What animals are the best range buddies for your chickens?

By Liz Greene

You’ve had your chickens for a while, you’re comfortable with their care and upkeep, and you’re thinking about expanding your little to farm to include some more critters — but you’re a tad short on ranging space. The solution, of course, is to range your new animals with the chickens. However, some creatures share space with chickens better than others, so it’s important to pick the right range mates for your flock.

Horses

Horses and chickens are a match made in heaven. Chickens provide a number of horsekeeping benefits. They pick up fallen kernels and pellets, keeping your horse from mouthing the ground to find bits of feed — a practice that can lead to ingestion of dirt and sand. Chickens also eat undigested feed and seeds that pass through manure, thus saving money by reducing feed waste.

Chickens eat flies, worms, grubs, bees, and all other manner of bugs. If they can catch it, they’ll eat it — which means it won’t be aggravating you or your horse. Furthermore, chickens love digging through manure to find worms and other tasties. Give them a pile of horse droppings and they’ll have the manure broken down and spread around in no time.

Chickens are surprisingly good for mellowing out a spooky horse. A horse with exposure to poultry won’t be startled by sudden movements, loud noises, or the occasional appearance of an egg.

It’s important not to let chickens graze with horses that have been given chemical de-wormers or any medication. It’s also necessary to keep chickens out of the horses’ hay due to salmonella concerns.

Goats and sheep

Goats and sheep are a popular choice for small farms and homesteads. You can allow goats, sheep, and chickens to range together with few problems. Just as with horses, chickens will pick up grain the goats and sheep drop, cutting down on food waste. They’ll be just as happy to eat the bugs that plague your hooved beasties. As an added benefit, chickens will provide companionship to the sheep and goats — and vice versa!

Guinea Fowl

Guinea fowl are the most compatible birds to keep with chickens, but they can be bullies. Most of the time it’s little things, like pushing hens off roosts and scattering the flock; however, if they pick a favorite mark, they can be relentless in their pursuit of a victim.

If you plan to keep both chickens and guineas on your farm, make sure to give them extra space to range. While some people house the birds together, it’s probably better to give the guineas their own quarters to avoid problems.

Fencing

No matter what animals you decide to keep with your chickens, it’s important to install proper fencing. The right kind of fence will keep your critters from making a run for it, and thwart the plans of stealthy predators.

If your horses and chickens are ranging together, wire mesh fencing is perfect for restraining everyone. If you’re keeping chickens and goats together, goat panels with four inch openings should work well to keep everyone contained.

However, one of the best ways to stop predators is electric fencing. To deter wolves and coyotes, fences should have seven wires, spaced equally six to eight inches apart to a height of 54 inches.

The most important wire will be the ground wire, which should be placed four to six inches from the ground to keep predators from digging under — and to keep chickens from simply waltzing out.

A Note on Chicken Feed

Chicken feed contains a high level of protein and carbohydrates that can be dangerous to most large animals. Horses and goats are particularly sensitive to chicken feed as eating too much of it can cause bloating and death.

Arrange for your chickens to be fed inside the coop and make sure there is absolutely no way the other animals can get inside. Remember that goats are very clever and persistent at getting to what they want. They may climb through coop windows and will try to squeeze through any door.

Adding more animals to your farm will require more work, but you’ll find that you love them just as much as you love your feathered friends. And besides, watching them interact with each other will be almost as much a reward as the other benefits of animal husbandry.

Liz Greene hails from the beautiful city of trees, Boise, Idaho. She’s a lover of all things geek and is happiest when cuddling with her dogs and catching up on the latest Marvel movies. You can follow her on Twitter @LizVGreene or delve deeper into her internal musings at InstantLo

Question: Chickens Not Getting Along

Hi Backyard farm,

I have 5 chickens who are close to a year old.  Recently, one was attacked by a opossum. She received some puncture wounds to her head and neck but did not physically look bad.  I isolated her for a couple of days in a dog cage on our back porch.  She would not eat or drink much.  I was worried about her vision too.

