A dust bath is how a chicken keeps herself clean. The basic idea is that the chicken gets into loose soil and covers herself with it. If the chickens are free ranging or if there is appropriate soil in their run, they will dig a pit, pulling away any surrounding vegetation. When we let our chickens out for a run… Read more »
Water is one of the main things chickens (and every other living thing) needs constant access to. Beyond just water, they need access to CLEAN water. Clean, liquid water if you’re keeping chickens during the winter where it freezes. Chickens, however, don’t respect keeping the water clean. They will happily use it as a washroom and kick dirt or bedding… Read more »
Feeding your Chickens Chickens, like any animal, need a properly balanced diet to really thrive in a chicken coop. Apart from health concerns, giving your chickens the right foods will also increase their egg laying considerably, especially during the winter months, when the right diet can keep the levels around the same as during warmer times of the year. There… Read more »
I wrote about the deep litter method to manage your coop’s bedding. Another popular way to try to minimize the work involved in keeping the coop clean is the droppings board. Also known as a “chicken poop board”, the idea behind this is to put a removable tray underneath the chickens’ roost in their coop. While they’re in the coop, they… Read more »
It’s worthwhile getting a basic understanding about how chickens consume food. This can be worthwhile to try to identify problems and to understand why we provide them with grit. Beak Roughly analogous to our mouths, this is how the chicken gets food into her body. A number of the things we do with our teeth can’t be done by chickens, since they… Read more »
Poultry breeds are defined as domestic fowl which are reared for the table or for their eggs and sometimes for their feathers. There are numerous poultry breeds which includes vast numbers of varieties of chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese. Many of these breeds are ornamental birds while others are specifically bred for their egg laying abilities or meat production. There are… Read more »
Backyard chickens are a hot topic in sustainable living right now. Whether you are choosing to raise them for meat, eggs, or both, chickens require minimal work for maximum benefit. This trend in chicken farming makes it easier than ever to start raising poultry. Here are five reasons why chickens may be right for you. Fresh Eggs and Meat If… Read more »