Raising little critters on your homestead can take a lot out of you. Not only does it take money from your pockets to feed them, but you worry about their health, too. 

Growing fodder is a great way to save money on the feed bill and provide your animals with much-needed nutrients and fresh food, which is especially necessary in the winter.

Fodder is inexpensive and easy to grow, as well as super fast! You can grow fodder from grain to grass in just a week!

Why grow fodder for chickens and rabbits?

There are so many benefits to growing fodder for your livestock. 

Save money feeding your livestock

Who doesn’t want to save some money? 

While many people get into homesteading with the hopes of spending less money at the grocery store, the reality is that it can cost you more to grow and raise your own food. So we cut costs wherever we can.

Growing fodder takes a tiny upfront investment, and then maintenance is very inexpensive. 

While fodder won’t replace your rabbits’ or chickens’ regular feed, it’s an excellent supplement and helps to fill up their bellies on the cheap. 

Fodder turns a small amount of grain into an enormous amount of feed!

One 50-pound bag of grain can yield over 200 pounds of fodder to feed your livestock. This means that with just a little bit of effort, you’re more than quadrupling your animal feed. 

Fodder gives your chickens and rabbits access to year-round fresh green food. 

Winters can be hard for livestock. Day after day of being trapped indoors, using much of their energy to stay warm, and eating the same bland pellets day after day. But not when you can provide them with fodder!

Fodder is chock full of nutrients, and it tastes so good for your critters. It’s a wonderful treat for those cold, frosty days. 

Fodder gives your animals plenty of minerals and vitamins

Not only can growing fodder save you money, but it’s more nutritious for your animals, too! Fodder is high in protein and full of important vitamins and minerals that will provide a much-needed health boost to your livestock.

Provides entertainment for bored critters

Boredom can be a big problem with livestock, especially chickens, who turn to bullying and picking on each other when boredom strikes. This can especially become a big problem in the winter when chickens are cooped up for months on end.

Feeding fodder once or twice per day gives your animals something to do so they’re not turning on each other. 

Things to know about growing fodder

Temperature

It’s best to grow fodder in cooler temperatures, around 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Growing fodder in warmer temperatures could cause mold to grow. Temps cooler than 65 could result in the grains not germinating and sitting for so long that, again, mold grows. 

Ventilation and Air Circulation

Having moving air is essential to successfully growing fodder. The easy solution to this is to grow the fodder outdoors, where fresh air is always blowing about. 

If that’s not an option due to your location or the time of year, you can certainly grow fodder indoors; just make sure you either have an open window close by or a fan blowing to keep air circulating. 

Fodder is a supplement, not a complete feed

Unfortunately, you can’t completely replace chicken feed or rabbit feed with fodder. 

It doesn’t have the complete nutrients or roughage that animals need to thrive. Fodder does, however, make an excellent supplement to their food, especially in winter when access to fresh greens is scarce. 

Where to buy grain:

There are several options for buying grain, and really it doesn’t matter which you choose. What does matter is making sure the grains have not been chemically treated and are safe for animal consumption. 

It also pays to ensure the grains you’re buying are fresh and haven’t been sitting around for months because old grains can have mold. 

Farm Stores

Farm stores are the absolute best place to buy grains for fodder. It will cost much less money for you to buy grains here; you can get big 50-pound bags, and they carry high-quality grains that are designed for animal feed. 

Online

If you don’t have a farm store nearby, you can also order grains online. I bought grains from Amazon once and was very surprised at how good they were. The downside was they weren’t packaged very well, and one of them had burst open in the mail, spilling 1/3 of the contents before it got to my door. 

I personally prefer buying grains at a physical store, but if that’s not an option for you, online is perfectly fine, too!

Supplies Needed for Growing Fodder:

There are many ways to grow fodder for your livestock, and it may take a little experimenting to find the exact system that works best for you. 

I suggest starting small and growing your operation as you get the hang of things. You can always buy better and bigger supplies down the road, but it’s good to know that this is something that works for you and your animals before you commit on a large scale.

Here’s what you need to start:

1 bag of grain  

Barley or wheat work best, but you can experiment with all sorts of grains.

You can even mix different types of grains together for more variety for your animals. However, if this is your first time growing fodder, it’s easiest to start with just one type and then expand from there. 

Water

Tap water works just fine for growing fodder. No need to get too fancy; half the point of this is to save money anyway. 

A shallow container with holes in the bottom for growing the fodder

You can use anything that you have lying around for this project, or you can go out and buy some containers. 

For a constant supply of fodder for your chickens or rabbits, it’s best to have several containers. 

You can grow the fodder on a rotating system where one finishes growing, and you start again with it that day. That way, you can start a new batch of fodder every day of the week and always have fresh food to pop into the coop or hutch. 

Shallow containers work best for growing fodder. Reusable food storage containers work great, as do seed-starting trays. Just make sure you cut holes or slits in the bottom of these containers so excess water can drain out.  

If you’re planning to buy something for this project, shallow window sill planters work great because they have drainage and are just the right size. Plus, when you’re not using them to grow fodder, you can grow flowers or even herbs in them.

How to grow fodder, step by step

Step 1: Rinse the grains

Getting the grains super clean is an important first step. Washing the grains will clean them of any mold spores, fungus, and insect eggs that could become a problem down the road.

Simply pour the grains into a colander and rinse under running water for a few minutes. 

Step 2: Soak the grains

Put the grains in a large, clean bowl and cover them with a few inches of clean, cool water. You can use regular tap water; no need to get fancy or expensive with this step.

You may want to cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap to keep out curious cats or bugs. 

Let the grains soak all night. 

Step 3: Prepare the containers

Clean your containers well with hot, soapy water before using them to grow fodder. Once the containers are clean and ready, you can load them up with your grains.

Step 4: Add the grains

Spread the grains out evenly in your grow container; they can be about half an inch deep. 

Step 5: Add clean, cool water to the grains every morning and evening

If your sink faucet has a spray function, using it is the ideal way to water your fodder. Simply spray down all the grains evenly and let the excess water drain out the drainage holes. If your fodder doesn’t seem to be draining completely, you can gently tilt the trays to get all the water out. 

It’s best to water the fodder twice a day, in the morning and evening, but if your schedule doesn’t allow that, you can get away with watering just once a day. 

Note: Never re-use the water that drained from the container as it could cause mold. 

Step 6: Place the containers in a spot with bright light

You can place the containers near a bright window or put them outside in an area where they’ll get good light. If a window isn’t an option indoors, you can also use grow lights to grow fodder. 

If you do put them outside, try to put them in a protected area. Wild animals will be very interested in your little fodder operation, especially if you’re growing in early spring or winter when fresh greens are hard to come by!

Keep an eye on the progress of your grains day by day; first, you’ll see the roots start to form, then you’ll see the greens, which will get taller and taller as the week goes on. 

Step 7: Feeding your animals

Your fodder should be fully grown and ready for harvest around day 7, and then you can feed it to your animals. Most people take the whole mat of fodder out of the trays and cut it into pieces to feed it to the animals. 

Keep in mind it’s best to feed chickens fodder in small amounts multiple times per day so they don’t eat too much at once. 

Rabbits mostly enjoy eating the greens, but chickens will eat the whole thing: grains and roots! 

Note: You may be tempted to toss the container full of fodder in with your animals, but don’t! There are tons of bacteria, spores, and insects in coops and hutches, and you don’t want to contaminate your containers with anything; always remove the fodder from the container before feeding.

Developing a rotating system

You can easily develop a rotating system for growing fodder so that you always have fresh fodder available for your animals.

To do this, when you’ve fed all the contents of one container to your animals, you can reuse it again. First, make sure to clean and sanitize the container. Then, simply follow the steps in this process again to grow more fodder.

Other tips:

Make sure to store your grains somewhere safe. You need to keep them dry so they don’t develop mold. It’s a good idea to store the grains in a galvanized steel can with a tight-fitting lid; this will keep the grains dry as well as safe from animals like mice, rats, and wild birds.

If you notice any mold or fungus growing in your fodder, throw it in the compost and start fresh. Make sure your containers are washed thoroughly, and the fodder is draining completely after each watering to avoid this happening again.

Growing fodder is so satisfying and enjoyable because it’s so quick and takes almost no effort. It’s a wonderful way to supplement your livestock feed and will make your animals so happy, especially in the gloomy winter.

Be sure to experiment and adjust to make this work for you. There’s no one perfect way to grow fodder. You can play around with different grains and setups until you find what works best for you. This is a very simple project with lots of flexibility. As long as everything is clean and your grains are from reputable sources, you’re good to go!

The post How to Grow Fodder for Chickens and Rabbits appeared first on Rural Sprout.

Getting a clutch of chicks is always fun. I don’t care how old you are; those sweet little peeping balls of fuzz melt even the hardest of hearts. But most of us only want chicks that will grow to be laying hens. In fact, most of us pay for sexed pullets because we really don’t want to deal with a rooster.

Some, like our family, live in a township that doesn’t allow roosters. So, what do you do when one of your fuzzy little girls turns out to be a boy?

Chicken Sexing and Sexing Guarantees

Chicken sexers are very good at what they do. Most of them are 95% accurate. Your local meteorologist can’t even boast stats that great.

We’re talking about professionals who can determine the sex of a chick with a quick look that takes them mere seconds before they move on to the next bird.

But they’re also human. And they do make mistakes.

However, it can be a real headache when their mistake lands in your batch of pullets.

Many big hatcheries that offer mail-order chicks have a sexing guarantee, which sounds great when you’re adding all the colored egg-layers to your cart. But most have a waiting period of about ten weeks before they will honor their guarantee, as that’s generally how long it takes to be sure your chick is a rooster. The reality of the situation is you end up with your money back or store credit…and you still have an unwanted rooster on your hands.

Clues He’s a He, not a She

It can be tough to be sure your chick is actually a rooster when they’re young, hence the necessity of that waiting period. It’s even harder if your little brood is made up of different breeds. Some grow quicker than others; some have more pronounced combs, which might make you think you have a rooster.

It’s best to wait to determine the sex of a chick when they’re closer to sexual maturity. Otherwise, you may end up getting rid of a late-blooming hen.

Here are some general characteristics of roosters to help you figure out if he’s a he and not a she. It’s important to consider the breed, as certain breed characteristics can make it difficult to tell the difference between a rooster and a pullet until they are closer to sexual maturity.

4-5 weeks

Roosters generally have a much more pronounced, redder comb early on. You’ll note I didn’t say larger, as comb size and shape depend on the breed. When small, pullets have very small combs. Their combs will remain pale pink or orange and only redden when they reach the point of lay. If you’ve got a chick with a bright red comb early on, chances are good; it’s a rooster.

Wattle growth is another early indicator of a rooster. Like the comb, a rooster’s wattle will grow faster and be red long before a pullet’s. If you have a bearded breed, however, pay more attention to the wattle color than the size, as the beard gene means a much smaller wattle in both males and females.

10-12 Weeks

Feathers

Roosters generally have showier plumage, but they also have different-shaped feathers. Look closely at the saddle – the feathers on the back — roosters will have slimmer, pointy feathers, whereas pullets’ saddle feathers will be shorter and rounded. A rooster will also have a more pronounced “saddle” with more feathers that generally spill down his sides. Most breeds will have elongated tail feathers as well. Look for a waterfall of long, curved tail feathers.

16 Weeks

Hackle feathers are more pronounced. While both males and females have hackle feathers, the rooster’s hackle feathers will be long and pointy and will grow further and thicker down the neck.

Crowing

And then there’s the obvious one – crowing. If you hear that first crow from the coop, you probably have a rooster on your hands. That being said, hens can crow, too. We have a hen who, in the absence of a rooster, has taken it upon herself to watch over our flock. Now and then she crows. But once a rooster realizes he can crow, he rarely stops.