I took her for a visit with the other chickens and she seemed to perk up a bit.  I reintroduced her late at night in the coop.  For the first couple of days, she seemed to be
happy to be back but now one of the other chickens is picking on her.  Her personality is different now too. I am still curious about her vision--she bumps into the other chickens, etc.  but she is able to find her way into the coop in the evening.  She is always the last out of the coop in the morning.  She is still laying eggs.

My husband said that the bully chicken had her by the neck yesterday but let her go when she started squawking.  Should I let the pecking continue, should I isolate her or the bully chicken?  They live in a very large, fenced in, grass area.  There is plenty of room for her to get away from the bully chicken--she does isolate herself from the others.

I am frustrated and confused about how to handle them

Thanks,

Kim  

Debeaking - Cons and Pros

by Uncle Dale

Debeaking chickens is controversial. This is the process where part of the upper and sometimes the lower beak of the chicken is removed with electrically heated blades and more recently with infrared lasers. Debeaking implies complete removal of the beak. “Beak trimming” or tipping is more descriptive as less than one third of the beak is removed.  It is usually done to day-old chicks while they are being vaccinated and sexed. The procedure is most common for Leghorns or Red Sex-link hens that are destined for layer houses. Broiler (meat) chickens are rarely beak trimmed.  

Normal beak

Beak trimmed

Cons

Why is it bad to beak trim chickens? There is evidence that the heated blades cause pain to the chickens. How painful is it? We don’t know. Our friends in various “animal welfare” groups liken it to the holocaust of WWII. Well that is nonsense. My poultry specialist coworkers at the university explain that there are nerves going into the beak so the pain is probably a little greater than clipping your fingernails. On the piercing pain scale, it is probably more painful than an ear piercing but much less painful than a tongue piercing. Perhaps the pain is similar to a nose piercing. On the tattoo pain scale it is probably more painful than that small star on the ankle but much less painful than the Harley Davidson across the back. Maybe the pain is similar to a medium size serpent going up the arm. The infrared lasers appear to cause even less pain.

I am more utilitarian about the issue of beak trimming. In my backyard, I want sharp beaks on my chickens so that they can forage easier. I want them able to pick at shelled insects, garden refuse, and table scraps. And my hens with sharp beaks take care of the mice in the chicken coop better than cats do.

Pros

So are there good reasons to beak trim backyard chickens? Last year, I had a demonstration flock of leghorns and red sex-links at the University research farm. They were playing nicely together for weeks until one day, when for no apparent reason, all of the red sex-links started pecking at the base of the tail on the top back of the all of the leghorns.  By the time I discovered it just a few hours after I had earlier observed them, the leghorns were a bloody mess. So I had to separate them. A couple of days ago, I found two leghorns who had been pecked to death by the other leghorns. Again, there was no apparent reason. There is plenty of room in the coop and paddock with good feed and water. Chickens just go crazy once in a while, particularly high strung layer breeds.  So I think there are merits to beak trimming backyard layers. It can be argued that it is a good animal welfare practice.

There are diverse viewpoints on beak trimming but I value those that are based on common sense, not sensationalism. 

Choose Your Chicken

Whether you are new to chickens, or just adding to your flock, it is always fun to try and figure out what chickens you might want to have for your backyard. Your decision might be based on looks, productivity, broodiness, egg color, hardiness, size, temperament, and many other factors. We have used a lot of different sources in the past and wanted to give you some resources for choosing chickens.

Other chicken lovers

If you know people that  raise chickens I would use them as your first resource for choosing a good breed. I like going local because local people will know what works in your area. They will be able to teach you and give you suggestions based on experience. You are assured that the information they give you is good since their chickens are alive. If their chickens are dead or undead, then you might not want to take their "expert" advice.

