Unfortunately humans are not the only ones who want to eat chickens. Once you’ve decided you want to give chickens a try, it’s time to think about how you’re going to house them.
#CHICKEN MATH CALCULATOR SERIES#
Watson’s Chickens”, written by Jarret Dapier and illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi, or Kelly Jones’ middle grade series “Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer” where chickens take a starring role in the story.
For younger chicken keepers there are a number of wonderful books like “Mr.
#CHICKEN MATH CALCULATOR FULL#
A number of coffee table books have photos of various fancy chicken breeds and “How to Speak Chicken” by Melissa Caughey is full of delightful chicken facts. While they are a responsibility, hen keeping is also joyful and these books reflect that and can help get family members of all ages excited about chickens. In addition to these more instructional books, there are also a lot of fun reads about the world of chickens. Knowing what signs to look for - drooped wings, strange droppings, issues with laying - and what might be causing it can save you heartache down the line. Chickens are prey animals which means they often hide when they’re feeling poorly. That means you are the first line of defense for keeping your chickens from getting sick in the first place and treating illnesses where you can. Not everyone has access to a veterinarian who can treat chickens or has the ability to pay for vet visits for their flock. “The Chicken Health Handbook” by Gail Damerow. If you read this book and are still excited about starting a flock, you will be set up for success and your chickens will thank you for it. It has a little bit of everything you need to know about chickens and answers a lot of questions you might not have thought to ask. This series does a wonderful job laying out information in a way that’s easy to process (and find again when you need a reference).
“Raising Chickens for Dummies” by Kimberly Willis and Robert T. I do have some personal favorites that I keep in my own collection at home. Your local library will likely have a good selection of these and I recommend buying or checking out a couple of them to do some reading before you put in an order for chickens. There are countless books written on the care and keeping of chickens that talk about everything from coop building to chicken husbandry to protecting your garden from your potentially destructive hens. Taking a few important steps before you bring chickens home - whether as full grown hens or chicks - can save you time, heartache and trouble down the line. Chickens are also a wonderful way to get children involved with producing food and a great option for a first pet since chores can easily be scaled up as kids are able to take on more responsibility.īut hens are living animals that require our care to stay healthy.
As for the eggs, my flock of eight lays far more than my two-person household could ever eat on our own, which means we get to spread the joy of fresh eggs to our friends and community. They have personalities and often make me laugh. They’re funny animals who like to constantly chatter away amongst themselves and will happily follow me around the yard on the off-chance that I have a tasty morsel. You might even find yourself becoming surprisingly fond of your quirky birds.Įggs brought me on my own backyard chicken journey four years ago but the hens have become much more than that since. If you want eggs from hens who have lived a good life, raising them yourself may be a better option than deciphering egg labels at the store. Most farmed hens will still be debeaked - a process where the tip of the beak is cut off to prevent them from pecking each other - and killed when they are considered “spent” at just a year or two old. The label “free range” might conjure up images of chickens pecking on grass but it’s not regulated when it comes to laying hens and at best usually means hens have access to the outdoors, not that the hens use it or that the outside area be inviting to a chicken. “Cage-free” hens are better off than those that spend their lives in small battery cages but are still raised in warehouses without ever setting foot outside. There are plenty of labels on grocery store eggs, but they can be confusing. They also have the added bonus that, unlike store bought eggs, you know exactly how the hens laying them have been raised. While eggs from the store usually come in a choice of brown or white, with a backyard flock you can have eggshell colors in blues and greens, chocolate brown, or covered in speckles.
0 kommentar(er)
