Quality Chicken Coops & Chicken Runs

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Posted on April 26, 2012 by Admin

New Chicken, Poultry Coop, Hen House Pen, Rabbit Hutch, Salt Box Roof

Price: $199.95
- Outside overall dimensions including nesting box: 80"L X 26-1/4"W X 46-1/2"H
- Dimensions of coop floor area excluding nesting box: 30"L X 21"W X 31"H
- Dimensions of nesting box overall: 17-1/4"W X 12-3/4"L X 16"H
- Heavy duty 1/2" galvanized wire helps keep chickens in and predators out
- This coop is designed to hold 3 to 4 standard hens, or 4 to 6 bantams
Ware Premium+ Chick-N-Lodge

Price: $467.56
- Large screened porch area
- 2 removable roosts
- Accomodates up to 4 chickens
Ware Manufacturing Premium Plus Chick-N-Pen

Price: $237.36
- Lumber premium plus chick-n-pen
- Easy assembly with just a screwdriver
- Made of rustproof galvanized wire and top grade lumber
- Easy access easy cleaning
Hamptons Chicken Coop Size - Small

Price: $639.99
- Constructed of high-quality western red cedar to withstand elements
- Top panel removes above nesting boxes for summer ventilation
- Contains numerous nesting panels, with easy-access hatch door
- Back and sides are removable for convenient cleaning
- Choice of sizes large or small
New Age Pet ecoConcepts Chicken Barn & Pen

Price: $534.97
- Made from eCo-Flex, a composite of recycled polymers and recycled wood fibers, making it weather-resistant, moisture-proof and insect-free
- 18-gauge welded wire in pen for ultimate protection. Predator resistant locks on all doors and lids
- Pen attaches to barn for additional security
- Remote front door closure
- Leave natural or paint/stain to preference

Start Raising Backyard Chickens

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Admin

I was surfing the internet this morning and ran across a great article on how to start raising backyard chickens. This article provides some excellent tips for anyone that is thinking about raising backyard chickens. Check it out below.

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by guest blogger Jean Nick, author and sustainability expert

When I was perhaps 10 years old, a lone Rhode Island Red hen wandered out of the woods and into the yard. We figured, given that she was a long way from anywhere, she must have fallen off a passing truck. My mother never turned away a needy animal, so Henny Penny joined the menagerie, spending her nights snug in an old rabbit hutch given to us by a neighbor.

Come spring, her mind turned–as hen’s minds are wont to do–to motherhood and she went broody, sitting glassy-eyed and inert on her nest eggs (which were in fact, milk-glass eggs my mother unearthed and tucked in so Henny Penny wouldn’t notice we were taking her egg each day and hide a nest somewhere else). Lacking a rooster on the place, she wasn’t going to get anywhere even sitting on her own eggs, so after a few weeks my mother couldn’t stand such hopeful and doomed devotion any longer. She had my Dad stop at a local hatchery and bring home a pair of lovely fluffy New Hampshire Red hen chicks, which she tucked under Henny Penny that night–much to the delight of everyone involved the next morning. And that was the start of my first brood of chickens.

==> CLICK HERE to read the full article.

Chickens Have Been Identified As A Potential Cause Of UTI’s.

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Admin

I was online and ran across this interesting article making a connection between urinary tract infections and chickens.

Chickens are a huge part of the diets of Americans and this is something I had never heard of before.

Check out the article below:

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Chickens may be ultimately to blame for the majority of urinary tract infections in the U.S., according to new research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Researchers have long believed that urinary tract infections (UTI) were caused by E. coli bacteria in a person’s own gastrointestinal tract.

But after analyzing genomes of the bacteria in women with UTIs, the study’s authors found that the strains of E. coli in the women matched strains of E. coli found in retail chicken meat. According to the researchers, the bacteria did not come from any contamination during the preparation process, but from the chicken itself.

