gerty's sudden death

Gerty, my RIR hen died yesterday suddenly after a few days of listlessness, weakness, white eggy diarrhea, loss of appetite and egg production, closed eyes, and low temp. she had been sleeping and not moving all day. when i try to make her stand, she couldn't and would fall, like there was no strength in her legs. so i put her in our portable cage and put her in my room for the night so she would stay extra warm and so i could watch her. when i left her for a few minutes, them came back to my room, she was spazing out, twisting her neck around, flopping, flapping wings and shaking. i picked her up and them she slowly feel limp, then her eyes closed. i could only hold her for a few minutes before her body started the rigor mortis (stiffening of the body after death). so if this happens to you, i am so so so sorry for you and the chook. but if your chicken dies for no apparent reason of from some virus or disease you must immediately take these cautions:

--place body in a box, wrap body to so you don't have to touch it. then if you want to bury it, place it at least two feet under ground so it wont be dug up by preying animals, so, also bury it away from your chickens incase it is dug up.

--sterilize coop by squirting hydrogen-peroxide/water on all poop stained (non-dirt) areas. scrub, then rinse with water. do the same to all feeders, or at least all the water bowls.

--rake run of poop and empty away from all gardens and animals. don't put poop in compost, because it may contain the disease in feces.

--give all your chickens (that have been around the diseased chickens) antibiotics, ask a chickens expert you know or vet

-- apple cider vinegar (1/4 cup for every 4 cups or more water, so its not too bitter), fresh water, fresh antioxidant fruits and veggies will help boost your chickens' immune system

rearranging and rethinking

right now my chickens are a year and a half, and are doing splendid! they have so much personality, and are total girls!!!
and many of you may be at this same stage as i am. you love your girls very much, but have had to completely change your backyard and life for them. we have rearranged the fencing for the chickens at least 6 times (and are currently completely changing our backyard for the 7th time) andthe coop at least 3 times since we got them. which equals more $$$, more work,and more rethinking your choice to have chickens. but don't give up! if you love your girls and want to keep them, but feel like they are causing more harm than good, then find ways to relieve the work and stress load or taking care of them. having chickens is a great commitment, even more so than having a dog, because you can only train them so much and they are like having permanent two year olds to look after.so if you are thinking about getting chickens, ask friends, neighbors or anyone about their experience with keeping chickens. a great website for info and chicken stories is keepingchickensnewsletter.com, which is a free online magazine for people with chickens.

in the bottom pic, is fencing surrounding the veggie garden. this is regular 3' tall chicken wire. but with fences only 3' tall, you will most likely need to clip their wings.

sexing chicks

it is very important to be as specific and clear as possible when buying chicks. many people will buy in bulk and have their chicks shipped to them and a couple weeks later discover that six out of ten of their chicks are cockerels (roosters under a year)-which is very disappointing. so ask for females only, and make sure they are professionally sexed-yes there are professional chicken sexers in this world. but no one is perfect and it is hard for anyone to be 100% sure your chick is a girl. so her are some ways to tell they are females or males when they are younger, before the obvious signs:

MALES:
-bigger
-braver (not so skittish)
- redder comb
-bump in vent (butt), by gently squeezing-though this only works with newborns
-hackle feathers
-angular head
-spur development
-more dominant to other chicks

FEMALES:
-smaller
-yellower comb
-skittish
-no bump in vent
-rounded feathers
-small round head

can you tell what sex this chick is?
it's a female! this is Francine when she was a couple weeks old!
so as you see, it is very hard to tell what sex your chicks are at this age. and you would not be doing anything wrong if you waited until they were are couple months old, so the obvious signs would have developed (cock-a-doodling, hackle feather, spurs, larger, etc). but it is a bummer because you will get attached to them the longer you have them and it will be harder to give him away. but you will want to get rid of him before your neighbors might file a report-this has happened to a lot of my friends and sometimes they end up having to get rid of all their chickens! don't let that be you!
though if you think one of your chicks is a male-don't get rid of him right away! you never know, he could be a she! so ask a local farmer, or friend, or chicken keeper if they agree that your chick is a male first!
go to this site to find more ways of sexing chicks:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/95/sexing-chicks-in-the-backyard-flock

