Post by BodySnatcher on May 20, 2014 6:21:16 GMT -8
Why Chickens? Chicken taste like chicken and provide nutritious eggs and meat. Chickens will control small pests and insect populations (earwigs, grubs, beetles, even moles) and will provide an early warning system if predators are nearby. Once you've dined on fresh chicken eggs and meat you might never head to the supermarket again. - - But then again there might not be a supermarket to go to. - - Fresh eggs (not weeks or months old) are packed with flavor and provide better nutrition than “old” eggs. You can see the difference in the eggs yolk. A fresh egg will have a healthy orange color not a pale yellow that you see with your store bought eggs. Research shows, chickens that are allowed to roam freely and eat grass lay eggs that are higher in Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin E, and at the same time lower in cholesterol than store-bought eggs.
Chickens are low maintenance, they do not need to be walked, brushed, or fed twice a day. All you have to do is gather fresh tasty eggs daily, fill their water and food containers a couple of times a week and recycle their bedding once a month. Your chickens will require maintenance of ten (10) minutes per day. Additionally your chickens will cost you one (1) hour or so per month, two (2) to Three (3) hours twice a year on semi-annual maintenance. Fresh survival eggs and chicken meat are not a bad return on your time investment.
“Standard vs. Bantam” - You must decide whether to get Standard (aka "Large Fowl") or Bantam (one (1) to two (2) pounds each) chicken to raise. Standard chickens produce larger eggs and have a reduced susceptibility to predators due to their size. Not to be out done the Bantam rooster is friendly to humans and will fiercely protective of their flock against wild predators, large family dogs, feral animals, and you if they perceive as a threat to the flock. Traditionally Bantam rosters are friendly to humans. The good news is that you can combine the two (2) sizes in a flock, so if you want both types, you are free to mix and match! If you live in a place that is regularly over one-hundred (100) degrees, you want to avoid the fat, fluffy and feather-footed breeds. These chickens cannot cool properly and will die from heat related causes. Bantams do well in the summer (except the feather-footed varieties), and the best Standard breeds for hot climates are, White Leghorns, Light Brown Leghorns, Blue Andalusians, and Golden Campines.
“Meat & Egg Production” - Some breeds of chickens are valued mainly for meat, while others are for lying of eggs. Also, there are chickens known as "dual purpose" and ornamental breeds. If you want the best possible egg production, limit your search to the laying breeds. Some of the best chickens for eggs are White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, Black Star, Red Star, Light Sussex, Plymouth Rock, Cuckoo Maran, and Barred Rock. If you want the best possible meat production, limit your search to the meat breeds. Some of the best chickens for meat are, Rhode Island Red, Langshan, Dorking, Cornish, and Cornish cross. Dual purpose chickens, which provide both good eggs and good meat, are generally the best choice for homesteads, small farms, or backyard flocks. Dual purpose breeds also tend to be healthier, more self-sufficient, and better foragers than many more highly bred and specialized breeds. Some of the best chickens for dual-purpose (eggs and meat) are, Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Marans, Australorps, and Orpingtons.
Thinking about keeping a rooster (Cock-A-Doodle-Doo) in your flock. At least one to start, Roosters are not needed egg production, they are needed if you plan to maintain your chicken population. Additionally, roosters help protect hens against predatory animals and are a great early warning system.
Warning: Roosters crow throughout the day and may alert bad guys to your location. Additionally some Cities, Towns, areas have laws banning roosters.
Chicks can be purchased at a bird hatchery, garden, farm supply store or mail order. Additionally, grown chickens may be obtained at hatcheries, farms, or production farms near you.
