Useful Guide for First Time Chicken Farmers

If you are planning to raise chickens for the first time, it is very important that you have read and learned everything about the process of taking care of chickens, like providing them the best backyard chicken coops.  Know everything you need to know about it to aid you in making your chicken coop a success.  Of course hard work, time, and money are essential to make this come true.

The most difficult stage in chicken raising is always the starting of the whole operation.  This is not only true in the chicken business but for all start up businesses as well.  But once you get it all going, the going gets easier and when you already have grown chickens, you will find that you don’t need to work so hard anymore because they require low maintenance.

Chickens are good to keep as pets and they help control bugs because they are an essential part of their diet.  Aside from this, having a backyard chicken coop can provide you with a constant supply of fresh eggs.  There are many things that you should prepare before actually buying the chickens and here are some tips to help you get started.

The chicken coop is perhaps the most important item since without it there is no place for the chickens to stay.  It has to be located in a wide area that is safe and where air is fresh.  The coop should be able to provide the chickens enough room while keeping them safe from natural predators and enemies like extreme weather conditions and animals like hawks, bears, and raccoons just to name a few.

The chickens need to be fed and given water in order to grow and lay more eggs.  Their diet should consist of a high amount of protein that can be found in soya.  Whole grains and corn kernels, shells and bones, salt and vegetables, are all very important in their diet.  Fresh clean water is also a much needed essential in the chickens’ diet.  They will also eat bugs whenever they are allowed to go out of the chicken house.

To help in the egg laying, an incubator is needed but you have to be careful in choosing, sometimes cheaper incubators are available but they are usually of lesser quality.  Ask assistance from friends in purchasing it.

There are actually two types that you can choose from, the forced air and the still air incubators.  Of the two, the forced air is better because unlike the still air that can hatch a limited number of eggs and would require more time, it doesn’t require much of your time and can do the job in lesser time.

Check more information at The Chicken Coop Blog now!

Chicken Coops and Proper Maintenance

Chicken coop maintenance can be hard especially for those who are still starting out.  Even though the chickens themselves do not need any special care and attention, their food and water intake must be well regulated to make them healthier and better at laying high quality eggs. While chicken farmers before usually let their chickens out of the pen or coop to look for food, today chickens are kept inside the coop to keep them safe.  That is why chicken farmers must know proper chicken coop maintenance.

Chicken Care:

The number one concern of every chicken farmer is feeding the chickens.  Since they are kept inside the coop, they depend largely on their owners to provide them with nourishment.  For a yield of high quality eggs and meat, chickens must be fed with the right feeds containing the right amount of nutrients that they need.  Giving them cheap feeds with no nutritional value will downgrade the quality of eggs or meat that they produce.

While it is fun to scatter feeds on the grounds and let the chickens scamper to get it, placing the feeds in a container or tray is better to avoid wasting the feeds. Cleanliness is a must in chicken house maintenance.  The food trays and water containers must be cleaned frequently. Ensuring the chickens’ safety is also a big concern in coop maintenance.  They must not be able to get out of the coop so it must always be checked for holes.  Predators might also be able to get in and harm the chickens if there is an opening in the coop.

How To Clean The Coop:

The hardest part in chicken coop maintenance is the gathering and disposal of chicken dung or droppings.  This must be done on a regular basis because of the bad smell of chicken dung.  The more chickens you have, the more frequent you should clean the coop of their wastes.

The ideal interval in cleaning the coop is 2 to 3 months but the more frequent you do the cleaning the better for your chickens and you.  Chicken dung can smell very bad and attract parasites so to keep diseases from setting in, dispose of chicken droppings often. The droppings need not go to waste because it can be used as fertilizer.  It is all natural and far better to use than synthetic fertilizers. Egg gathering is also part of maintaining the coop.  It is a very delightful work and must be done every day.

Repairing The Chicken Coop: 

At one point or another, a part of the coop structure might get torn or damaged.  You need to repair this immediately to make the coop safe for your chickens.  Make sure that everything is secure and safe for your chickens.

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Chicken Feed and Great Egg Production

Feeding chickens is not as easy as you might think it is. For chickens to provide you with more quality eggs continuously, you need to give them the right food. As they grow and mature, they will need different types of nutrients in their food. A high protein diet during their initial laying cycle is necessary.  


Whether you put your chickens in a chicken house or chicken ark, chickens really need the proper chicken feed or they egg production will stop. Providing them with the proper and essential nutrients-rich feed will increase their capacity to lay eggs, which is a good boost for your farm. Just know the right chicken feed and the right way of feeding chickens, and you will profit tremendously from great egg production.