chicken anatomy and terms

It is always good to learn not just how to take care of your chickens, but to also know where certain body parts are and their names. we will start with the outside, with the legs and up.
-they will have 3-4 toes, or digits, on each foot. only cocks have a spur, on the back of their foot. hens just have a toe.
-then above their foot, is their shank, which is equivalent to a shin on a human.
-then where their legs bends, is the hock, or ankle, which would be equivalent to and elbow.
-then the rest of the leg, the knee, thigh and hip, is covered by their feathers.
-their crop, is the bulgy part of their chest that stores food, and should be slightly shifted to the right of their chest.
-their shoulder is where their wing attaches to the body
-if you spread out the chicken's wing, the end feathers farthest from the body are the flight feathers, or primary feathers. these are the feathers you would clip if you didn't want your chickens to fly.
-under the chickens head are their wattles which look like bumpy or smooth wrinkled skin. which are usually red, white, or yellow depending on the breed. some chickens don't have any wattles like ameraucanas, which have muffs (fluffy feathers) around the cheeks and chin area instead.
-then on the side of their head, where the ear would be, are their earlobes and ear feathers. the earlobes do not have any feathers on them. and the ear feathers are positioned right above the lobes.
-their lower beak is the bottom side of the whole beak.
-their nostrils are on top of the beak.
-the top of the beak should be longer than the lower beak, by just a bit, just to make it pointy. this is so to help them peck and pick up thins easier.
-then on top of their head is their comb. which is always red and has a more bumpy rough texture than the wattles. their are many different comb shapes including: rose, pea, cushion, buttercup, single, strawberry, and V-shaped.
-males are called roosters, roos, cocks, and if under a year old, cockerels.
-females are called hens, and if under a year pullets

this is a picture of my Ameraucana, belle, who has a pea comb, and muffs instead of wattles.
here is a great website to visit for more info on anatomy: http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00044/id16.htm

chicken food do's and dont's

do give chickens:
-leafy veggies (lettuces, spinach, tomato leaves, cabbage, sour grass, mustard flower, etc.)
-fruits (berries, apples, pears, citrus fruits, cucumber, melons, etc.)
-breads (plain), oats, plain pancakes/waffles
-seeds (unsalted, unflavored)-sunflower, squash, crushed plain nuts
-bugs, worms, snails, slugs, etc. (but can carry diseases)
-weeds, yard grass (don't give them plant with milky stuff inside, it most likely is poisonous, or anything that has been sprayed with pesticides)
-even their own scrambled eggs!
-you can give them meat, but it is risky because it is always not healthy for chickens. you can "accidentally" give them a slice of turkey a couple times a year. but do not bother giving them meats unless they seriously lack protein and need a fast solution, but the best thing for that is cat food.

don't give chickens:
-rotting, moldy food
-flowers, unless edible to humans
-avocados or anything similar i haven't mentioned
-breads with jam, butter, honey, etc.
-salted, dressed, chocolate, frosted or sweetened foods
-cakes, dyed foods, or any desserts
-wild mushrooms, moss, unknown wild berries
-dead bugs, or biting/stinging/poisonous bugs
-sand
-chips
-dog food

the pleasures of poop

you may be wondering what the heck is pleasurable about poop-well surprisingly it is more beneficial than a hazard. first here's how to collect the poop. you may remember me saying to clean the chicken coop everyday, preferably in the morning. so yea, do that, but then what do you do with the collected poop? here is what i do:

Sunday morning:-collect poop from inside coop into a bucket using gloves, hand shovel and/or hand broom
-put poop bucket in a corner or somewhere that chickens can't get into and th

at is close by

a fly bag
-wash hands immediately after
-continue routine throughout the week
Saturday morning:-collect poop, etc.
-then transfer poop to compost- then a couple weeks later transfer the composted poop and other kitchen leftovers to the gar

den
-turn and mix poop and compost, water well, turn/mix, water,

turn/mix top soil, & plants seeds!

and here are the pros and cons of chicken poop:

cons-
1. stinky-solution: plant scented plants around chicken area that they wont eat
2.flies-solution: fly bags

pros-

1. great manure for gardens
2. no spent money on fertilizer from store3. good for environment (compared to chemical fertilizer)
so there, it is
beneficial, maybe not completely pleasurable, but it will make all

the difference for your wallet and veggies.

the new girls

so now that we only had four chickens, which was not even close enough to supporting our five member family with eggs, i decided that i wanted two more-to make six. so on Valentine's Day this year, i drove to Ojai, to get two more RIR pullets at a cute little farm Blue Hills Farm, that has many different breeds of chicken, turkey, goats, and other fancy birds (they even had emu that i got to pet!). since the two new girls were around 7-8 months old, they cost $20 each-which is a good deal. though this does seem expensive, it is only because the previous owner has raised and cared for them longer. so i put them in our portable cage in the car, and drove home.

