Early this year, we decided that we would get our first chicks in mid-April, after a couple family trips we had planned would be over. We made a timeline for building a chicken coop, found some ideas online, and had a solid plan in place. But then our local farm supply store got chicks in in February, and well… I couldn’t be expected to NOT get them, right?! Suddenly we had four chicks in our basement, and we needed to…
Hopefully you already know how important it is to keep your chickens well-hydrated, especially when the temperatures are high. But it can be a challenge to provide enough water for them while also keeping it clean and fresh! Today I’d like to show you how to make a cheap, super easy bucket waterer for your chickens. In fact, it’s so easy you’ll wonder why you needed the tutorial! 😉 Supplies The first thing you’ll need, obviously, is a bucket with a…
For weeks now, I’ve had just one question in the back of my mind. As I water my garden, scoop the coop, feed my girls yummy treats, and love on them, all I’m really thinking is… When will my chickens lay their first eggs?? (Stay tuned at the end of the post for the answer!) At What Age Do Chickens Lay Their First Eggs? As a rule of thumb, most chickens will start laying anywhere from 18-22 weeks of age. Larger breeds generally lay a…
Many new and experienced chicken owners will at some point find themselves asking the question… Do I have a hen or a rooster? Unfortunately it can be hard to tell for a long time with most chicks. Remember back when I expressed my own concerns about Joy possibly being a boy? Sadly, it turns out that I was correct – she was, in fact, a he. Our backyard chick had grown up to be an urban rooster! Our Experience It…
Chickens are generally very resilient when it comes to weather. They can handle low temperatures well and don’t seem to mind the rain, wind, or even snow. However, heat is a different story. Chickens do not have sweat glands, which means they are not able to self-cool very well. So we need to be extra careful with our feathered friends when temperatures rise! Here are some tips for helping your chickens beat the heat. It’s June here in Nebraska, which means temperatures up…
Your chicks are no longer chicks anymore. They are eating a ton, pooping a ton, staying out past curfew, and getting themselves into riskier situations. If you have a rooster, he will be strutting his stuff soon. And your girls are getting hormonal, preparing to lay their first eggs. It’s time to for them to move out from under your wing, but to where you can still keep a careful eye on them. That’s right… they’re big chick teenagers!! The truth is, chicken adolescence is…
(Or should I say, chicken-richment? Get it?! Chick enrichment! … No, I’m not sitting here giggling at my own cleverness, why do you ask?) It has bothered me for a few days that maybe the chicks aren’t being entertained enough. As they get bigger their brooder gets smaller, and there just isn’t much to do during the many hours that I’m not down there with them. Chickens are very intelligent animals, and they need some activities and challenges. Enter: Operation Chick Enrichment!…
The chicks are now 4 1/2 weeks old, and have been home with us for 3 1/2 of those weeks. I can’t believe how much they’ve grown just in the past ten days! They are so much bigger and are doing so many more things now. I even made them a trampoline chicken tractor because they want to spend so much time outside! Getting Bigger To give you an idea of how much they’ve grown, this photo was taken 9 days ago, when the chicks were…
We have had our chicks for 11 days now, and they have been growing so quickly, it’s impossible to keep up on here! They were about a week old when we brought them home, so we started out on their second week. I’ve kept a daily notebook on their changes in appearance and behavior in the first two weeks, and I think the best thing is to just share that with you here! Sweet baby Pepper sleeping in my hand Day…
No, this is not dating advice (sorry). Rather, it’s a warning. This is what happens when you go to the store to see the baby chicks six weeks before you’re planning to actually bring any home: Who could resist those sweet little babies? Of course I have spent months researching chickens and pretty much knew what I was doing, even if I wasn’t expecting to do it quite so soon. One thing that really concerns me is when people buy…