Caring for baby chicks is like caring for puppies! Chicks are a handful, baby chicks require constant care and monitoring, so make sure you schedule time for the first four (4) weeks. Make sure you or a member of your group, or family are available to check on these babies five (5) times a day. Chicks grow quickly and by the time they are three (3) or four (4) weeks old these chicks will begin to take up a lot of dirty space. At four (4) to five (5) weeks you can transfer the chicks to their outside coop. Prior to this period you will need to keep your chicks in a predator-proof location (fenced coop, garage, workshop, or basement). Choose the best possible option keeping in mind that wherever you keep the chicks, they must be safe from predators and unfriendly temperatures. One of the most important parts of raising healthy chicks is to provide a “brooder” (a chick town house). Baby chicks need to be protected from drafts but still have adequate ventilation, a cardboard box with holes will work well. Chicks will require two (2) square feet per chick. This may sound like a lot of space, but the older and bigger a chick gets the more room they will need. Baby chicks need to be kept pretty hot (sauna) the first week of their lives. The best air temperature is around ninety-five (95) degrees, the second week ninety (90) degrees, going down by five (5) degrees per week until they're ready to transition to "outside". A two-hundred to two-hundred and fifty (250) watt infrared heat lamp is the best. Place the light right in the middle of their living area and suspended off the floor. Pay close attention to how your chicks. If they're all crowded together directly under the heat source, they are too cold. (Lower the lamp or add another). If the chicks are around the edges of the brooder, avoiding the heat and each other like the zombie plague, they are too hot. (Raise the heat lamp). Know for whatever reason some of your chicks will die. You should purchase a few more chicks than you plan to have "chickens".
WARNING: A sixty (60) watt bulb will not warm the brood. This is why I recommend a two-hundred to two-hundred and fifty (250) watt infrared heat lamp.
Chicks are poop factories, be sure to line the floor of their housing unit with an absorbent material. The best material to spread is pine shavings, about one (1) inch thick. Newspaper is not absorbent and can lead to "splayed leg" which may result in the other chickens picking on the affected bird to death. Many people also swear by paper towels, if you go this route remember to change the towels often.
WARNING: DO NOT use cedar shavings, the aromatic oils will irritate your chicks' lungs, and make them more susceptible to respiratory problems as adults.
Baby chicks have special needs when it comes to water. For the best results I recommend a chick waterer. These come in a number of different sizes and shapes and will meet the chicks needs. Remember, even with the best drinker\waterer the chicks will still kick bedding materials into it and find ways to poop in waterer from time to time. Raising the waterer off the ground will help but no matter what the chicks are going to get that water messy. Plan on changing the water and cleaning the waterer a few times each day. Buy a "real" baby chick feeder. They come in many shapes and sizes, and offer the baby chick access to food.
Bonus Feature: Chickens love to roost on poles or branches when resting. You do not have to provide your brood roosting poles, but as the chickens mature they will be happier if you do. A half (1/2”) inch diameter wooden dowels about five (5) inches off the ground will work well. The chicks may like roosting poles so much they won't roost on top of your feeder or waterer.
When it comes to feeding your chicks purchase, in advance, special feed complete with everything baby chicks need. It's called "starter feed", can be found at most feed stores, and comes in either "crumbles" or "mash" (referring to how ground down it is). Medicated feed is a great way to keep your chicks healthy for those first few months. Follow manufactures feeding instructions. Starter feeds contain everything chicks need to survive and thrive. Filling your chicks up with too much of the "other stuff" can throw off their nutritional balance. Feed them as much as they want and do not ration their food. Chicks are not like most dogs the birds will self-regulate their consumption and not over feed. Yes, I've seen FAT dogs but a fat chicken is "Good Eats".
Remember, chickens do not have teeth instead they eat tiny pebbles and store them in their "crop". When the food enters their crop, the pebbles grind it up to make digestion easier. For baby chicks, sand, parakeet gravel or canary gravel, available at your local pet store will do the job. You can either sprinkle this in their feed or provide it in a small cup or bowl for the chick to get.
Check on your chicks several times a day. Chicks need around the clock access to clean food and water. For sanitary purposes and to keep their area from stinking, change the chick’s bedding once or twice a week. Throw the used bedding in the compost pile where it will turn into rich soil. As the chicks get older, place a length of deer netting or chicken wire on top of their living quarters to prevent escape.
If it's warm outside a three (3) to four (4) week old chicks may go outside, if the temperature is seventy to seventy-five (70 to75) degrees. Remember to put the chicks in a wire cage or some other temporary shelter and place it in the sun. Do not forget access to food, water, and shade if needed.
WARNING: Don't leave the chicks unattended!
At five (5) to six (6) weeks of age your chickens are ready to move outside full-time. A chicken’s coop is its castle and before you move your food outside full time you will need a coop ready to go. An adequate chicken coop design must be:
- Predator-proof (sides, below, & above) Predators are not limited to rats, raccoons, foxes, wolves, coyotes and hawks. (one-half inch square "hardware cloth" works well)
- Be breezy enough to prevent respiratory diseases, to which chickens are especially prone, but not so drafty during winter. Chickens can withstand the cold so long as it's not drafty.