previously, i had built a temporary cage for the new girls, because the best way of introducing new chickens to your flock is slowly and gradually-so no one gets seriously hurt, and will have a better relationship in the end.

here are things to do and prepare for when adding adult hens or practically full grown pullets to your flock:

1) make a temporary cage for the new chickens next to your original chickens' pen so they can see each other but not have physical contact-one should expect to keep the new chickens in a separate cage for 2-3 weeks. the temporary cage can be made of:

-chicken wire, wood. but make sure it is resistant against predators and covering from rain, cold, etc.

2) they must have food, water, and veggies, a perch of some sort, and a nesting box if they are laying,

3) and a ground covering they are able to scratch around on and occupy themselves.

after 5-8 days (or when you think the are ready) of the chickens adjusting to one another-you can let them have contact with each other but you must do the following:

-have a LARGE area to put them in, like a backyard, with bushes and places for the new girls to hide and take a break

-watch them 24/7 when introducing them in the beginning-so you can break up any fights that are getting out of hand-this will also establish your authority over the flock

-do not let them have contact for more than 10 minutes at a time about 3 times a day during the first couple days of contact, then gradually lengthen the time-expect this whole process to spread over 3-5 weeks for all to be normal again.

-if you have especially aggressive poultry, go to this website http://www.blpbooks.co.uk/articles/aggressive_poultry/dealing_with_aggressive_poultry_pecking_order.php

-you can also distract your original chickens with treats and goodies to give the new girls a break

now after 2-3 weeks you can put your girls in the run together but for about 20 minutes to an hour at a time, and also let the new girls have the run to themselves so they can get food, and explore and get used to the run. some things to expect:

-your new girls will always be at the bottom of the pecking order (unless you have an especially persistent chicken)

-when they are fighting, expect them to jump on each others' backs, spread their feathers, make weird sounds, have feathers pulled out, at worst some some blood spots on the comb and feathers, and chasing and pecking consistently-but if this behavior continues over some length of time you may need to get rid of your especially aggressive poultry or keep separate permanently.

here are things to remember:
-i only know how to introduce hens with hens-i have never introduced very young pullets or chicks to a flock and would not recommend it until the are of the same size as your original chickens. and i don't know how to introduce roosters with hens-though i imagine it is like the same process . but please do not rely on this process of intro with chicks or roosters.
-most neighborhoods don't allow roosters, so make sure what you are doing is legal
-chickens are wonderful carriers of viruses and diseases. so make sure the new hens you are getting are healthy. if you suspect something is wrong with one you should be able to get a different one from the place you bought them, or keep the sick one in quarantine for a couple weeks and give your chickens vacs.

hope this works!
(on top is a pic of my baby cousin Carly and the two new girls)

francine the survivor chicken

Francine is a smaller light Brahma (on the right) that is now just over a year old. last summer (2008) she was five months old and had established her place as alpha queen of my flock of five. the other girls were: Edith (Plymouth barred rock), Lucy (Rhode island red), belle (ameraucana), and dolly (buff orpington)-all the same age. i got these five girls as chicks for my 16th birthday last year. and have loved and spoiled them to pieces over the last five months of their life. so this story takes place in the beginning of august, and my family and i were getting ready to leave for Hawaii on one morning. and when we leave for trips, i have a neighborhood girl take care of my chickens. but during the morning of of getting ready to leave for Hawaii, i decided to let the girls out of their run into my backyard around 7:30 am, since i knew they probably wouldn't be let out the rest of the day-which makes them anxious and loud.

as a side note, my family shares a large backyard with our cousins. so there are no fences in between our houses. so when i let my girls out into our backyard, they tend to wander to my cousins' side of the yard-which isn't good.because it isn't as protected over there. so I'll usually check on the girls every 10 minutes to shoe them back to our side of the yard.

