Table of contents for September/October 2017 in Chickens

Chickens love eating scratch grains, kitchen scraps, and yard or garden greens. But, because commercially prepared poultry feeds are designed to satisfy a chicken’s nutritional needs, these extra bits should be fed sparingly as treats. They dilute the nutritional value of the chicken ration, so it’s recommended that treats make up no more than 10 to 15 percent of a chicken’s diet. In addition to feeding treats sparingly, it’s best to feed them at the end of the day. That way, the flock will already have eaten enough chicken feed to meet their dietary needs. Also — unlike scratch, scraps and greens — grit and calcium are two supplements that should be made available for chickens at all times. Scratch Grains Chicken scratch usually contains grains such as barley, corn…

SHUTTERCLUCKS PHOTO CONTEST ( page 70 ) OFFICIAL RULES • NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN Sponsor/EntryPeriod:Enter between 12:00:01 a.m. Pacific Time (“PT”) on 7/25/2017 and 11:59:59 p.m. PT on 9/25/2017 (“Entry Period”). Sponsor: Lumina Media LLC, 2030 Main St., Suite 1400, Irvine, CA 92614 Eligibility:Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., 21 years or older. Employees of Sponsor are not eligible to enter. HowtoEnter:Email your photo(s) (“Theme”) to chickens@luminamedia.com, with the subject line “Shutterclucks” and include your name and mailing address. You may enter up to five images. RequirementsofEntry: Entries must meet the following requirements and you represent and warrant and agree that: Your Entry was created by you or you have the rights or received prior permission from any person involved in its…

1. This cock-a-doodle-doo Shower Curtain measures 71-by-74 inches, has a 12-button-hole top for hanging, is 100 percent polyester and can be personalized. Bath mat and towels sold separately. $45. Fickleberry Ranch; www.etsy.com/shop/fickleberryranch 2. Show everyone just how much you love your feathered friends in these comfortable, stylish Chicken Leggings. $39; Brave New Look; www.bravenewlook.com 3. The Jacques Pépin Collection of handcrafted Italian ceramics and décor is inspired by the chef’s colorful artwork and features all sorts of chicken-decorated items, such as this Figural Covered Chicken Bowl. $30. Sur La Table. www.surlatable.com 4. This Handcrafted Natural Wood Sprig Rooster sits atop a lofty perch watching over his brood. $98; Interior Clue; www.interiorclue.com 5. Dress up like your favorite farmyard animal this Halloween with a realistic Rooster Mask. $29.99; HalloweenCostumes.com; www.halloweencostumes.com 6. This decorative 20-by-28-inch Chicken Breeds…

Recent years have seen local food movements and sustainability initiatives go mainstream. Where discussions about cruelty-free meats and organic produce were once limited to farmers market booths and natural-grocer aisles, today the clarion call for responsible ingredients can be heard loud and clear from all corners of the national landscape. People want good food. If you’ve got a coop of backyard layers or a field of free-range hens, you’ve probably already experienced this, as friends and neighbors — and sometimes strangers in your driveway — ask if you have a spare dozen or two fresh eggs to sell. But when hens grow old and become infrequent layers, or a small farm looks to expand its offerings to include sustainable poultry, chicken keepers often go hunting for a local facility for…

• First, find out what types of chicken will work for you. Consider the variables of space, as in how much room do you have to devote to your flock; your region’s climate; and egg color. Then, choose a breed accordingly. • Select a proven winner of a laying hen. Woginrich’s top 10 go-to breeds are: Ameraucanas, Australorps, Brahmas, Dominiques, Jersey Giants, Orpingtons, Plymouth Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Silkies and Welsummers. • Remember that the coop is not a full-time residence for your flock. The coop itself doesn’t have to be large, as long as they have an abundance of pasture space to spend their days. • Always build safeguards against predators. Chicken predators are a problem everywhere; don’t think you’re immune because you live in a city or suburb. The best precaution…

