Backyard Chicken-Keeping

Backyard
Chicken-Keeping
Cynthia Sandberg
Love Apple Farms
www.LoveAppleFarms.com
Welcome to Love Apple Farms
Class Guidelines
Please keep talking to a minimum.
Hold your questions until I ask for
them. Have faith in my agenda. Sometimes
questions can slow down class and get us
off topic.
Begin at the Beginning
● Chicks came from Privett Hatchery in New
Mexico
● Hatched on Wednesday, July 10, arrived by
mail yesterday.
Surprise!
You get 4 chicks not 3!
Hold your horses: There's a reason!
One may not make it. One may be a rooster
Good news: You end up with 3 laying hens!
3-4 hens will lay 1 dozen to 18 eggs per week
Ameraucana Breed
● American version of
Araucana
● Gentle and inquisitive
● Beautiful partridge
plumage
● Layers of green eggs
Welsummer Breed
● Dutch breed
● Great for first time chicken
keepers
● Friendly
● Partridge coloring
● Dark brown eggs
Dominique Breed
● Light brown eggs
● Calm & personable
● America's oldest breed
● Used to be near
extinction
Rooster Disclaimer
● Hatchery guarantees 90% accuracy on
sexing
● City rules and regulations
● Give away on CL - don't try to charge $ for
him
Or we may have a communal
Rooster "Dispatching" Day
Bring your roosters back and we will process together if
there is enough interest.
Box for Brooding
● Brooder box should be at least 18" x 24".
● Predator-proof room
● Hang light from above or loop around
broom handle or board
● Put light in corner.
● Check temperature OFTEN
Good Brooder Set Up
Brooding Temperatures
● Lamp on 24 hours a day unless
ambient temp is above 85
● Ability to move away from heat
● Slowly raise lamp
● Start at 95 degrees
○ Decrease 5 degrees per week
for 6 weeks
○ Careful of hot days
○ Use thermometer to check
Protect from Predators: Kids,
Cats, Dogs
Even a kitten can
hurt a chick!
Be Careful of Kids
● Chicks are fragile
● Will jump and hurt
themselves from heights
above 2 feet
Don't hold chicks
in open palm.
Hold chicks with fingers enclosed
around them
Fresh Food and Water All the Time
● Check on chicks at least twice a day
● Waterer will expel all water if not level
● Chicks can scratch shavings into feeder &
waterer
● Put both on upside down salad plates to
raise
Chick Starter for first 4 Months
● Not scratch
● Doesn't have to be medicated
● Purchase at feed stores
● After 20 weeks switch to
pellets
● No greens for first 2 weeks
Organic or not? Your
choice. Organic is 3x as
expensive
Check for Pasting on Vent
Remove by kneading water into poo - DON'T pull!
Shavings
● Can also use newspaper, sand
or dirt
● Clean shavings weekly or add
more - can be composted
● Purchase at feed stores
What You are Receiving Today
●Feeder
●Waterer
●Chick starter
●Shavings
●Heat lamp and bulb
●4 chicks
Move to Coop at 3 - 7 Weeks
Best to coop them up for a week before letting them
out into run. Essential for them to get a feel for
returning at night
Coop Parameters
● Coop: min 9 sq.
feet for 4 hens
● Run: min 24 sq.