so, after i let them out, i went inside for about 5 minutes, and when i came out to look for my chickens they were nowhere to be found. i decided that they wandered to my cousins side of the yard and started walking over there when i saw gray and white feathers all over my cousins side of the yard. i ran over there screaming for my girls. i found Francine with missing feathers all over her, and blood dripping down her sides. i picked her up and ran to my house, screaming for my parents, my mom wrapped Francine in a towel to help not go into shock. then i searched all over the yard for the rest of the girls. i found Lucy, Belle, and Edith in random places and put them in their run. but i couldn't find dolly. i searched and called for her all around our house and yard. i found a pile of her yellow feathers in our next door neighbor's driveway. then every 20 or more feet were a trail of her yellow feathers here and there. so me and my dad followed the trail through our other neighbor's backyard and over a 10' high fence to a plant nursery by our neighborhood.
now remember we were getting ready to drive to LA airport to leave for Hawaii and this all happened less than an hour before we had to leave.
so after looking for dolly for 20 minutes, and not finding any other traces of feathers past the nursery, we went back to our house. my mom told us she called our friends who are experienced with chickens and they were going to be at our house in 15 minutes-one really knows who their friends are if they are willing to drive to your house at 7:30 am and help out your pet chicken.
while waiting for our friends to come, my aunt and neighbors came out to comfort me because i was going hysterical. i was trying to keep Francine from going into shock and keeping her warm while not crying and embarrassing myself-which was really hard. though my chickens are our producers for eggs, they are more a beloved pet that i have come to love.
so our friends got to our house, and said they would take Francine to island seed and feed (a garden/farm/pet store) and have our chicken expert/ unofficial poultry vet take a look at her, and also care for her while we were gone. i was, and still am, very thankful that i am able to rely on such good friends to help me in a time of need. they took care of Francine for two weeks, and took her to the chicken expert multiple times while we were gone. so yes, Francine did survive. she got a punctured lung, but had it stitched up-which healed very quickly. but it took months before her feathers grew back, and today she has permanent bald spots on her rear and sides-though she doesn't look horrible. but i was thinking about showing her before the accident happened. and i believe it stunted her growth because Brahmas are supposed to be very big and she is barely bigger than my RIR. and i have come to the conclusion that raccoons or a fox were the culprits that took dolly and wounded Francine. but I'm not a raccoon hater now, this is just a totally natural part of life that we have to accept. this is what carnivores know and are programmed to do-capture and kill for food.
the reason i think the raccoons/fox were able to catch dolly and Francine was 1) because they were the most visible-yellow and white color, 2) they are very friendly and curious girls whose flight instincts have been dulled, and 3) are very territorial and could have even tried to confront the raccoons/fox, and 4) because since francine is the alpha hen, she probably tried to protect the rest of the girls and would have sacrificed herself doing it.
so when we got back home from Hawaii, i had to keep Francine in a separate cage for just over a week, because while she was away and dolly dead, the rest of the girls had to establish a new pecking order. so Francine had to "fight out" who-is-boss-over-who with the other girls (but not until she was strong and healed enough).
so i guess the moral of the story is to have fencing if you want to keep your girls a bit safer, and to cherish them while you have them-or just anything. this was our third pet that died at five months old. though don't feel bad, because we, as temporary living beings on this earth, have to accept the fact that nothing lasts forever and sometimes things don't last as long as they should, or as long as we want them to. its easier to accept death by looking at it this way, and one day we will all be reunited again.
here is a picture of dolly, around four months old. (on the left).

training your dog to not attack chickens

I do not have a dog, so i have never tried this. but if you are having trouble getting your dog to accept the chickens i would suggest going to this website to train your dog:

http://www.self-sufficient-life.com/Keeping_Chickens/DogVideo.htm

i have watched this video and it seems to work with dogs. but remember, before you get chickens it is a good idea to ask a friend or neighbor let you test your dog on their flock first to see how your dog reacts. keep your dog on a leash when doing this! if your dog is very aggressive, either don't get chickens or make a very secure coop/run to keep your dog from attacking them. but try the training video too!

more coop/run ideas for small backyards

things to remember:

--in the coop think 2 square feet per chicken, and 4 square feet per chicken in the run.

--to make sure your chickens are happy, have the run be 4x bigger than the coop (if they won't have freedom to roam the backyard everyday)

--make sure it is all predator proof http://www.mypetchicken.com/ebook.aspx?Chapter=5

--chickens are big water drinkers and 70% of what they consume in a day is water. so what i did was have an outdoor bowl of water outside and an indoor water feeder inside the coop-this also helps with overcrowding around the feeders in the coop.

--make sure the chickens have plenty of ground space in the coop to fly down from their perch.

--perches in the run are also appreciated so the girls can still feel safe if scared. and a chair, small ladder, perch, stool, stump, etc, is a good escape for a chicken to take a break from the others. especially when introducing new chickens.