- Be easy to clean so bugs and bacteria do not fester.
- Provide "roosting poles" for the chickens to sleep on, two inch wide, rounded edges, allow five (5) to ten (10) inches of space per bird.
- Egg-laying encouraging with one (1) nest box for every four (4) or five (5) chickens. Nest boxes should be raised off the ground at least a few inches, but lower than the lowest roosting pole. They should also be dark and "out of the way" to encourage to the hen to lay eggs in a safe place.
- Be roomy, at least four (4) square feet per bird. At least ten (10) square feet per bird if they are permanently confined.
- Able to accommodate a feeder and waterer, which should hang six (6) to eight (8) inches off the ground.
- Include a removable "droppings tray" under roosting poles for capture and easy disposal of droppings.
- Water proof cover. This will keep wild birds (which can carry communicable diseases) out and provide further defense against sly predators.
CLICK HERE for more information on Chicken Coops and Several Instructions.
Note: Chickens at twenty (20) weeks or older start laying eggs, have on hand a complete "layer" feed.
Left alone, chickens will eat just about anything a person can. Therefore leftovers or scrap foods will not go to waste during extreme survival situations. Those scraps (aka garbage) will be transformed to the incredible edible egg.
WARNING: Watch out for feeding chicken certain foods. Chickens Shouldn't Eat:
- Avocado skins and pits (seeds)
- Bones
- Chocolate
- Citrus fruits and peels (may cause a drop in egg production)
- Daffodils (poisonous to chickens)
- Garlic (eggs will take on the flavor of garlic)
- Long cut grass
- Meat (large servings or meat that has gone bad)
- Morning Glories (poisonous to chickens)
- Onions (eggs will take on the flavor of onions)
- Potato skins (Raw)
Adding chicken scat (poop) to your compost pile is a wonderful way to increase the nitrogen levels of your planting mix. At the end of your composting process you'll be left with soil that is rich and fertile. Additionally, chickens are preprogrammed to hunt through leafs, weeds, and grass clippings. Chickens will pulverize your clippings and weeds to find whatever they can eat. This stirs the compose mix and aids in the decay (compose) process.
Note: Eggshells are a great addition to the compose pile; especially in areas where there is soil is predominantly clay.
If you want to see a chicken go nutty, give it some scratch. Scratch is a mix of grains including corn, wheat, oats and rye, among others and should not be kept in a feeder for around the clock access. Scratch is usually thrown on the ground for the chickens to peck at. It should be a special treat, not a staple of their diet. Too much scratch a chicken’s egg will become weak and susceptible to breakage.
The lack of calcium or oyster shell in a chicken’s diet may cause weak or irregularly shaped eggs, slow laying and can even cause behavior problems like egg-eating, because they're so desperate for the calcium they need. If your hens have a good, "complete" layer feed, they may not ever need oyster shells or any supplemental calcium. So, plan on calcium alternatives for your chickens. One idea to obtain the replacement calcium is to save, dry and crush your used egg shells. Then feed them back to the chickens. Also, in most places, free range chickens may not need additional calcium.
Bedding is an important part of keeping your chickens healthy. On the coop floor the bedding will provide a soft surface for your chickens to walk on and will absorb droppings (for your compost pile) and control odor. Soft bedding will provide a safe landing zone for eggs. There are many bedding materials to choose from, and I think the best is pine wood shavings (not to be confused with pine chips). Bedding should be at least two (2) inches thick.
WARNING: A cracked egg is a “spoiled” egg.
Chickens love to take dust (aka dirt) baths! They dig a shallow hole, loosen up all the dirt, and proceed to get themselves absolutely as dirty as they possibly can. (Don't worry, the chickens will shake the dirt off later...) Dust baths are absolutely necessary. They prevent parasites such as mites and lice from finding a home in your chickens' feathers and legs.
Teach your chickens where "home" is by confining them to their coop for Four (4) to five (5) full days. After that, if let the chickens out to forage they will always return home to roost. Keeping feeders and waterers full will help encourage the chickens to return home too. Chickens are less inclined to drink dirty water, and a dehydrated bird can very quickly become ill or die. Check to make sure all your chickens look active, bright and healthy.
Note: Collect and refrigerate (if possible) eggs daily. Remember to keep eggs pointy side down for maximum freshness.
