Yeah, we REALLY do have a day for everything! ::wink::
Happy National Poultry Day!
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| My hens molting last fall: Speckles, Onyx, Rhodie, Mustard, Little Rhodie, and Sassy |
So, if you've got some poultry - celebrate! Listen to some music!
And don't eat chicken today! Maybe the eggs, but NO chicken. ::grin::
Your hens are so cute! And that video is really funny. Wonder if my chickens would do that? :)
ReplyDeleteSo true! There really is a day for everything! So, I will have to remember this next year when we are immersed in chicken tending...cannot wait for the babies to come in May!!! Your chickens are beautiful! So excited to embark upon this journey as well. Any quick and dirty advice come to mind for some newbies??
ReplyDeleteAdvice? Well...make a coop and a run larger than you expect to need. Chickens are less likely to peck EACH OTHER if they have lots of space. Also, make sure the coop has good ventilation to whisk out moisture and that the run has wire buried into the ground about 12"+ to keep predators out. Put a droppings board under the roosts. It's not fun - trust me! - but scrapping off the droppings board every other morning into a bucket and adding that to the compost bin is MUCH EASIER than cleaning the WHOLE coop every other week. (It saves on hay/straw costs AND the coop is much less stinky.) Hold this baby chicks gently and often so they're more apt to be docile as their adults. Free range under supervision if you're pretty sure your property is safe from neighborhood dogs, wild animals and hawks. We're outside when our hens are because you just never know. (This is a personal choice as our hens and ducks are PETS, but many just free range and what happens happens.)
DeleteSo grateful for all your wonderful advice!!! We are so excited! My husband has an idea of what he plans to build for a coop, but hasn't started yet, so this will be very helpful in the design and planning stage. Had not thought of a droppings board but I love it. I suppose we could simply leave a scraper hanging on a hook next to a dedicated droppings bucket for regular scraping huh? Thank you!!!!
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