--possible ground coverings in the run are: mulch of any kind, mowed grass, fluffy thick dirt, hay, leaves, etc. but NEVER cement, bricks, wood, or wire floors! this will cause foot/toenail problems and keep the chicken from using its natural instincts to scratch on the ground, and the poop will not dry which causes more flies.

--if your run does not have a top covering on it, you should at least put shiny or colorful rope/strings/wires crisscrossing over the run to deter flying predators.

--sign up on the free online magazine http://www.keepingchickensnewsletter.com/ to learn more about chickens through te experiences of others just like you!

laying issues/egg eating

Egg eating usually starts with there being too many eggs in a nesting box at once, a chicken is in there and accidentally steps on it and cracks it. then they taste it and decide they like it. and chickens are very smart and quick learners and will continue to break the eggs and eat it. so if you have more than 6 chickens i would recommend collecting the eggs twice a day-like 12:00 and 6:00, you choose when. chickens will often favor a certain box/s and that's where you will find most of the eggs when collecting them. i suggest having one box for every 2-3 chickens, so if they are needing to lay at the same time, they will have the option of laying in another box-even if its not their favorite. here are ways to "cure" egg eating:

1) collect eggs as frequently as possible, like in the morning and evening, or when your schedule permits

2) Don't use bright lights in your coops, especially near the nesting area. Bright light increases nervousness and picking habits.

3) Do not scare the hens out of the nesting boxes. The sudden movement can break eggs in the box and can give the hens a taste of egg and promote egg eating.

4) To keep the egg shells strong, feed a complete ration and supplement oyster shells free choice. The oyster shells serve as a calcium supplement to keep the shells strong. Never feed the hens used egg shells without smashing them to very fine particles.

5) Egg eating can be done by predators such as snakes, skunks, rats, weasels and other predators. If your hens are eating eggs, the hen will usually have dried yolk on their beaks and sides of their heads. Egg eating hens also can be seen scouting the nests for freshly laid eggs to consume.

6) Prevention is the only proven treatment. The longer the eggs are in the barn, the better the chance it will be broken or eaten.

info from www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/poultry/factsheets/33.html

introducing chicks to the coop.

when introducing chicks to the coop you have to spread out their intro to the coop by letting them have visits in the coop a couple hours a day; usually a week before you permanently keep them in there. things to do and be aware of:
--play days. i kept my chicks (when they were around five-six weeks old) in the coop/run for a couple hours everyday during the afternoon before they permanently stayed outside. be sure to check on them frequently. and even be in the coop/run with them for a little bit so they know its okay. and they are really fun to watch explore. make sure they have food/water and can't get themselves into anything that is harmful to them. if your wire for the run is big enough for them to fit through just keep them in the coop during the play days until they are big enough or place smaller wire around the perimeter of the larger wire (it only needs to be a foot or two high). just make sure they have ventilation in the coop so they don't get claustrophobic and have access to fresh air. remember, once the chicks have a play day outside they will want to go out everyday so be prepared for that commitment or else they start to get really rowdy. mine did!
--the first night. when the chicks are at least six weeks of age (i kept mine inside until they were eight weeks, so they were feathered out), you can transfer them in the coop at night or let them be in the run/coop during the day and then make sure they are in the coop at night. they don't need perches for the first week or two they are in the coop, but make sure the floor is cushioned with wood shavings or something similar so they can stay warm on the ground during the night. if your nights are very cold where you live i would keep a heat lamp in the coop during the nights for your chicks don't get sick or die of cold. also make sure there are no drafts in the coop and that the coop is completely safe of predators.