The CDC also analyzed strains of E. coli from other types of meat, including beef and pork, but those retail meats were significantly less likely to have the same strand of E. coli found in those with UTIs.

A major concern listed in the research revolved around the recent emergence of antibiotic-resistant E. coli in the last decade, which the researchers found in some of the samples they tested.

“The management of UTIs, which was previously straightforward, has become more complicated,” the CDC said on its website. “The risks for treatment failure are higher, and the cost of UTI treatment is increasing.”

The scientists have proposed a possible intervention into modern farming methods to help reduce the risk for contamination.

Click here to read more from the CDC.

Where Is The Best Place To Buy Chicks

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Admin

Spring is around the corner and now is the best time of year to consider either start raising a backyard chicken flock or add to an existing backyard chicken flock.

So, where is the best place to buy chicks? My answer is “It depends on why you want to buy chicks”.

Are you starting a brand new flock of chickens?
Do you have an existing flock that you want to add a few new chicks to?
How many chicks do you want?
Do you want to a specific breed of chicks?

There are obviously more reasons than the ones I listed about but they are a good place to start a discussion on where is the best place to buy chicks.

The best place to buy chicks in large numbers or in pre-sexed groups is online. There are chicken hatcheries like California Hatchery that you can get catalogues from or go online and place an order. If you are starting a brand new flock of chickens, you first need to know how many you have the room to keep. The California Hatchery will let you order as few as 3 chicks which is unusual because you usually have to order at least 24 chics from most places.

Advantages and disadvantages of buying chicks online are:

Large selection of bird breeds.
Birds can be sexed with about 99% certainty.
Birds are usually guaranteed.
Ability to purchase large numbers of birds which is both good and bad.
Birds are shipped to local post office and have to be picked up.

If you are only looking to buy a small number of chicks, one of the best places to do that is to look locally. I have found a number of people online on Craigs List where I can go to get a few chicks.

Advantages and disadvantages of buying chicks locally:

You can get a few chicks instead of having to buy two dozen or more.
Buying locally allows you to meet the person you get the chicks from.
Selection may be limited.
It is possible that the birds are not purebred which may be a problem for some people.
Since it is not a large commercial operation, the birds may or may not be vaccinated.

The best place to buy chicks is something you will have to do some research on. There are a lot of options out there for buying birds and you have to know what you want before you begin this process.

I have purchased birds locally and online through a hatchery and have not had any problems with either. The biggest problem that I had was when the birds were shipped to my local post office and someone forgot to call me. This was disastrous for the chicks.

I would strongly recommend that if you order chicks via mail, be sure and warn your local post office that they are coming. Make sure they have all of your contact information and make sure that you know exactly where to go to pick them up.

Answers To Problems Related To Raising Backyard Chickens – Rats

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Admin

Most people that have backyards chickens have issues and they are are looking for answers to problems related to raising backyard chickens.

Raising backyard chickens is not that complicated but the majority of people don’t stop and think about the pests that you might draw when you acquire your new chicken flock. You might ask, “What are you talking about?” I am talking about RATS!

Think about it. Your chickens need food and you have to store that food somewhere. Given that chicken feed comes in 50 pound bags, most people opt to keep their chicken feed close to the chicken coop for convenience. Rats can become a huge problem without proper planning. Rats are ugly to look at and gross most people out. But the biggest problem is that they carry diseases that can be transmitted to your flock and you.

Securing your food storage:

You should ensure that all your chicken feed are secured in a container that pests such as rats, other vermin, or even insects would not be able to go to. You can do this by purchasing an airtight container that you should always try to close when not in use. I personally like to use large aluminum garbage cans. They cannot be chewed through light plastic or rubber garbage can and you can use a rope or bungee cord to help secure the lid to the handles on the sides.

Cleaning:

Chicken are messy animals and it seems like I am always cleaning up their messes. They are not neat eaters and tend to fling food everywhere. I rake up the old feed once a week and throw it away so that it doesn’t attract mice and rats.

