitive
● Good winter layer
Buff Orpington Breed
● From England
● Docile and friendly
● Great egg layers.
● Beautiful golden color.
Silver Cochin Breed
● Light brown eggs
● Large w/ feathered feet
● From China
● 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
Welsummer Rooster - aka
Kellogg's Breakfast rooster
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
● Switch bulb to standard 100 watt
incandescent if too hot (over 95 degrees)
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
● Start at 95 degree
○ 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 20 weeks 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 (demo how to fill it)
● Waterer (demo how to fill and
how to protect from spilling)
● Chick starter
● Shavings
● Heat lamp and bulb
● 4 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 4 hens
● Run: min 24 sq.
feet for 4 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
Cool Coops
● Very well built
● www.CoolCoops.com
Types of Coops
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 4 hens
● 2 boxes for 5 -10
● 12 inches square
● Privacy desired
● Use fake egg at first
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
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 your local feed store
(like Mt. Feed in Ben Lomond)
Eggs at 6 Months
● 1st eggs small or weird
● Gather eggs every day
● Egg shells are porous
● If they float, they are old
Washing and Storing Eggs
● Wash with cold, soapy water
● Air dry on towel
● Store at room temperature or in fridge
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
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 - First things
First
● 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
Upcoming Events at Love Apple
● Winter Vegetable Gardening - tomorrow or
Oct 26
● Honey-Themed Farm Lunch - Oct 13
● Asian Dumplings - Oct 20
● Harvest Pies - Oct 21
● Ramen from Scratch - Oct 27
Who Wants Extra Chicks?
● Extra chicks are $8 each
● You will need a larger coop than discussed
● Dozen eggs are $8 each
● 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!