bird sounds rooster crowing in background music baby magpie duckling piano music wild birds chirping in background rooster crowing wood pecker in background squawking sound from hen high pitched crow
chicken sounds in background in this segment we'll talk about mail ordering chicks there are lots of mailing resources out there, take your time make sure you read about the characteristics of the breed you want understand their needs bantams take us less space, eat less food if you have small spaces, they are a good choice
there are many breeds available large hens, lay large eggs, but eat more feed they also require larger coop space we till start with bantam chicks dark brahmas and partridge plymouth rocks i will show how to brood the chicks order early hatcheries often sell out of specific breeds you may be disappointed if you wait too long to order
starting birds in feb or march is a good idea keep them warm, maybe in the basement consider family members who may be allergic protect them from family pets here is how to order through a catalog join organizations like the albc they feature all breeds and species of farm livestock these are various annual catalogs the poultry press has show chickens all over the country
if you want champion breeds/lines, the poultry press will show you who is winning and has great lines there are all sorts of poultry related articles in the poultry press breeders have listings and prices on their birds you can order fertile hatching eggs, or in some cases, live chicks from breeders you will know they come from top stock in this catalog, photos of chicks and adults help you make choices there is also a brief write up about each breed notice
when they list breeds, they give shipping times that they will be available they ship once a week pick the best week for you when you are ready to care for them straight run only this means you will receive male and female chickens together bantams are generally not sexed when ordering live chicks the minimum is 25 chicks
we're ordering dark brahmas 10 each and 15 of another variety they will come straight run, approx 50/50 male and female we want them in february at the end of the month we're also getting partridge rocks take time to study and understand the traits of the breeds you select bantams like these take up less space and are cheap to feed
great birds for kids large breeds offer sexing male, female or straight run you can avoid getting roosters hens are the most expensive ordering online think about the minimum number if 25 is too many, maybe share your order with someone else 25 chicks are important as they keep each other warm in shipping
do you want vaccines? i suggest that you choose them vaccines to not ruin your organic status you don't need medicated feed if your chicks are vaccinated here is the final order it's important to order from the hatcheries, it keeps them in business and preserves the breed resources npipflocks will want the p-certificate
if you are a nipi participant as i am, you will need to get your birds from npipcertified breeders if any chicks arrive dead they will refund the cost they will not ship single replacement chicks even though it's late january now i requested delivery the week of feb 13th 2006
while waiting for your order take time to study chickens learn about specific breeds traits and special needs if any this is a great beginner's book read to your children this is a great book, hard bound deals primarily with chickens in the north east united states deep book on the history of the chicken and its part in humanity
the chicken book the part chickens have played in human culture world wide incubation as far back as the egyptians and china this book is hard to find now nice photos and breed traits college text books are also great resources fred is a licensed poultry technician through the pa dept. of ag old school text books like this one are often out of print
search by the isbn you can find it easier amazingly cheap! the npip is available online for review even small flock owners can participate in the npip find out about other breeders by looking at the participant list in the npip for your state piano music playing sunrise
wind blowing distant thunder thunder getting closer rain falling ducks quacking lightning and thunder loud thunder wild birds singing let's talk about housing chickens
not everyone wants permanent buildings free range may not be an option either neighbors may not like your chickens keep them out of gardens portable coops are one option the open floor allows chickens access to the ground you can move it often there is a nesting box/roosting bos
a place for them to sleep at night let's go over the features keep in mind that there are many varieties you can buy them pre fab or design and build your own prints of this coop i designed are available through my fred's fine fowl website it can withstand winds and still light enough to move it around children may not be able to move it
but a single adult can when it comes to your own design keep it simple too many components may make it too heavy you want to be able to move it easily i recommend a book titled the chicken tractor it's as much about gardening as it is about chickens using chickens to tend soil you want to garden in later
here are some of the features of this coop remember portable or permanent make it large enough for grown ups to service if it's too small you won't want to go inside for chores you will be carrying feed or water consider that when designing this one is six feet tall
seven feet long three feet wide keep it narrow so you can lift it by the handles the door is very light and easy to open a portable coop with an open bottom is better than having a pen that never changes chickens will wear out the ground
portable coops keep the chickens moving and the earth healthy soil constantly tread on by chickens can become unhealthy even parasites may build up portable coops allow you to move chickens and their home complete with nest box food and water this saves the soil
and keeps chickens safe neighbors will not be bothered and your pets can't get to them this coop is designed for bantam chickens full size birds probably won't be happy with this small space this is for five bantams one rooster and four hens though this is enclosed
you need to protect your birds weasels and other small predators can get under it same as regular coops this must be lockable this box provides protection at night if predators got through the wall or bottom the birds are safe inside close it every night