Be sure to properly secure the entire coop to help stop rats from setting up house and raising a family. Make sure your fencing is buried at least a foot underground to help discourage rats from digging underneath and building a nest under the chicken coop. Rats are usually big enough that they are a little easier to keep out than mice.

Rats and chickens seem to go hand in hand but they don’t have to. You know what they say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Don’t create a hospitable environments for rats and they will not set up house with your chickens.

Get more answers to Raising Backyard Chickens.

Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Admin

I found this article online about chicks making kids sick. It is very interesting and really emphasises the need for proper hygiene when handling chicks and chickens. Raising backyard chickens is a lot of fun but you do need to be aware of the potential that they can make you sick.

Always wash your hands after handling chicks or chickens.
If you can’t, then have hand sanitizer near the chicken coop.
Be extra cautious when handling chicks or chickens that are new to your flock.

Read on to find out more about this serious health issue.

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Backyard Chicks Make More Kids Sick

by Mary Rothschild | Jun 30, 2011

Infected chicks and ducklings have sickened 71 people — more than half of them younger than 5 — in a growing multistate outbreak of Salmonella that now involves two different strains of the bacteria.

In an update on the outbreak tied to backyard poultry, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that the number of Salmonella Altona infections is now up to 49 cases in 16 states, while another 22 people in 12 states have been infected with Salmonella Johannesburg.

Eighteen people have been hospitalized with severe diarrhea.

Most of those who are ill, or whose children are ill, reported buying the live poultry for either backyard flocks to produce eggs or as pets.

Traceback investigations have indicated that the chicks and ducklings were purchased from multiple locations of a national company, Feed Store Chain A, which says it obtained the poultry from the Ohio-based Mt. Healthy Hatchery.

More than half of the 71 people are younger than 5 years of age.

Here’s the breakdown on the number of illnesses by state:

As of June 27, a total of 49 individuals infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Altona: Georgia (1), Indiana (1), Kentucky (5), Maryland (4), Michigan (1), Minnesota (1), New Hampshire (1), New York (2), North Carolina (8), Ohio (9), Pennsylvania (5), Tennessee (3), Virginia (4), Vermont (1), Wisconsin (1), and West Virginia (2).

As of June 27, a total of 22 individuals infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Johannesburg: Alabama (1), Arkansas (1), Georgia (2), Kentucky (2), Maine (1), New York (3), North Carolina (3), Ohio (3), Pennsylvania (1), Tennessee (2), Vermont (2), and West Virginia (1).

* * * * * * * CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article. * * * * *

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions About Chickens

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Admin

Curious About Raising Backyard Chickens?

1. How long does a chicken usually live? On average, your hens will live from 6 – 8 years but they can live up to 10 years. Egg production slows and eventually stops as they get older.

2. How long does it take for an egg to hatch? 21 days – give or take a day or two.

3. What is the difference between white and brown eggs? The only different in the color of the egg. The taste or quality doesn’t differ at all. But, what you feed your chickens and how you care for them does make a difference. Generally speaking, the darker the yolk, the better as far as taste and healthiness.

4. Will chickens come back to their coop at night? Don’t worry. Your chickens will gradually migrate back home as it gets dark.

5. Are chickens as noisy as roosters? No. Hens are actually pretty quiet unless they are scared or under attack. On the otehr hand, roosters can be very noisy which can really upset your neighbors.

6. Which animals will injure or kill chickens? Unfortunately, the list of chicken predators is long. The most common predators of backyard chickens are raccoons, dogs, foxes, owls, hawks and coyotes. Any of these predators will eat your chickens if they are given the chance which is why your chickens need to be safely locked up each and every night. If you allow your chickens to free range, be sure that they are behind a fence that will stop predators, like dogs, to get in.

7. Do I need a rooster for hens to lay eggs? You DO NOT need a rooster for your hens to will lay eggs, but they wont be fertile.

