Broody Poultry

There are a lot of broody poultry here at our place. This time of year broodiness seems to be the name of the game as far as my chickens, ducks, doves, & turkeys are concerned.

 The end result of broody hens that have been successful is always a delight!To see more about the broodiness going on around here check out this post on my other blog.*Spot On Cedar Pond


 

Easy & Affordable Chicken Pen

Look at this chicken pen. How easy and economical is this? VERY!

This is a chicken pen I saw in our area, and after being granted permission to take photographs from the owner, I decided to share them on this blog. The pen is simply a livestock panel ( available at most feed and farm stores) bent over and secured in an upside down "U", then secured to the ground. A door was fashioned for one end, and back for the other, and a simple tarp covering suffices as protection from rain and too much sun.I pass this pen often and in the colder months the red glow of the heat lamp can be seen from inside the wood box. Now when I pass by I see the chicks have grown and do not need the heat lamp.( you can click onto any picture for enlargement)

The beauty of this pen is it is easily moved around the lot, and when the chickens no longer need this pen for whatever reason ( butchering, etc,) the pen can be dis-assembled and stored away until later need.Affordable, easy, practical. Perfect for the homestead raising chickens on a budget!

My Chicks Come In The Mail !

My new chicks came in the mail. I am still amazed such tiny, fragile creatures can be sent safely through the mail.

 

Here you can see the box they arrived in sitting in front of the temporary brooding  pen set up in my sun room.

This is a receipt showing what chicks I ordered.I paid a little extra to receive all pullets ( females) so I would not be raising any more roosters for awhile. I still have a few roosters around I am quite fond of, and need no more. I want a lovely and varied chicken flock this coming year, and I think I picked some interesting chickens. I am especially excited about the white Orpingtons and the Delawares.

Look at all the cuteness packed into the tiny box ! I am already anticipating the delicious eggs they will lay for me and my family, but the breeds I have chosen will not begin to lay eggs until they are between 5 and 6 months of age.

I dip each chick's beak into water right after removing them from the packing box. There are glass beads in the waterer taking up space  so the little chicks do not drown in the water, which is very easy for new chicks to do.Also, the beads attract the chicks and they peck there allowing them to learn quickly the water they need is here.

I put the chicks into a big metal tub with a piece of fencing over it to keep my cat out. I have a heat lamp over the brooder. I mixed chick grit ( you can purchase this from the feed store) with chick starter feed for the first few feedings and put it in a shallow dish in the brooder.The chicks spend a lot of time happily scratching and pecking at their feed After 3 days I moved the chicks into a big metal water livestock tub in an outside shed I use just for the purpose of raising up poultry.The weather has just begun warming up and I do not think a heat lamp will be needed for long. I will probably replace the heat lamp bulbs with 6o watt light bulbs. I have two lamps over the chick brooder.

I love raising these little cuties, I love gathering newly laid eggs in the morning, I love hearing my chickens clucking and crowing, and I especially love to just watch them. They are very entertaining,and if you watch them often enough you can see they each have a unique personality, and you just might get attached to them, you just might!