the ramp goes to the front of the structure it does not rest on the ground start new chickens inside the roosting bos they will find the outside on their own and will soon know that this is their home suspending feeders and drinkers keeps them level at night elevate the feeder
preventing mice and other critters from eating the feed this one hangs on a hook under the roosting box move the coop every couple of days to fresh soil the side opens this is important access for cleaning and you can collect the eggs removable perches easy cleaning
these are litter raised dried pine shavings these can be used later in the garden keep chicken droppings dry hay and straw do not absorb moisture and are not good for nesting areas this next box is sized for bantam hens 12 x 12 x 14 inches this can also be put out in the pen area this is how i provide outside perches
easy to put in and take out this is 1 x 2" wood rounded tops for chickens to perch on fits well in 1 x 2 cage wire do notuse chicken wire.. it doesn't last and is thin four foot length wood is perfect this is a regular steel spike available at hardware stores keeps from having perch pulled through
won't fall when birds are on it pull the spike and remove the perch whenever you need to easy for cleaning when not in use i put them up here they are always there if needed you can put them at any height solid rubber tires at one end move the structure like a wheel barrow
don't use air filled tires, they generally go flat this coop is small enough that you can wheel it inside if you need to store it or shelter it for winter this full video is also available via amazon.com finished with exterior wood stain do not use metal roofing before talking about designs of coops
let's talk location keep away from woods away from lots of trees predators hunt these areas if you can, put your coop in the open this is a good location sloped ground is good for runoff no standing water no damp soil
good drainage is important ventilation is important these are solar powered fans wood roofs are good insulators, metal roofs are hot or cold depending on the season venting without making it drafty is important physical size is important 4 sq ft of floor space per bird this is 8 x 8 or 64 sq ft of floor space good for 16 full size chickens
even though there is plenty of outside area think about winter the birds will be inside for weeks, maybe months plan for the size flock you want birds concentrated in small spaces are stressed they may even attack each other each structure is elevated off the ground this prevents mice and other rodents from living underneath also dries out the ground
chickens can go under to get out of the rain or to dodge a hawk or just to get in the shade you want all areas to be accessible concrete pads at the door are a good idea this avoids muddy messes security for the birds is important shelter from weather extremes strong lockable doors
this saves the birds from predators think about predators in your area chickens return the the coop on their own people size doors are also important windows are also important 14 hours of daylight on average produces the best egg production this is the interior deep pine shavings are all over the floor
this is called "litter raised" the shavings absorb moisture good garden mulch sound dampening deep substrate protects chickens from foot injury heavy birds jump down and can injure their feet if the floor is hard every coop should be self contained fresh water and food
nest boxes are also important this drinker holds 5 gls clean it out, even if it's not empty at least every 48 hours cage wire keeps the chickens off of the drinker you don't want chicken droppings in the water this is a heated base it automatically comes on at 34 deg. and automatically turns off above 34
birds need plenty of water to survive in the cold you need one nest box for every four hens do not put the nest boxes low enough for the birds to see in when hanging out elevate the boxes and keep them in a darker part of the coop how to get your hens to lay eggs in the boxes i put decoy eggs in each bos decoys are made in many different materials stone, ceramics, concrete and wood
the wood eggs are best in my opinion they don't get cold and have a weight and look very similar to a real egg chickens see eggs in a nest and think it's safe for their own eggs if every egg went away, the hens may seek hiding places for their eggs keep litter clean and maybe put de in to keep them safe large feed bins are important this one holds over a hundred pounds of feed have a trough wide enough
several chickens need to be able to eat at the same time a small area may be guarded by one dominant hen this is a larger coop 8 x 16 feet that's good for 32 chickens every coop needs a people door one trait i want you to notice is the length and the access door
is far from the nest boxes you want hens to walk through dry litter on their way to the nest boxes this is intentional it keeps the nest boxes dry and clean this coop also has a large feeder low perches were good for cochins in hte past i did not like the low back wall 4: i would not repeat this low ceiling design
other things to think about walls should prevent drafts you need soffit venting for good air flow without drafts the health of your birds comes first even on very cold days, they are fine all walls are single wall design i want every surface accessible double walls provide spaces for mice
i do not insulate walls, chickens will eat insulation metal walls and ceilings are too hot in summer and too cold in winter metal walls and ceilings also frost up during winter, on the inside. areas where chickens may be able to reach the insulation the insulation is covered with interior metal flashing insulating ceilings keeps the coop quieter and prevents overheating by the sun all of our coops have electricity for lighting and for heated drinker bases
these are fluorescent bulbs that are rated for outdoor use. 14 hours of light is the minimum for dependable egg production lights on timers can provide that for you short winter days would naturally cause most hens to go off lay the bulb can be very low light capable.. this is a 15 watt light bright white bulbs may actually cause stress the hen door should have latch it should lock open as well as shut without a open holding latch, the wind could blow the door shut.
