from Randy "ChickenMan"

Week Ten: Starting out with different breeds

Baby Chicks are nothing if not inquisitive. They are attracted to differences rather than similarities. “You have spots”… “You have feathers on your toes”… “You are a different color then me”… The problem is that they check out these differences out by pecking. What started out as innocent behavior just got ugly because the pecking drew blood. Chickens are drawn to the taste of blood and the color red.

How do you stop or even prevent this behavior? I recommend using an infrared bulb. The red bulb does a few important things. First, it tends to hide the differences to a great extent more than a traditional white bulb. Secondly, if they do happen to break the skin and draw blood, the red bulb makes everything red so they don’t see the red blood. Lastly, since you need the bulb for heat 24/7. The red bulb won’t stress them out giving them a spectrum of light that imitates night time, where as a regular white bulb would be like it being daytime around the clock.

By the time they no longer need the light for heat, they will have become used to each other and this behavior will be behind them.

 

Week Nine: How do I deal with the Pecking Order?

You certainly have heard of a “Pecking Order”. Well, this is where the phrase came from. Any flock of chickens, regardless of size, will have a dominant hen. This dominance is established through pecking. This is a normal behavior that occurs and usually results in a peaceful hierarchy among the members of the flock. Occasionally, however, this pecking results in injury of the submissive bird.

What should you do? First remove the injured bird. The cannibalistic nature of chickens will turn nasty if left unchecked. Once a chicken gets the taste of blood, it will continue this behavior to the point of destruction of the weaker bird. Sometimes it may also be necessary to confine the “bully”.

Treating the injured bird will require first aid just like in humans. Cleaning the wound with soap and water and applying some form of antiseptic like “Blue Coat” or Neosporin. Keep the bird in a clean environment and check for infection. Do not re-introduce the bird back to the flock until the wound is totally healed. Make sure the birds are not over-crowded.

Week Eight: Can I get different breeds of chickens?

Currently I have 35 hens consisting of 18 breeds of all types large and small. The critical point is to have enough space and things to keep them occupied.

Chickens are naturally cannibalistic and many factors can bring out that trait but none more than over crowding. If you have a fenced outdoor area for them in the daytime, giving them at least 3 to 4 sq. ft. per bird will help. Their nighttime housing does not have to be as large. Make sure they are receiving the proper nutrients in their diet and they are not bored. Feeding Purina’s Layena will give them a full balanced natural diet. Broadcasting Purina’s Scratch Grain in their chicken yard will also keep them busy. You may even throw in a flake of hay or grass clippings. They will love to pick through it and as an added bonus they will give you eggs with bright orange-yellow yokes. You will never have an egg that tastes sooooo good.

Week Seven: When should I start to get eggs?

Depending on the breed, hens will begin to lay eggs around 18 to 26 weeks of age. Make sure your hens are getting enough light. Chickens lay eggs for reproductive purposes and not for you to eat their eggs. They will naturally slow down their egg production in the late fall and winter unless you can fool them into continuing to lay. The rate of lay has more to do with the number of hours of daylight than temperature.

Set up a timer in your hen house hooked up to a 60 watt bulb. Beginning in July, have the light come on around 5:30 am and turn off at 9 pm. If you wait until fall, you will be too late since the daylight period will have already started to reduce. You can find timers with two sets of on and off so you don’t have to be running the light when it is truly daylight.

If you don’t follow this routine, your new chicks that you purchase now may not start giving you eggs until next spring.

Week Six: How do I introduce baby chicks to my existing flock?

Keep in mind baby chicks need heat during their first weeks. If you have a broody hen, you may be able to remove the eggs she is sitting on and slip some chicks under her. Keep a close eye on her to see if she will take them as her own. Frequently, she will raise them for you. She will keep them warm, show them to food and water and protect them from the rest of your flock.

If you don’t have a hen that will do this, you will have to raise them inside until they are about 6 weeks old and fully feathered. Introduce them to your existing flock in the cage in which you raised them. Sit the cage in your chicken house giving the adults the time to get used to seeing them without being able to pick at them. After a few days, open the door to the chick’s cage to allow them to go in and out as they please while giving them a place they feel safe to retreat to. This method usually results in a non-event.

Week Five: Do I need a Rooster?

Every year I get the age old question, "Do I need to get a rooster to get eggs?"  If you are raising chickens just for eggs to eat, you do not need a rooster.  Hens will lay eggs regardless if they are fertilized or not.  Roosters can be somewhat of a protector for the hens.  They will herd them to a protected area if they sense danger.  They will also show them where there is food and usually let them eat first.  How mannerly is that? 

As for how many roosters should you have, depending on the breed, usually 1 male for every 10 hens works well.  I do not recommend more than one rooster unless they are in separate pens.  In the spring especially, roosters will fight over their hens. 

   

Week Four: The right bedding

Pine shavings or Corn Cob Bedding has proven to be the best for young chicks.  Do not use sawdust.  It is too small and the birds may eat it instead of their food.  Birds do not have taste buds and eat based on size and texture.

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Week Three: The warmth factor

Week Two: Watering tips