We know that a lot of you are new at raising chickens so we are in the process of putting together a page full of useful information. As we are asked questions we try to post the questions and answers on here. Some questions, to us, have seemed a little silly but then we have to keep in mind that this might be some of your first encounters with chickies!!! If you have any questions at all please feel free to ask............. we will post questions and answers on this page as well as on our blog. We ARE NOT experts. The information you will find on our website is based on our experiences and research. We will do our best to provide information as accurate as possible but please do additional research on your own.
Pullets............ Female Chickens
Straight Run...... A mix of both Male and Female
Roosters or Roos.... Male Chickens
Broody........ Likely to set
Set...... the act of sitting on a nest that contains eggs in an effort to hatch them!!!
We want to come have a look around
Unfortunately we don't give "ranch tours"!! There are many reasons for this but with the chickens there are two main reasons. First and most importantly, we pride ourselves on the ability to sell exceptionally healthy poultry BUT in order to do this we do not allow "outsiders" to handle the chicks, or even come into the "chickie nursery". Even though our poultry is vaccinated, disease is very easily spread. All it would take is someone, unknowingly, being exposed to an ill bird and then walking through our barn. It would be devastating to contract a disease among our flock as we can have several hundred birds at a time. Secondly, we try to minimize the amount of stress on the birds. Having different people in and out of the barn all of the time is very stressful on the little "girls". SO... we do apologize that we can't just show you around out ranch. We hope that you understand that this is only for the health of the chicks, so that we can continue to sell the healthiest poultry possible.
Our Disinfecting policies
We take the health of all of our poultry VERY seriously. We disinfect regular. Water is changed out several times a day. Pens are cleaned weekly, sometimes more frequently if required. When one group of chicks are ready to be moved from the "chickie nursery" to the transition pens, the nursery is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected prior to a new hatch of chicks coming in. The same process is followed for our transition pens. The hen house is not cleaned as regularly due to the fact that it is a completely different setup, the birds there are here for longer periods of time and there are not as many new birds being introduced to our larger flocks.
We take the health of all of our poultry VERY seriously. We disinfect regular. Water is changed out several times a day. Pens are cleaned weekly, sometimes more frequently if required. When one group of chicks are ready to be moved from the "chickie nursery" to the transition pens, the nursery is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected prior to a new hatch of chicks coming in. The same process is followed for our transition pens. The hen house is not cleaned as regularly due to the fact that it is a completely different setup, the birds there are here for longer periods of time and there are not as many new birds being introduced to our larger flocks.
Mareks Disease
“If your chickens breathe, they’ve been exposed to Mareks” It is a common virus that kills more birds than any other disease. It is so common that you should assume you have it in your flock, even if you detect no evidence. Mareks spread through airborne feather dander so microscopic that it can spread from one farm to another via the wind, even when no human or bird contact is made between the two farms. The virus enters through the bird's respiratory tract. Mareks disease is so common the about 5% of poultry vaccinated against it can still contract the disease. Mareks disease usually causes paralysis, resulting in death.
Our vaccination policies
All pullets hatched on or after January 11th, 2012 have been vaccinated against Mareks by the hatchery. Prior to that date we did NOT vaccinate against Mareks because, after much research, the general consensus was if you have a small flock there is no need to vaccinate and because we wanted our birds to have as little "additives" as possible. However as we have grown from ordering 25-50 pullets at a time to 100+ at a time we decide that we would make the additional investment and have our pullets vaccinated. If for some reason we sell any pullets that are not vaccinated we will tell you!
Chickens as Pets.........
We have been answering questions and selling pullets to many families who are getting chickies as pets for their children. We live on a farm. The chickens that we keep for ourselves are not pets, they are providers of food.......both eggs and meat! My niece, who is now six years old, does help take care of them. I would say that all of the breeds that we have are fairly mellow. ***Please make sure to wash your hands after handling your chickies, or anything they come in contact with for that matter.*** ESPECIALLY children, pregnant woman and elderly people. Chickens do carry diseases that can make you ill.
My Chickens have a cold.......
One possibility is, Infectious Coryza. It is basically an upper respiratory infection. Swelling of the face, wheezing, open mouth breathing, nasal discharge and goopy eyes are some common symptoms. This might cause your hens to slow down or even stop the production of eggs. This infection can be treated, however if left untreated it can be fatal and is easily spread. The most common way in which this is spread is through their drinking water. How to prevent it......... Oxine. There are several ways to administer it but, most simply......a small amount in their water once a month. Oxine is something new that we have recently discovered and will continue to use.
A section about Oxine coming soon............
A section about Oxine coming soon............
I think my hens are roosters!!!!!