this coop is sized for 40 large chickens 8 x 20 feet this is another variation on the hen door a simple hole with a spike through it this holds the door open simple and cheap on the ramp, you can do many different things solid for them to walk on and some way of keeping them from slipping
here i have used old garden hose cut and fastened with stainless steel screws this is my favorite design on the interior it's all for the birds.. adding off floor entertainment is important this branch is hanging by chains it's 12 feet long when birds perch on it, it's like a branch blowing in the wind
this gives them some activity set up different perches at various heights some birds even will roost in the rafters others sit on the window sills 40 hens, require only 10 nest boxes keep nest boxes out of normal line of sight you don't want them to eat their eggs keep them low enough for hens to fly to the ledge each hen will select a a favorite nest box and use it over and over
if storing feed inside the coop use metal cans mice and rats can chew through plastic bins we have never had a rodent problem this is a brooder or hospital pen it's important to have it inside the coop this keeps babies and injured birds connected with the larger flock separate feed and water can be provided here
these are guinea keets one of the best ways to tame your birds is to hand feed coming to people for food makes them look forward to your visits even nervous chickens can be more tame through hand feeding when chickens are not ranging they require a balanced diet it's your job
to provide the best quality feed don't skimp on feed quality don't price shop consider contents first understand completely, what the feed is made of chicks start on crumbles these are pellets that older birds eat pellet form is cleaner older birds
need a layer formula a laying hen may need suplements this is oyster shell keeps up the calcium levels for laying hens egg shells take lots of calcium from hens do not feed calcium to developing chicks their organs can be damaged after laying the first egg shift to a layer ration
then you can offer calcium supplements chickens need to digest and process feed grit helps them grind up feed no nutritional value de do not breath de dust.... wear protection you can add it to feed in order to absorb moisture some say that eating de will aid in parasite control in winter,
rations are very important as they are the sole ration do not leave feed outside for wildlife grit is not necessary for feed forumlas exclusively chickens on open range are omnivorous they eat everything plants and animals this tiny snake would even be chicken food
environmental health is veryimportant small reptiles like this brown snake are indicators of good environmental health if pesticides were being used the food chain would be toxic they would die off chickens eat mice frogs
insects and other amphibians the presence of reptiles like this northern brown snake everything is connected, don't use pesticides sounds of chickens and wild birds chirping birds raised exclusively for exhibition... roosters crowing curt... you've been raising poultry for how many years? since the age of eight
showing at the crawford county fair 46 years of experience exhibiting most varieties of poultry, including water fowl settled on the leghorn as a favorite breed i was ten or twelve when i began to collect eggs and began incubating helping his father and mother
father and mother both exhibited their own birds is this the farm you grew up on? we've always lived in this town, but a few different locations i've lived here for about 40 years leghorns and waterfowl are the primary breed interests these are two standard leghorns? these are what they call large fowl and yes, they are leghorns both are male with long tails
and long saddle feathers larger heads and combs than the females have this is a rose comb and this is a single comb on the buff both are for exhibition white and buff leghorn roosters they are looking really good at this point would you mind taking them out and showing us their features and traits? you should have your birds coop trained
leghorns are very stylish be sure to not have them too calm or they won't be perky enough for the judge this is a single comb buff leghorn rooster one of his outstanding traits would be the nice buff coloration right through the sickle feathers this male bird is several years old starting to have spurs they have been trimmed off for show
they have legbands when looking at a bird for quality make sure the feathers are complete with none missing none broken check both sides sometimes they get broken off or may be chewed up these are the long saddle feathers with the points on them
indicates the male at least in this particular breed these are the ear lobes should be clean and soft basically those are the main traits more important than color is the physical composition and stance of the bird nice sweeping back line is favored
they should stand proud white leghorn rooster large fowl it's best to remove them head first from cages some birds are flighty this male has extremely long tail feathers beautiful long saddle feathers you can get them a little too long
maybe these could be shorter evaluate the wing condition on both sides this is a younger bird not so many testing bands on his legs this is the rose comb flatter wider little bumps long leader on the back again.. the type is more important than color
stance is also important normally he would be shown in a double coop so he can present himself better a double coop would allow him to walk around and show better is there a competition where they are shown with females? yes, they can be shown in trios one male and two females all of the same breed and variety
males are 50% of the points and the females would also be 50% of the grading scale you would want to match them well females should appear very similar this is a female of the same breed and variety female lacks the pointed feathers on the hackle and saddle areas again handle them carefully when removing from the cage this female has been in the breeding pen her tail feathers are a little rough check wings and other traits just as you would with the males
looking for a nice even color throughout the body and through the tail notice the female comb, in the leghorn is supposed to lop over to one side it's a defect in a male part of the standardization of the breed most female chickens in or near production are permitted to have lopped combs this is an example of old english game bantams considered a "true bantam"
