Chickens are the best. Want to raise them and need some help? Dig deep into the chicken world and find all the info about raising chickens you need. Chickens make you smile when its cloudy, laugh when you need it and provide you with the nourishment we need with their meat and eggs and they even give you fertilizer who would have thought of that?
The most beautiful feeling in the world for me is when I at least twice every day come around the corner to the back of the property and I call my chickens "Komm put put put, komm" and they all come flying, hobbling and wabbling toward me like a tsunami.
Its a miracle for sure these chickens, I love them so much and some even come to me just because and not only for their treats. I have a little game bird Rhode Island Red Bantam mix, she is so adorable she flies on my shoulder the second I open that coop and stays with me the whole time I am feeding the others and waits patiently (most of the time) until I feed her out of my hand. Her name is Gamy and she is reddish with red circles around her eyes. Stunning.
So, here we are with some of the most pertinent questions and answers, feel free to sign-up to ask yours.
Do you keep chickens inside or outside?
Outside is better where they can find bugs while having fun digging and scratching for them. It is ok to have a couple but not more in the house, the ammonia odor is not healthy for either. And remember that a chicken poops around 26 times per day each that’s about 50 nasty poops in the cage to clean unless you put a diaper on them, but that is very expensive.
You need to consider which breeds because not all breeds can handle it being cooped up inside all the time. There are a few that can, for example there is the Polish, the Silkie, the Frizzle, the Serama, and the Quail. However, I do not recommend it!
On the porch or balcony would be better they do need to bath in the sand or ashes, and need sunshine to exist.
Hope this helped, please follow me on my talkingchickenspace’. Thank you, blessings,
Liane
How long does it take for a chicken to hatch in the fridge?
A chicken doesn’t hatch, its already hatched, a chicken is an adult, however, if you mean a chick, the answer is never, because it needs an incubator not a fridge.
Can you put 2 different breeds of chickens in the same cage together?
Oh yes, no problem, especially, if they grew up together. If each come from a different home they might stay in a different corner for a bit, but when its feeding time they’ll get close.
It also depends how long? Just to transport them home is fine, for a day or two is fine, but each bird needs about 4 square feet to be ok. Happy with 40 feet, and jumping for joy with 4 acres of roaming along like bugs bunny.
What are five fowl specifications in poultry production?
One: The flesh should have a nice pinkish looking color.
Two: Appearance is the key, no cosmetic damages are desired.
Three: Of course it should look fresh check date, and plump to the touch.
Four: Grade A choice
Five: It should smell fresh
Why do chickens mainly lay eggs in the morning?
Because nature is calling it. Most of the time many chickens lay their eggs within six (6) hours after sunrise, but with all things there are always exceptions to the rule. The chicken egg laying cycle is about 24–26 hours from one egg being laid to the next depending on the breed. Because, there are different breeds that lay a certain amount of eggs per year.
For example, my best layer is my Leggy, a leghorn that literally lays an egg every day (330 per year), while my Polish hen lays only about 3 eggs per week or 150 per year. So it is hard to tell their schedule because if they are on a every other day schedule theoretically it could be always at the same time because they have plenty of time to develop the egg at the same time, whilst the Leghorn laying every day has to change a bit every day a few minutes or an hour later.
I always collect my eggs in the evening when everybody is finished laying them, tell everybody good night and that I love them and see them in the morning, so behave and be nice to one another, and then close the coop to protect from them from predators of which we have plenty here, but that is an entirely different story all together.
Photo by Pexel
How many hours do chickens sleep at night?
It might depend on the time of the year. In the winter they might sleep 12 hours because there is less sunshine and later in the morning to wake them up. They also lay less eggs or no eggs in the winter because of the lack of sun or light.
In the summer they will sleep usually around 8–10 hours at least mine do in Florida right now.
Sometimes I open the coop and it is brought day light and they are still all hanging out on the perches and sometimes at the about time are flying outside like there is no tomorrow, go figure.
Photo by Pardaleone
Why won’t my chickens use the 4th story of the chicken coop? They use the first three.
It would be nice if I could see the layout of your coop it would help to answer better, but I’ll do my best.
Speaking from my experience, my chickens change their mind where they want to sleep, eat, poop, and nest constantly, one month here one week there.
Chickens are extremely acquisitive or plain nosy, so every time there is something new they have to try it out. And believe you me, they will find the one little thing that is different on your property!