It’s always a good idea to look at numerous photos of roosters for your particular breed online to determine if your chick is a boy.

Now that you know for sure, what will you do with him?

1. Keep Him

Roosters aren’t inherently bad. If you’re able, keeping your rooster offers your hens a level of protection you can’t give them. A good rooster will show your hens the best places to forage, alert them to possible danger, and, if necessary, lay down his life to protect his ladies. A good rooster can be an invaluable addition to your flock.

Of course, not everyone lives where roosters are welcome.

2. Process and Eat Him

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you aren’t the type of person who will choose this option. If you were, you would already have had a lovely roast chicken dinner, not Googled what to do with a rooster. But it is a completely reasonable option, not to mention a tasty one. I will acknowledge that it’s not for everyone. Still, it might be a good opportunity to challenge yourself about the realities of keeping livestock and the hard decisions that come with it.

It is odd when you think about our disconnect with food these days. How many of us keep chickens and eat chicken but would never in a million years eat our chickens? (Raises hand.) It’s something to think about.

3. Ask a Local Farm/Farmer/Friend to Take Him

When you’ve only got a few chickens in the first place, a rooster can seem like a huge deal. But if you’re a farm that regularly keeps a couple dozen chickens, another mouth to feed is less noticeable. And a working livestock animal is generally a welcome addition to a farm. Ask around, as this is usually one of the easiest ways of rehoming a rooster.

4. Craigslist

Craigslist is still a great place to list an unwanted rooster. (It’s also a great option if you’re looking for specific breeds of chicks in the spring.) List your rooster for sale or for free. Of course, it also depends on where you live. If you’re in a more urban area, you might have a harder time rehoming a rooster via Craigslist.

5. Donate Him to a Local 4H or FFA Group

Many kids in 4H or Future Farmers of America raise animals for showing. These groups are always looking out for free animals for their members. If you want to sweeten the deal, offer your rooster with a pullet as a breeding pair.

6. Rescue Groups

Look for a local animal rescue group that will take roosters. Calling your local animal shelter is a good place to start, too. While they may not take roosters, they may know of someplace that will.

7. List Your Rooster on a Local Poultry Group

Facebook is a fantastic place to meet other chicken folks. There are usually plenty of poultry-keeping groups to choose from based on location, which are excellent resources for rehoming a bird. Again, offering a rooster and pullet or hen as a breeding pair will make a more attractive offering.

8. Have Your Vet Euthanize Him

Ultimately, if you’ve done all you can to rehome an unwanted rooster, you might be left with the unpleasant task of having him euthanized. Chances are it won’t come to this, but it’s important to remember the responsibility of owning livestock, even if we didn’t plan for a rooster. Call your vet and have the rooster euthanized.

Avoid This Problem in the Future with Autosexing & Sexlink Breeds

We ended up with a surprise rooster one spring. After dealing with the stress and heartache of figuring out what to do with him, we decided we were only keeping autosexing breeds in the future. Sexlinks and autosexing breeds are chickens with distinguishable feather markings at hatching that denote males and females.

If you want to avoid rooster troubles in the future, consider keeping a sexlink or autosexing breed. There are some beautiful, sweet and prolific layers to choose from.  

The post 8 Things to Do with an Unwanted Rooster appeared first on Rural Sprout.

When the mercury climbs, your chickens have to endure the heat, too. And extreme temperatures can lead to a host of health issues. But you can take some easy steps to keep your flock cool and safe during hot weather. That is unless you’re willing to let them inside to enjoy the air conditioning with you.

Heat Safety for Your Flock

Like us, all chickens can be affected by extreme heat and suffer from heat stress. However, some breeds are more susceptible than others to high temperatures, so keep this in mind when choosing breeds.

If not provided the means to cool themselves down, chickens can become heat stressed, leading to fewer eggs, dehydration, and even death if not caught in time. Taking care of your birds’ needs during the hottest months of the year ensures happy and healthy chickens and a steady supply of eggs.

1. Make Sure Your Chickens Have Access to Shade

Ensure that your chickens have access to plenty of shade throughout the day. Whether in their run or out free-ranging, chickens need shade where they can retreat during the hottest part of the day.

We try to free-range our girls as much as possible during the summer, as it’s easier for them to find shade on their own under various trees and shrubs around the yard. That’s not always an option for every chicken keeper.

Cover all or a portion of the roof of their run during the summer, even if it’s with something as simple as a tarp. Enclosing the area beneath the chicken coop and making it a part of the run is a great way to create a shady spot where your chickens can hang out.

2. Make Sure the Coop is Properly Ventilated

Adequate ventilation in chicken coops and shelters is crucial to good poultry health overall, and it’s especially important in the summer when trying to keep chickens cool. Ensure your coop has good airflow to help dissipate heat and maintain a more comfortable temperature for your birds.

You can add vents at the top of the coop to improve airflow if needed. Be sure to cover any openings with hardware cloth to prevent predators from getting in.

If you live somewhere especially hot, consider using fans or opening coop windows for the summer (properly covered with hardware cloth).

3. Always Provide Fresh, Clean Water

You should be providing this no matter what time of year it is, but water is even more important in the summer. You’ll need to check and change the water more frequently as your chickens will be drinking more and hot weather means things can grow faster in stagnant water. Yuck.

Toss in some ice to give your girls a cool, refreshing treat. They’ll certainly appreciate it.

4. Mist or Wet Down the Outside of the Coop

Spraying water on the roof of the chicken coop can help to bring down the temperature inside. Avoid spraying the run, as you’ll only create a muddy mess and deprive chickens of one of the ways they cool themselves – dust baths.

You also don’t want to spray or mist your chickens.

Chickens regulate their body heat by fluffing up their feathers to move air around their bodies. If they’re wet, they can’t do that. There’s a reason the saying is, “madder than a wet hen.”

5. Give Your Chickens a Wading Pool

While misting your chickens isn’t a good idea, giving them a shallow pool of water is. Chickens can stand in the water to cool their feet and sip water or dunk their heads to cool their combs. Provide a small container of water, only a couple of inches deep. You’ll want to change the water daily to avoid a mess and discourage mosquitoes from laying eggs.

6. Provide a Dust Bath

If you don’t already have one in the chicken run, set up a dust bath in a kiddie pool or other shallow container. Fill it with dry dirt, and then stand back. Your girls will love it. You can also add lime to the dust bath to help with parasites, such as mites, which can be especially problematic in the summer.

During hot weather, our chickens spend most of their day in a dust bath, whether it’s the one in the run or the ones they make under all our bushes and shrubs.

Related Reading: How To Easily Make A Chicken Dust Bath

7. Don’t Harass Your Flock

It’s hot out. You certainly wouldn’t want to be chased around the yard or carted around tucked under someone’s arm in this heat, nor do your chickens. Unless necessary for their health or safety, try to let your chickens be during hot weather.

8. Provide Cool and Frozen Treats

Give your chickens fruit and veggies with high water content to keep them hydrated. Freeze these treats first for some seriously happy chickens. Some of our girls’ favorites are watermelon, cucumber and blueberries.

We buy a watermelon and slice it into rounds or quarters, then separate each layer with wax paper before placing the whole thing in the freezer. We take out a slice at a time of frozen watermelon to give to them.

Remember to introduce treats gradually and in moderation. Too many treats can upset the balance of their regular diet, which should primarily consist of a quality chicken feed.

9. Cold Scrambled Eggs

Egg laying and the heat can sap your hens of vital nutrients. Feed your chickens cold scrambled eggs. No, this won’t cause your hens to start pecking and eating the eggs they lay. Feeding them back the eggs they lay can help replace lost nutrients, which can take a toll during hot weather.

10. Avoid Cracked Corn and Scratch Grains

Don’t feed dry corn or scratch grains in the summer, as these treats cause the bird’s body to heat up while digesting them. Save these treats for cold weather when extra heat can help.

Chicken Health in Hot Weather

Keep an eye on your chickens for signs of heat exhaustion. During especially hot weather, it’s normal for your chickens to be less active and eat less. But some signs, such as heavy panting, wings drooping or stretched out with erect feathers, diarrhea, or a drop in egg production, can point to heat stress.  

If these behaviors are seen, you need to quickly cool your bird down. In extreme cases, you should contact your local avian vet.

Hot weather can also make pest and parasite problems worse.

Be sure you clean the coop and nest boxes regularly during hot periods to prevent infestations.

By following these tips, you’ll help your chickens stay cool, comfortable and healthy during the dog days of summer.

The post 10 Ways to Keep Your Chickens Cool and Healthy in Hot Weather appeared first on Rural Sprout.

Self-reliance is a very beautiful and practical way of living to strive for, which offers many rewards, mostly beyond the monetary realm. Yet, there are a few intrepid homesteaders out there who want to push their limits even further.

Self-sufficiency isn’t an “all or nothing” act.

Learning to live a self-sufficient life takes time, as well as money and energy.

It’s the accumulation of many hours of hands-on and practical experiences that make one person more adept than the other at living simply and well.

For example, growing a survival garden may work exceedingly well for those living on less land, who also happen to love eating vegetables. But, sometimes, you need to take your growing skills a step further.

That’s where raising your own livestock comes into the picture.

In our homesteading experience that extends to more than a decade, fruits and vegetables aren’t enough on their own to provide energy throughout the entire year. Sure, our pantry is full of canned goods, both from our own land and the market, but where’s the protein? That comes from eggs and meat. It could possibly come from fish, too; that’s a dream for the future.

The point is to start where you are.

If you have a small backyard and want to introduce some homegrown protein into your life, begin with poultry. Chickens, quail and ducks usually fit the bill.

Small animals are easier to handle than larger ones, and the learning curve is less costly. From raising to slaughter, birds are among the easiest animals to raise for self-sufficiency, so we’ll start there.

As your land grows in size, you can introduce goats, pigs and cows, provided you can grow or obtain sufficient feed to keep them happy and healthy.

With time, your livestock skills will grow. Not only will you be able to provide meat and eggs for feeding yourself, but it is also an essential skill that can be monetized in times of need, for others will inevitably want to learn your wise ways.

Even with a little bit of land, you can feel empowered by raising your own animals, thus putting food on the table or in the freezer.

Let’s get started!

1. Chickens

Without a doubt, chickens are where most people start their animal-raising adventures. We’ve done that too for a couple of years, then quietly went back to raising ducks. Which poultry to raise is a matter of preference. It also depends on your yard setup.

Perhaps the greatest thing about chickens is that they can lay a lot of eggs, with some hens laying 300+ eggs per year.

Notice, I said can. In order to do this, you must choose the right breed, give them the best nutrition possible, make sure they are happy, protect them from predators and do your best to nurture a healthy flock.

Advantages of Raising Chickens

• Eggs – an endless supply of eggs is yours for the raising. Don’t forget that eggshells are edible too. Plus, you can sell eggs if you have too many, a win-win situation indeed.
• Meat – think about how much chicken you purchase from the store, then imagine how you could do the same or better at home. Butchering is simple enough, but be sure to raise meat birds for the best flavor.
• Eggs for hatching – self-sufficiency is about providing for your income, too, not just dinner.
• Selling chicks – if you’ve got a great mama chicken, let her do her job, or invest in an incubator if you’d like to reliably sell chicks.
• Pest control – chickens are excellent foragers, more than willing to eat ticks and all sorts of bugs in the garden.
• Manure/fertilizer – chicken poop is worth something, too, especially once it’s turned into compost.
• Feathers – can be used for crafts, stuffing, insulation and more. A by-product of all fine-feathered creatures.