a "true bantam" has no larger counter part they have the true bantam gene some have been downsized from larger standard fowl but these and breeds such as black rose combs only exist as small birds silver duckwing color pattern note the difference in color between the male and female again the male has the pointed feathers these have not been coop trained they are young birds
around six months old notice that they will need some training these have not yet been shown they are almost at showing age the old english game bantam should have tight feathering nice solid body this is the male of the same variety silver duckwing old english game bantam young and not used to being shown or handled
he is not coop trained but is nearly mature his main sickle feathers will still get longer note on this particular bird the comb has been docked the waddles also have been trimmed because these are game chickens originally bred for fighting they can be very dangerous to each other
they grab the beaks and waddles and can really cause a lot of damage this is another bantam example not a true bantam there is a large standard version this one is not considered show condition he's molting the tail is not full some things you may do to prepare a bird for show
keep them separate from other birds away from females also keep them on premium feed high protein this helps grow feathers this is a colorful bird brown leghorn the tail has a bright green sheen to it consistent even color is important
feed has a lot to do with a good appearance he also has molting on his breast that will fill out toe nails may need trimming his nails are a bit long these need trimming before a show as with any pet, the center of the nail ends about half way
you can see the darker area trim the nail beyond the dark area otherwise it may bleed sharp wire cutters are good enough not all nails require trimming some breeds seem to have longer nails than others snip those off then use a small file to smooth them out then they will be much nicer for handling
this bird, though not ready now, may one day be in good enough condition for show once they are ready for show they can be washed not difficult to do get a couple tubs of warm water dog shampoo is ok that's what i use soap them up it's a nice soft soap
wash all different parts of the body rinse them thoroughly remove all soap you can use a hair dryer if it's a sunny day, you can just put them in the sun let them air dry if it's nice and warm i recommend a hair dryer for the smaller birds like this one you can also wash the feet and toes some people put ointment on the comb and waddles
a little shine can be favorable what kind of ointment? there are products they use vasoline even works camfer is also ok brightens the comb and waddles this bird has been inside putting them outside adds redness to the comb how do you keep feathers from fading?
yes, if they are in direct sunlight for longer periods of time in the sun all the time the feathers will absolutely fade one of the main concerns people have when raising poultry is finding a sick bird or found one dead in the yard what are some of the concerns regarding handling and what conditions should be watched for
? when should birds be turned in for lab testing? it depends on what you see if you note respiratory signs foamy eyes, nasal discharge, open mouth breathing, diarrhea... anything one associates with infection
that would be cause for investigation you may have to turn in a live bird for diagnostics so you can get some good information and offer a better diagnosis the dead bird itself if it's just one dead bird and it's obviously been killed by something else you don't need to send that one in but, if it's more than one bird dying or inappropriate for its age... then look carefully at those conditions
at least discuss that with your clinician have them make suggestions regarding which birds to bring in for evaluation or even necropsy personal protection is not a huge deal general disinfection and washing is in order maybe put gloves on that are disposable before handling dead birds put the body in double bag protection\ in bags that don't leak
you can also wrap your hands in an inside out plastic bag with enough dexterity to pick up the bird as with any dead animal, good cleaning of hands and body parts in contact with the body when is a bird no longer suitable for submission to a lab for testing? it's surprising... sometimes we can get some good information from a bird that has been dead for quite a while even a couple of days if the weather is cooler, then it's going to be better preserved
if the bird is really flattened or starting to turn green or slimy that's probably not a good candidate for submitting to a lab not for any kind of meaningful diagnostic workup we like to see birds that have been dead less than 24 hours the quicker the better if you can refrigerate it the better... obviously already bagged or even a regular cooler put ice packs or cubes in it either drive it or ship it to the appropriate lab
we get a lot of things shipped in via ups fedex or other overnight shipping methods we can do a lot of meaningful workups if it arrives within 24 -48 hours of death 72 hours is pushing it but as long as it's been kept cold, that's even workable freezing if you can't get it there in 48 hours i would recommend going ahead and freezing it it will destroy some of the testing possibilities
but it's better than nothing and we can still get a pretty good idea regarding what happened once frozen, you can keep it weeks or even months what i tell people is if you're not sure if you want testing freeze the bird and hold it and then if more die, send a fresh and frozen bird in at the same time that would give us a better
sample than just seeing one specimen this saves you from diagnosing unrelated causes when people start off with birds they may buy from online, swap meets or local farms are there concerns regarding the health and origins of those birds? yes.. there are not only if starting out, but even if you already have birds where you get your next birds, becomes very important
in general i would recommend that you go to some source that is selling chicks that come from monitored flocks the national monitoring program is called the npip national poultry improvement plan under that plan, breeder flocks are screened
