Poultry Keepers Best Friend May 16, 2012 1 Comment
Have you heard of Diatomaceous Earth? Listen closely, for it is the best thing since peanut butter and for chicken keepers it is your best friend. Take heart if you’re interested in keeping medications to a minimum, because it is non-toxic and totally natural. Plus, it’s accepted in organic feed regimens.
Diatomaceous Earth, at the microscopic and macroscopic
What is it? Is is the skeletal remains of little creatures called diatoms that use to inhabit the waters of fresh water lakes (eons ago) when the southwest held large bodies of water. As they died and fell to the bottom of the lake, they accumulated and now in some areas, since the water is no longer there, the diatoms exist to a depth of 400 feet deep, What good is it? It is good to keep lice and mites out of your coop and off of your chickens. I put it in my chicken feed at the recommended ratio of 1lb for every 50 lbs of feed and, though there’s no scientific data as of yet to prove this, we backyard chicken keepers wholeheartedly believe it keeps our flocks worm-free. And listen to this: it has killed all the fire ants in my yard.
How to become Ms or Mr. Mother Hen – Hatch Day May 11, 2012 180 Comments
Hatch day–finally! I’m not sure how it can seem as if it takes forever to get here and also as if it’s hardly been 21 days, both at once. It does seem like it took no time and forever, though.
So, there were no power outages during incubation that would cause problems. The temperature and humidity stayed right on. Everything looked good. But… well first, let me just break the suspense. This story does have a happy ending:
I did have a good hatch.
But while you’re waiting, you never really know how it will work out. I’ve had terrible hatches before. Presuming you do candle a couple times as you go, you can sometimes be forewarned that a bad hatch is coming. If it was a problem with rough shipping, for example, a lot of times the eggs just won’t develop, and you can see that early, when you candle the first time at 7 or 10 days. With this batch, though, I knew almost all had at least developed, so shipping was probably not a problem. I had noticed one clear and one quitter, and several eggs with an air cell that looked a little off. I thought those might have trouble hatching.
So I was beyond excited when I saw the first couple of pips. It was very early in the morning when it began, and still dark. I was bleary eyed and a little tired, but anable to sleep from the anticipation! It was so early that my rooster D’artagnan hadn’t even begun crowing yet. Still, the first thing I did before I even started the coffee was to check those eggs…. and there they were. Unmistakable cracks in the egg shells had started to appear. The chicks had begun to hatch.
Exciting new breeds for next year May 9, 2012 57 Comments
2013 Mystery chicken breeds at My Pet Chicken!!
I’m so eggscited, I just can’t keep it to myself. We’re in the midst of developing some exclusive, new breeds for sale next year.
Yes, exclusive! Yes, new!
A few of the chicken fanatics (chickenatics?) that work here at My Pet Chicken have dreamed up some lovely new birds that will be hardy, gentle, and lay beautiful, saturated eggs–and plenty of them, too. (Some varieties they’ve been breeding in secret for a few years already.)
We’re also “taking under our wing” some rare breed flocks that have never been offered commercially before. Think chocolate eggs, olive eggs, sky blue eggs; think gorgeous feather patterns; think lavender and blue.
Quick: are you leaning closer to your desk than is comfortable? Has your heart rate risen? It’s official: you’re chicken-addicted.
You’re not the only one–and though I empathize with your plight, I won’t spill the beans on these new breeds just yet. I want to make it up to you, however. We’ll be offering lots of giveaways next year of both hatching eggs and chicks of these fabulous new breeds. And in the coming months, we’ll to post to our blog sneak-peek photos and information about these breeds, to whet your appetite. Stay tuned, because the only place under the sun to get these birds will be My Pet Chicken.
Can you guess the new rare breeds and exclusive new breeds we’ll be offering? How about suggestions? While we don’t plan on any more new flocks for 2013, there is still time to change our minds. If enough of you are clamoring for a certain couple of breeds, how could we turn you down? After all–you, wonderful customers, rule the roost. So let’s hear from you!
How to Become Ms. or Mr. Mother Hen – Day 18 May 8, 2012 272 Comments
Day 18: LOCKDOWN.
(Cue the “prison door slamming” sound effect.)
Actually, I sort of hate that term, “lockdown.” Instead of locked doors, I’d rather be thinking of fuzzy little chick faces peering out of my hand.
This is totally worth two in the bush
But at the same time, calling it “lockdown” can be a good reminder. It means, “After this time, the incubator is not to be opened until the hatch is completed.” And also, “From this day forth, there will be no turning.” And finally, “Beyond here, there be dragons.”
Well, maybe not that last bit, right? But it is the same sentiment. Day 18 Lockdown, means “STAY OUT!”
Shannon’s Homemade Monster Tomato Fertilizer Recipe May 7, 2012 15 Comments
Add 1/4 cup of your fertilizer to the hole at time of planting.
My chickens are gifts that keep on giving. Nothing they create goes to waste. In my previous article about composting chicken poo, I mentioned how even chicken waste isn’t wasted, but put to use in my garden. Egg shells can go into the compost pile, too, and they make an excellent, enriching addition–mine sometimes do–but I also use them for an awesome homemade tomato fertilizer. As my husband says, “it creates monsters out of tomato plants“!
