Chickens is a trusted resource for information on the nutrition, health and wellbeing of these delightful birds, as well as the care, collection and consumption of their eggs. Includes timeless "how-to's", valuable advice, and entertaining photos.
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…
In the early 1900s, Harry Lamon of Beltsville, Maryland, concentrated on creating a breed that would consistently produce large white eggs and sell at top prices as a table fowl capable of providing quality meat even after its egg production slowed. A dangerously rare breed , the Lamona’s popularity began to decline in the 1980s, when it was believed extinct. In 2005, two remaining flocks were discovered. According to The Livestock Conservancy, “original breeding stock was selected from outstanding flocks [of the early 20th century] ... After 16 years, the ultimate goal was reached. The end result of these crosses was the production of a fine, general purpose fowl with a well-rounded body, yellow skin and legs, a single comb, four toes and red earlobes.” The Lamona was admitted to…
The flower essence movement began in 1930, when Edward Bach, a prominent English homeopathic physician and bacteriologist, walked away from his thriving practice to develop a new healing system. Bach sensed vast, untapped healing energies coursing through flowers, energies that could be extracted through a process he devised. Between 1930 and 1936, Bach lived in various parts of rural Britain, testing local flowers and perfecting his new medicines. In all, he created and proved 38 Bach flower essences, or remedies, and a five-flower blend he named Rescue Remedy, many of which can be used on your chickens. Pedal to the Mettle Bach Flower Remedies are still manufactured across the world and are marketed as natural, nontoxic, self-chosen, self-administered, over-the-counter remedies. It’s impossible to overdose using flower essences. They cause no…
Once I visited the farm of an acquaintance and thought I’d stepped onto the grounds of a county fair. An open area was festooned overhead with long ribbons of orange, pink, yellow and green. It turns out his free-ranging chickens swirled through the 1/2-acre open area of fenced run. The ribbons were inexpensive surveyor’s tape (also called flagging) tied to posts and tree branches and running horizontally at least 7 feet above the ground. He’d decorated the plot this way after losing a couple of hens to hawks. The random crisscrossing pattern of colorful flagging moved in the wind and persuaded the raptors to look for their chicken dinners on some other property. And the ribbons were high enough that chicken keepers could walk underneath unimpeded. I’ve probably met half-a-dozen…
Just as mankind has evolved from inhabiting dank, dark caves, today’s domestic chickens have needs no longer met by the cover of a rainforest. The ancestral red junglefowl might have survived just fine in the wilds of Asia, but today’s modern flocks face many more challenges. These include diverse weather conditions, seasonal temperature changes, a wide variety of predators and our own impact on the world around us. Help ensure your birds live a long, healthy life by following these dos and don’ts for providing proper housing. DO … Provide Your Flock with a Dedicated Home Regardless of whether you choose a mobile chicken tractor or a permanent coop, make sure that your chickens’ shelter is exclusively for them. Housing them with other animals — especially larger livestock — can…
If you’re ready to design the coop of your dreams but aren’t sure how much space to allot for the roost, nest boxes or the actual interior, here’s a quick breakdown to consider. INTERIOR SPACE Each adult, standard, large fowl requires at minimum 3 square feet (4 is better!), while each adult bantam chicken will require approximately 2 square feet of space. If you are planning a confined coop, double these figures to ensure your birds have enough room to live. Example: If you plan on keeping five standard hens, you’ll need a coop interior of at bare minimum 15 square feet (5 hens x 3 square feet = 15 square feet). NEST BOXES Include one nest box for every four hens. Nest-box dimensions should run approximately 12 inches wide…