for diseases especially those diseases that are passed on genetically from parent to chick through the egg buy from them and you can be assured that if you purchase chicks from them they won't come to you already infected with something like pullorum disease so.. look for a npip breeder flock for the backyard poultry person
what are the health threats most common to their stock? do chickens today face different threats than those in years past? the threats have remained the same as they have been for many years, even decades depends on the situation how they are housed predation is a health problem parasitic diseases coccidiosis
which can be controlled by using medicated feed or medicated water pretty much all birds will be exposed to coccidia external parasites if you don't control them, can be a big problem mites and lice flocks can really suffer from those infestations but you need to know that you have it and need to know what to look for
infectious diseases some i see commonly in new flock owners that get chicks from other people that just hatch out their own chicks is merricks disease it's a common virus and pretty much all of our chickens will be exposed
it's controlled effectively by vaccinations they can even vaccinate the embryo while it is still inside the egg but if you get chicks from uncontrolled sources you risk all of those diseases i would say the other thing that is a little harder to get a handle on is the genetics of our birds a lot of folks may get ahold of
genetic lines of birds that are grown commercially, for example meat chickens they have been selected for very fast growth under very stringent conditions and so you get them out into a situation where they are in full day light in summer are eating as much as they can growing as fast as they can grow
you actually get into some... what i call... diseases of excellent health i know that sounds backwards.. but these birds are growing so fast that they actually get into some heart failure problems some leg problems if you don't actually slow them down
and so genetically.. i think we get into some strains of birds that are programmed to grow or produce eggs in a certain controlled setting we're putting them into a very different setting and they actually get into some problems due to growth, egg production and just their behavior they may have been selected to do well in cages
and we put them out in the barnyard they may not be "street savvy" so to speak most of them are very adaptable it's amazing to me how healthy chickens are.. but that's one thing i try to talk about with small flock people... is try to get if you want a dual purpose animal.. try to get a dual purpose animal
eggs and meat and do well in an outdoor setting rhode island reds for example but even those....some strains of reds have been bred towards broilers don't be fooled by the color... laugh one other thing along that line is... a lot of laying hens, that have great potential to lay a lot of eggs... but in those birds, we see increased incidence of tumors
it's usually reproductive tumors people bring in great producers that have generally been great layers and then two or three die off in a several month period you find that they often have tumors of the oviduct actually they lay so well they are under a high estrogen level they mobilize a lot of fat through the liver especially under the estrogen stimulation... during high egg production they tend to get some tumors
it's not going to hurt those who eat the eggs or those who eat the meat but the hen just suffers due to selection for high egg production is there an average that those hens experience those issues? i see it in those more after a year to two years generally, hens are most productive during the first 18 months yes, some commercial strains are set for the first 70 weeks of age
20 to 70 weeks i should say what about people who raise other animals on their land? people often like to keep a variety of birds and animals on their micro farms... are there any health concerns associated with that? keeping chickens with other poultry and livestock? there are some potential dangers turkeys and chickens together can be a problem turkeys are prone to get blackhead it's carried by chickens... chickens don't get sick form it
but the turkeys do if you do turkeys and chickens together... and you want to keep the turkeys for hobby or not for use as human consumption there are drugs that can be used to prevent blackhead so you can keep them together, but there are diseases to be aware of pea fowl are another type of
bird that is somewhat capable of contracting blackhead so if you have chickens and pea fowl together, that may also happen coccidiosis is species specific, so they don't share those water fowl and chickens especially if you have other wild water fowl flying in might be a source of water fowl influenza or other viruses that may affect your domestic birds it could pass to your chickens in some circumstances
if someone were going organic.... you would definitely have trouble housing your species together if your place was large enough to isolate turkeys from chickens separate housing at night? no... at all times.. keep them separate keep water fowl and chickens also well separated pigs... you asked about other livestock... they can get along fairly well dogs may disturb your chickens... depending on your type of dog another combination from a disease standpoint you may want to watch
is between swine turkeys or chickens there are bacterial diseases that can pass between turkeys and swine that one can actually affect people... use gloves you can get bacteria into a cut on your hand and cause a really painful lesion before you setup your incubator
consider the location you should avoid windows avoid drafts not in direct sunlight find a room with constant temperature once you have that space make sure the surface is level and can be cleaned easily incubators have water in the base
so a level surface is important aside from being level it's important to be on a smooth surface there are often vent holes in the bottom air flow is drawn from underneath and drawn out through the top if on carpet or other thick material air flow would be restricted air exchange inside the incubators is important these are considered hobby incubators
they each can handle 42 eggs it's not necessary to have two i have two because i use one as a backup i run one incubator without water and the other with water both at the same temperature if eggs in the dry incubator are dehydrating at the proper rate, they are good if the air cell appears too large, then i will move those eggs to the incubator with water these have the automatic egg turners in them