Local Farm Store

Here in Utah we have a good farm store called IFA. I'm sure you have a similar store like Tractor Supply Company, or maybe a local mom and pop garden/farm store in your area. They sell chicks and often times when you go you can get some good information about the breeds they are selling. It's also fun to see a picture at the store of what the chicken will look like once it is older. Usually your local store will sell breeds that do well in your area.

Websites

The website backyardchickens.com has a great website with a lot of good information about chickens. This link takes you to a cool part of their site. On the left side of the page you can check off some of the things you are looking for in a chicken and it will give you a list of chickens that fit your criteria. Then you can read the details about the breeds that come up. They have some great pictures as well.

Another website that we have used is mypetchicken.com. They have a chicken breed selector tool.which asks you a few questions and then gives you some suggestions for breeds. They also have a good list of breeds here and if you click on the breed name it gives extensive information on each breed.

Books
 There are a lot of good books out there. I bet you can get most of them at your local library. I only own one book that talks about chicken breeds. It is basic but I like it and it is worth the cost. The title is Know Your Chickens by Jack Byard. It contains a brief synopsis of various breeds as well as beautiful pictures.

Comments

Let's make our comments section a resource as well. If you have the time, leave a comment with your favorite breeds and give some insight as to why you like them. I'd love to hear your opinions.

~Michael~

Getting Chickens Ready for Winter Part Deux

Yesterday we talked about getting chickens ready for winter by making sure the structure is sound and there aren't any leaks letting water into the coop. We also discussed getting some bedding that they can use for insulation. This article will cover a few more ideas to get Mr and Mrs ( insert chicken name here) Featherbottom ready for the cold winter season.

Water

I am the science teacher in our homeschool. One of the things we learned about is the 3 states of matter; solid, liquid, and gas. An interesting thing happens to water as it gets cold. It goes from a liquid to a solid state. Chickens can't drink ice so you need to do something to keep the water warm.

One choice is to bring the water into a warm building every night and then take it back out every morning. This will work but you can't forgot to take the water out every morning. If the idea of hauling water in and out does not appeal to you, then you need to get a waterer that keeps it warm, or find a device to keep it warm. Dale did a great job talking about waterers in this article and video.

You can find waterers that plug in like the one we have in our coop. It looks like a dog bowl with a plug. I don't love it because it isn't enclosed but it is cheap and works OK.

If you already have a metal water heater you can get a heated plate that sits under the water can. I like using metal as much as possible in the coop as it inhibits mildew and other growth in the water.

There are also a lot of products that you plug in and then submerse in your water. The benefit of these is that you can find one to fit in almost any waterer that has an opening at the top. Any of these waterers or heaters should be available at your local feed store, or you can even order them on line through tractor supply company or amazon.com.

 Heat Lamps


The first year we had chickens, the egg production went down to almost zero once the nights started getting cold. We didn't know what to do. Uncle Dale told us they needed to be warmer so we got a heat lamp. Within a few days of getting a lamp, we started seeing eggs in the coop. I think that heat lamps are the best things to keep your chickens warm enough so they can use some energy for egg laying. Most of the heat lamps use infrared lights. They won't bother the chickens at night. They don't need to heat the whole coop. You want to place the lamp where the chickens roost so they will be warm at night.

 Good luck with your chickens. If  you make sure to keep moisture out of the coop, allow for ventilation to let moisture out, use good bedding, keep water warm, and employ the use of heat lamps you should be able to get eggs all winter.

What suggestion do the rest of you have for getting the chickens ready for winter?

~Mike~

Getting Chickens Ready for Winter Part 1

It's that time of the year. Zombies and vampires have been roaming the streets. Turkeys have lost most of their hope and have reached the "acceptance" step of the 5 stages of grief as they approach their demise. Santa is gaining weight getting ready for his 2011 Holiday tour. It's also time to consider what you are going to do to get your chickens ready for winter.

First things first. Most chickens will be OK in the cold winter. My Swedish ancestors had chickens and I think it gets cold there. Chickens have been raised and bred to withstand cold. You don't need to do a lot to protect them. If you wonder whether or not your chickens are going to survive check out your breeds and their hardiness here.