How to Become Mr. or Ms. Mother Hen – Day 14 May 4, 2012 181 Comments
You know, when I incubated in a styrofoam incubator, there was always a lot to talk about.
Because I'm not a natural-born incubator like a silkie.
I was always fussing like a silkie mom, though. Actually, I’m sure my family got silly-tired of hearing me talk about it. My husband, bless him for his patience, would ask me several times a day how the incubation was going. I’d say something like, ”The temperature was up almost a degree, so I adjusted it down a little. I’m not sure if it was too much, it may be too much. It may get too cold. I set the alarm so I can check the temperature again in another hour to make sure it’s not heading down too cold…”
He would nod, look concerned… and then ask me again in an hour when he heard the alarm go off.
I would get up in the middle of the night to turn the eggs–yes, I was one of THOSE people—and when I climbed back in bed, he’d whisper a half-coherent question, mostly in his sleep. “Mmmfffs’okay?”
Me, I’d answer with way more detail than was necessary at that time of night. “The humidity was too low,” I would say, “so when I turned the eggs I refilled the reservoirs. When I turn again in the morning, I’ll check the ventilation holes in case it’s gotten too high. Maybe I overfilled. I probably did. I think I splashed some water, so I may have to open ventilation a little more in the morning.”
“Mm-hmm,” he said. Or maybe it was just an I’m-falling-asleep-again grunt, but I appreciated the effort nonetheless.
It’s (Chicken) Showtime! April 30, 2012 4 Comments
Chickens have been a lifelong obsession for me. Having chickens led to breeding chickens, breeding led to a desire to improve the chickens I had, and that desire eventually led me to showing. Poultry exhibiting, commonly known as “showing”, seems like another planet to many. In some regards it is; it has its own language, culture, and governing rules. (Do you show your own birds, or attend shows?)
Just a few of the White Crested Black Polish hens entered in the 2011 Crossroads Show; the fourth largest show in U.S. history
For me showing is just as much a social activity as it is a competitive pursuit. I’ve made friends all over the country and usually shows or auctions are the only time I see them in person. It’s a chance to catch up, see who’s doing what with their breeding program, gawk at breeds we wish we had the coop space for, swap stories–and birds. It is also an invaluable learning experience. Read the rest of this entry »
How to Become Ms. or Mr. Mother Hen – Day 7 April 27, 2012 563 Comments
I want to be patient, I really do. It’s hard, though. I mean, you remember that feeling you’d get as a kid when your birthday approached? That almost unbearable anticipation? That’s what I have.
Well, stop whining, Lissa. Act like an adult. You cannot open your presents early.
Because this is totally NOT what I would find inside right now.
My Pet Chickens – Little Blue and Pecker too April 23, 2012 9 Comments
Little Blue, my Blue Easter Egger Bantam
I am fond of all my chickens, but Pecker and Little Blue have a special place in my heart because they enjoy hopping up into my lap to sit and be loved on.
Little Blue is such a sweetheart. She’s one of my newest chickens, a 9 month old blue Easter Egger Bantam, and loves to be held. She will fly up to my lap on her own or let me pick her up at any time. Besides being such a sweetie, she lays pretty blue eggs.
Pecker is 3 1/2 years old and although she is one of my favorites now, I didn’t like her at all as a chick. In fact, she’s probably the only chick I’ve raised that I didn’t care for. I rescued Pecker and several of her flockmates from a tiny little brooder at the feed store. These dinosaur look-alikes were about 4 weeks of age and in the ugly stage of life – no cute fluffy butts to be seen. The poor things were missing feathers and some were even bleeding due to picking because of their overcrowded living space. Read the rest of this entry »
How to Become Ms. or Mr. Mother Hen – Day 1 April 20, 2012 1,373 Comments
I love hatching chicks at home. I LOVE seeing their first blinky-eyed look at the world outside their little egg. I love that when they’ve first hatched, I can put my hand inside the brooder, and they all rush to snuggle beneath it like I’m their mother hen.
I love hatching beneath a real mother hen, too… but sometimes that’s just not possible, so you have to be the mother hen. Sometimes you just don’t have a broody, sometimes your broody isn’t broody when you need to hatch eggs, and sometimes you have a broody who abandons her eggs before she’s done.
Clearly, not every chicken makes a good mother hen. When you discover a live chick in an egg that's been abandoned, it's nice to have a place to finish incubation and save her!
If you you’re using an incubator rather than a hen, there are many to choose from. When I first started hatching at home, I started with a styrofoam incubator; it was fine, but work-intensive. It was a still air, so no fan. I monitored temperature because there was no automatic thermostat, and getting the temperature at the proper height—at the top of the egg— was harder than I thought it would be. Four times a day I faithfully turned the eggs by hand. They were marked in pencil with an X on one side so I could make sure they were all turned properly. I made sure to sanitize my hand before turning. I monitored humidity with an after-purchase hygrometer, and I filled the water reservoirs with clean distilled water when needed.
Then… I worried. A lot. I guess it’s just what you do when you hatch at home.