When feeding the chickens, give them ample amount of protein since this is the primary nutrient they need to produce more eggs. An all-mash diet is very rich in protein. It is made from finely crushed grains.


Some leftover food from your kitchen can also be fed to your hens. They can be given small amounts of vegetable peelings and leaves while strong flavored food and fruit peelings are not good for them.


You can also feed your chickens with leftover food and excess from your garden to save on the cost of food for your chickens. Vegetable skins and green leaves are okay to feed the chickens but onions, fruit peelings and strong flavored food are not good for them. It is also important to feed your chickens with food that are high in calcium. This makes egg shells harder and is supplied as oyster shells. An all-mash diet is a good one because it contains more calcium.


Lastly, provide them with enough supply of  as this will also hasten a higher egg yield. To defend them against diseases, only give them clean water at their chicken coops. Feeding chickens with the right amount of nutrients and water will ensure you of a higher egg yield.


Egg production is what drives a lot of people to raise chickens. People raise chickens to give them great profits from great egg production. If you are fresh watera newbie to chicken raising, then you might not know what they need if you won't dig further for information. But what is said earlier about the right chicken feed, shrug off that uncertainty. Just follow these simple steps and you will have great chickens producing great number of eggs.


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Proper Ways How to Take Care of Little Chickens

Baby chickens need care too.

If you are a first time chicken raiser, caring for baby chicken can seem like a daunting task but if you do your research and you have all the necessary things needed in your farm, then you don’t have to worry. Just be guided with these simple tips and surely your baby chickens will turn into big and healthy chickens which you can place later at great backyard chicken coop.


Chicken feed can be purchased from pet or livestock suppliers. The first food for baby chickens is the starter feed or grower feed, which you can place on a piece of cardboard near them when they first hatch. After a few days you can place their food in troughs. Make sure that they get steady supply of feed because they need to eat throughout the day and night. Finely chopped boiled egg yolk is a good source of essential nutrients so give this to your baby chickens. 


Spending few dollars on a good chicken feeder for your small chickens is a good investment. Using such feeder will make your chickens safe and clean as using bowl or dish to feed small chickens can cause untidiness and fighting amongst the chicken themselves. It can also lead to death for some chicks as they can be trapped underneath the bowl or dish if you will not keep a close eye on. You can also buy specialized feeder if you want.


Water is essential in caring for baby chickens. Some may die because of lack of water so be sure that they drink the water you provided. Put sugar into their drinking water for the first 2 days to give them extra energy. 


Heat is also key to the survival of baby chickens. They need warmth and the temperature should be at a steady 90-95 degrees during their first week. A typical 250-watt bulb will provide the warmth that the baby chickens need. As they grow, you can gradually lower the temperature until they can survive without the extra warmth.


Chicks do their bowel movements very often. On this note, lining their house unit with a good absorbent material should be done. An inch thick pine shavings is effective as an absorbent. It is not also advised to use newspapers or papers to absorbent poops from chicks as these are not effective as an absorbent. Poops cause slippery surface, which is a factor for chicks to have the so-called splayed legs or a deformity that can also cause the affected chicks being picked by others until they die. If you want to avoid this deformity for chickens, you should invest in good absorbent then.


Having the necessary equipment and doing extra research will make caring for baby chickens easier.

Splayed legs can be avoided with proper house absorbent material.

For your very own backyard chicken house, visit Howard Kingsley's Chicken House online store for a large selection of quality chicken coops and chicken houses at a great price.

Why Bird Cage Stand is Important for Your Pet Birds

Birds are very sociable creatures and they love to play.  Sometimes it is not enough to just provide them with a cage where they can live.  They also need to spread their wings and exercise that is why they also need a bird cage stand, especially one that looks like a tree that the bird can climb.  A flight cage is sometimes not big enough for the birds to play around in and besides this, they also need to feel the freedom that an open bird cage stand or play stand can give.

When they have nothing to occupy them, birds can become restless and might exhibit unhealthy and troublesome behaviour.  When they are nervous they tend to pick at their feathers or screech loudly.  Providing them with a place to play and climb which is far from their large bird cages is one way of solving this problem. 


Bird cage stands come in different sizes and are made with different kinds of materials.  Some are made of wood, others of plastic and still others are made of metal.  Wooden bird cage stands are not very good for your pet because it can be gnawed and your pet might hurt himself in the process.  A bird cage stand made of plastic on the other hand is not very strong and might easily fall down because it is lighter.  The perfect bird cage stand therefore is the one made of metal as it is strong and can withstand even the movements of the most restless bird. 