8. How many chickens do I need to provide eggs for my family? You need about 2 hens per person on average. But, it you normally do a lot of baking or have a family that really likes eggs, you should probably have at least 3 hens per person.

9. Can I get just one chicken? Chickens are flock animals and they do best when kept at least in pairs. Also, a single rooster will run a single hen ragged with his sexual habits. A rooster is best kept if you have a flock of at least 8-10 hens so he can “spread the love.”

10. Can I have more than one rooster? I will say “Yes” but only if they were raised together and you have the correct hen-rooster-ratio. I have also found that you should not lock up more than one rooster in a chicken coop because you run the risk of one of them killing the other. I just had this happen a few weeks ago. I put a young rooster in with an older rooster and I found the older rooster fatally injured the next morning.

11. Can I save money raising my own chickens and eggs? I doubt it, but if you want healthier meat and eggs, raising your own is the way to go.

12. How long before my chickens begin to lay eggs? Generally speaking, they will begin to lay eggs at 5-6 months of age.

13. What is a capon? A capon is a castrated rooster. A capon will usually grow larger and will have a higher fat content than a normal rooster at butchering time. They are raised to be roasting chickens and because of the larger size and higher fat content, they are self basting.

These are commonly asked questions about raising backyard chickens. CLICK HERE to get more answers to raising backyard chickens.

Tips For Installing Chicken Fencing

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Admin

Installing chicken fencing is pretty straightforward and there are plenty of how-to guides online but there are several things that you need to remember as you are installing your chicken fence.

There are 3 main reasons you install chicken fencing.

Let’s face it, most chickens are free spirits and without chicken fencing, they are free to wander anywhere they want. Not all of your neighbors appreciate your flock’s ability to completely turn a flower bed under in 10 minutes flat!
Also, since most of us want the eggs that our lovely hens produce, we need to have some control over where they lay their eggs.
And last but not lease, I don’t like it when predators get into my chicken area and my chickens are killed.

As you are building your chicken fence, let’s talk about some things that you need to think about.

* What type of chicken fencing should you use? The most commonly used types of wiring are the chicken or poultry wiring or the smaller mesh with the very small square openings. Either one should work just fine.

* I always strongly recommend putting up a double layer of wiring because I have had chickens pulled through just one layer of poultry wiring.

* Stretch the wiring as tightly as possible between the posts so that there is no give in the fence.

* I would also recommend burying the fence at least a foot in the ground and some people recommend that you bury it at least two feet in the ground. Many predators are very determined and will dig down and go under the wiring to get to your chickens.

* Another idea is to burying the fencing is to create an “apron” of sorts. You bend the fencing along the bottom so that it is an “L” shape. You can secure the apron portion to the ground using landscape anchors and also allow grass, plants and weeds to grow up through it. It will be very secure and you won’t have to dig any trenches to bury your fence.

* Make sure that there are no gaps anywhere in the fence.

* And lastly, be sure and check your fence periodically for holes, loose areas or damaged wiring. I am paranoid about the safety of my hens and I tend to check the fencing at least once a month but do whatever works best for you.

These are all common sense things to think about when you are installing chicken fencing. Different areas of the country have different predators to worry about so you may think of even more things to add to the list.

Find out how to build a predator proof chicken coop.

Check out this video.

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Chicken Fencing Basics

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Admin

Installing the correct type of chicken fencing is ESSENTIAL if you want to keep your chickens alive. Chickens, while normally very hearty animals, are not able to protect themselves from chicken predators that see your hens as their next meal!

There are a variety of chicken fences that you can use to protect your chickens in their chicken run. The most common type is poultry fencing. The biggest advantage of poultry fencing is that the mesh has very small openings so it is difficult for predators to reach through and grab your chickens. One the other hand, I’ve seen poultry fencing that was chewed through by determined raccoons.