the chicks

hey! so if you decide to get your chickens as chicks, here are some tips for taking proper care of them:
--the box. it is important to have adequate spacing and protection for the chicks while inside also. what i did was use a big box about four feet long that i divided to make a smaller space when the chicks were very small. then over time i increased their space as they got bigger. it is also a good idea to have some type of lid (wire is best so they can still get air and sunlight) on the box so other pets can't get in and the chicks can't get out. i didn't have a lid so my chicks figured out that they can perch on the sides of the box. we have had a couple accidents with them falling off of flying out of the box.
--where. while the chicks are under seven weeks old, they should definitely stay inside the house. i kept my chicks inside my dad's office next to a window so they were able to get sunlight, and i kept the door closed constantly so our cats wouldn't get to the chicks. its also good to find a place where there are no drafts and have a heater in the room.
--warmth. keeping chicks warm is extremely important. many chicks die from hypothermia and cold drafts. to keep their area warm get a heating lamp (like for reptiles, or any lamp that produces heat) and put it in the chicks area so they can stay warm but without coming into contact with the lamp. usually when the chicks are under a week, they will want the lamp to be about 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit and gradually reduce the heat as they get older (by either changing the lamp/bulb, or moving the lamp further away from the chicks). i stopped using the lamp when the were six weeks old so they could get used to no lamp at night beforethey started sleeping outside. ways to tell if there is too much heat is if the chicks are far away from the lamp and spread out when they are sleeping and ways to tell if there is not enough heat is if the chicks are huddled together directly under the lamp constantly.
--toys. it is good to have some kind of padded flooring in the box. i used wood shavings, about three inches so the chicks could nest in it during the night. i also had some shiny or colorful objects for them to peck at. i brought them leaves, small branches, fresh veggies. though when they are very young they won't need much entertainment because they will be sleeping a lot. when they are about 4-5 weeks, put in some kind of sturdy perch in there box about 3-4 inches off the ground.
--food you will need to buy or make a miniature chicken feeder for the chicks to put inside the box. you will need to buy them the special protein chick starter, and constantly refill feeder when empty-which may be multiple times a day. the water should be far away from the light so it doesn't get hot. you want the water to be at room temp, use drinking water. immediately refill if anytime poop gets in so the chicks don't get diseases, refill every day and always keep full. some lettuce and fruits to give the chicks is good-but while this makes them healthier, they won't grow at super speed or become "big chickens", this doesn't mean they are small, just normal size, and by giving them other food serves as a distraction during the day. but it is okay if they don't eat it. there are foods to give and not to give them so look up in books or on the web (also in my post "chicken food do's and don'ts" will help). a great book to buy is "hobby farms: backyard chickens" ($15?) at island seed and feed.
--problems. all babies aren't perfect, and need lots of care and help, so don't expect this to be all fun. 1) a common problem chicks get is the pasty butt. this is from their poop drying on their butt (vent) and preventing them from pooping once its dried. to solve this get a warm wet cloth and gently rub the dried poop, or try to pick it off but it could hurt them by pulling out some feathers. 2) some chicks may be picked on by the other chicks which can prevent them from eating or sleeping. so if this continues and you notice the bullied chick is starting to have trouble help it out and put it in a separate place for it to eat for a couple minutes to give it break time. or put the bully chick/s in a separate area for a little while. don't keep them apart for more than 10 minutes at a time, so they don't get cold or pushed out of the group even more. if anything worse happens look it up online http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKRaisingChicks.html http://www.birdcareco.com/English/Arts/Breed_arts/Chick/Problems.html or email me at gracie.rid@gmail.com
--handling. it is good to hold the chicks frequently and hand feed them so they can become familiar with you and know that you are their 'mommy'. don't overwhelm them with love and be sure to give them plenty of rest while they are very young. make sure you are with little kids holding the chicks. the chicks are very fragile and can easily be squeezed too hard. always be calm and quiet around them.and don't let other animals come into contact with the chicks because they are very susceptible to disease at this age

and remember that the chicks must stay inside for eight weeks before they are moved to the coop.

the coop

the coop is also a very important part of your chicken establishment. the coop has many purposes: sleeping quarters, protection from rain/cold, food, laying eggs, perching, and protection from predators during the night.

things to have inside the coop are:

1) nesting boxes-place where the chickens lay their eggs. need one nesting box for every two-three chickens. should be at least 12'' by 12'' by 12''. mine are 14'' by 14'' and 14''. if you have banties (miniature chickens) them shrink the box size a couple inches. inside the nesting box put plenty of hay or wood shavings for the chickens to nestle in when laying the egg-this also prevents cracked eggs. most nesting boxes are built into the coop and provide easy access to the eggs by the outside of the coop. if there is a lot of

poop in the boxes replace the shavings-but that should not occur much at all. i have replaced the shavings only once so far this year.

2) perches-must be at least two feet above the ground in a coop people can stand in, but no more than four feet high. and make sure the highest perch has the most room, because they will all want to be on the highest "branch". and make sure they have plenty of space to fly or jump down. for standard chickens have the perch be around three-four inches wide.