So why do we need to help them during the winter. It takes energy to stay warm and survive. We have found that by taking a few measures we can help them stay warm, which in turn gives them more energy to make eggs. It doesn't take much to keep your egg production decent throughout the winter wonderland. The next two articles will cover some of the things to keep your chickens laying.


Check Your Chicken Coop

Your chicken coop needs to keep your chickens dry. When it rains in the fall I go out to the chicken coop to see if there is any water leaking into the coop. If there is, I note where it is and then fix the roof on a dry fall day. Her I am replacing shingles on the roof last weekend. Check the walls for openings or weakness. Essentially you want to batten down the hatches.

reshingling the roof

Another coop issue that a lot of people don't think of is ventilation. You need to keep moisture out of your coop, but at the same time let moisture escape. Chickens create moisture. Your chicken coop can't be an airtight box. Make sure you allow for some airflow in the coop through windows or natural openings. We cover all of our openings with chicken wire.


 Bedding

Bedding is important during the winter. It helps your chickens insulate themselves when they nest, and it absorbs moisture and smells. We prefer to use pine shavings for our chicken nesting boxes. We can get a huge bale of pine shavings at the local feed store for about $12. We spread it out in the lay boxes and on the ground of the coop.

Nesting box with pine shavings

You can also use hay or straw as bedding. This is another cheap way to line your coop. In our previous home, Marisa and I noticed that a lot of the neighbors would decorate their porch with straw bales during the fall. Since we lived in suburbia, they had no use for the bales once they were done using them for decorations. We were able to get them for free and rarely had to buy any. Both the shavings and hay break down through the winter. As they decompose they will add some heat to your coop to keep the chickens more comfortable.

We also shred our junk mail, and bills that don't have a lot of ink in them and put it in the coop mixed with the straw and shavings. Its is additional insulation, and it breaks down enough once we put it in our compost pile that we are able to use the junk mail to grow vegetables.

Our next article will talk about additional things to do for your chickens, including what we have found to be the most important in helping chickens deal with the cold, a heat lamp.

~Mike~

Chicken Coops on the Cheap

Yesterdays post talked about a few of the different styles of chicken coops, and today I want to talk about how to build a chicken coop frugally.

Here are a few of my idea, please leave comments with your own ideas.

Dog House

Dog food, Jasmine, and Power Ranger were our first three chickens and their coop was a plastic dog house.

Recycle

Our second chicken coop was made from a neighbors old fence that they were tearing down. For the rest of the supplies it only cost us $50-$75.

Habitat for Humanity-ReStore

This chicken coop was built from supplies found at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store.

Wood Pallets

Most of the time you can find wood pallets for free. Pull the wood apart for use, or even connect the pallets to make three sides of your structure and cover the sides with plywood and add a roof.

Classifieds & Craigslist

Check the classifieds for used sheds, coops, or even lumber.

Here is one coop that is listed in my local classifieds for just $100

Be Creative

Yesterday's post had a few creative ideas like using the back of a car or little tykes play house. I'm sure there are tons of other ideas you could come up with.

I know there are more ideas out there, leave a comment!

Chicken Tushies

Warning:

This video may make you vomit a little in your mouth. If you have a weak disposition toward seeing naked chicken tushies, please do not watch!

Update:

We only had to check their bums for the first week.

Chick Set Up

This is our chick set up, it isn't the only way or even the best way to do it, but it is how we do it.

 Don't judge. We still don't have our baseboards put back on and yes, those are Christmas wreaths on the windows! In my own defense they are outside, I will need a ladder to remove them,  and there is a huge pile of snow under the windows.

We have the girls in the school room up on a bench to make it easier to get into them, but they would do just fine on the ground as well.