Another type of chicken fencing that I prefer to use is welded mesh fence. I have found this fencing to be much sturdier and it stands up to attacks by predators much better. Several of my friends use chain link fencing to outline the perimeter of the free range area for their hens. It provides a great initial barrier to help keep stray dogs, foxes and coyotes out of your yard. Although, this type of fencing does little to stop cats or animals that are adept at climbing from entering your yard.

I protect my chicken flock by installing chicken fencing in layers. I use the welded mesh fence on the interior framing of my runs and place a second layer of poultry fencing on the outside framing. This may sound like overkill but I have lost a lot of chickens over the years and I hate going out in the mornings to find chickens maimed, dead or missing.

Chicken fencing is not complicated to install but be sure that you install the correct type of fence for your chickens because their lives depend on it!

Learn how to build a predator safe chicken coop for your chickens.

Raising Chickens Tip: How To Clip Your Chickens Wings

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Admin

Raising Chicken Tips: How to Clip their Wings

Do your chickens “ignore” your chicken fencing and pretty much go where they want to?
Are you worried that predators are going to kill your free ranging chickens that ignore their boundaries?
Do you want to STOP your chickens from wandering off your property?

Fences Don't Stop Us!

One way to limit your flock’s mobility and prevent them from flying across fences is by clipping your chicken’s wings. Clipping a chicken’s wings is an owner’s way of saying “You can’t go anywhere.” It is the best method to prevent backyard chickens from fly anywhere they want. Some people think that wing clipping is inhumane, and they don’t mind that chickens fly over fences and go where they want to. But, as a person who has seen many of her chickens needlessly killed, I see it as more of an advantage than a disadvantage.

One of the basic advantages of wing clipping is that if you keep your chickens in a free-range status, you significantly decrease the abilities of your chickens to fly anywhere they want and say “So Long!” If you wanted to keep your chickens inside their boundary area and keep them alive, you have to adapt to certain measures no matter how unfair it may seem.

For those who agree that the idea of wing clipping is one way to better protect your chickens and who want to learn the proper way to clip the wings of their chickens, it is easier than you think. If done properly, there is NO bloodshed involved and the chickens are none the worse for having their wings clipped.

The only part that you need to clip are the long primary feathers. For first timers, ask for assistance from someone who knows how because if you don’t, things might get messy between you and your chicken. There is a definate knack for holding onto the chicken and properly clipping the wings. For me, it is a two person job because it is just to hard to do this by yourself.

Clipping chicken wings may be a hassle and you definately need to know what you are doing, but it is the best way to outsmart your chickens. If done correctly, you can take away the balance and flight coordination thus making them want to stay even if they are dead set against staying their area.

Things you will need before you begin:

1.Sharp scissors with a rounded tip.
2.Pliers
3.Used towel
4.First Aid Kit
5.Your vet’s number

Procedure:

a. Which chicken should you pick first? The perfect candidate for wind clipping is the chicken that has her wings growing very prominently. Usually these are the chickens you see who fly proudly above other birds. Catch the bird by the feet. This is the most ideal way of getting her under your grasp.

b. Hold the chicken by the legs and support the body by holding her underneath using the palm of your hands to stop her wriggling. Use the towel to wrap it around your chicken’s body to avoid any unnecessary movements. Leave either the left or the right part of her wings free.

c. Spread the wing displaying the entire feather section that needs cutting. The feathers must be the primary ones. From the tip of the longest wing feather, estimate at least 5 inches then start cutting at that point. Use very sharp scissors so that the process will not be that agonizing for your chicken to take.

d. You know you’re done if you see that the clipped wings are already on ground and the remaining ones are aligned in proportion. In cases of mistakes, mistakes that made your chicken bleed profusely, either call the vet and ask for an advice or rush her to the nearest animal clinic for treatment.

Stop losing your chickens to predators. Find Out More

Backyard Chickens And Chicken Care

Backyard chicken and chicken care