We have gotten several emails regarding pullets that were purchased from us in the past months. "the pullets that I purchased from you are roosters..." If you are just starting out and reading all of the poultry books they do say that large combs, full tails and a large "mane" are all characteristics of roosters BUT this is not necessarily true. Many breeds ESPECIALLY THE EASTER EGG CHICKS, have very full tail feathers and "puffy" head feathers. Large combs or dark red combs don't always make them roosters. If you question if your pullet is a rooster please send us an email and a few pictures and we will tell you what we think. In most cases if you think you have a rooster you actually have a hen.......BUT if in doubt please let us know. We have recently had several "roosters" lay eggs!
If we sell chicks as PULLETS they have been ordered form the hatchery as such. If we have any question about the sex of birds that we are selling they will be sold as straight run only.
If we sell chicks as PULLETS they have been ordered form the hatchery as such. If we have any question about the sex of birds that we are selling they will be sold as straight run only.
What should I feed my chicks???
If you want the absolute down to the day answer research it online!! We feed them chick starter for the first few months then switch them over to scratch or layer crumbles or whatever else we are feeding our other birds. Usually about the same time that we move them to our "hen house". HOWEVER, chick starter and layer crumbles cost almost the same, the only reason we switch them at such a young age is because it is easier for us, with all of our chickens of different ages being in the same area. We now have a "chickie nursery" and we are considering feeding them chick starter until they are about ready to start laying (5-8 months of age). So the answer to this question.........whatever you want to!!!
Table Scraps........ with the exception of meat and egg shells our chickens get it all. We have heard that there are some foods that can be toxic to poultry, LOOK IT UP ONLINE!! We have never had a problem with any foods given to them.
At what age can they have table scraps?........... Again we usually start when they are moved out to the same area with our hens. Try it, if your chickies don't like it they won't eat it. Stop feeding them scraps for a while and try again later when they are a little older.
Table Scraps........ with the exception of meat and egg shells our chickens get it all. We have heard that there are some foods that can be toxic to poultry, LOOK IT UP ONLINE!! We have never had a problem with any foods given to them.
At what age can they have table scraps?........... Again we usually start when they are moved out to the same area with our hens. Try it, if your chickies don't like it they won't eat it. Stop feeding them scraps for a while and try again later when they are a little older.
Heat Stress and Electrolytes vs Apple Cider Vinegar
We have always known that some breeds tend to tolerate the extreme temperature changes better than others (the breeds that we commonly have are "hardier" and seem to adapt best) During extreme heat or cold your hens might drastically slow down on their egg production or even stop all together. BUT we recently gained this bit of knowledge that we found very helpful;"during long periods of extreme heat, hens stop laying and all chickens suffer stress. When temperatures reach 104° F or above, chickens can't lose excess heat fast enough to maintain a proper body temperature and may die." One way to help your chickens "cope" with heat stress is to provide them with electrolytes in their drinking water. If you don't have a supply of electrolytes on hand here is a recipe to make your own!!......
Homemade Electrolyte Solution
1/2 teaspoon salt substitute
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 gallon water
Provide this solution to dehydrated chickens for 4-6 hours a day for the duration of a week. Provide fresh water during the rest of the time.
We Have NOT done much research on the topic of Apple Cider Vinegar yet BUT from what we have found out we thought that this might also be important to pass along.
"while apple cider vinegar is beneficial to chickens when added to their water most times of the year, ACV should NOT be added to waterers during times of high heat."
"Acidified water affects laying hens by making the calcium in her feed a little less digestible (based on chemistry....calcium is a positive ion, and dissociates better in a more alkaline environment). Professional farmers regularly add baking soda to their feed when heat stress is expected....this maintains egg shell quality when hens' feed consumption drops due to the heat."
Basically in times of extreme heat "baking soda facilitates calcium absorption while Apple Cider Vinegar inhibits it". SKIP the ACV in the heat, opting for an electrolyte solution instead.
***We will try to get around to adding some additional information on the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar soon.***
Homemade Electrolyte Solution
1/2 teaspoon salt substitute
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 gallon water
Provide this solution to dehydrated chickens for 4-6 hours a day for the duration of a week. Provide fresh water during the rest of the time.
We Have NOT done much research on the topic of Apple Cider Vinegar yet BUT from what we have found out we thought that this might also be important to pass along.
"while apple cider vinegar is beneficial to chickens when added to their water most times of the year, ACV should NOT be added to waterers during times of high heat."
"Acidified water affects laying hens by making the calcium in her feed a little less digestible (based on chemistry....calcium is a positive ion, and dissociates better in a more alkaline environment). Professional farmers regularly add baking soda to their feed when heat stress is expected....this maintains egg shell quality when hens' feed consumption drops due to the heat."
Basically in times of extreme heat "baking soda facilitates calcium absorption while Apple Cider Vinegar inhibits it". SKIP the ACV in the heat, opting for an electrolyte solution instead.
***We will try to get around to adding some additional information on the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar soon.***