 Things you will need:

• Something to keep them contained. We use a rabbit hutch, but a cardboard box with wood shavings in the bottom will work just fine. Don't invest in something elaborate, they will soon outgrow this.
• Heat. Chicks need to be kept quite warm, a heat lamp is a great option, we have a 250 watt bulb.  If they are too cold, they will huddle together right under the lamp, you will know you need to add more heat.  If they are too warm they will get as far away from the lamp as possible, which means it is time to raise the lamp up. If they are just right, they will scamper all over the area happily.
• Fresh food. We are currently just using a plastic bowl.  You will need to purchase chick starter. Note: most chick starters have antibiotics in the feed, so if you do not want antibiotics, make sure you check the packaging.
• Fresh water: I really like the plastic waterer we have (in the right hand corner of the cage) it was just a few dollars and gives them a good supply of water.
• Love: of course! I like to have my girls well socialized and comfortable being handled. We get the girls out as often as we can. 
• Roost (optional): Just for fun, we like to see the girls practicing on their roost. We just use a wooden dowel through the bars of the cage.
• Entertainment: Also optional. 

 ~marisa

Backyard Chickens 101: Part Two

In our last Chickens 101 post we discussed some of the basic concerns about chickens. In this post we're going to discuss housing. I am going to share my own experience with chicken ownership not as an explicit rulebook on how to raise chickens but to give you a starting off point as you figure out what works for your family.

What do I house my baby chicks in?

If you purchase your chickens as chicks they will not be ready to go out into an outside coop and will need something temporary. There are some definite housing requirements and I will go over a few here but there is a really great ebook from MyPetChicken.com that goes over the entire process in detail. On our first batch we used a cardboard box with some newspaper in it and we kept it in a closet off our kitchen. This worked ok but they were very quickly trying to jump out of the box and they did get a little stinky for the house. On our second batch we used a large bucket-like thing we had and kept them in the screened in back porch. We used pine shavings(those these can cause trouble - see the ebook) and a light we had purchased at the hardware store. The chicks need warmth - 95 degrees the first week with the temperature requirement going down by 5 degrees each subsequent week after that. I mention my experience to show that there are many options which will work and chances are you can pull things together from the garage which can be useful!

What about a coop?

There are so many ways to house a chicken and as long as it meets the basic requirements you needn't worry if it's cute or traditional. I have even heard of people using an old truck trailer top as a chicken coop! We opted to use a dog house our neighbor was getting rid of and built a structure to put it in. We elevated the dog house on beams - chickens like to be off the ground a little - and placed hay inside as bedding. This worked excellently and was plenty of room for our three hens - we eventually added two more and the space was still plenty adequate. We learned the hard way about predator proofing - it was almost as if we were playing some game with the raccoons, possums, and hawks in the neighborhood to see who was the smartest. Eventually we added locks to the doors, barriers to the floor to keep anything from digging in, and a secure top. We were in eastern Texas at the time and there were so many animals interested in our hens that it felt like we were living in the jungle! We didn't ever having nesting boxes but the hens made little spots in the hay to lay their eggs and we just collected them from that.

If I don't want to build my own coop or use scrap materials, what are my housing options?

There are many options for coops from beautiful chateaus that house your hens in style to basic a-frames that get the job done without any fuss. Here are a few:


Someday I plan on building something as beautiful as this one - it retails for nearly $1600.00 but can house 12-15 chickens and comes in many siding options. This coop is for someone who has outgrown the small flock and is ready for moving up - in style, mind you!






This is a cool option that comes from the U.K. and even has a run that attaches to it. What neighbor could complain about such a sleek design that comes in multiple colors? Plus, it seems pretty easy to clean. Something like this will set you back upwards of $450.00 but will probably last for years and years to come.

But this one is one of my favorite designs. It's a stealth coop that disguises itself to look like some sort of trash receptacle but in reality is a chicken coop! The stealth coop is easily moved around your yard and comes with everything your chickens need: a nesting area, a waterer, a feeder, and a discreet, predator-proof run. It is not recommended for more than two hens at a time though and retails for $499.00 shipping included.

There are still not a lot of websites out there that sell chicken coops but I have seen them in local classifieds and on craigslist.