3) feeders- need a water feeder and a pellet feeder inside the coop safe from outdoor elements. clean water frequently, i clean the water once a week and i have si

x chickens. make sure the feeders

are off the ground at the height of the chicken's shoulder. you should have at least one food and one water feeder for every 10 or less chickens

4) ground-it is best to have mulch, or dirt on the ground for chickens to be able to scratch and take dust baths on during rainy days. and makes poop easier to clean. you can have a wood floor, but make sure there is some kind of bedding like hay on the wood so you can clean poop. 5) protection- make sure the coop is securely sealed to protect them from weather and predators. my coop is all wood with small welded wire windows. and has a latch for the door. 6) ventilation- make sure the coop has access to oxygen during the day to air out the ammonia and smell, and frequently clean poop from the previous night everyday. i use a hand shovel and hand broom to scoop poop inside a bucket that i empty every week into the compost. ALWAYS wash hands thoroughly after doing this!!! and wear gloves.

7) doors-there must be a small opening (1'x1' at least) for the chickens to enter and l

eave between the coop and run throughout the day. you have a choice of securing

that doggy door at night, or if the run is completely secured then you can leave it open. make sure you can secure the human doors to the coop and run completely so no predators get in.

8) coop size-there are all different coop sizes and styles to see on the Internet that will fit your lifestyle and chicken quantity-remember, the simpler the better! each chicken should have at least 1.5'x2' of space in the coop.

i have drawn a typical backyard coop for 2-4 hens. this one is not a walk-in coop. and can be propped off the ground or not. the picture is one that is, because it is most common for small coops. you may see other coops that are very nice-like a person could live in them- or very complicated looking. dont worry about this! the chickens dont care, so you can make the coop as simple and minimalist as you want, but still fits their needs.

or you can go to

http://poultryone.com/articles/housing.html

http://www.backyardchickens.com/coopdesigns.html

to help you design your own coop

Recourses

hey here are some websites to look at for taking care of chickens:

mypetchicken.com***
backyardchickens.com***
hobbyfarms.com (this is also a great magazine to get for farming)
freechickencoopplans.com ***

and if you're a Santa Barbara local, Island Seed and Feed (in old town Goleta) is a great place to get all pet, poultry, and garden supplies-you can also order chickens there

chicken pros and cons

Cons:
-messy! what most people don't expect when getting chickens is how much work it is. lots of poop. a good way of dealing with the poop is to compost it. gardens love it!
-loud. whenever my girls lay an egg they are very proud and have to tell the whole world about their accomplishment. so make sure your neighbors are okay with the sounds of farm life.
-predators. chickens have many predators: foxes, dogs, coyotes, raccoons, opossums, hawks, sometimes cats, people, other pets. make sure your chickens are safe from these guys.
-roaming. chickens are natural foragers and will often escape or get lost roaming. solution: an enclosed run, or a fencing system that keeps them where you want them to be. remember chickens can fit through very small areas so make sure its chicken proof.
-flies. flies are attracted to poop and pooping is one of the best things chickens can do. solution: fly traps, ordering bugs that eat fly larva, keeping the chicken area dry, frequently cleaning the run/coop.
-money. while buying a chick costs about $4-7, taking care of them can cost hundreds. a good idea, if money is an issue, is to go thrifty and buy used products for your girls. ex: wood for the coop, fencing, old wood ladders for perching, etc. but you can't do that with food. buying in bulk organic laying pellets costs around $25 for fifty pounds, which will last around 2 months for a flock of 5-8. growing your own veggies for the chickens is another great way to save $. also if your chicken gets sick you may need to spend $ for medicine.
-naughty. if your beautiful gardens don't want to get demolished or nice outdoor furniture/patio doesn't want to be pooped on, fencing can really come in handy. put fencing around your plants that chickens have access to because it will be gone in just days. and if you don't want to scrub poop of the porch don't learn the hard way like we did and use that good ol' chicken wire! you may also need to clip their wings if they figure out that they can "fly".

