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Blue and Brown Eggs, Oh My! - plate with 7 eggs, some blue, some dark brown and two light brown

Blue and Brown Eggs, Oh My!After losing all of our chickens last year, we hand raised 5 new girls last spring. They finally started laying eggs and by the time we realized it there was quite a collection hidden around the coop. After washing them up I had to take a moment to appreciate the wide range of colors and speckles on them. I saved many of these and plan to blow them out and save them.

 

Feeding the Chickens - hen and chicks behind a wire pen

Feeding the ChickensI save my food scraps to give to my neighbor's chickens. Mama hen gets all excited when she sees me coming and from her actions, she's telling me to hurry up.

 

Our New Girls - flock of young backyard hens

Our New GirlsLast year was a devastating year for our family. We lost all 6 of our chickens to raccoons over the course of a few months. Two of them were almost 6 years old and another was more like a pet dog than a chicken to us. After a lot of contemplation we decided to try again, after extensive fortification of our coop. These are our 5 new girls, exploring outside for the first time!

 

chick feeder

Getting Ready to Raise ChicksPrior to bringing home your new chicks you will want to get all of your supplies and set out their brooder box. Then the fun begins. This is a page about getting ready to raise chicks.

 

Using Vaseline for Chicks with Pasty Butt - hand holding a chick

Using Vaseline for Chicks with Pasty ButtIt is not uncommon for chicks to end up with a case of pasty butt. The buildup of poop around their vent can completely block their ability to poop, which can be fatal.

 

Salmonella Concerns with Backyard Chickens

Salmonella Concerns with Backyard ChickensMany people have started keeping chickens and other fowl at home. They are a great source of fresh eggs, don't take much special care, and can be quite funny and charming. However, you should be careful when you or your children are handling them. Most chickens naturally carry salmonella.

 

chickens munching dandelions

Weeds for ChickensIf you have chickens, when you get done pulling weeds, toss them in their chicken coop. Chickens are especially fond of dandelions.

 

eggs between hen house and coop wall

Sneaky Chicken EggsAfter our chicken's last broody episode, we thought that she had quit laying eggs. When my husband was moving things around in their coop, he made a funny discovery. She had been laying her eggs in a hidden place behind their hen house.

 

white and green egg

Egg Color Anomalies Due to Hot WeatherThe summer heat seems to affect everything, even our eggs! A while back it got over 103 degrees F and I had one chicken go into heat stroke because she had decided to start going broody that day. I got an emergency crash course in reviving and stabilizing a chicken in severe heat stroke.

 

clear plastic egg container

Plastic Containers for Storing EggsWith 7 chickens, I end up storing a lot of eggs. I bought clear plastic reusable egg containers to store the eggs from my chickens. They are more expensive than the cardboard ones, but you can wash and sterilize them between uses.

 

Chicken Coop Curtains 1

Chicken Coop CurtainsDo chickens need curtains? Yes! I didn't believe it either until I tried it for myself. I have one floor in my chicken coop so the nest boxes are on ground level essentially. It is a pre-fab so it's how the coop was made.

 

britetap on water cooler

Using a BriteTap Chicken WatererYou can purchase a BriteTap chicken waterer attachment online. It is made for attaching to an insulated drink cooler (i.e. Igloo) with spigot. You remove the spigot and attach the BriteTap in its place. It is a super easy solution for keeping their water clean.

 

storage vaults in coop

Vittles Vaults for Storing Chicken FoodWe wanted to store our chicken food and treats outside for easier access. However, without proper storage you will likely attract pests and you run the risk of the food spoiling from moisture.

 

chicken using waterer

Bucket Chicken WatererWe purchased our bucket waterer from the woman who hatched our chicks. She makes them out of frosting buckets that she gets from a local bakery.

 

burlap around coop

Winterizing Your Chicken CoopBuy burlap bags from local feed store (about $2 each). Staple them around the coop to cut down on snow and cold drafts coming into the coop.

 

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emitter in lamp

Ceramic Heat Emitter for Chicken CoopInstead of using a heat lamp in our chicken coop, we use a ceramic heat emitter typically used for reptiles. It doesn't light up so it won't affect the chickens' sleep pattern.

 

waterers in coop

Sports Bottle Chicken WatererSports bottles make great chicken waterers. They are very durable and their large opening makes them easy to clean and fill. The holder for your bicycle makes it easy to mount them in the coop or anywhere you want.

 

porcelain eggs

Using Porcelain Eggs in Nesting BoxesOur chickens kept laying their eggs on the bottom of their hen house. It isn't good for the eggs to be laid outside of the nesting box for multiple reasons. They are at risk of getting broken, which can lead to the chickens eating the eggs and they are more likely to get pooped on.

 

egg in nesting box

Using Real Eggs in Nesting BoxesIf your chickens are not laying their eggs in the nesting box you can give this trick a try. Take a few of their eggs, mark them with an "x", and place them in the nesting box. Give your chickens a week or two, to see if they will get the hint.

 

Building a Chicken Perch - branch perch

Branch Chicken PerchAfter building a large coop for our chickens, we realized that they needed a place to get off the ground. My husband found a large branch on our property and some scrap 2 x 4s that he used to make them a perch. He chose to remove the bark from the branch but that isn't necessary. They love it!

 

Rhode Island Red: America's Classic Backyard Chicken

America's Classic Backyard ChickenThe Rhode Island Red is one of the most popular breeds among backyard hobbyists. Although they can also be raised and eaten for meat, these rust-feathered fowl have earned their popularity mostly due to their prolific egg laying ability, calm temperament, and their ability to adapt to nearly any environment.

 

finished coop

Predator Proofing a Chicken CoopThere are numerous predators in our neighborhood that could easily dig under the edges of our coop. This is how we addressed that issue.

 

week 5 no 3

Chicks Week-by-Week (Weeks 1-6)This was our first experience raising chickens from chickens. I honestly felt like a new mom...completely in awe of all the changes they went through in such a short amount of time.

 

chick on perch

Brooder Box PerchStarting around week 5 we noticed that our girls were trying to roost on anything and everything that was available.

 

1 week old chicks

Getting Ready to Raise ChicksRaising chicks is easier than you think and can be very rewarding. Besides being a fun family activity, your family will also benefit from healthier eggs than you will find at the grocery store.

 

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