Chickens, in general, are easy to care for, eat weeds and garden scraps and take very little of your time (unless they are able to get out of their fenced-in area). They are excited in a chicken tractor just as much as they are out free-ranging, always on the move in search of bugs and earthworms. In exchange for their service, they must be protected at night.

Disadvantages of Raising Chickens

• Noise – without a doubt, chickens are noisy, early in the morning and throughout the day. If your neighbors don’t already have a flock, they may be concerned; talk to them before investing in some birds of your own.
• Diseases – originating in Indonesia, yet naturalized around the world, chickens are susceptible to many poultry-specific health issues. Depending on the breed, they can also be quite sensitive to extreme temperatures, both hot and cold.
• Prey animals – with chickens in the yard, you’ll have to watch out for animals that like to eat not only chicken but also their eggs and feed – foxes, bears, coyotes, raccoons, snakes, stray dogs and raptors, depending on your location in the world.
• Time to lay eggs – you’ll have to be patient if you’re starting with chicks, as it takes chickens about 24 weeks to start laying eggs. Other birds mature faster.

All in all, chickens are a pleasure to be around. They are some of the most entertaining animals you’ll ever be around.

2. Ducks

Baby ducks are even cuter than baby chicks, you have to agree with me on this point. Then, the messiness begins to happen. If you’re well prepared for it, then there’s nothing to complain about. But, the truth of the matter is ducks love, need and must have plenty of water.

Like with children, when you give them the end of the hose in the backyard, there will be mud. Ducks love that aspect of life too. Not quite jumping in mud puddles, but bathing, drilling (or noisily sifting through the mud to find edible treats), and generally enjoying the grand old dirt.

Raising ducks can bring you a lot of joy – being happy for no reason, which brings a huge smile to your face and your heart. I adore ducks, and perhaps upon reading the related articles, you will too.

Related reading: 11 Things You Need To Know About Raising Backyard Ducks

Advantages of Raising Ducks

• Eggs – ducks lay fewer eggs than chickens, though the size and the nutritional quality are superior. Duck eggs are an absolute delicacy with more vitamins and minerals than chicken eggs, plus they will enhance your baking immeasurably.
• Meat – duck meat is an excellent source of protein, along with higher amounts of iron, which is essential for our healthy blood. Ducks are docile and easy to slaughter at home.
• Fat – where would a cook be in the kitchen without fat to fry their potatoes? Duck fat is good for the heart, as it helps to reduce high blood cholesterol.
• Weed eaters – ducks are champion gardeners. As they roam, they fertilize the soil with their manure; at the same time, they’re always on the lookout for bugs and grubs. Very compatible poultry choice for the organic gardener.
• Companionship – ducks will raise your spirits as they waddle across the yard. Give them breakfast greens, and they will return the praise in the form of incredible eggs. By the way, they will readily waddle in the snow, too, for some winter fun together.
• Hatch eggs and sell ducklings – if your goal is to have an income from your homestead, hatching eggs and selling young birds will never go out of fashion.

That’s a lot of advantages! Though ducks aren’t perfect in every situation. You’ll need plenty of space that can get wet on a continuous basis if you want to keep them healthy and happy.

Disadvantages of Raising Ducks

• Eggs – you may see the number of eggs as a disadvantage if you are expecting them every day. Also, ducks become mature egg layers at 4-7 months, so if you are starting from chicks, it will take quite some time to receive your first gift. Ducks lay eggs wherever they feel like it – if you like egg hunts, this could be a good thing.
• Noise and mess – not all ducks are noisy, it depends on the breed, but messy, yes they are!
• Feed requirements – ducks eat more than chickens and way more than quail. If you have a large garden, chances are you may provide enough on-site; if not, you’ll have to purchase food for them, which can increase your raising costs.

The larger your homestead, farm or backyard, the better off you and your animals will always be.

Related reading: 17 Reasons to Raise Ducks Instead of Chickens

3. Quail

If you don’t have a lot of space yet, to dedicate to raising animals, investing in a bevy of quail may be the best thing for you.

Quail are quaintly small, they can be raised in cages, the birds are cost-effective to keep (meaning that they don’t eat a lot), and they are quiet, hardy and disease-resistant. Sounds like a dream bird!

This article explains it all: 11 Reasons to Raise Quail Instead of Ducks or Chickens + How to Get Started

Advantages of Raising Quail

• Eggs – quail quickly begin to lay eggs in as little as 6-8 weeks. The eggs, while being small in size, really pack a punch. Quail eggs contain generous amounts of vitamins B1 and B12, vitamin A and iron. Nutrition aside, they can be sold for a pretty penny to restaurants – a great way to make an extra income from home.
• Meat – poultry, in general, is easy enough to slaughter at home. Quail is the easiest of all. It’s been said that quail meat can boost your immune system, aid your vision and solve respiratory and digestive diseases – if that’s true, it must be good for you.
• Ease of care – small, tidy, quiet, family-friendly – all that a quail is and so much more.
• Space requirements – from rabbit cages to quail tractors, you’ll easily find ample space for them in your yard.
• Noiseless – quail are quite quiet and can be raised easily in your backyard. Since they are considered game birds, a town’s rules and restrictions that might prevent you from owning ducks or chickens may not apply to quail.

Disadvantages of Raising Quail

• Small size – if you’re interested in harvesting quail for meat, you’ll need to slaughter a few at a time. This means you have to raise larger numbers of birds to meet your family’s dietary requirements.
• Protection – due to their prey status and small size, you’ll need to protect your small flock day and night.

When all is said and done, you probably wouldn’t want to raise quail as your only source of meat. At the same time, you wouldn’t want to do this for any animal on the list.

Self-sufficiency is about diversity, as much as it is making sure your daily needs are met.

4. Geese

Going out on a limb here, knowing that not everyone has had a positive experience with geese. We ourselves have been chased, harassed and hissed at by the neighbor’s two geese as we were passing by on the road. One day in winter, the male slipped on the ice, became embarrassed and sauntered away, honking at his own demise. From that time on, he barely dared come out onto the road again.

And yet, there is still part of me that could imagine raising a flock of our own. Provided they have plenty of space, not quite so near the house, and definitely further from the gate.

We do like to have guests come over without fear!

Advantages of Raising Geese

• Eggs – goose eggs are large in size, yet fewer in number, containing high amounts of iron and potassium. Not surprisingly, creative hands can utilize them in handicrafts.
• Meat – goose meat has higher levels of iron than beef, pork or chicken. It’s also a significant source of B vitamins, zinc, selenium and copper.
• Manure – goose poop is a nutrient-rich fertilizer.
• Protection – as guard animals, they will alert you to any danger or stranger on your property. Learn from Antique Romans, who were protecting their towns and forts with vigilant geese.
• Natural lawn mowers and excellent foragers – geese love green grass and weeds. If you have a large yard to let them roam, this can dramatically reduce your feeding costs.
• Self-care – geese don’t need a lot of fussing over, and for the most part, they take care of themselves. Give them plenty of space and food, and they’re good for grazing.
• Long life – geese can live up to 30 years, bringing a unique companionship to your life, should you choose to accept it.

Depending on the nature of a particular goose, it can be raised as a sort of tame pet or guardian of your farm, if you will.

Disadvantages of Raising Geese

• Noisy – the sounds that geese make can be disagreeable to some. On the flip side, this noise can be advantageous when their services are that of a guard “dog.”
• Aggressive behavior – while most geese are good-natured, there will always be a rogue one or two. Eliminate those from your flock as soon as possible, just as you would get rid of a bad rooster.
• Hearty appetite – grass alone won’t keep your geese satisfied, so you’ll need to supplement their diet with more of what they need.
• Space and confinement – geese need to roam and generally refuse to be confined. If you have the right amount of land to support their habits, this is less of a concern.
• Social creatures – you can’t raise just one goose, nor should you try to raise one chicken, duck, goat or cow. Some creatures need the companionship of each other – a reminder to be aware of their emotional needs too.

Always be sure to choose a breed of goose right for your land and current situation.

5. Rabbits

If you are looking for a business that replicates rapidly, you might want to think about how rabbits do it. Short gestational period of 25-28 days, with the ability to produce several litters a year, non-demanding, cute and furry.

Plus, rabbits are permitted in most locations due to their popularity and pet status. For this reason, they make the list of self-sufficient animals. Rabbits are cost-effective to raise, quiet, very quiet, love dandelions and are fun to be around. Kids can learn a thing or two from raising them. If you live in the states, check out your local 4-H, which can help your kiddos get started raising rabbits.

All around, raising rabbits is a win-win situation.

Related reading: 10 Reasons Everyone Should Raise Rabbits

Advantages of Raising Rabbits

• Meat – rabbit meat is perhaps an acquired taste, though it’s even easier to like when you know how easy it is to raise. It’s said that one doe’s litters can provide eighty pounds of meat per year, depending on the breed, of course.
• Fur and/or skins, as well as bones – a byproduct of raising rabbits can be their fur, which is gently combed or cut from the animal, as is the case with raising Angora rabbits. Entire rabbit skins are also valuable when creating winter vests, hats and mittens. Rabbit skin and bones boiled for several hours into a thick creamy substance makes for excellent strong glue, favored by both furniture carpenters and shoemakers (look for time-tested glue recipes).
• Manure – while you don’t necessarily want a bunny in your garden, their manure is beneficial. It is rich in organic matter, which improves soil structure, drainage and moisture retention.
• Breeding stock for sale – rabbits have their ways of repopulating throughout the year, leaving you with plenty of stock for sale.
• Space-efficient – rabbit cages can be reused for multiple years, take up little space and can be sold once you are done with the rabbit raising phase of your life.
• Lots of breeds to choose from – from meat breeds to dual-purpose breeds, you get to choose colors and sizes galore. New Zealand whites, Californians, Angoras, Giants, Satins and French rabbits.

Another advantage is they will consume most of your garden scraps. Just be sure to save some for the compost pile.

Disadvantages of Raising Rabbits

• Protection – rabbits need protection not only from wildlife but perhaps from your own dog too. They need a strong, sturdy shelter to take cover in.
• Time-consuming – rabbit cages need to be cleaned out often, not exactly the most low-maintenance animal.
• Not everyone’s first choice of meat – unless you’re familiar with the taste and texture, there may be some adjustment to eating. However, in the case of eating more rabbit, we should all start to become more conscious about where our food comes from.

Rabbits are a great choice when it comes to urban homesteading. Even for larger farms, it is wise to diversify their array of animals when it comes to self-sufficient living.

6. Goats

If you are seeking an animal that has it all – meat, milk and fiber – look no further than raising goats. You’ll be met head-on with a creature that bleats till its heart is content. There’s no mistaking the noise they make, so be prepared for some early mornings with goats on the farm.

Before buying a few goats (you can’t raise just one), you need to know that they don’t eat everything. In fact, they can be downright picky. They prefer buds to grass and weeds, and they feed almost constantly.

Goats can be tricky to handle, and each one will have its own personality, so you never know what you’re going to get.

Perhaps that’s part of the fun and excitement of raising goats.

Advantages of Raising Goats

• Milk – it’s proven that goat milk is easier to digest than cow milk; the proof is in the smaller fat globules and in the medium-chain fatty acids. It also has much to do with the milk proteins; goat milk contains strictly A2 casein. Either way, it is fabulous for making butter, yogurt and cheese.
• Meat – goat meat is low in fat and cholesterol, yet high in protein, iron, calcium and potassium. Here’s why you should be eating more of it.
• Weed eater and brush manager – goats are known to eat everything, or about that much. In my experience, they can be quite picky. One thing they never seem to have enough of is branches.
• Fiber/Fleece – fleeces for spinning, knitting and weaving can flourish on your farm, depending on the breed of goat you choose to raise: Angora, Pygora, Nigora, or Cashmere.
• Hides/Goat skin – goat skin drums have such a pleasing sound – which may even pave the way to becoming a drum maker.
• Offspring for sale – goat kids are cute, there’s no doubt about that. Making a small income after weaning the kids from their mothers may work out great, especially if they are nannies.