So without seeing the situation, I can’t really tell why, because it could be that the last one, assuming in story you mean the perch, is too close to the sealing or roof and they don’t feel comfortable. Or it has a hole where the wind blows through or rains through? Could be that perch has ants crawling around on it all the time. Perhaps the would is varnished differently from the other three and they don’t like the smell? Is it brand new wood? Did they come from the same manufacturer? Did you have had the same chickens the same time? Are different age groups sitting on different perches? Maybe the chickens feel if I sit on the very top one they poop on the ones below? The answers could be endless.
I would not worry a bit about it one bit, eventually, they will venture up there, their curiosity will kill them otherwise and that’s a fact. But if it means so much to you that they aren’t as fast as you want them to, place some treats up there and they will be right where you want them.
Why is chicken out of stock everywhere?
Because many of the chicken farms were mysteriously burnt down all over the States. Plus, the so-called supply chain is slowed down due to truckers diesel fuel that requires DEF, which is quasi unavailable now.
It is best to begin raising chickens for egg and meat, feathers for bedding and companionship.
What happens if a broody chicken is placed with a rooster?
Heck, all hell could break lose! The hen will protect her eggs to near death. I don’t know of anyone that would do such a thing in the first place. You rather separate the broody hen with her nest into a brooder cage where she has her peace of mind and doesn’t have to worry about a thing.
Nope, not a good idea. Keep the rooster away and others as well, I have seen other chickens wanting to share the nest to continue adding eggs, or kicking the broody hen out, no, keep it all nice and clean and peaceful like I say. :)
What are the similarities of chicken and ducks?
They are both considered poultry. Ducks more gamy. They have different nutritional needs, game birds like the duck need more protein. Chickens only need around 22 % ducks at least 30%. But if you want to fatten up your meat birds you feed them special meat feed which has a higher percentage of protein, which is game feed and perfectly fine to feed to the ducks.
Duck eggs taste so much better than chicken eggs. Duck eggs are bigger and the shell is so much stronger and much harder to open. If you ever seen somebody trying to open an ostrich egg you know what I am talking about, but no it is not that bad. :)
I had ducks, Pekin and Khaki Campbells, but had to give them up because of the Code Enforcement in my neighborhood, but I love them, so sweet, and cute. If you think chicken poop stinks you got another thing coming with duck poop it is almost unbearable and they always poop, drink, swim, and mate in their little kitty pool all the time, it is so much work to clean it out every two days. The chickens poop 24 times a day, the ducks 95, imaging the disaster and the ducks’ poop seems always more liquidly.
Also, you can, when chickens and ducks are little, raise them together, but as soon as the ducks want to mate: RED FLAG! The drake has a very long spiral penis that can easily kill the hen. The rooster does not have a penis at all.
When we move we will definitely have ducks again and add geese and turkeys, goats and horses, even though they are a lot of trouble they are too adorable not to have.
How did we remove the ability for chickens and ducks to fly when domesticating them?
Oh? I did not know we did. My chickens fly over the 7 foot fence and up on the chicken coop all the time. Thanks, I go tell ’em tomorrow, maybe they stop? :)
Just joking, well, we protect them from predators, no flight needed, we feed them so much that they are too heavy to fly, other than that I think they still fly unless you clip their wings.
Blessings,
Liane
How do you identify Giriraja chicken?
The Giriraja is a breed of chicken developed by Karnataka Veterinary, Animal, and Fishery Sciences University in Bengaluru, India.
Giriraja females lay a large number of eggs, 130–150 per year, with each egg weighing 52–55 grams. The eggs have a good hatchability (80–85 per cent), and enable farmers to raise their own stock. Their shells are brown in color and thicker than that of other commercial eggs, and resist breaking. The birds exhibit better growth compared to local varieties, and are suited for mixed and backyard farming.
For backyard rearing, a flock of five hens and one rooster is ideally grown. No special care is required to grow them. They can be raised as free range birds and can be fed with locally available materials. Being good scavengers, they feed on a variety of insects and green foliage. They can also be fed on farm and kitchen waste. The birds are resistant to many diseases, an exception being Ranikhet (also called Newcastle disease, is a contagious and highly fatal viral disease caused by paramyxoviruses) disease.
A day-old chick weighs 42–45 g.
Found it for you on Wikipedia, hope this helps.
Which one is a better pet, Silkie or Polish Chicken?
I must say, my favorite is the Buff Laced Polish, without a doubt. However, to answer your question, it is much easier to keep the Silkies, they are much more docile and more quite than the Polish. The Polish makes the weirdest sounds you can imaging and have the cutest moves, because of their crest they have a hard time seeing everything, so I give my Polish ones a haircut around the eyes every so often. But Polish are much more elegant and lay beautiful white eggs and some have a beard and tuffs oh goodness the most adorable thing on this planet. I actually have two hatchlings out of the couple above both white with a touch of color, one rooster and one pullet. Can’t wait to see them fully grown and creating a family. This is the first time I will line breed in the coming spring.