these are little giant incubators and they both have the preferred forced air fans forced air units are more temperature stable these are the egg cups for the chicken eggs easy to clean the eggs we hatch are sanitized this is the thermometer which comes with the little giant already marked at 99.5 deg. f that's optimum for a forced air incubator
these styrofoam units hold temps great they can be hard to clean and sanitize disposable trays help keep the bottom clean pathogens may build up on the surface of the incubator i don't hatch in these incubators, i move then to another incubator for hatching other than the provided thermometer i use a calibrated thermometer i run the sensor through the side this reads the temp across the top of the eggs
put it at the upper 1/3 of the egg these eggs are from rose comb white leghorns it's 31 deg. f where they came from so we kept them here to gradually warm up allowing several hours to match the temps inside if eggs are already clean from the hen there is a protective coating on the shell this is called the bloom protects from bacteria while allowing an air exchange
because some of them have dirt on them we are going to pre-sanitize the eggs 1/2 ounce per gallon one side is clean, the other side is dirty i wash hands before handling the clean side eggs clean hands before inserting them in the gloves sanitizing eggs has proven to reduce infection of eggs during incubation hatcheries are required to sanitize all eggs water must be warmer than the eggs
this water is at 98 degrees f after washing/sanitizing less than five minutes i dry them with a blow dryer do not cool the eggs with the dryer use a warm or hot setting now the eggs are sanitized they are numbered for record keeping of parent stock and blood lines now that all of the eggs are dry
the calibrated thermometer verifies that both incubators are running at the proper temp 99.4 degrees f, this is a good temp now we will place the eggs the light blinking on and off shows that it has arrived at its set temp turning to the right, increases the temp, to the left, decreases the temp. the target temp is 99.5 wait an hour or more when setting up, to make sure the temps are not in flux
then fine tune in small increments after your hands are clean handle the eggs and inspect the shells if there are cracks or damage don't incubate them this is a good egg a small air cell, shows that the egg is fresh this one is cracked do not incubate this egg
this one is ok for incubation turn eggs slowly always place them pointed end down same is true for storage air cell up this is a bantam egg compared to a standard size egg incubator is off while loading a forced air unit like this one
will keep constant temps throughout the incubator if the room is hot, avoid putting eggs next to the motor the motor heats up the blower and turner both generate heat, so if the room is too hot, those motors can overheat the eggs and ruin your hatch remember this one is dry expect temps to fluctuate during the re-start don't fiddle with the settings give it time to stabilize
the plugs in the top, help reduce or increase air exchange limiting air flow, increases humidity i personally remove all plugs i live in a high humidity part of the united states your climate may be different this is the heat control module this is the heating element this is the blower if you don't have a forced air blower
you'll operate your still air system at 102 deg. f at the upper 1/3 rd of the egg with a forced blower, you would set it at 99.5 the egg turner is optional on the 18th day of incubation you will remove the turner and put the eggs on the screen bottom hatching with the turner in place will possibly injure chicks and make a difficult to clean mess if not using the turner
turning by hand is an option mark each egg with a zero and an x on opposite sides use a blunt pencil don't poke holes in the shells children have to be cautioned not to use too much pressure having a level incubator is very important here the eggs should not roll to one side or the other turn at least three times a day
with a different side left up each evening at a minimum, turn them first thing in the morning then at noon then again at night before going to bed do this every single day very important during the first 11 days always wash hands before and after handling note the location of the thermometer always clean the incubator between hatches
sanitizer remains on the egg shell and continues to protect the embryo from contamination during incubation set up your brooder well before the chicks arrive in the mail there won't be time for setup when you receive the call that your chicks are here! here we have located our brooder in the basement our children play here and this gives the chicks the chance to see people often it calms the chicks to be near people the bottom is lucite water proof under the lucite is a heat strip
common in reptile cages this is a red heat lamp red or blue is preferred to white by hanging the lamp, we can control temps by adjusting the height of the bulb start with 95 deg. f this is a 75 watt red bulb ceramic heating elements are also available but they are expensive and don't cast light chicks generate lots of dust
if kept inside, you will need to filter the air and catch the dust this is a standard whole house filter that was used for the last brood you don't want this dust floating around your house use a fine particle filter we use computer fans to move air through the filter they use very little wattage this one has a speed control also it does not move so much air that the chicks would get cold next, we put down many layers of news paper
just to start them off... do not leave news paper as the only substrate we also place perches the chicks are going to be too small for these at first but it's good to already have them in place you can also hang a feather duster in the brooder, this makes the chicks feel more calm check in with the post office to make sure they know you are expecting chicks they will put your contact info in the receiving room bulletin board tell them to call anytime 24/7 this is a chicken drinker
i do not recommend open water surfaces such as a pie plate chicks will dirty that water very quick they can also fall in and drown this drinker has warm water with some sugar added this trough is full of chick starter crumbles i don't recommend mash sprinkling feed on the bottom, encourages the chicks to pick and eat i don't start with pine shavings, because new chicks may actually eat the wood over the food