Disadvantages of Raising Goats

• Noise – again, it depends on the individual goat, but there may be a concern for the level of noise they make early in the morning. Great if you need an alarm clock to remind you that they need to be fed.
• Amount of care – raising goats takes far more time than tending to your poultry. But, the bigger the animal, the greater the reward. As long as you have enough space – and food – to give them, they will be happy. Never have only one.
• Escape artists – Goats will find a way to climb, push and wiggle their way into strange circumstances and will need to be rescued from time to time. A secure pen/barn is the only way to play it safe.

Raising goats probably isn’t for the faint of heart, though it is an excellent way to get acquainted with bigger-bodied animals. If you are thinking of owning a cow in the future, a goat is an excellent way to start.

7. Pigs

My husband and I once brought pigs home in the front baskets of our bicycles. One in each basket, and my, was it an ordeal! The squealing, the squirming and the trying to escape – the 6-kilometer ride couldn’t be over soon enough.

They turned out to be excellent Mangalica pigs, though. One day when they escaped their pen, they ran down to the road, trotted quickly back and stepped cautiously into our house (open door policy in summer) to find us. Obligingly, they went back to their pen, ecstatic about their little adventure.

If you’re going to raise pigs, don’t let yourself fall for one second into the mindset of keeping them as pets. This makes perfect sense when it comes time to slaughter them for bacon, bones and pork roasts.

Pigs are highly intelligent, wonderful creatures that will surely bring wonderful moments to your homestead.

Advantages of Raising Pigs

• Meat for your family – the absolute number one reason for raising pigs is for their meat. Homegrown meat tastes amazing, provided you take great care of your animals. Because you have so much to harvest at once, you’ll need more than one way to preserve it: a blend of freezing, canning and curing should do the trick.
• Bacon and lard – let no part of the pig go to waste, lard is always there for when you don’t have dairy animals on the homestead yet. Bacon and eggs? Yes, please.
• Pork for sale – if your pigs grow bigger than your family needs, you can sell the excess for income. Or start a pork share at the beginning of the raising season.
• Selling piglets – sows often have litters of up to 10 piglets. If you don’t have space, sell them.
• Humor – pigs are wise beyond the credit we give them. Get to know them, and you’ll find out that even though they are feisty, they’re also friendly and curious, sure to make you smile.

Disadvantages of Raising Pigs

• Smell – pig manure. Enough said. Wear steel-toed rubber boots.
• Noise – oinking is ultra-cute when they are little, a lot louder the bigger they get, especially when they have missed a meal.
• Cost of feed – to eat like a pig is to consume 6-8 pounds of food per day. Sure they will eat garden scraps, though grains are what contribute to the bulk of their weight. If you grow the grains yourself, great. If not, be ready to invest in feed.
• Cleaning time – pigs are both noisy and nosy and have a tendency to sample things with their mouths. Rocks, mice, eggs, whatever gets in their way. Start off your relationship right by giving them plenty of neck rubs and belly massages, and you’ll be great friends.

When all is said and done, you’re either a pig person or not. You’ve gotta love their energetic ways and ability to dig with fervor. You might put them in a cage, but they’ll never stop living out their piggy ways.

8. Cows

It’s long been a dream of ours to own a Guernsey cow. Their milk contains 33% more vitamin D and 15% more calcium than regular milk. It also contains high levels of beta carotene, which gives the milk a golden color, as it improves vision, heart, lung and cognitive function.

Guernsey cows also happen to be more uniquely A2 (a protein in cow’s milk), for those with issues digesting lactose.

If you’re fortunate enough to have sufficient land for raising these magnificent creatures, your ladies will provide you with plenty of milk, meat and income. If you’ve got land but not enough for a full-sized cow, consider mini cattle.

Advantages of Raising Cows

• Milk – if you go through a lot of milk, one way to eliminate all that unnecessary plastic waste is to head out to the barn and milk your own cow every day. 2-5 gallons a day can be expected from each milking cow, leaving you with plenty of nutritious material for making butter, yogurt, cheese, even ice cream.
• Meat – if a pig slaughter leaves you feeling overwhelmed, what about harvesting the meat from a young calf or a full-grown cow? It’s plenty. One cow can feed your family for an entire year. Combine that with your garden veggies, and a self-sufficient life is well underway.
• Selling cultured butter, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products – again, with so much milk and cream, you’ll have excess. Find creative ways to sell it, and keep the cycle of giving and receiving in motion.
• Sale of calves – At this level of self-sufficiency, you’re going to have to gather some veterinary skills if you don’t want to leave it all to chance. Still, selling calves will always bring you a little bit of money for your efforts.

Disadvantages of Raising Cows

• Large investment – cows have an upfront cost, a feeding cost and a slaughtering cost. It must be worth your time to be enjoyable.
• Land requirements – it depends on where you live and what the land has to provide; on average, some estimates state that you need 1.8 acres per cow.
• Feed requirements – if you aren’t grazing, you’ll still need a source of good quality hay and supplements to their diet. Costly now, one can only imagine that costs will rise in the coming years.
• Breeding problems – we won’t get into it here, though we’d encourage you to read some articles and good books before getting in too deep.
• More meat and milk than your family needs – perhaps this is a good problem to have, yet, too much of a good thing is still too much. If you have no way to offload your excess, it will become waste – or feed for your pigs.

If you are up for the challenge of raising a larger animal, cows are often docile and ready to work with you. In exchange, you’ll get all the raw milk you could ever imagine.

Related reading: 12 Things to Know About Raising Cows from Hello Homestead.

9. Bees

There are numerous plants you can cultivate in your own garden to attract bees and other pollinators, and that’s all well and good. However, if you really want to help bees thrive, it may be worth looking into becoming a beekeeper.

If you’re thinking about introducing honey bees to your repertoire of livestock rearing, gather all the information and hands-on experience you can before getting started. Even in the smallest space, you can still cater to the bees, so this one is an excellent choice for urban homesteaders too. Let’s go over the good and the bad, so you’re better informed about whether keeping bees is right for you.

Advantages of Keeping Bees

• Honey – with an extended shelf life, you can keep honey for several years, not that it would ever take you so long to consume it. You can use it raw, in canning and preserving, and as a remedy, should you ever get stung by a bee. Honey is a healthy way to replace processed sugar in your diet.
• Beeswax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly – keeping bees is all about an exchange of energy. Take care of them, and they will reward you with many valuable and nutritious health products. You can even learn to make your own beeswax candles or use the wax in healing salves.
• Pollination – if you are an avid gardener, you’ll love knowing that your bees are increasing the production of your garden and orchard. They’ll also pollinate your neighbor’s crops too.

Disadvantages of Keeping Bees

• Allergies – if you or anyone in your family is allergic to bees, better leave the bees to other carers for obvious reasons.
• Learning curve – learning about how to take care of bees may be easier for some and more difficult for others. It is advisable to take classes and participate in cleaning and harvesting from hives of other beekeepers before starting out on your own.
• High startup costs – just because they’re small doesn’t mean they are cheap.

Whether you live in the city or out in the country, keeping bees may be right for you.

10. Fish

With a smallish pond, or an aquaponic system, you too can be the proud keeper of catfish, tilapia, carp, bass, perch or trout. Provided you like to eat fish, it’s a superb way of making self-sufficiency work on your homestead.

If you live in a land-locked area, it may be the only way to get fresh fish. As always, if it’s worth it, you’ll find a way to make it work.

Advantages of Keeping Fish

• Source of vitamins and minerals – fish meat is a rich protein source, containing many nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin B12 and selenium.
• Selling fish stock and spawn – at some point in your fish-raising adventure, you’ll have more than you need. In this case, you can sell off your abundance in the form of the live fish themselves or their young spawn. Other homesteaders need help starting out too.
• Self-sufficiency – a well-working aquaponic system can provide fresh fish throughout the entire year that is free of chemicals, fertilizers and herbicides. Can you imagine harvesting hundreds of pounds of fish a year? Yes, you can.

Disadvantages of Keeping Fish

• Time – it takes several months for a fish to reach maturity, time depends on the species of fish. Once they do reach harvestable size, you have hundreds to process at once.
• Cost of setting up an aquaponic system – starting at a few thousand dollars, systems can be purchased online and installed by you. You can also go the DIY route: How to Grow with Aquaponics in 5 Simple Steps to save a little bit of money on the upfront costs.
• Fresh, clean water – fish thrive in clean water, and tanks will need to be cleaned often. If you have a regular maintenance schedule, you’ll all get through it easier.

In order to raise fish, as with any animal on this list, it helps to have a passion either for it or eating it or both.

While fish probably wouldn’t become your sole source of protein, it’s always the aim of self-sufficiency to offer diversity.

As tempting as it is to learn several new things at once, it is wise to choose one animal first as you learn their ways. In turn, you will find out a lot about yourself.

The post 10 Animals To Raise For Self-Sufficiency appeared first on Rural Sprout.

If you’ve got chickens, you already know they’re curious little buggers. You’ll often find them where you don’t want them, like in your flower bed or under the neighbor’s bird feeder. They have a knack for mischief, and it’s only a matter of time before one becomes sick or injured. Rather than running to the feed store or hoping Amazon will arrive in time, be prepared now. Create a first aid kit for your birds, so you’ll be ready when you need it.

Protecting Your Chickens

As a responsible backyard flock owner, it’s up to you to manage your chickens’ health and safety.

It’s hard to think of our sweet girls as livestock, but at the end of the day, that’s what they are. Ask any farmer, and they will tell you livestock are prone to all manner of disease and injury. Chickens are no exception.

Because of the nature of flock dynamics, and the fact that they are easy prey, chickens are masters at hiding illness until they’re very sick. Often, by the time you notice a sick bird, time is of the essence. Taking the time to assemble a proper first aid kit can be the difference between saving or losing a member of your flock.

Find a Vet Before You Need One

If you don’t already have one, it’s a good idea to look into finding a vet that treats chickens. When you’ve got a sick chicken on your hands, that’s not the time to be calling around trying to find someone who treats poultry and is accepting new patients. Establish that relationship before you need them. You’ll be glad you did.

Finding a vet that treats poultry can be difficult, depending on what area of the country you live in. In that case, it’s even more important to have a proper first aid kit for your chickens. Backyard chicken-keeping forums and YouTube are great resources for figuring out chicken illnesses and how to treat them, but only if you have the right tools on hand.

A Practical Note

This information does not constitute veterinary advice. If you’re concerned about your chickens and how to treat them, you should consult your nearest avian veterinarian.

Where Will You House Sick Birds?

It’s important to have a small chicken “hospital” ready to go if you need it. Chickens will need to be isolated from the rest of the flock to allow them time to heal and rest without being hen-pecked and to protect the rest of your flock if your bird is contagious.

You’ll want to keep them someplace quiet, sheltered and dark to minimize their distress.

An old dog crate, a pet carrier, or even an extra-large cardboard box can work to contain your chicken and keep them comfortable while they heal.

Now that you’ve got that on your to-do list, let’s look at what you’ll need for a well-stocked chicken first aid kit.

First Aid Supplies

Gloves

Gloves are more than just a matter of hygiene; they offer a layer of biosecurity that can help protect the rest of your flock from contagions. You don’t need the whole box of gloves in your first aid kit. Tuck several pairs into your kit and replace them as you use them.

Clean Towel

A clean towel always comes in handy. Chicken first aid can be a messy affair. But towels are also great for covering a stressed-out chicken, so she’s in the dark. Or you can use the towel to “burrito” a chicken that needs to be immobilized for care or administering medication.

