Chickens
Learn about things chicken related. This will include breeds, feed, coops and more!
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Building My Chicken Coop
So you are finally ready to get to building your chicken coop! Since you have your individual needs your building may differ from mine. I do want to share with you what we did when building my chicken coop. You have done your research after reading 5 Things to Consider When Building a Chicken Coop. You have purchased all your materials you needed from that research and was able to do it on a budget because you read Shopping to Build Your Chicken Coop on a Budget! Great work, now lets get down to business. Materials Needed for Building My Chicken Coop I have a LOT of chickens, 63 to…
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Shopping to Build Your Chicken Coop on a Budget
You want to learn how to build your chicken coop on a budget. You are going to love this post! I am going to be teaching you how to comparative shop so that you can build your chicken coop on a budget. Let’s get to comparing, those chickens need a home! Quick Recap of the Things You Should Have in Place You should: Have a budget that you are going to be spending on your coop. Know what size your coop is going to be and have a list of necessary materials to build it. You should have the necessary tools and skills needed to complete construction of your coop…
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5 Things to Consider When Building a Chicken Coop
So you’re thinking about building a chicken coop? You have made up your mind to be a chicken farmer and do this coop thing yourself. Congratulations! Hey wait, hold your feathers there a minute. There is much more needed than an image in your mind, wood and nails. . How Much Space do you Need in Your Coop? One of the first and most important things to consider when building your chicken coop is the space you are going to need. Space will be based on the amount of chickens you have or plan to have. Do not do what we did and build a coop then decide you want…
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The Lakenvelder Chicken
My life has sure become more interesting since encountering the Lakenvelder chicken. Let me tell you these ladies are a handful! If you are new to the breed read on to find out more about the Lakenvelder. As a bonus you will get to meet my very own Lakenvelder, Stalker. The Lakenvelder Chicken History The Lakenvelder was first recorded in 1727. This domestic chicken is from the Nordrhein-Westfalen area of Germany and neighboring areas of the Netherlands. The Lakenvelder is mainly for egg purposes though there are some that are show birds. They are small birds weighing only 4 to 5 pounds. Their light body makes them very athletic and…
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5 Benefits to Backyard Chickens
My farming journey began with sheep then expanded to include chickens. Today I am going to be sharing 5 benefits to backyard chickens that I have learned. Some of these benefits are pretty obvious others you may not be considered. 1 of 5 Benefits to Backyard Chickens: Pest Control Backyard chickens are wonderful at pest control. They can help maintain bug population in your yard and near your garden. Here at my home, we had a tick problem. You literally could not walk outside without picking one of the little blood suckers up. It was awful! My chickens really helped cure this problem. Last year was the first in a…
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Training Your Chickens Where to Lay
So it is time for your chickens to lay and you don’t want every day being an Easter egg hunt. How exactly do you go about training your chickens where to lay? I will be sharing with you a few options for training your chickens where to lay as well as what I did. Options for Training Your Chickens Where to Lay When training chickens where to lay you have a few options. You can choose the traditional method of using fake eggs called ceramic nest eggs, some people buy craft eggs from a hobby store, golf balls are an option, or you can do what I did and use…
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Simple & Easy Nesting Boxes
So when do you need to start considering simple & easy nesting boxes options? Most hens will begin laying around 6 months old. Some will lay earlier and some later depending on the breed. Hens will share egg boxes so you do not have to have a box for every hen. A good number for comfort of the hens is one box to every four to six hens. So now that you have discovered how many and when you will likely be needing egg boxes what are your options? Nesting Box Options Probably the most simple nesting box option is to buy the pre-made boxes. You can get these from…
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The Polish Chicken
Today’s spotlight is on the Polish chicken. Polish are one of my favorite breeds of birds. They have their own unique personality and style. They can often come off as a bit strange and wacky. Aside from being a bit different they are also social and fun, most of the time. Discover more about this breed and my own personal story. The Polish Chickens Sense of Style The Polish chicken is one of the easiest to pick out in a flock because of their hippy like hairstyles. The large crest of feathers and V-shaped comb are the breeds most unique and identifying characteristics. Since the feathers often block the chickens…
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Mail Order Chickens?
I now have 25 chickens and 2 ducks on the farm. You would think I would be content right? Not exactly. I loved the chickens I had but I was still wanting more. I had a few breeds that I particularly wanted; Polish and Silkies. I had also just discovered a beautiful breed called Calico Princess. During this time was when the Blue Andalusian also became an interest for my flock. The problem began to arise with not being able to get these birds at stores like TSC. We were told that we could order the birds and get the mix we wanted through mail order. I thought mail order…
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Introducing New Chickens to Your Flock
Fast forward to April of 2019. We had decided that we would like another breed or two of chickens to add to the farm. We soon discovered a nearby store was having their chick days. Customers placed orders for the breed, number, and sex of baby chick they wanted. I thought this sounded awesome! I would be able to order exactly what I wanted! We decided on 6 Easter Eggers and 6 Brown Leghorn. Order placed, now the wait was on until April 17th. Little did we know the challenges about to ensue, from placing an order to introducing new chickens to our flock. The Day Finally Arrives On April…