When we moved to our 1-acre home in rural Yulee, Florida, having pet chickens was not in the plans. In fact, it was only because of a very unusual tradition that we got into such a fowl mood. When we first moved in, we generally left our yard gate open. But on every Fourth of July, for a number of years, someone would abandon a very old, ragged, toothless animal, usually a dog, near us, and it would always find its way to our front porch. It would live with us for a year and die. Then another would wander into our hearts. Once it was a kitten. And then came a rooster. I’d heard him crowing nearby for a week before I saw him hop the fence. I began…

Winner! PAULA SYDENSTRICKER • Chesapeake, Ohio SHARE YOUR PICTURES! Email us an image of your chicken(s) to chickens@luminamedia.com with the subject line Shutterclucks, and include your name and mailing address. We’ll send one person two security lights from Nite Guard Solar® (www.niteguard.com), which scare the wits out of night predators — including coyotes, foxes, hawks, owls, raccoons, skunks, weasels and more. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER. Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States or District of Columbia, age 21 or older. Entries must be received between 12:00:01 a.m. PT on 7/25/2017 and 11:59:59 p.m. PT on 9/25/2017. See Official Rules on page 65. Void where prohibited by law. Sponsor: Lumina Media LLC.…

Chickens are messy creatures. Their normal scratching and dusting behaviors kick up debris, stir their own manure, and foul water and food supplies. A healthy flock requires regular attention to the cleanliness of their living quarters. Cleaning chores include those that need to be done daily, weekly and once or twice a year. Fresh Water, Clean Food Water and food are essentials for all life. Each day, flock owners can clean out and offer fresh food and water to their hens. Waterers often develop a greenish scrum on the insides and bottoms. Especially in warmer weather, this slime turns quickly from green to black. A scrubby sponge near the water spigot can help you stay ahead of green slime while easily scrubbing out the insides and blackish edges each time…

Rookie pullets need a week or two to warm up their reproductive tracts and perfect the egg-making process. Expect first eggs to be smallish and possibly wonky-looking, but don’t worry much about the occasional funky egg from a hen of any age. Many odd eggs can be explained by the hen’s diet, environment or health. The following general guidelines will help you understand some of the more common egg irregularities and interesting factoids but are not intended as an exhaustive review. DOUBLE YOLKS commonly occur in new layers when yolk release is mistimed and two yolks travel down the oviduct together. Some hens are genetically predisposed to laying double-yolk eggs. A double-yolk egg rarely hatches. NO YOLK Tiny eggs containing no yolk are referred to as fairy eggs (opposite page),…

Keep your birds safe while free-ranging in your new pen with these proofing tips. • Half-inch hardware cloth may be available in a stronger gauge than 1/2-inch, which can help keep out predators. Don’t use chicken wire for this project, as predators can easily get past chicken wire. Hardware cloth is essential. • If you’d like to create a roof for the collapsible run, you’ll need to make one large 4-by-4-foot frame and cover this with hardware cloth. The corners should then be temporarily screwed down during the day when the chickens are using the pen and removed at night. • You can also use 2-by-2s (or larger lumber) instead of 1-by-2s for the basic frame; this will be make the run stronger, although using wood of a larger size…

Email the story of you and your chickens in 750 to 1,000 words to chickens@luminamedia.com (subject line: Chicken Chat). Be sure to include high-resolution images or photos of yourself, your chickens and/or your coop. The author of each issue’s published essay will receive a special farm sign and T-shirt from Stromberg’s Chickens and Game Birds Unlimited (800-720-1134; www.strombergschickens.com) , which offers a selection of birds, books, supplies and equipment for the breeding, rearing and management of poultry, ducks, guineas, waterfowl, game birds, peafowl, pheasants, quail and doves! NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER. Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States or District of Columbia, age 21 or older. Entries must be received between 12:00:01 a.m. PT on 7/25/2017 and 11:59:59 p.m. PT on 9/25/2017. See Official Rules…

Choosing to design and build your own chicken coop can be an exciting and rewarding experience that can offer many benefits. When you build your own coop, you have the opportunity to customize the design to your specific needs and have the choice of how much or how little you wish to spend on the project. There is obviously no one way to correctly build a coop. A lot of what you design and build really depends on how you want to raise your flock and what types of add-ons you want to consider, such as automatic doors, solar panels for additional light for laying hens, etc. For this column, we will focus on the design and building of a light mobile coop where the chickens spend the majority of…