Coffee Filter and Super Glue

If a bird injures its beak, and the beak is still attached, you can use a coffee filter and super glue to glue the separated pieces back together carefully. Extreme care must be used around the bird’s nostrils, tongue, etc.

Disposable Scalpels

Not for the squeamish, but sometimes these come in handy.

Vaseline

Hit up the travel-size section at Target and get yourself a tiny tub of Vaseline. It’s great for protecting combs during cold weather, dealing with mites and even for an egg-bound hen.

Self-Adhesive Bandage Wrap or Vetrap

Vetrap is a name brand for that funky-looking gauze that sticks to itself. It’s the same stuff they use on your arm when you have a blood draw. Self-adhesive bandage wrap is great for binding wounds or keeping gauze pads in place without sticking to feathers or skin.

It comes in 1”, 2”, and 4” wide rolls. The 2” is the perfect size for dealing with chickens. 

Oral Syringes

If you need to give oral medications, having a small oral syringe with markings on it makes it easy to measure doses. And don’t forget to be careful when administering oral medicines to chickens.

Medicine Droppers

These are great for washing out eyes or administering eye drops. You can use them to apply medications to the skin as well as for treating mites or worms.

Headlamp

Skip the flashlight and invest in an inexpensive headlamp. Trust me; you need as many hands as you can get when dealing with a sick bird.

Scissors

Having a small but sharp pair of scissors that you only use for your birds is wise. Store them in your first aid kit, and you won’t have to worry about finding a pair when working on a stressed-out chicken.

Non-stick Gauze Pads

Use these much as you would for a person, to cover and protect wounds and sores as they heal. You’ll want to use the self-adhesive bandage wrap to keep the gauze in place. It’s always a good idea to buy larger pads than you think you’ll need. You can always trim the smaller if you need to.

Important Phone Numbers

Put the phone numbers of your local avian vet, your state’s poultry pathology lab, and the USDA avian flu hotline (866-536-7593) on an index card and keep it in your first aid kit. It’s also not a bad idea to put those numbers in your cell phone.

Medicine & Treatments

Treats

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, and as anyone with a toddler knows, bribery is often the best way to get a squirmy patient to sit still. Keep a small handful of cracked corn or dried black soldier flies larva in a zip-top baggie in your first aid kit.

Vitamin & Electrolyte Mix

Stressed new chicks, heat stroke, diarrhea, there are a number of reasons to have a few packets of electrolyte solution on hand. It’s one of the first things we do for our birds when we think something is up.

Vetericyn Spray

Vetericyn spray is probably the most valuable bottle in your entire kit as it’s so useful. Make sure you purchase the formulation for chickens; it’s also safe to use on chicks. This is a general-purpose first-aid spray meant for all types of wounds and sores. Unlike other treatments, Vetericyn has no egg withdrawal period. (Set time you need to dispose of/not use the eggs from the treated bird.)

Blu-Kote

Blu-Kote is an anti-pecking first aid spray. This is great for when you have an, ahem, especially amorous rooster or if there’s been general hen-pecking among the group. This antibiotic spray turns the wound purple (blue + red = purple), which will help camouflage wounds or sores. Chickens like the color red and will peck at anything red. The Blu-Kote lets the wound heal, hidden under a blue antibiotic layer. Fair warning – this stuff will stain your hands and clothes.

Neosporin First Aid Ointment

Go easy with Neosporin and save it for when you can be sure there is a bacterial infection. Antibiotics are overused, creating antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Too often, folks reach for this without being sure if bacteria is present first.

Nutri-Drench

Like Sav-a-Chick, Nutri-Drench is a vitamin packed electrolyte solution that’s a good boost for any chicken under the weather. This is one of those that’s good to start with when you aren’t exactly sure what’s wrong.

Styptic Powder

Styptic powder. It stops bleeding. Fast. (It’s a good thing to have in any first aid kit, chicken or otherwise.)

Epsom Salts

Epsom salts are great for a soothing soak for bumblefoot or an egg-bound hen. Itchy hens getting over a mite infestation will also appreciate a soothing soak. Use plain Epsom salts rather than scented varieties.

Permethrin Dust

Use this dust to eliminate mites and other creepy crawlies that might make your girls uncomfortable. You can sprinkle it directly on your bird and around their run, and inside the coop. Make sure you store it (and your first aid kit) somewhere dry.

Aspirin

Be sure to purchase the non-coated kind. Aspirin can help a chicken in pain be more comfortable.

Chlorhexidine Solution (2%)

Use this for cleaning and sterilizing wounds. It’s less harsh than hydrogen peroxide (which can kill healthy cells).

Storing Your Chicken First Aid Kit

It’s a good idea to keep everything in a box specifically for this purpose. You can get fancy and pick up an inexpensive toolbox or tool bag, or repurpose one of those cardboard Amazon boxes you’ve got lying around. The idea is to have everything you need in one spot, so you can grab it and go.

Keep your supplies in a cool, dark place and check expiration dates on medications and first aid products at least once a year. Replace out-of-date items as needed. Change the batteries in your headlamp once a year as well.

You will add new things to your first aid kit as you find what you need or use most. You may find a brand or certain products that work better than others. Or you may find you just don’t need certain items. Whatever the case, being prepared before you have a sick chicken is the goal.

The post Why You Need a Chicken First Aid Kit & What to Put In It appeared first on Rural Sprout.

We’ve talked a lot about the deep litter method with fellow backyard flock owners, but so many are confused about the process and concerned about the well-being of their flock. 

We’re here to calm your nerves, teach you how to use the deep litter method in your coop, and give you all our tips and tricks to make it a success!

What is the deep litter method?

The deep litter method is a system of chicken coop management that is healthier for your flock, and easier for you, the chicken keeper. 

This method involves layering and mixing bedding material on the floor of the coop in a thick pile, which not only saves you the work of constantly cleaning out the coop, but makes great compost for the garden/

The chickens help with mixing up the litter as they pick and scratch on the floor of the coop, which in turn exposes them to healthy microbes boosting their immune system, all while breaking down that bedding into beautiful compost.

Why should you use the deep litter method?

1. A Healthier Flock

The deep litter method, when implemented correctly, is a big health booster for your flock. This system encourages healthy microbes in the coop, which will help prevent parasites and illness in your flock. 

This method can also make your coop warmer in the winter, as the litter that’s breaking down on the floor will add heat to the coop, as well as insulate the floor to protect against the cold.

2. It Makes Chicken Keeping Easier

The deep litter method is much easier on you, the chicken keeper! 

With this method, you don’t need to take time to clean out the coop every week. You simply give the existing litter a turn with a pitchfork, and add new litter on top. With the business of life, it’s so nice to have one less chore to do every week.

3. Bonus – Free Compost

This method is a great way to turn all that chicken bedding and poop into nitrogen-rich compost for the garden or your potted plants. 

You won’t have to deal with any more giant piles of slowly decomposing chicken bedding, because this system turns it all into compost right on the coop floor.

How to Implement the Deep Litter Method in Your Chicken Coop

Step 1

When first starting the deep litter method, it’s best to start with a clean slate, literally. Clean the chicken coop completely, pull out all old bedding, scrub the floors, roosts, and nesting boxes with soap and vinegar, and let everything dry completely. 

It’s important to make sure everything is dry before you add new bedding.

Next, stack fresh bedding on the floor so it’s at least six inches thick, but it can be up to 12 inches thick.

Step 2

The top layer of bedding will eventually become soiled from chicken waste. This may take a few days or a week, or more, depending on your flock size and coop. 

When the top layer is no longer clean, it’s time to flip the bedding. 

Use a rake or shovel and turn the bedding. You want to flip the top layer to the bottom, so the fresh bedding beneath is now on top.

At this point, you can add some new bedding to keep the litter at least 6 inches deep and freshen up the coop.

Step 3

When the top layer again becomes soiled, turn the bedding and add more fresh bedding. You’re looking to always maintain at least six inches of bedding on the floor of the coop, but more is better (12″) if you can manage it. 

The bedding should never be filthy, wet, or smelly.

If you maintain turning it and adding fresh bedding, the coop should always be clean, but deep down, that bedding is breaking down into compost. 

Step 4:

Two or three times per year, you’ll need to clean out all that bedding and start over again. We usually do this in the spring, mid-summer, and late fall. When you do a coop cleanout, leave a few inches of the old bedding on the floor of the coop. 

This old bedding has microbes that will give you a head start on your next round of deep litter.

Top Tips for the Deep Litter Method

Ventilate your coop

Make absolutely sure your coop has proper ventilation. This is not only essential for the deep litter method but for the health and wellness of your flock. The air can quickly fill with ammonia, moisture, and dust if there isn’t proper airflow in the coop.

You can easily add ventilation to your coop by drilling some small holes in the wall near the ceiling or adding a rodent-proof vent into the wall. 

Choose the right type of litter

A lot of times, when we’re asked about the deep litter method, people assume we’re talking about cat litter.

Just for the record, never put cat litter in your chicken coop!

Litter just refers to the type of bedding on the floor of the coop.

The best bedding for the deep litter system is pine shavings. They break down quickly and are ultra-absorbent.

We always caution against using cedar shavings in the coop, because they’re highly aromatic, which can hurt your chickens’ delicate respiratory systems.

Straw will work in the deep litter method, but will need to be turned more frequently as it’s not as absorbent as shavings. 

Keep an eye and nose out for problems

We’ve heard of many chicken keepers using the deep litter method as an excuse to stop cleaning up after their chickens. Even though this system is easier than traditional weekly or be-weekly coop clean-outs, it’s still essential that you make sure the coop is clean and healthy for your flock at all times.

The chickens should never be standing in their own waste, the coop should never smell bad, and shouldn’t be attracting nasty pests like flies. 

Keep your nose attuned to smells like chicken poop and ammonia. If you smell them, you need to add more bedding and/or turn the bedding more often.

Also, keep a watchful eye on your flock. If they ever seem to be lacking in health, it’s better to scrap the deep litter system and start over than try to fix it while your chickens are suffering. 

Common Questions About the Deep Litter Method

How long does it take the litter to break down into compost?

This depends on your climate, how often you turn it, and how many chickens you have. If you’re consistent with it, you could have some beautiful compost in just a few months.

Does this work in wet /dry and cold/hot climates?

Deep litter can work in all climates, but you may have to tweak the system according to where you live. If you live in a very wet and humid location, you may need to add litter more often.

If you live in a dry climate, you may need to moisten the litter on occasion. This only needs to happen if the litter is dry and dusty and not breaking down. Simply mist it with water from the hose to get it going.

As for cold climates, it’s best to start the deep litter system when the weather is warm so it’s already breaking down with microbial activity before winter. It’s hard to get the necessary microbes going during the winter, but if they’re already present, it will help keep the coop warm and will work perfectly during the winter.

What type of litter/bedding is best for the deep litter system? 

We like to use pine shavings for our deep litter system because they break down quickly and are more absorbent than other litter options.

I have a concrete/wood/dirt floor. Will it work?

Deep litter will work on all types of floors, even concrete and stone, but there are some things to consider.

If you have a wood floor in your coop, the deep litter system can cause the wood to rot quicker over the years. However, resist the urge to lay down some kind of flooring or barrier, such as vinyl, as it will only end up trapping moisture between the wood and the moisture barrier, causing the wood to rot even faster.

One of the best things you can do to protect the wood floor in a coop is to paint it with mildew-resistant paint. However, this is best done when building your coop, before you move a flock in, to give the paint plenty of time to dry and cure.

Just change out your litter two to three times a year to keep the coop floor in good shape.