Pros:
-eggs! it is always so rewarding when collecting the many chicken eggs at the end of the day. and home raised chicken eggs definitely taste a lot better!
-"the girls": while being around my girls i have noticed their many funny personalities, and how funny they look and act. it's also fun when owning many different breeds and seeing how they interact with you and each other. and its always rewarding when they run up to you wanting attention.
-healthy. raising your own chickens are a lot more healthy than buying the chicken eggs at the store. there is more nutrition and less cholesterol in the eggs. because your chickens are privileged to exercising and eating a variety of foods.
-saving chickens. having your own chickens is also helping the cause of animal rights. the eggs you get from the store are from chickens who live in dark small battery cages and often die from cannibalism, trampling, disease, and being brutally treated by the workers. just go to GoVeg.com and see how people are treating animals.
-farm starter. chickens are great farm starter pets and if you love animals you will find yourself in heaven.
-fertilizer. chicken poop is a great fertilizer for gardens and will make your veggies taste all the more better!
-helping the environment. because you are raising your own chickens in your own backyard you are saving many different earth recourse's including electricity, gas, decreasing pollution, and more! and it also brings up awareness to issues about animals and our environment.
-fun! having chickens have been a blast! they are a big hit with my friends, family, and neighbors!
-pest control. having chickens roam around your backyard is a great organic way of getting rid of unwanted bugs.

the run

while you are in the process of finding your chicken it is extremely important that you have the proper housing for them. if you get chicks or have them now, you'll begin to keep them outside at at least six weeks of age- or until they are completely feathered out so they can stay warm during the night. if your chickens will not be free range (meaning they can roam where they please) then it is important to have an adequate enclosed space for them. five square feet per chicken is ideal, but that ends up being a big run (the outside area of the coop, the chicken pen) if you have more than a couple chickens. so judge what you think is okay, but remember the happier the chickens, the more and the better the eggs! also if you keep your chickens in the run 24/7 it is important that

they are occupied throughout the day. in my run are branches for them to perch on, leaves and mulch for them to forage, a doggy door so they can freely go in and out of the coop (the inside part) as they please, and while they are in the run, they are given lots of fruits and veggies to eat. in the run make sure they have access to sunlight. sunlight gives the chickens an immune boosting hormone called melatonin-the better their immune system the more healthy they are and more healthy their eggs are. also make sure you have easy access inside the run in case of an emergency, and to clean it. making sure their run and coop is clean is very important. this maintains a healthy environment for both chicken and human-and it keeps the back yard less stinky, and less flies! predators are also a main concern with chickens because their only defense is to run and hide, but also a sturdy run. we use welded wire for out chicken run, instead of the twisted wire that is commonly called chicken wire-raccoons and other fingered animals can easily rip that apart and attack your chickens. so make sure the wire you get is all predator proof. there are many websites that will show you many different types of chicken coops, just type in chicken coop designs and you will see many different styles of coops/runs that fit your lifestyle.

Chicken Chicken

Hey! this is a pic of my lil' sis Avery and four out of six of our girls, from left: Edith, Belle, Lucy, Francine. these girls are very happy and get lots of greens and get to roam much of the day. the other two girls are Gerty (my dad named her) and Valentine because we got them on valentine's day this year. when starting out with chicks, make sure you hold them and give them lots of attention so they can familiarize with you and become easier to handle in the future. if starting out with pullets (hens under a year), or any aged hen, still treat them with love and give attention to them. this makes them more happy and increases their egg production. you'll read in books or on websites that hens laying three to four eggs a week is really good-but it makes all the difference when they lay at least six to seven a week! of course it is hard for an owner to become that intimate with a large flock, so priority is to give them a variety of fresh veggies and fruits, and give them enough space to roam-this lets them use their natural instincts of foraging on the ground and it also helps with bug/pest control! you'll notice in my picture that all four chickens look different, because they are all different breeds. we have four out of out six chickens that are different breeds: Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rock (Dominique), light Brahma, and an Ameraucana. it your looking for good egg layers Rhode Island Reds/Whites, and leghorns are the top quantity layers-but i would recommend RIRs because they are more docile and friendly than leghorns (Lucy in the pic is a RIR). but these aren't the only breeds, there are hundreds of different chicken breeds. a good website to go to is mypetchicken.com and they'll help you find what chicken is best for you.

About me and "the girls"

Hey! so i just decided today (3/16/09) that I'll start a blog about me and my chickens that will hopefully be useful to beginners with chickens or for folks that are thinking about getting chickens. to start off, i love animals, and asked for chickens for my sixteenth bday, so I've had my "girls" (that's chicken talk for flock, or hens) for just over a year and its been quite an adventure! i am still so happy that i have chickens, and have learned so much over this past year. there's lots of chicken stuff in my blog like pics, all about..., stories, etc. though having chickens can be a blast, it's still a lot of work-so you really have to like the animal to be able to care for it properly-like with all animals. so i hope you have fun but also find my blog useful for talking care of chickens.