commercial feed is the best way to start make sure it says that this is a complete ration these rations have been formulated over many years of testing this is more complex than it needs to be we use this system to introduce new people to baby chickens... there are many brooder setups available from sources all over... keep them away from pets cats can jump over those cardboard walled brooders even if you delay just a few hours, that could mean life or death for mail order chicks
some postal workers to not care about your birds remove the lid so heat gets to them this one is cold and weak start with the weakest chicks dip the beak of each chick then place them under the heat lamp noisy chicks are either cold, thirsty or hungry as they become more quiet, they are feeling better if you tap your finger, chicks will run over to see what you are doing
mother hens direct them to food by pecking and making a special noise if chicks are not piling under the lamp, then temps are good if huddle in corners away from the heat lamp, they are too hot the weak chick is now doing just fine there were no losses due to shipping this is a good pattern thy are very quiet now... and can observe the world beyond the brooder make sure you have placed pine shavings on the newspaper... leaving news paper may cause leg problems bantams generally do not have leg problems, but larger standard chicks may suffer splayed legs on smooth surfaces
flight feathers grow first this helps chicks fly away keep drinkers and feed troughs clean dump and replace remaining food, don't just add to it feed is available 24/7 as is the water i never "ration" feed this silver sebright would later become a champion this is the base of the brower top hatch incubator i prefer this system for hatching
incubate in the little giant units as they keep good temps on the 18th day, i put the eggs in this unit it comes apart and can be washed in your dish washer note the groove on the bottom it lines up with the arm mechanism as the arm rotates, the bottom moves forward and back rolling the eggs 180 degrees this is a forced air unit, the fan is in this center shroud the light bulb is the source of heat
keep extra light bulbs handy partitions separate the eggs the metal screen on the bottom is plastic coated the partitions stop the eggs, causing them to roll there is a slot for the thermometer this system runs at 99.5 degrees all of the components are plastic polymer children really enjoy being able to see through this clear top remember, i don't like to use the vent plugs
it's up to you, based on the humidity levels where you live always candle your eggs to see the air cell size that is the bestway to know if the humidity is proper heat control knob... clockwise increases heat, counter clockwise reduces the temp the light flickers when it reaches your set temp this unit is very noisy mother hens can actually hear the chicks still inside their shells after pipping through the shell, a chick may still take 24 hours to come completely out pecking sounds are heard
do not open the incubator during the pip leave the lid on while all chicks hatch out chicks will talk to one another during pipping this causes activity in all of the hatching eggs keep humidity high at this point, so chicks to not stick to the shells at this point, they do not need food or water these are rhode island red chicks... expect them to do a lot of sleeping remember to start on newspaper so they don't eat wood chips
after they discover what food is, you can fill in the wood shavings so, nadia talking about eggs what should someone look for in eggs as the store? be familiar with egg sizes look at the eggs and insure that they are clean.. cold... and covered another good idea is that the wide end of the egg should be up that is where the air cell is
one mistake people have made is old fridges had openings in the door for eggs and that was a very bad idea eggs were exposed and not covered so what is a aa egg? well that means that aa egg has a very small air cell the yolk would be in the center of the egg
there would be thick white no thin white that is what you would be looking for when you break that egg weather frying if eggs were stored on their side, would the yolk rise to the side? yes, that is a possibility one of the reasons to store eggs on end keeping the yolk centered yes, exactly
how long can you safely store eggs assuming they are fresh at the start if you keep the egg cold and you got it fresh from the coop or store eggs will keep five six seven weeks... and still be edible
how do you know if an egg is still good and safe to eat the best way is when you break the egg you can also drop the egg in water the egg may float or rise up on end then you know that egg is no good you can also open it on a plate and notice how thin the white is
larger air cells indicate an older egg ok, so when the air cell is large is the egg unsafe to eat? you were an egg grader with the dept. of ag right? yes, that's right and you worked for the extension office? yes... when you opened eggs to grade them, what did you look for? when breaking eggs open for inspection
you noticed how thick the white was air cell size the yolk has to be quite high, not flat they don't have to be discarded if a little older they are good for baking put it in custard and so forth and if you are going to scramble eggs no reason you couldn't use them but i would not like them hard cooked, or poached
poached and fried eggs should be really fresh i called it hard boiling eggs and you corrected me you don't hard boil an egg, there is a distinction between hard "boiling" and hard "cooking" an egg boiled eggs are toughened eggs are a protein food they cannot take a high temperature long long cooking is bad what you want to do is
steam the eggs that is using a small quantity of water and bringing it to a steaming point shorting the cooking time at lower heat then timing the egg after that nadia passed away in 2015... we all miss her bid difference between store bought eggs and farm eggs? yes, for number one
i'm never sure the eggs in the store are really fresh claims are often inaccurate even when baking i will always open the egg into a small cup first to make sure it's fresh angel food cake requires nice thick whites even in pie making... fresh eggs are important would you mind showing us? let's go to the kitchen... i'll be glad to fred...