feet for 4 hens
● 1 x 2 wire - NOT
chicken wire
● Wire on bottom of
run or dug into
ground a foot
Many Options for Coop
● Coop plans online
● Coops for sale on Craigslist
Cool Coops
● Very well built
● www.CoolCoops.com
Types of Coops
Links List
Will contain:
●Coop plans
●Link to this PowerPoint
●Chicken Book
●Resource links
Siting Your Coop
● Drainage
● Accessibility
● Water Source
● Shade
Predator Proof
Perching Rails on Inside of
Coop
Nesting Box and Nest Eggs
● 1 box needed for 4 hens
● 2 boxes for 5 -10
● 12 inches square
● Privacy desired
● Use fake egg at first
BREAK
Let's go out and view coops
Then let's break for a 20
minute snack or walk around
Cleaning Out the Coop
● Straw or shavings inside
coop (straw difficult to
transport w/o truck)
● Smaller the coop, more
often you must clean
● To freshen between
cleanings, add more straw
or shavings on top
● We clean out our small
coop every few months, our
big one twice a year
● Compost the litter before
adding it to garden beds
Free-Ranging
Adding Free Space without Plant Damage
Free-Ranging Basics
● They need to learn their coop first, so
temporary run essential
● After they are used to going back inside at
night, can remove run
● They will eat desirable plants and scratch
holes everywhere
● Use a chicken tractor or movable fence to
contain them
● Make sure they go back inside predatorproof coop at night
Types of Chicken Tractors
Bigger Feeders and Waterers
● Mature chickens will need an upgrade to
larger waterers and feeders
● These can be hung from rafters or set on
ground
● Purchase from FarmTek, Jeffers,
or your local feed store
(like Mt. Feed in Ben Lomond)
Eggs at 6 Months
● 1st eggs small or weird
● Gather eggs every day
● Egg shells are porous
● If they float, they are old
Washing and Storing Eggs
● Wash with cold, soapy water
● Air dry on towel
● Store at room temperature or in fridge
Egg Laying Facts
● Chickens lay in the morning
● 4 - 6 per week in summer
● Less in winter - supplemental light
increases production
● Lay for a few years
● Live for long time
Broody Hens
● Broody Hen: hen who stops laying eggs,
won't leave nest, angry when disturbed
● Biological instinct to sit on nest
● Remove from nest for 1 week in a separate
cage with food and water
● After 7 days she will stop brooding
Roosters
● Don't just crow in the morning
● Not necessary for hens to lay eggs
● Sometimes difficult to have 2 in same flock
● Look for tail and pin feathers elongating
● Some hens can crow if no rooster around
Combs
Comb size doesn't mean it's a rooster
Moulting
● Shedding of old feathers and replacement
of new feathers
● Usually first happens at 18 months old,
then yearly
● No eggs during this time
Picking and Bullying
● Blood drawn will
cause others to
attack too.
● Separate for
several weeks
until she heals.
● Introduce her
back into flock at
night.
● If it continues,
separate
aggressor for a
couple of weeks
Chicken Vet
Hilary Stern, DVM
Animal Hospital of Soquel
831.475.0432
Adding to Your Flock
● If you're adding chickens to your flock, they
must be same size
● Today's chicks will reach close to full size at 3
months.
● Don't mix Bantams with bigger breeds
● Introduce chickens only at night
● Watch them closely the next day for bullying
Setting up Brooder - First things
First
● Once you get home, put dogs/cats away.
● Put shavings in box.
● Put tiny chick box on shavings inside big box
and open lid. Gently take out chicks and place
on shavings.
● Set up waterer and feeder.
● Set up light.
● After half hour, check temperature AT CHICK
LEVEL.
● Adjust lamp if above or below 95 degrees.
● After another half hour, check temp again.
● Put brooder in predator-proof room.
How to Tell if Too Hot or Too Cold
If chicks spend all their time under the lamp, it's too cold
and the lamp is too high. Lower it a bit.
If the chicks spend NO time under the lamp, they are too
hot and the lamp is too low. Raise it up!
If the chicks are lethargic, lay down in a corner and pant a
lot, that is also an indicator they are too hot.
Upcoming Events at Love Apple
● Bread Making - tomorrow
● Pressure Cookery - July 20
● Beer Making - July 21
● Compost & Worm Bins - July 27
● Pasta Making - July 28
● HOW-Days (Garden, Kitchen, and DIY) August
Who Wants Extra Chicks?
● Extra chicks are $8 each
● You will need a larger coop than discussed
● We take cash, checks, credit cards
Procedure for Taking Home Chicks
● Accept payments for extra chicks.
● We'll box up chicks for you and send you
off.
● Don't stop on way home or leave chicks
in hot car.
● Quickly set up brooder when you get
home.
GOOD LUCK! TAKE
CARE OF YOUR BABIES!