Sommaire pour May/June 2017 de Chickens

Historically, the White Faced Black Spanish has only been recognized with all-black feathers, but the American Bantam Association also recognizes a Blue bantam . This breed is slow to mature, and the unique snow-white coloring surrounding the face and wattles takes more than a year to develop. (A piece of trivia: It’s actually an overdeveloped earlobe.) A breed with an mysterious heritage, the White Faced Black Spanish is one of the oldest poultry strains in the U.S. During the colonization of the New World, Spaniards brought many animals to the Caribbean region, including horses, goats and chickens, including a particularly striking white-faced bird. Due to its prolific egg-laying abilities , this breed is a good option for urban keepers and hobby farmers looking to sell eggs on a small scale.…

Peck around in online poultry forums and you’re bound to find chicken keepers talking about poop. There’s a lot of it, and knowing how it looks and smells can provide clues to digestive health. Even so, according to Gail Damerow, author of The Chicken Health Handbook (2015, 2nd edition), too many people are obsessing about what their chickens eat and what their poop looks like. “Don’t complicate things,” says Damerow, who has kept chickens since 1970. “Feed a proper diet, and the chickens will do fine.” She currently keeps 30 Rhode Island Reds for eggs on her Tennessee farm and a dozen black Silkies for fun. Damerow does watch their poop for signs of trouble, which we’ll review later. “But some degree of variation in color and texture is normal,…

The brooder offers a safe and suitable living environment for very young chicks. Why do they need it? • Chicks are not yet feathered, so they can’t regulate their body temperatures. • With only downy fuzz and not true feathers, chicks are unable to acclimate to the elements on their own. • Ever heard of a sitting duck? Sitting chicks are even more vulnerable. They are small, not very strong and absolutely defenseless. BROODER BASICS The brooder can be made out of just about anything. • wood and plywood • metal or galvanized steel • cardboard • plastic — kiddie pools or storage bins • recycled materials • scrap lumber and plywood Don’t wait for the postman to call and tell you that your chicks are ready for pick up…

My experience of working outdoors for almost 40 years has taught me at least one thing: Anything outdoors with fragile or moving parts will eventually need to be repaired in some capacity. How long have your sprinklers lasted? Do you have any gate latches that don’t work? You see my point. This brings us to glass windows that open and close. These items combine fragility and moving parts. (Avoid this combo with outdoor structures if you can.) My own house is settling very slightly, and every few years, we have to replace a couple cracked panes in an expanse of casement windows. And some settling or an out-of-square opening on a coop can make window sashes difficult to move. Fortunately, in most parts of the country, hens will be fine…

What causes you stress? Work? Lack of sleep? Junk food? The circumstances and events that cause people to worry and fret can also be the same stress factors for our chickens. (With a few big additions, of course: We’re not being hunted by predators!) Just about any measures that we would take for self-care can be applied to our birds to also reduce their stress. Let’s take a look at some common stressors affecting backyard flocks, and how to address them. Predator Problems By and large, the biggest single stressor a chicken will face in its life is the constant looming fear of predators. Have you ever wondered why chickens are so jumpy? Even the cuddliest chicken is, by nature, always on alert for danger. And it’s right to be:…

When you’re a gardener, one of the nice benefits of raising a flock of backyard chickens — in addition to the delicious fresh eggs they lay — is all the wonderfully nitrogen-rich manure they produce. Believe it or not, the average hen expels almost 2 pounds of manure a week! Because chickens eat a diet high in calcium to ensure strong eggshells, their manure contains higher amounts of calcium than manure from other livestock species. Using chicken manure as compost or mulch for your garden is simple and effective. (See “Standard Composting” on page 56.) However, there’s another way to incorporate the composted manure into your garden all season long: Brew up a batch of chicken poop tea! This simple, tried-and-true method of making homemade liquid fertilizer adds nutrients to…

I recall the day I realized chickens could lay a deep-chocolate-colored egg. I was struck by the idea of food being artistic and nature’s quiet offering of beauty. Fast-forward a few years, not to mention a child, a farm purchase and countless hours of research: I am now the proud owner of a small-scale National Poultry Improvement Plan-certified heritage chicken hatchery! What started as a love affair with that one chocolate-colored egg turned into the search for the most productive and striking hens that laid a rainbow of blue, green, pink and speckled-brown eggs. Before I knew it, I had a lot of amazing breeds under my care. My husband and I chose all of the breeds we work with first and foremost for temperament. Our 4-year-old daughter can walk…

They’re soft. They’re fuzzy. They’re the epitome of innocence. Who can resist cuddling up to an adorable baby chick? The feel of that silky down caressing your skin may encourage you to plant a kiss on that tiny fluff ball, but resist the temptation: As cute as that bird may be, it may be hazardous to your health. The Scoop on Salmonella A group of bacteria that affect that the human digestive system, causing diarrhea, vomiting, fever and abdominal cramps, salmonella is carried by most warm-blooded animals. Due to reported outbreaks triggered by the consumption of infected eggs and meat, salmonella is most closely associated with poultry. Eating contaminated chicken meat and eggs is not the only way salmonellosis spreads, however: Transmission is far more common through direct contact with…

When we were young, my little sister rescued a bantam chick from certain demise. She named it Miss Peep and loved her immensely. But before long, it became apparent that Miss Peep was actually Mr. Peep, and beyond that, he was one mean rooster. He would watch for one of us to leave the house and come barreling out of the fencerow, head lowered, spurred legs at the ready. We had no idea why he was such a pill when all we’d ever done was take care of him, the ungrateful wretch! It may sound funny, but a mean chicken is no joke. To reduce the tyranny these birds can impose upon us well-meaning humans and the overall flock, we need to take some defensive steps. Defense No. 1 Understand…

A quick version of quiche that doesn’t require making and rolling out pastry, this recipe is perfect for any meal. The ingredients for the filling can be seasonally adapted to make your own signature dish: Try asparagus in the spring and roasted squash in the fall. (Reprinted with permission from Cooking with Eggs: 50 Incredible, Edible Recipes.) YIELD: 4 servings INGREDIENTS • 4 large bread rolls, roughly 4 inches in diameter• 1 teaspoon olive oil• 1 tablespoon butter• 3 medium mushrooms, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced (1/3 cup)• 3 ounces Prosciutto or shaved deli ham, roughly chopped• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme• 3 eggs• 1/2 cup heavy cream• pinch of cayenne pepper• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground sea salt• 2 teaspoons cornstarch• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley• 3 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese PREPARATION Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice tops…