i have four eggs in this sauce pan for the first egg i am using four table spoons for each additional egg i use a table spoon per egg notice there isn't much water in there not even half covered in water we're hard cooking, not hard boiling high heat
eggs have cooked for 15 minutes and they have been removed from the cooking pan none of them have cracked at all and these are fresh eggs is there a trick to removing the shells? just rolling them... that's all in your hands in this manner very fresh eggs like these are are a little more difficult to peel
older eggs are easier to peel now we can tell when the egg is nicely done here by slicing the egg there is no green edges that are shown in overcooked eggs no problems here at all not gummy, just tender one of the things you mentioned nadia was clean, cool and covered what is the recommended storage temperature
40 degrees f would be a safe temperature milk also now let's see a fresh uncooked egg first thing i do is look at the air cell notice how small it is very small and this indicates a very fresh egg this is good what we want
notice this little white spot people often ask about that that is present on every egg you may not see it as it's often on another side it is the site where fertilization would and could take place if the hen were kept with roosters it's a cytoblast fertile or not, it's going to be there note the thick white the yolk sits right on top of the white
exactly what we are looking for in a fresh egg if this were a much older egg the white would be watery and spread over the entire plate surface an egg left at room temperature would deteriorate at 7 to 1 that is an exposed uncooled egg ages seven days for ever one day it's out as compared to one in the fridge worst place to store eggs is next to the range an egg left out, has a very short shelf life
once eggs have been cooked it's not ok to leave them out still place them in the cooler the leg bands expand as the chicks grow at six weeks of age you can see pretty clearly that this is a pullet her comb is pale and small
there are very small wattles in this six week old male his comb is larger bright in color and has little developing wattles we banded the males with red bands and the females with yellow bands they are feathered enough now, that we can transfer them outside to a coop they still require protection from drafts
but they can handle cooler temps at night here is one of the dark brahma cockerels he's now twelve weeks old at the tenth week, we changed their rations to a grower preparation if this were a hen, we would keep her on grower until her first egg cockerels will be fed the same as the hens this is a dark brahma pullet she's nicely feathered out
hawk feathers foot feathers she's in great shape this is the silver sebright hen pullet 12 weeks old she can fly very high if you wanted to keep her in a pen you would have to select one wing
and clip off the primary flight feathers not both sides clipping one, makes her a unstable flyer we're candling eggs here using a mag light you can see by the shadow that this egg is fertile and has a developing chick inside check the air cell for proper dehydration this air cell is just right
turn the egg very slowly these are one week into incubation as you move the light up and down the side you can see a shadow if there is a shadow, keep the egg in incubation the embryo is clearly moving in this egg turn eggs very veryslowly always wash the oils off of your hands before handling eggs remember, any shadow, keep the egg
lots of movement here you can also see the blood vessels this egg should be removed no shadow and the air cell is on the side this is a dud, never fertile to begin with look how fast the embryo moves in this egg just one week old, these are bantam eggs this flash light does not generate heat another good one, lots of activity inside
even if it's not moving... keep the egg, there is a strong shadow here there is evidence of blood vessels this incubator has no water in it and the development is perfect the darkest spot is the eye black and white magpie ducks today it's only 32 deg. f ducks go out in almost any weather chickens are a different story chickens like grass
they don't like to walk on snow chickens will fly over snow to get to grass these chickens have all been raised together that's why they get along so well the rhode island red rooster is at the top of the pecking order short conflicts are ok.... these birds do not stop those who raise free ranging poultry may enjoy wildlife around also there may be some disease risks
waterfowl specifically are known to carry a number of infectious diseases do not allow wild birds to feed at the same location as domestic birds wild turkeys as you can see i've caught a possum in this live catch trap the trap is made by havaheart he killed a duck
i used the remains to trap him put the trap where the attack occurred once you have caught the predator take him/her several miles away before releasing growling possums eat eggs as well as chickens chicken coops must be secure at night our dog race, died in 2014, he was a great flock protector we do not use chemicals on our land anywhere.. at anytime
i'll share with you about how i use waste from the coops in order to benefit the garden i have tomato plants we are in mid july and the growth is already impressive i use no industrial fertilizers we never use pesticides i just take the droppings mixed with pine shavings from the chicken coops twice a year, i put it on the garden
pine shavings here on top, prevent week growth each fall we place a mulch layer of shavings and droppings and then till it in during spring thaw after spring plants have started i add more shavings and droppings from the coops as a mulch so each year, we improve the soil through amending the soil with chicken droppings and wood shavings if you had pure manure, it would just burn your plants dry manure mixed with pine shavings will not burn your plants
plants that have a high nitrogen demand, benefit greatly from chicken manure after the fall season, kale remains as a good crop a vitamin rich super food for people or chickens here i am using corn stalks as supports for beans sweet peas some people claim that chicken manure is too hot for growing, but you can see here that it works fine for me for a successful veggie garden you will have to fence the chickens or fence the garden
chicken wire is the least expensive fence material it comes in a variety of heights in this case, it's just three feet tall do not use a top bar if chickens can see a top bar they will jump up on it if they cannot see a top bar, they don't generally jump up or fly over it reflectors keep your dog from running into it a drive way marker
stiffens the fence and visually warns your pets not to run into it we're talking about hatching chicks naturally beneath a brood hen make certain that you have broody hens first a broody hen will remain on the nest for days at a time only getting off for food and water, then going back this mille fleur hen is broody
this is a great hen for brooding eggs you can put eggs from any chicken under her they hatch anything they will even hatch duck eggs this dark brahma hen is also a good brooder hens that are broody do not produce eggs they conserve their energy for setting eggs the cycle is broken by allowing them to hatch chicks this is a black tail japanese bantam
she can't sit on too many eggs select a dominant hen so she can protect and mother the chicks after the hatch a hen that flies off of the nest would not be a good choice de is a very good protective measure for chickens it actually kills parasites parasites are scratched by the de and then dried out through the wounds these are like microscopic razor blades fresh water de, food grade is best put it in the nest box
you can also dust the birds directly on their body