The deep litter system will work even better on dirt floors because the natural microbes and insects in the soil will give the deep litter system a boost. You do need to be cautious with dirt floors, though, because predators can dig their way into your coop.

How do I know if it’s working?

If the litter is slowly turning into compost, you’ll know everything is working as it should. If it ever smells like poop or ammonia, you have too much moisture, and you need to turn it and add more litter more often. (There should be a very faint, sweet, almost fermenting smell when you have balanced microbe activity below the litter.)

If the litter is not breaking down at all into compost, you need more moisture to encourage microbial activity. Or if you have a smaller flock, they may not be producing a lot of waste, in which case you may need to turn the litter less frequently and don’t add too much new litter at a time.

When should I start using the deep litter method?

It’s best to start using this method in the early spring when the weather is warming up, and you have a whole three seasons of non-freezing weather ahead of you.

The deep litter method is a top-notch way to take care of your chickens. Not only is it healthy for them, but it’s also much less work for you! 

The post How to Use The Deep Litter Method In Your Chicken Coop appeared first on Rural Sprout.

Getting baby chicks is so much fun. Those fuzzy balls of fluff have a way of melting even the chilliest of hearts, and before you know it, you’re completely attached to them.

So, you can imagine the problems that arise when one of your ‘pullets’ turns out to be a rooster.

For some, it means one less egg layer in your flock, but for many backyard chicken owners, a rooster creates a whole host of problems. You can suddenly find yourself surrounded by angry neighbors or be in violation of local ordinances.

If you don’t want to gamble with straight run or risk receiving chicks in the 5%-10% sexed incorrectly, then an autosexing or sex link breed is for you. (And there are plenty to choose from.)

Just How Accurate is Chicken Sexing?

Now, here’s the thing, considering the number of chicks that pass through a chicken sexer’s hands, their accuracy is pretty impressive.

But, like most things, it’s not 100% guaranteed.

Accuracy depends largely on the experience of the chicken sexer and the breed and age of the chicks. According to Cackle Hatchery, only about 60% of day-old chicks are easily distinguished as male or female. With the other 40%, it’s an educated guess made by the chicken sexer based on their experience.

But don’t let that dissuade you; 90% of chickens are sexed correctly.

Why Sexing Error Guarantees Aren’t Much Help

Many hatcheries have some sort of guarantee that the chickens you receive are sexed correctly. This sounds great and feels reassuring when choosing chicks from their website. In practice, that guarantee can still lead to disappointment and headaches, as it’s usually no more than a refund for your chick.

My own experience demonstrates the issues with such guarantees.

A friend and I decided to order chicks together. As we both only wanted a few birds, we ordered from a popular online website aimed at backyard poultry owners with a six-chick minimum order. The site boasted a 95% sexing accuracy rate and had a sexing guarantee.

Our chicks arrived healthy and adorable. My friend took her chicks home, and I took mine. A month or two later, we both realized we each had a rooster on our hands.

Out of the seven chicks we ordered, two ended up being roosters.

We had to wait until our little men were ten weeks old before we could submit photos to prove their roosteriness and receive our refund. The company felt so bad that we ended up with two roosters that they even gave us store credit for each of the two breeds that ended up being roosters so we could reorder them.

My friend and I both laughed at this gesture. You have to order a minimum of six chicks; we couldn’t simply replace the two birds, and doing so would mean integrating a new single chick into an already established older flock.

After all was said and done, and the company honored their sexing guarantee, my friend and I still had two noisy, crowing, ahem…sexually mature roosters strutting around. We both had one less egg-laying bird in our coop. And both of us were saddled with the problem of rehoming our roosters as we live in areas where they’re not allowed.

For me, the worst part was that our rooster belonged to my youngest son, and now we had to tell him we had to get rid of his chicken. We were heartbroken, as he had completely stolen our hearts.

So, you can see that while sexing accuracy guarantees can sort you out monetarily, your rooster problem is anything but solved.

The Brilliance of Sex Link & Autosex Breeds

You can avoid these headaches altogether by choosing sex linked or autosexing breeds for your flock. But first, let’s take a quick look at these terms and some other terminology you need to know when purchasing laying hens.

Straight Run

Straight run means the chicks are unsexed. You get what you get. It’s the ultimate poultry gamble.

Pullet

Technically, a pullet is a female chicken between the age of 15-22 weeks. In most cases where the word is used, it refers to a bird of any age sexed as female that hasn’t started laying yet.

Sex Link & Autosex Breeds

Sometimes you’ll see these two words used interchangeably to mean a breed that can be sexed based on appearance at hatching. Male and female chicks are discernable from one another without having to check the chick’s vent or rely on undeveloped wing feathers. The male or female will be different from one another based on coloring, spots, stripes or other visible markings.

There is a difference between sex links and autosexed breeds, though, unless you plan on breeding, it’s not that important for most of us.

Sex Link Chickens

Sex link is the term used when different breeds of chicken are crossed to produce chicks with discernably different sex features. A prime example is the Red Star, in which a Rhode Island Red rooster is bred to a White Plymouth Rock hen. The resulting chicks will be rusty-colored if female and light yellow if male. Ta-dah! Easy and accurate chicken sexing.

There are two important things to note about sex link breeds.

Because they are not purebred and are a cross of two different breeds, any subsequent generations will not breed true. Also, and this is kind of cool, the sex of the breeds crossed is important. You’ll note I said you need to breed a Rhode Island Red rooster with a White Plymouth Rock hen to get Red Stars. If you were to breed a Rhode Island Red hen with a White Plymouth Rock Rooster, you would not end up with Red Star chicks.

Pretty wild, right? Sex link breeds are usually some of the best layers too. This means you’ll have plenty of eggshells to use around the home and garden.

1. Black Star

Black sex links are a cross between Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks. They’re friendly, but can be a bit skittish. They lay brown eggs, around 300 per year, but they’re also a great dual-purpose bird and can be kept for meat as well. The chicks are born all black, except the males will have a small patch of white feathers on their heads.

2. ISA Brown

These sweet-natured birds are a great addition to the family flock. And as far as egg production goes, it’s hard to beat the ISA Brown at around 300 brown eggs per year. The ISA Brown is a cross using Rhode Island Reds and White Leghorns. The resulting chicks are tan pullets and white cockerels.

3. Lohmann Brown

The Lohmann brown comes from Germany and are named after the genetics firm that initially developed them. They’re a cross between New Hampshire chickens and other brown egg layers selected for productivity. They are sweet and docile and brilliant egg layers. The Lohmann brown lays between 290-320 tan or brown eggs.

The pullets are red at hatching, and the cockerels are yellow.

4. Red Star/Golden Comet/Cinnamon Queen

These birds were bred specifically for commercial egg production. Red Stars lay between 250-320 eggs a year. However, their egg production goes down quite a bit after two years, and they can develop health problems. The females are golden with stripes, and the males are pale yellow.

Autosexing Chickens

Autosex refers to specific pure breeds where the offspring are easy to sex based on appearance alone. Autosexing chickens are not a cross of other breeds, so they will breed true.

Unfortunately, we’ve lost some autosexing breeds over the years, and others are rare and hard to find.

The good news is interest in several autosexing breeds, such as the Bielefelder, whose numbers dwindled in the 80s, has increased with the popularity of backyard chicken keeping, and they’re making a comeback. Add a few to your flock and help bring these beautiful birds back.

They’re also pretty good layers for the most part too. Some of these autosexing chickens even made our 10 Most Productive Egg Laying Breeds list.

5. Barred Plymouth Rock

The Barred Plymouth Rock is an American breed from Massachusetts. These sweet and curious birds are great for the family flock. You can expect about 200 eggs per year with the BPR. The cockerels are light in color and have a yellow spot on their head, and the pullets will have stripes.

6. Bielefelder

These are a new favorite in our house, a gorgeous German-bred chicken that lays lovely pinkish-brown eggs. They are quite large and known to be cuddlers making them the perfect breed for a family with kiddos. Because of their size, they are an excellent dual-purpose breed. You can expect between 230-280 eggs a year with the German “Uber” chicken.

Chicks are sexed easily as the females have a “chipmunk” appearance with brown lines around their eyes and stripes down their back; they also have darker down and legs, while the males are lighter with a spot on their heads.

7. Buckeyes

The Buckeye is an American heritage breed, unsurprisingly, from Ohio. Buckeyes are curious and friendly and great foragers making them suited for free-ranging. They lay between 175-230 brown eggs a year. They are another chicken that almost went extinct, and thanks to renewed popularity are making a comeback. The pullets have either stripes down their backs or a white spot on their heads, while the cockerels have a light-colored spot on each of their upper wings.

8. Buff Orpingtons

Another gentle giant, Buff Orpingtons, are larger birds with sweet temperaments. These English birds make good mothers and are good layers to boot, producing anywhere from 200-280 brown eggs a year. Buff Orpingtons are not especially heat-tolerant, an important consideration if you live in warmer climates. The chicks are easily sexed at hatching, with the pullets having stripes down their back or a dark spot on their heads. The cockerels have a cream-colored spot on their heads or upper wings.

9. Cream Legbar

The Cream Legbar is quite the unique breed, with a little crest of feathers that pops up behind their combs. They are another friendly breed, making them ideal for your small flock. One of my favorite features of the Cream Legbar is the beautiful blue eggs they lay, around 200 a year. Occasionally, you’ll get one that lays green eggs rather than blue. The Cream Legbar hails from England.

The chicks are easy to tell apart as the males are lighter in color and have a pale spot on their noggins, and the pullets are darker and have stripes running down their backs.

10. Rhodebar

The Rhodebar is a rare breed, making it more difficult to find, but also a great choice for flock owners looking to help preserve the breed. The hens are friendly and docile, although the roosters can be aggressive. This English breed produces between 180-200 brown eggs. The cockerels are a pale yellow, and the pullets have dark chipmunk stripes down their backs.

11. Rhode Island Reds

Many sex link chickens were created with this famous bird. Originating in its namesake state, Rhode Island Reds are excellent foragers. They are pretty docile and friendly. Their egg production is hard to beat for a purebred, laying between 200-300 light brown eggs yearly. The cockerels have a light-colored spot on their wings and bellies, and the pullets are a rusty red.

12. Silver Leghorn

Leghorns are an Italian breed popularized here in the states. Nearly all white eggs you buy in the grocery store come from a leghorn or a leghorn hybrid. They’re quite skittish around people and aren’t overly friendly. But their flighty nature is easily excused by their egg production. You can expect around 290 white eggs a year from this prolific layer. Again, these birds will have the characteristic “chipmunk” stripe at hatching, with males being lighter and stripes ending at the crown, sometimes with a spot, and the pullets being much darker with the stripe extending up over the head.

13. Welsummers

This beautiful Dutch breed lays reddish-brown eggs. They’re calm birds with a sweet temperament. You can expect between 160-250 eggs from Welsummers. The female chicks are darker with a more solid pattern, whereas the males are lighter in color, and the pattern is fuzzier.

The post 13 Sex Link & Autosexing Chickens – No More Surprise Roosters appeared first on Rural Sprout.

If you have a backyard flock, two words can make your heart skip a beat – avian influenza.

HPAI has been splashed all over the news for quite some time, accompanied by statistics quoting the number of birds lost at commercial farms or dollar amounts in lost revenue. But what does this disease mean for the backyard chicken owner?

The Importance of Being Informed

With the uptick in cases in the United States and abroad, we at Rural Sprout feel it’s important for readers to have information related to small flock owners. Most information is geared toward large farms and commercial setups. While much of it is useful, it can be difficult or unnecessary for the backyard flock owner to adopt some of the practices they recommend. Our goal isn’t to be sensational or to shock you but rather to equip you with information about the risk to your flock, so you can take precautions to protect them.

