Hen Helper Blog

This summer, we pre-ordered 20 chicks with 15 of those chicks being a "mystery" from the hatchery. We think we have the mystery chicks all identified. Rhode Island Reds, Barred Plymouth Rock, and Golden Comets. The hope is to sell most of these before needing to merge them into the flock. However, if we need to merge in order to winter over until they start laying in January, we can do that. We have done it before and have plenty of room in the main coop. 

We ordered Ducks this year for eggs and for sale. We are hoping to keep four Runner Duck Hens for ourselves, and selling the other four.  They are adorable. I had never held newly hatched ducklings and didn't realize that their down is more like holding a brush. Duck down is stiffer than the chick down. Also, they are a lot messier than chicks. Who Knew? 

This year, we are adding some new breeds due to customers wanting some breeds that we don't normally raise. This year, we included Black Copper Marans, Silver Laced Wyandottes, Easter Eggers, Australorp, and Lavender Orpington to our mix.  We also ended up with more roosters accidentally from the hatchery. We ended up with three this spring, after it was all said and done.  Although we did raise a small batch of Production Red roosters for a customer, we tend to have a difficult time getting rid of those "accident" roosters. We had a lot of fun though, this spring, with all the special orders while learning more about the personality traits of the breeds that are new to us. 

Those of us who try to stay organic and antibiotic-free as much as possible when raising chickens rely on Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) for cleaning as well as a nutrient supplement for chicks and chickens.  A wonderful article that has the research compiled as an easy to understand resource is " Apple Cider Vinegar: are the benefits for chickens as valuable as people claim ." After reading the article, if you decide that you too want to use ACV for your chickens, the next question is how to convert the dosage from UK in to US. The quanity amounts recommended are in metric/litre and for those of us in the US, well, we are the ounces, quarts and gallons type of measurers.  So the amount for young chicks at 0.5% of ACV to water (in plastic or ceramic containers - not metal or galvanized) is about 1 teaspoon of ACV per quart of water and to be added to the water for about one week per month.  As the chicks grow (about six to eight+ weeks of age), using 1% ACV, you might increase...

We have three breeds of future egg layers for sale. Raised all organic, currently pastured and ready for your coop. They will be laying eggs by the end of January, 2021.  Email us at craigs list @ 2 - email . me (remove the spaces) Rhode Island Red (Mahogany Red Feathers - Excellent Layers - 280+ eggs in the first year) Barred Plymouth Rock (Black and White Stripped Feathers - Excellent Layers 270+ eggs first year) Blue/Sapphire Plymouth Rock (Black and Gray Feathers - Excellent Layers 280+ eggs first year)

A common intestinal disease in chicks is Cocci (coxy) or Coccidiosis.  As explained in the Merck Veterinarian Manual , it is a "protozoa of the phylum Apicomplexa, family Eimeriidae," and "Coccidia are almost universally present in poultry-raising operations." Even in healthy environments, the chicks may have some Cocci within their digestive system, but when it overloads their digestive tract, then chicks may fail to thrive and stop eating altogether.   Unfortunately, if chicks develop Cocci, the use of medicated starter feed is less than helpful, nor useful in these situations, especially when it involves chicks, because they will usually stop eating. Most chicks and mature chickens can build resistance to Cocci parasites in their digestive system over time if they are raised and kept in a healthy environment. Unfortunately, brooding environments can be difficult to keep clean and "Cocci" free, as the birds are typically eating feed that falls on the flo...