An operating help guide to keeping chickens: chicken basics

Initially when i first got chickens, the #1 question that my buddies and family requested was, “Do you’ll need a rooster to obtain eggs?” The reply is no. It’s my job to prefer to respond with something cheeky, like, “Do you’ll need a man to be able to ovulate every month?Inches Not a chance, us ladies do this all by ourselves. And thus perform the hens – nearly every day. The only real time you’d require a rooster is if you wish to have baby chickens! Because most municipalities outlaw roosters within city limits, place your hopes for growing an attractive chicken family on hold.

Now, if you’re at all like me, I did not know much about chickens. I will undergo only a couple of from the common terms connected with chickens to help you get up to date. A few of these might be familiar for you, some may not!

The Odds and ends

Comb – The red fleshy part that sits on their own mind just like a hat. Size and shape change from breed to reproduce. Another fun bit, when my hens are about to lay an egg, their combs are vibrant red. Almost glowing!
Shank – Negligence the chicken’s leg that’s between your leg and also the feet.
Vent – This is actually the chicken’s bottom. The vent is how eggs along with other waste material descend and exit.
Wattle – The red items of flesh that dangle on each side of the chicken’s beak. Have you ever watch Ally McBeal? John Cage were built with a “thing” for any woman’s wattle. Different. Again, size can differ between breeds.

Child?

Chick – An adorable baby chicken, obviously!
Pullet – A youthful female chicken that’s under annually old. A chick turns into a pullet when she’s all her down.
Cockerel – A youthful male chicken that’s under annually old.
Hen – A lady chicken that’s a minumum of one years old.
Rooster (or Cock) – Men chicken that’s a minumum of one years old.
Flock – Several a minimum of three chickens.

The Digs

Coop – This is actually the chicken’s house! It is almost always made up of a chicken house along with a run.
Run – It is really an enclosed outside position for the chicken to roam about and become protected from predators.
Henhouse – The sheltered “house” inside a coop in which the hens sleep and lay eggs.
Nest Box – The small space inside a henhouse in which a chicken can lay her eggs.
Perch – Typically a bar or branch guaranteed within the henhouse in which the chickens can sleep. They enjoy being up from the ground when they sleep. Unless of course your hens are just like mine! 3 sleep within the nest boxes, 2 around the perch, and 1 up high on the top from the door which goes in to the coop. Go figure.

Whatever They Do

Pecking Order – Yes, this can be a real factor. Inside the flock, the hens determine among themselves who’s top dog. It is not permanent and may change rapidly. For instance, certainly one of my hens was sick and that i had her taken off the flock for twenty-four hrs. After I removed her, she was in charge. After I introduced her back, she’d been replaced. It’s very interesting to look at!
Dirt Bath – This is the way the chickens clean themselves. They dig a pleasant hole in certain dirt (or perhaps in my elevated beds alongside my Rosemary oil!!), lay lower inside it, roll throughout, and kick up onto themselves. When they’re done, they appear and shake everything out. Think Pig Pen in the Peanuts.
Brood – This is where a hen sits on her behalf eggs and tries wonderful her might to hatch them. It is sad simply because they won’t ever hatch. Broody hens are undesirable simply because they could get nasty (they don’t want you to definitely place their “babies”) plus they completely stop lounging eggs. Fortunately I’ve only had one hen get Broody and she or he wasn’t too nasty.
Preen – One other way chickens clean themselves. They run their beak through their down to “comb” them and clean them off. For whatever reason, my hens congregate inside my backdoor every day simultaneously to preen.
Roost – The action of a chicken located on a perch and sleeping during the night.

Breeds

While all chickens seem like chickens, they do not all look exactly the same. This is actually the fun part! When establishing your backyard flock, you choose from an array of breeds, the hens which will be perfect for your backyard! Could it be most essential that you have chickens which are excellent egg-layers? Or, could it be MORE essential that you have chickens that lay eco-friendly and blue eggs? How about the way they look? Would you like a number of pretty searching hens? Brown ones or black ones? Speckled or stripes? Main point here, there are numerous kinds of chickens which is really fun to visit “shopping.” For the purposes here, I’ll outline good egg-lounging breeds which are appropriate for any backyard flock. Remember, these bankruptcies are not the only real hens that are ideal for the backyard. Since the majority of us want chickens to ensure that we are able to eat their eggs, these couple of breeds will definitely suit you perfectly!

Most Chicken Keeping beginners have numerous questions. I’ll be addressing the majority of individuals questions within the approaching posts. But individuals FAQs that suit Chicken 101, I’ll answer here.

How lengthy do chickens live and just how lengthy can they produce eggs?

• Life time can differ from breed to reproduce, usually a healthy and happy hen will live typically for eight to ten years.
• Hens will begin lounging eggs around 5 several weeks old. Their peak production is incorporated in the first couple of many years of their egg-lounging career. Next, it gradually declines into senior years. At this time, whenever a lounging hen is “retired” you can just keep her like a pet (because she became one), offer her away, or eat her! Many people tend to have their chickens before the natural finish of the existence, however i know many those who have made excellent soup using their devoted hens. As well as for that scrumptious broth, we thank them.

Exactly what do we feed our hens?

The Homesteaders Guide to Chicken Keeping – Part 1

Video COMMENTS:

FirstName LastName: I love this girl

James Polk: You could say they’re \n”sitting ducks”

little pet kingdome: will there be a part two

Roots and Refuge Farm: I’m actually picking back up the project of YouTube so YES! Soon!

Mick Cummins: Well done video (Part 1). Waiting for Part 2… Still waiting…

Brittany Wireman: will there be a part 2?

Space Pants: Brittany Wireman it will come out when George R.R Martin releases the next book.

Vinny G: She’s so hot

KATZ Family adventures: Great video, thank you! Getting chicks tomorrow!!!

Willard Stephens: Jessica, this was very well done! Great vid! Anxious to see the others in the series. Thank you.

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