You’ve made it your New Year’s resolution to finally get chickens. Good for you. Chickens are low-maintenance pets that give so much in return. On top of the amazing compost, free entertainment, and fresh eggs right from your backyard, you’ll also gain the skills and confidence to tackle more projects down the line.
Here are 10 steps to help you stay focused so that your chicken keeping resolution becomes chicken keeping reality: (more…)
In this tutorial, I show you how to make a clean, efficient nipple waterer for your chicks using a push-in poultry nipple and a couple of easy-to-find items. If you’d rather not do this yourself, you can purchase one of our ready-to-use Brooder Bottles here.
I’m gonna miss hearing the “cheep, cheep, cheep. . . “ of baby chicks this spring. Our current backyard flock is still healthy and laying strong, so it could be another couple years before we get to raise another batch of chicks.
I’ll be ready for them, anyway.
The first time we raised chicks, we rigged up a large cardboard contraption as their brooder and kept them in the garage. It did the trick, and as new chicken owners we had a lot of excess energy to put into making it work. Daily cleanup was a process, and the final cleanup (dust everywhere) was even more involved.
This last go-round, we brooded them outside in the hen house of The Garden Ark, then graduated them to The Garden Coop hen house. That worked out really well, since keeping them outside also kept the dust outside.
But next time, the coops may still be occupied, so we’re gonna start them in one of these wire cage brooders that we now offer at TheGardenCoop.com. [UPDATE: Please see our Buyer’s Guide for brooder options, including getting this cage direct from the manufacturer.] Take a look.
How do you brood your backyard chicks? What’s worked and not worked for you? Leave a comment below and let us know!
You’ve read the books. You’ve chosen your breeds. You’ve even cleared a spot in the yard for the chicken coop. And yet, something’s still missing.
Something feathery.
It’s okay. Look, you’ve already made it from the idea stage to the planning stage, and that’s quite a big leap. Now you just have to get from planning to doing.
Here are some tips for actually making it happen: (more…)
You’ve picked out the cutest little fluff balls you could find to start your flock. Now it’s time to set them up in a brooder, give them some feed and water, and hope they grow into a sturdy flock of backyard hens (no roosters. . . no roosters. . .).
There aren’t too many choices you have to make right now, but there are some. Medicated or organic feed? Where to put the brooder? What bedding to use? How to control the dust? (Chicks produce an unfathomable amount of nano-chicky-dust.)
I’ll post more on these topics soon. But for now, check out this chronicle from Amy over at Garden Rant. She’s starting a small flock too and gives a good description of the basic setup.
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