I contacted Dr. John Boney, Assistant Professor of Poultry Science at Penn State University, to discuss the risks to backyard poultry owners and what measures they can take to protect their birds. He’s working with the Penn State Extension to bring awareness of this potential threat to farmers all over Pennsylvania.

Luckily, it’s easier to manage the risk to a backyard flock because of its size. We will look at the disease, how it spreads, its symptoms and what to do if you think you have an infected bird.

What is Avian Influenza?

Avian influenza is a highly infectious virus that occurs naturally in wild migratory waterfowl worldwide. From Dr. Boney,

“This particular strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza is of Eurasian lineage. This virus is being transmitted from continent to continent through migrating waterfowl. This presents a tremendous challenge to poultry producers around the world.”

Why is Avian Influenza so Dangerous?

Avian influenza is a big problem for three reasons:

• It’s incredibly infectious, with the possibility of wiping out an entire flock
• Birds carrying the virus can show no symptoms
• The disease moves quickly, with the major “symptom” being sudden and unexplained mortality

Chickens, turkeys and domestic ducks are all susceptible, so you can imagine the panic in the commercial poultry industry. It’s no less worrying for those of us with birds we consider pets.

How Does it Spread?

Migratory waterfowl are the natural carriers of avian influenza. This includes gulls, terns, herons, cranes and other shorebirds, also wild waterfowl such as ducks, geese, and swans. The virus spreads through contact with saliva, mucous, and feces, which can also be present on feathers and dander. Transmission usually occurs through contact with a sick bird, or from contact with infected feces, feathers, etc., in an area where waterfowl are present.

How to Protect Your Backyard Flock?

Dr. Boney suggested that for the backyard flock, it may not be practical to implement many of the biosecurity measures that are in place at large farms or commercial facilities. But he maintains that good biosecurity is the best way to protect your birds.

Biosecurity Measures for the Backyard Flock Owner

• Always be mindful of where you’ve been before entering your chicken coop or handling your birds. If you’ve visited a park with waterfowl or somewhere with another flock present, change clothes before entering your chicken coop or handling your birds.
• Always wash your hands before and after caring for your flock.
• Have a designated pair of shoes or boots you only use when caring for your chickens. Do not wear them anywhere else.
• If you have friends or family visiting who also have chickens, do not let them handle your birds.

The Biggest Risk Factor for Backyard Flocks

During our conversation, Dr. Boney said that in most cases, when a backyard flock contracted the disease, there was a water feature nearby that attracted migratory waterfowl such as streams, rivers, or ponds. It’s not only direct contact that you need to worry about. The disease can be transmitted through feces and feathers lying on the ground. Infected waterfowl passing overhead can present a risk as feathers and dander are shed in flight.

Dr. Boney suggested keeping your flock contained and not letting them free-range if you have waterfowl present in bodies of water near you. During peak avian flu season (during migration, October through February) or in areas where the virus has been reported, it’s best to keep the birds inside their coop to prevent infection.

Purchasing Chicks or Other Birds to Add to Your Current Flock

If you’re purchasing birds, it’s always best to look for an NPIP-certified hatchery. The National Poultry Improvement Plan is a voluntary program that both commercial poultry facilities and hobbyist poultry keepers can join. Members work with state officials to certify that their flocks are free of specific diseases.

There are plenty of swaps advertised in local Facebook poultry groups and birds available on Craigslist. For many of us, this is an easy way to add new breeds to our flock without having to meet a minimum bird purchase. However, this comes with the risk of exposing your current flock to disease.

Dr. Boney advises you to quarantine new birds for 2-3 weeks where they won’t have contact with your flock. Always attend to your established flock first and wash your hands well before tending to the new birds. This way, if the new birds carry something infectious, you’re less likely to transmit it to your flock.

What to Look For

As we mentioned, the reason this disease is such a problem is that birds carrying it might not have any visible symptoms. Often the first “symptom” is the sudden death of a bird. Chickens are masters at hiding sickness to prevent henpecking, which makes watching for symptoms even harder. If you live in an area where avian influenza has been reported, reach out to your local extension office for more specific advice on how you can protect your flock.

Symptoms of Avian Influenza Include:

• A sudden loss of a bird or birds, often without any sign of illness
• Not eating or drinking
• Lethargy or a lack of energy
• A decrease in egg laying
• Soft-shelled, thin-shelled, or misshapen eggs
• Swelling or purple discoloration (similar to the color of a bruise) of the comb, eyelids, or legs
• Difficulty breathing
• Coughing, sneezing, and/or nasal discharge
• Difficulty walking, stumbling
• Holding the head or twisting the neck in an odd position
• Diarrhea

What Should I Do If I Think I Have a Sick Bird?

Isolate the bird from the rest of your flock, and wear gloves and a mask if you have them available. Be sure you wash your hands thoroughly and change your clothes after handling the bird. You want to minimize the risk of spreading the disease in your flock.

Call the USDA sick bird hotline – a quick Google search for “USDA sick bird hotline” will also pop up your state’s hotline in the results.

You will be connected with a vet who will triage your call and decide what steps to take. This may include having a vet come out to test your flock (with a swab) for HPAI.

Are Other Pets or Humans at Risk?

While it has happened that some mammals and humans have contracted avian influenza, it’s rare. Before you freak out too much, let me repeat that – it’s rare. There has been one human infection in the States from this recent outbreak. (CDC Avian Flu Summary)

Pets known to eat poultry are the ones more prone to becoming infected. Take this into consideration when letting dogs or cats outside near bodies of water with waterfowl; that includes walking them in public parks that have migratory waterfowl present. Hunters who use dogs to retrieve waterfowl should be aware of the risk.

Again, transmission to pets is not a common occurrence, but the possibility does exist.

The risk is less that your pet would become infected, and more that they could carry infected feces, feathers, or dander back to your birds at home.

You can read more about pet transmission at the CDC.

Human infection from a bird is even less likely than your pets getting it. But again, the possibility exists. It usually happens when a person has a long or repeated exposure to an infected bird. The CDC keeps close tabs on human transmission.

“…because of the possibility that bird flu viruses could change and gain the ability to spread easily between people, monitoring for human infection and person-to-person spread is extremely important for public health.”

 Again, head over to the CDC to read more about it.

Our Responsibility as Backyard Flock Owners

Backyard flocks have exploded in popularity over the past couple of decades. But this growth hasn’t been easy, especially for urban chicken owners. People have worked hard to convince town and city councils all over the United States to change outdated laws, allowing more and more people to keep chickens in their backyards.

For most of us, our birds are pets. We enjoy their goofy personalities and grow quite attached to these lovable chickens. It’s up to you to decide how to use this information to protect your flock and evaluate the risk for you, your birds and where you live. As backyard chicken owners, we are responsible for protecting our flocks and reporting suspected cases. In doing so, we’re protecting everyone’s flocks.

The post Avian Influenza – What Backyard Chicken Owners Need to Know About Bird Flu appeared first on Rural Sprout.

As a new poultry owner, there’s nothing quite as exciting as looking into the nest box and seeing your first egg. Here we go, the reason we decided to get chickens in the first place; it’s finally starting! There’s also nothing as disconcerting as when they suddenly stop laying.

Backyard flock owners often worry there might be something terribly wrong with their chickens. While a pause in egg-laying can signal health issues, most of the time, it’s something less serious. Let’s look at the most common reasons your hens aren’t laying and what you can do to help.

Monitor Egg Laying

A drop in egg production is an important metric to consider when monitoring your flock’s health. Knowing how often individual birds lay makes it easier to keep tabs on them. A pause in egg-laying can be the first sign that something’s amiss, so keeping track is a good idea.

If you have a small flock, it’s much easier to note these things mentally. Larger flocks might require some way of recording eggs, provided you know whose eggs are whose.

Let’s jump in, shall we?

1. Your Birds Are Not Old Enough

New poultry owners often worry when their pullets haven’t started to lay yet. You’ve waited patiently since the girls were tiny balls of fluff, but that nest box is still empty.

Young hens, or pullets, begin to lay between 18-22 weeks in age, around six months. As you reach that 18-week mark, one can get pretty antsy. Just be patient, and remember that other factors come into play, including the breed and time of year. Eventually, it will happen. In the meantime, check out six signs that your pullet is about to start laying.

What to do?

This is one of the easiest ones to fix. You wait. You can encourage pullets to start laying when they have reached sexual maturity by placing wooden or ceramic eggs in the nest box. You don’t want to rush them if they’re still too young. Important developmental milestones must occur for your hen to have a healthy reproductive system. Pushing hens to lay too soon can lead to an egg-bound hen.

Our little olive-egger, Tig, took forever to start laying. She’s now our most prolific producer, giving us an egg every day, even through the winter.

2. Poor or Improper Nutrition

Just like the rest of us, your hens need proper nutrition to function well. If hens don’t have a good diet with fresh water, egg laying drops off immediately. Access to plenty of clean water is imperative to egg production. As well as water, you need to feed your birds the proper diet. To produce an egg every 24-26 hours, your birds need a high-protein diet. Consider starting a chicken garden.

What to do?

Provide your flock with clean water that you change regularly. Make sure they have access to water outside and inside the coop. Feed a quality layer crumble or pellets when your hens begin to lay to ensure they get enough protein. Offer hens high-protein snacks such as black soldier fly larvae or pumpkin seeds. Don’t forget to provide a source of calcium, such as oyster shells, as well.

3. Molting

If you’ve noticed your hen looks a little worse for wear and she’s stopped laying, she’s probably molting. Once chickens reach 18 months, they usually experience their first adult molt. A molt is when your bird loses her feathers and regrows a new set. During this period of feather regrowth, she will stop laying.

After this first adult molt, your chicken will experience a new molt every year. Chickens usually molt in the fall but can sometimes molt in the early spring too. It generally depends on what time of year they initially started laying. A molt can take anywhere from eight to sixteen weeks.

What to do?

Be patient. Growing new feathers requires a lot of protein, which is why they stop laying. Feed plenty of protein-rich snacks to help your hen with the process. Avoid picking up and handling a molting bird, as her pin feathers are uncomfortable (for her, not you). Keep a close watch on molting birds, as they are likelier to be hen-pecked. Within a few weeks, she will have beautiful new feathers and will be back in the nest box.

4. Seasonal Changes

Light is one of the most important factors when it comes to egg-laying. Hens need around 16 hours of daylight to produce eggs regularly. This is why you start getting fewer eggs as the days get shorter.

What to do?

You can supplement natural daylight with artificial light if you want a high egg output. Try adding a light with a timer to the inside of the coop to extend your hens’ daylight hours when you head into the shorter days of winter. It’s important to choose a light that does not get hot. Never use a heat lamp in the coop, as this presents a serious fire hazard.

Many flock owners choose not to supplement with artificial light, giving their birds a much-needed rest during the cooler months. There is even some debate as to whether or not using artificial light leads to fewer eggs over a bird’s lifetime from the stress of being on a year-round cycle of laying.

5. Stress

Hens are fussy little things, and changes to their environment can cause them to stop laying for a while. If you’ve added new birds to the flock, moved their coop, or changed the type of feed you offer, these things can be enough to stress a bird and cause a pause in laying.

Even things like extreme weather can disrupt a hen’s laying cycle. Keep this in mind when the temperatures soar in the summer and plummet in the coldest days of winter.

The threat of predators can make birds feel unsafe, causing them to stop laying.

What to do?

Pay attention to external factors that could be causing an upset in your flock. Obviously, some things are difficult to avoid, such as adding new birds. Just remember, if you make changes, you’ll need to give your girls a little extra time to adjust before they resume egg-laying.