My second favorite is my Golden Laces Polish, what a stunner, however, I just can’t get her eggs she lays them somewhere I can’t find them, my chickens are all free roaming all day. I will attach my other pictures of some of my Polish.
Silkies are the better suited pets! You can actually keep one in the house even the Polish.
Can we put a chicken in a harness?
Absolutely. A great question, because what is better than a stroll in the neighborhood showing off your favorite chicken and watching all the faces in awe. Or a walk in the woods oh how precious, knowing your pet is safe.
If you wish to find the utmost cutest harness check this article I authored below:
Liane S. Page
Why do you feel more and more people are keeping chickens again?
Because they don’t believe in this frightening people with all the fake news influenza avian flu etc. The last two years people get sick from the jab, the alcohol wipes, the sanitizer, the PCR test, the masks, and most importantly from fear and loneliness and not from chickens!
People are patriots that want to be prepared, as they all are, preppers, survivalists, homesteaders, farmers, regular home owners are seeing what is happening hundreds of commercial egg farms are burnt down on purpose, as well as cows, and pig farms, factories everywhere, the cabal wants to destroy our food sources to gain power. But the world is watching and understanding what is going on. The government takes the food away the people are powerless, i.e. Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, and so on. I don’t want to get political but to be honest that is the number one reason most people are starting to raise chickens!
Back to the healthy roots, none of this poisonous food, phony eggs and estrogen laced veggie burgers with who knows what else in it. People are smarter than the Cabal thinks! They will NOT starve 6.5 billion people as they plan. We the people are raising chickens and all it entails such as gardening and raising other livestock, building bunkers, and storage rooms filled with food. People with the tiniest piece of land are planting fruit trees because you only have to plant them ones, veggies on the other hand every year.
How do I start raising chickens on a farm?
Think and research really, really well! I will attach a list about eggs and questions about raising or keeping chickens on a farm. So if you can positively answer all the questions you are ready to go if not and you have some concerns, please feel free to sing-up as a member and I will answer all your questions personally. Also, please find a list of books about keeping or raising chickens. Hope this will help you to become the perfect chicken mom. Blessings,
Liane
https://www.talkingchickens.com/list-to-buy-best-books-on-keeping-chickens-poultry/
Can you recommend a good book or web resource for simple, step-by-step information on how to start raising chickens for eggs? I'm looking for efficient but thorough instructions?
Check this list out! Blessings, Liane
List To Buy Best Books On Keeping Chickens & Poultry
What is the best book on raising some chickens in your backyard?
Actually, they are all extremely good and the best ones I created a list for. So feel free to check it out below. Just be sure you know how many chickens, how much land do you have, how much money etc. I made a questionnaire about eggs and raising chickens before starting chickens. So answer that and then purchase your book trust me it is a need to know before starting! If you need any help answering the questions feel free to contact me or sign-up on my blog. Thank you.
Good luck and please keep me posted which book you prefer and how many chickens etc. :)
Blessings,
Liane
List To Buy Best Books On Keeping Chickens & Poultry
How do I stop a rooster from crowing? My rooster crows 500 to 600 times a day.
Thank you for your question.
Just get a No Crow Rooster Collar. If you can’t afford one, you can make it yourself just get some Velcro and put it around the rooster’s neck, tied, but still be able to put a finger underneath.
But don’t leave it on all the time, at night take it off, so the skin can air out or you will have other problems.
Hope this helps, I will put this product on my blog in the next few days also at Talking Chickens
Have a lovely evening.
Liane
How do you make a new breed of chicken?
The easiest way is to explain it this way, you have several different breed of chickens in your backyard you add a rooster, he mates with all the hens, after a day or two they lay an egg, if one is broody or you put the eggs in the incubator 21 days later you have a new breed of chicks. You wait another 20 weeks and you have new laying eggs and if the hen was mated she lays a fertile egg and either the same rooster or a new rooster enters the mix you have what is called a barnyard mix which are the most beautiful new breed of chicken you can think of.
However, you can get scientific and create specific new breeds in the lab, make clones, or just take two specific breeds that you love and want to have babies from and you have a new breed that you specifically created. As have I with my Partridge Silkie rooster and my white Polish hen. The chicks look really strange but so cute. I will attach a picture of them.
Silkie and Whitey
The two white ones are their babies
Why do my three young chickens look different from their mother as if my young chicken and their mother are not part of the same breed?
First I need to know if you incubated the mothers’ eggs or did she brood over them?