Parakeets and parrots especially need bird cage or play stand to enable them to socialize with people and to make them experience freedom to keep their minds and bodies active which can prevent the onset of boredom and depression.  The levels and perches on the bird cage stand will exercise their bodies while interacting with people will exercise their minds.  This will not only provide them with healthier bones, minds and bodies but it will also make them happier.


Another type of bird cage stand is one that is intended to be placed under the cage which gives you a place to put the cage anywhere inside or outside of the house.  They also come in several designs and sizes; you can even match it with the bird’s cage. 


The bird cage stand will also make cleaning up after your pet easier.  Whatever type of bird cage stand you choose will surely make your pet bird happier and healthier.

Check out for more information at Large Bird Cage blog.

Effective Cleaning of Bird Cages

To keep your bird healthy and make the cage as comfortable as possible for your pet bird, you need to clean it as often as possible.  Here are some tips in cleaning your large bird cages.


1. The first thing to do when cleaning the bird cage is to take the bird out and keep it in a safe place.  Be sure that all the doors and windows are closed to keep it from flying out.


2. Your bird’s eating dish and toys must first be removed from the cage.  So does the bird’s perch.

3. For a cage with a removable bottom, it has to be detached and cleaned of droppings and dirt.


4. If your bird’s cage has a built in bottom then just turn it upside down and allow the droppings to fall into a trash bin or a garbage tray.


5. Use hot water and non toxic soap and cleansers in cleaning your bird’s cage and its bottom.  You must ascertain that all the dirt and droppings are removed from every inch of the bird cage.


6. Use a sponge to scrub off the dirt, or you can also use a brush or scrub pad to remove the dirt.  Use only non toxic cleansers and soap in cleaning the bird cage.


7. To rinse the bird cage, it is advisable to use hot water and to make sure that all the water is drained.


8. For a two-part bird cage, it will be easier to reassemble it first before proceeding in drying it using a clean and dry cloth.


9. Everything should be cleaned, including the bird cage accessories.   Wash the food trays and toys with hot water and non toxic cleansers.  This goes for the bird perch as well.  Dry them all with a dry and clean cloth. 


10. After all the components of the bird cage, including toys,  perches, and food dishes, are dry, it is time to put them back into the cage.  Assemble everything well and then you can put your bird into the cage as well.


To make cleaning your bird’s cage easier, place paper trays or newspapers at the bottom so that you can just throw away the soiled ones and replace them with fresh paper trays.  For hard to remove dirt, soak the cage in hot water mixed with soap.


Visit LargeBirdCages.com.au for a suitable large bird cage for your birds. They have a range of open top and dome top bird cages available and there is also a Large Bird Cage blog for further tips and advice on keeping pet birds.

How to Ensure Optimal Health for Your Chickens

Do your chickens have combs that are slack and tender?  Are their feet and legs showing signs of parasites?  Do they have soft and limp bodies and do their eyes lack luster and brightness?  Are their noses and eyes discharging fluid?  Then maybe your chickens have some serious health problems that need to be addressed immediately to ensure their safety and health, like having clean chicken pens that are conducive  to having good health for your chickens.

Another sign that your chickens are laying is that their feet change colors from yellow to white or pale.  Although their bodies should be firm and strong to the touch, they should not show signs of drooping.  If the chickens’ nose and eyes discharge some fluid, then they are sick and need to be treated.

The part where the chickens’ wastes are discharged from the body called the vent should be healthy and must not show signs of irritation.  This is very important because it is here that the eggs also pass so if it is defective, the quality of the eggs would be affected.

When moulting time comes, which is usually when the chickens are a year old, the feathers of the chickens will be shed and new ones will grow just like the changing of the skin on snakes.  Moulting time is from 4 to 6 weeks and after this your chickens will have new feathers.

It is necessary to provide the chickens with enough healthy food at this time because moulting can sap the energy of the chickens.  Protein is the primary nutrient that chickens need and if they are laying they would need substantial amounts of calcium to provide the eggs with strong shells. Make sure to keep healthy chickens in chicken coops as well. 

At one point or another, you might notice that your chickens would get restless.  This could mean that there are parasites in their bodies and feathers.  Infestation with lice, mites, fleas, and ticks is a common problem with chickens and at the first sign of this, you must act promptly to keep it from getting serious.

To help prevent any diseases from infecting your chickens, give them water mixed with antibiotics to protect them.  The best way to prevent any health problems in your chickens is to provide them with enough food and a steady supply of clean water.  Be sure that chicken house is always clean and that the chicken droppings be taken care of properly because it’s not only the health of the chickens that can be affected by dirty surroundings but it can be harmful to humans as well.