In extreme temperatures, you can take extra steps to ensure your flock’s comfort, such as offering cool treats when it’s hot out or making sure your coop is insulated well against the cold. If you offer treats outside the coop, do so where the hens feel protected, such as under a tree or shrubs, so they aren’t out in the open where they can feel exposed.

A happy flock means more eggs with fewer pauses.

6. Not Laying in the Nest Box

Perhaps your chicken is laying eggs, just not where she should be. Now and then, a hen will go rogue and start hiding eggs, laying them somewhere else and building a secret nest.

Hens will stop using nest boxes if they aren’t comfortable and secure. If your hen feels harassed or hurried by coop mates, she may start laying eggs elsewhere. If the bedding in the box is dirty or infested with mites, hens will look for a more comfortable spot to lay eggs.

What to do?

One of the first things you’ll need to do is figure out where her hidden nest is and remove the eggs. You can make sure hens stick to the nest box by ensuring there are enough to go around. The rule of thumb is one nest box for every four hens. Keep nest boxes clean and comfy by cleaning out old bedding and disinfecting nest boxes every week or two.

7. You’ve Got a Broody Hen

Hens lay eggs for a reason – to make more chicks. Now and then, your hen may go broody and start sitting in the nest all day and hoarding eggs. While a hen is broody, she will stop laying.

Signs of a broody hen:

• You will find her in the nest box all the time.
• She will start to pull out her breast feathers to keep eggs warm with direct skin contact.
• She will become quite territorial, hissing, constantly “ticking,” clucking and puffing up all her feathers. (Affectionately known among chicken folks as “the hissing pancake.”)

What to do?

You don’t have to do anything immediately if you don’t want to. Broodiness usually passes on its own. There’s nothing harmful about a hen going broody. You can let your broody hen hang out in the nest box until the mood passes.

However, it can become problematic if your hen doesn’t vacate the premises within the 21 days it takes to hatch eggs (This can happen when you don’t have a rooster/fertilized eggs).

Because broody hens don’t eat and drink as much while sitting on a nest, they lose a lot of weight. Normally, this issue self-corrects once chicks hatch. Hens that overstay their time in the nest box also become susceptible to mites, lice and illness from spending so much time confined.

If your hen’s stay in the nest box has you concerned, you can encourage her to break her broodiness in a few different ways:

• Consistently remove her from the nest box and distract her.
• Collect eggs as soon as they are laid so your broody hen can’t sit on them.
• Place a frozen water bottle in the nest box and cover it with bedding (the cold will cool her core temperature, helping to end her broody streak). Do NOT put the bottle in without covering it first, as the direct cold can burn her tender exposed skin.
• Remove the bedding from her nest box.
• Lock everyone out of the coop for the day (once the other girls have laid eggs), ensuring they can access food and water outside.
• Finally, you can give her fertilized eggs to hatch. If she’s broody and you have the means, let her do what nature intended.

Be consistent, and your hen should return to her social self within a few days. Try raising quail for a fowl that rarely ever goes broody.

8. Old Age

Chickens generally have about three years of steady egg-laying once they become sexually mature. After that, you will notice an annual decline in egg production, resulting in significantly fewer eggs each year. It’s the way nature intended it. Your hen may simply be heading into retirement, or the freezer, depending on how you handle your flock.

What to do?

While there isn’t much you can do for the individual hen, you can plan your flock, so you always have a good mix of different-aged hens. Adding a few new tiny raptors each year can help balance out the hens who don’t lay as often anymore.

9. Illness

Illness is also a common reason your hen may stop laying eggs for a time. One issue, in particular, can be quite serious. That is when a hen is egg bound and can’t pass her egg. There are things you can do to help, but if she hasn’t passed the egg within 24-48 hours, you will likely lose the bird. It’s important to remember that when helping your hen pass the egg on her own at home.

Don’t wait until the last minute to decide to call a vet.

Other illnesses can also lead to a pause in egg-laying. Keep an eye out for hens who are listless, have stopped eating or drinking, have discharge from their nostrils or eyes or have other obvious signs of illness. Make sure you don’t have plants that are toxic to chickens nearby. You may need to quarantine your bird and seek veterinary help.

The post 9 Reasons Why Your Chicken Stopped Laying Eggs & What To Do appeared first on Rural Sprout.

Because chickens have a narrow intestinal tract, they like to eat often but in small portions. This means that chickens are almost always hungry and food obsessed. Keep them well-fed with a DIY chicken feeder.

Egg-laying hens require a balanced diet that includes energy, protein, and calcium. The best egg production occurs when chickens receive at least 16% protein in their feeds, as well as access to fresh, clean water at all times.

Egg production stops or slows when hens run out of feed or water for several hours at a time. The amount of decline in egg-making is directly related to the amount of time the flock went without.

Clearly, keeping your hens well-fed and watered is vital for healthy, happy, and productive chickens!

Considerations When Choosing a Chicken Feeder Design

Not all chicken feeders are created equal and should be adapted to fit your coop’s specific needs.

Before committing to a design, consider:

The Flock

How many chickens you keep will determine the size of the chicken feeder you build. Each egg-laying hen needs roughly ¾ of a cup of food per day, or about a ¼ pound.

The size of the feeding vessel(s) should hold enough food for all your chickens. It should be large enough not to need constant refilling, but small enough that the feed doesn’t spoil before it has a chance to be eaten.

Another thing to bear in mind is how the chickens access the feed. As a very general guideline, each chicken should have about 2 inches of feeding space.

The character of your hens will have an impact on the size and style of the chicken feeder too. Dominant birds may prevent those lower in the pecking order from feeding, curious hens may knock over the container, and some chickens just like to make a mess of the whole thing.

An unruly or large flock would benefit from two or more medium-sized feeders to ensure all chickens get their due.

Observe your hens at feeding times after introducing a new feeder system to the brood. If some chickens aren’t receiving enough food, add more chicken feeders to the coop.

Chicken Feeder Placement

Do you plan on keeping the chicken feeder inside the coop or outside in the run? Each has its advantages and drawbacks, and the design of the feeder should be planned accordingly.

Indoor feeders have the benefit of keeping the food dry in rainy or snowy conditions. Wet feed will become moldy and spoil quickly.

However, if your coop is on the smaller side, an indoor chicken feeder takes up precious space. It also encourages your chickens to spend less time outdoors, which means the litter in the coop will need to be cleaned more often.

Outdoor feeders free up space in the coop and get the hens outside and into the fresh air. And free-range chickens produce the tastiest, most nutritious eggs.

But outdoor feeders need to be waterproofed or otherwise sheltered from the elements. Chicken feed kept outside is also more prone to pilfering by birds and rodents, and can even attract poultry predators like raccoons and weasels.

Some chicken keepers prefer to place feeders indoors for more control, while others build a sheltered spot with a dedicated run for outdoor feeding. Another option is to move chicken feeders indoors overnight and place them back outside during the day.

Chicken Feeder Capacity

The size of the chicken feeder should reflect the amount of time and commitment you have for your birds.

A chicken feeder that holds enough feed for 24 hours will require the hopper to be refilled each day. This can be a welcome chore as daily check-ins with your flock means you’ll be able to better monitor them, bond with them, and keep up with the latest pecking order drama.

A larger feeder capacity will reduce some of the upkeep and allow you to take a weekend away without worrying about feeding the hens. It is generally recommended to keep the capacity to an absolute maximum of 10 days – any longer than that increases the likelihood of food spoiling or the feeder itself becoming clogged.

15 DIY Chicken Feeders

1. 5-Gallon Bucket Chicken Feeder

A thrifty project for the frugal chicken keeper, this automatic feeder requires a couple of 90-degree PVC elbows, aluminum rivets, and a 5-gallon bucket.

One is perfect for smaller flocks, or make a few for larger broods. It’s easily transportable around the enclosure too.

2. 5-Gallon Bucket Chicken Waterer

With a few drilled holes, a 5-gallon bucket can also become an automatic waterer – in just five minutes!

3. PVC Chicken Feeder

Here are three really simple ways to turn a PVC pipe and fittings into gravity-fed chicken feeders.

4. No Drill PVC Chicken Feeder

There’s no need for drills or other tools in this DIY – PVC pipes are simply screwed together into a J-shape. Easy to disassemble and easy to clean, the feeding holes can be capped off each night with a cleanout plug. Zip-tie them to a fence to keep them upright.

Get the tutorial here.

5. Outdoor Chicken Feeder

Made entirely from PVC pipe, this automatic feeder design isn’t difficult to put together thanks to the in-depth instructions. It has so many neat features: a hood for water resistance, a spill guard to avoid wastage, and it can be capped off at night to keep rats and mice out.

Get the tutorial here.

6. No Waste Chicken Feeder

This automatic feeder is made with a large storage bin that is fitted with numerous PVC elbows as “feeding holes”. Designed to prevent chickens from scratching their feed out, it reduces waste since hens need to stick their heads pretty far into the hole to eat.

Get the tutorial here.

7. Treadle Chicken Feeder

A treadle feeder is essentially a feeding box with a platform mechanism that chickens stand on to open the lid and access the feed. Since the lid remains shut when hens aren’t feeding, it protects the food from rain and rodents. This treadle DIY is made from plywood and costs less than $40 to make.

Get the tutorial here.

8. Zero Waste Chicken Feeder

Another zero-waste woodworking project, this gravity-fed feeder features a long opening along the bottom so that several birds can eat at once. It also has a little roof over the trough that helps keep rain and snow out.

9. Hanging Chicken Feeder

All that’s needed to make this suspended chicken feeder is a bucket with a handle and tight-fitting lid, a stainless steel eye bolt, and a small square scrap of untreated wood. Drill a hole in the bottom of the bucket, insert the eye bolt, and screw on the wood piece so it’s dangling outside the bottom. This acts as a toggle to release feed when pecked.

10. Trough Chicken Feeder

For a feeder that will provide for many birds at once, this simple, trough-style DIY is constructed from various lengths of wood to create a rectangular feeding box. Add some wire mesh over the top to designate individual pecking zones.

11. Vinyl Gutter Chicken Feeder

This cheap and super easy project costs less than $25 to build and will create about 200 inches of feeding space. You’ll need two 10-foot long gutters, 4 cinder blocks, and optional end caps for the gutters to keep feed from spilling out of the sides.

Get the tutorial here.

12. Garbage Can Chicken Feeder

Larger flocks would do well with a garbage can feeder that can hold up to 150 pounds of feed. The bottom of the bin can be drilled with up to 4 feeding holes made from PVC pipe. Scratch-proof and low waste, the feeding holes can be plugged up each night with tin cans to keep out rodents. The locking lid makes this setup pretty weather-resistant, even in heavy rain.

13. Metal Duct Chicken Feeder

Made with 7-inch metal air ducting, this automatic chicken feeder can hold many pounds of feed. It’s designed so that feed is dropped into a container inside the chicken coop, while the input for filling is outside the coop – a great option when the chicken enclosure has a low ceiling and is difficult to human-sized bodies to enter.

Get the tutorial here.

14. Baby Chick Feeder and Waterer

An itty bitty feeder and waterer for your baby chicks, this tutorial repurposes old plastic food containers (like a clean and empty peanut butter jar) for a quick and cheap DIY. Using the powers of gravity, all you need to do is cut holes in the bottom of the container and set it in a larger dish (in this case, a lid), and fill it up with feed or water.

Get the tutorial here.

15. Suspended Baby Chick Feeder

Similarly, this hanging chick feeder is made from upcycled plastic bottles. The bottom of a 2-liter bottle becomes a tray and the top half of a 500 ml bottle becomes a hopper. Add holes to the smaller bottle and glue both pieces together. After filling with feed, it can be strung up and suspended over the enclosure so it can’t be knocked over.   

Get the tutorial here.

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