If she laid them, assuming no other hen laid eggs in her nest, do have only one rooster?
Lets take one of my chickens as an example, my Leghorn Leggy totally white, and rooster Easter Egger mixed colors had a beautiful baby, I named Big Eye, because she had huge eyes right from birth, and when she became a mother being fertilized by rooster Hatty, a mainly black Polish, the babies came out extremely beautiful, several white with a tap of black here and there only few, a couple of gray, and a few black and one black with brown design in it. So it depends on the rooster in this case.
Its the same with a mixed couple the children can be completely black, light tanned, or white. So the mysterious world of chickens got to you also. Fine.
If the hen and the rooster are the exact same breed and color (white, black, buff, partridge, laced, etc.) than you probably have three chicks that look very similar, but you can still differentiate each one because each individual has their own markings in the feathers, or legs or beak, or comb.
Each one you have are your children enjoy and love their individuality even more. And if you want three identical ones - its impossible. Yes, there are double and triple and one time even a 9 yolk egg, but the chicks would have no chance of hatching.
Photo by Pixel Mixer
What do chickens recognize and respond to?
I love this question because I am watching myself just now coming around the corner and calling them Komm put put put, and here they come flying and wobbling. Yes they do recognize and respond to what ever you train them to recognize, it could be a bell, any sound you repeat and they will associate it with food for sure.
What are the 6 characteristics of laying hens?
Very good questions for chicken enthusiasts. The hens head should be small, her body lean and well proportionate, as well as a well curved strong shining beak. Her comb and wattles need to be warm to the touch and must be brightly red and full looking. Her eyes clear and bright wide opened and alert. The best hens have short neck and have a strong and long body and should be proportionately deep. Hopefully, her back is broad and straight and her skin is thin, smooth and oily.
And if she she seems friendly and lays ginormous eggs, well, buy her instantly and give her the best of home she deserves it!
What is free-range chicken USDA?
It means that the birds must have outdoor access or access to the outdoors. But in reality it is just a little hole they chicken can stick her head out and has no full-body access to the outside and there is no minimum space requirement.
Poor chickens!
Photo by Geralt
Who is the king of chickens?
There is no King of chickens, she is a hen, a female, which makes her the Queen of chickens and that would be by accomplishments by laying eggs the most in one year would be the Leghorn and the little bigger Golden Comet, a mixture of Rhode Island Red and White.
However for meat the Jersey Giant.
By beauty, in my eyes, the Buff Laced Polish Hen.
By sweetness the mix of a Gamebird and Bantam Rhode Island Red.
By leading the flock the Wyandotte.
By most hungry the Leghorn.
The most skittish the Polish because it can’t see well because of the Crest, but in my flock it is poor Alley who had to witness so many of her sisters being murdered by raccoons.
The laziest probably the Silkie, but so adorable.
So you tell me which of the categories make a Queen?
What causes chickens to be mean to each other?
Most chickens are not necessarily mean to each other, its their ranking system. Its seniority and best left alone. They first make warning noises to the young ones and if they don’t listen to their aunties the first time they get a little peck. No different from humans really.
Occasionally, you find a mean chicken that just runs after the little ones and pecks on them to bully them then I put a stop to it and shush it away to protect the babies. But it is rare.
I would just let nature take its course, they need their hierarchy to function there is always somebody that has to be in charge with out a rooster its the matron the oldest or biggest hen to keep everybody in check. There are follower and leaders that just the way it is. Don’t worry, if you ever see blood that’s a different story than you need to take the injured away and heal it away from the other or they might kill and eat it. All nature, it doesn’t mean they are mean. The strong will survive!
If you feel you have a real mean one eat it or sell it - problem solved. Never let it lose in the forest it will disturb the eco system too much or it will be killed right away.
How do you pick a good chicken?
Very important questions!
You must ask around in your local community for a good breeder of the one you like from the looks of it, meaning design of the plumage and feathers that you looked up in one of the great books you can find below. It is purely looks at first, now you must ask yourself, do I want it for breeding? Do I want it for meat to eat? Do I want it strictly for eggs? Or do I want it as a companion?
Each breed has different color themes. such as white, black, buff, red etc.
My favorite is the Buff Laced Polish Hen, utterly adorable, but skittish because the crest inhibits their view. So you see there are so many things to consider in what you like and what is best for your situation?
Liane S. Page
Best Books On Chicken Breeds & Other Poultry Varieties https://www.talkingchickens.com/best-books-chicken-breeds-other-poultry-varieties/
Good luck my friends,
Blessings, Liane
More following shortly, come back often!
Liane S. Page