Bonus Feature: Eggs may have some slight traces of dirt or chicken feces on them. Resist the urge to scrub them clean. The egg goodness in just fine inside.
Monthly chicken maintenances require the bedding in the coop and the nest is changed. This is necessary for sanitary purposes. Twice a year you need to scrub your coop clean or change its location. Annually, clean the coop with a concoction of one (1) part bleach, one (1) part dish soap, and ten (10) parts water. Strong citrus cleanser will also do the trick. Remember to rinse the area well and let dry before replacing coop with fresh bedding.
Note: Handing chickens is not an art. The key is finding the balance between being gentle and letting them know that no matter how much they squirm, they are not getting away.
Chickens adapt to the cold weather over time. Their body metabolism actually changes along with the seasons. If possible or preferred avoid heating the coop, the birds will get used to the colder outside temperature.
Note: To protect combs and wattles from frostbite rub on petroleum jelly or another heavy moisturizer every few days.
Note: Your hens may lay fewer eggs during heat waves. This is a sign of stress, but laying rates will return to normal once the heat has receded.
WARNING: Fertilizers & "Turf Builders", these products very often contain pesticides, herbicides and other harsh, nasty chemicals. Keep clear from free range chickens.
No matter how hard you try chickens do get sick. The following symptoms indicate illness in chickens:
- Abnormal stool (blood, visible worms, diarrhea, droppings that are all white, a normal stool is brown with a white cap.)
- Loss of appetite
- Loss of energy or depression
- Mangy appearance
- Sneezing
- Stunted growth
- Sudden or drastic reduction in position in pecking order
- Visible mites
Warning: Separate ill chickens immediately and be prepared to euthanize and burn the carcass is necessary. Do not eat the meat nor should you feed the carcass to other animals. The meat may be tainted with nasties.
Note: Some eggs may look pretty pathetic smaller than normal, shells will be weak, and some eggs won't even have shells at all. Don't worry! This is not a sign of sickness.
Note: Chickens will lose and re-grow their feathers once a year. This is called "molting" and is perfectly normal. They won't lay eggs during this time.
Your chickens may go "broody" at any time in their life. This is when chickens stubbornly insist on sitting on eggs in order to hatch them into baby chicks. It doesn't matter if the eggs are fertilized or not; some hens will even go broody on golf balls or wooden eggs!
Because the eggs are not fertilized, the heat of your hen sitting on them will cause them to decompose at a faster rate. A broody chicken will just sit and sit and sit on her nest, and will not eat or drink as much as normal. To prevent this habit from forming, collect eggs every day. Hens are more likely to go broody on a nest full of eggs versus an empty one. If a hen has already gone broody an ice pack in the nest will usually do the trick of getting her out of that mood.
Once per year, every year, chickens will shed and re-grow some of their feathers. This process is called "molting". This usually happens in summer months. Do not to worry, the feathers will grow back and your bird will look better than ever.
Due to fewer daylight hours in the winter, your chickens' egg production will decrease during winter months. If you wish for more eggs, provide supplemental light during the otherwise dark morning and early evening hours.
The life span of chickens is still a bit of a mystery. It's common for a hen to live eight (8) to ten (10) years. The older a chicken gets the fewer eggs they lay. These older chickens are not a waste of resources, they are excellent at tick-eating, mosquito-eating, and fly-eating, not to mention they're still fertilizer machines.
Things to remember:
- Do not name your chickens (it’s hard to eat the family pet)
- Start with quality stock (professional breeder)
- Provide shelter and an area to roam (Chicken coop)
- Purchase store-bought feed designed for the purpose of egg production - or - let them eat a free range diet in the summer and give them your table scraps year round.
- Clean out the chicken coop or pen at least twice per year
- Age the chicken manure in your compost heap for one full year, then add it to your garden soil
- Eggs are great trade items (can be frozen safely outside their shells)
I like the Bantam breed of chickens, they come in all colors and sizes to suit a wide variety of uses and tastes. Depending on feed, age, and season, you can expect from one (1) to four (4) eggs a week from each chicken (Roosters excluded). Imagine having a half dozen or so of hens and a few roosters, three (3), and how the protein pill will boost your food quality. With the augmentation of eggs your stored supplies will last longer.
There is minimal difference in care (other than the feed) for chickens vs. turkeys or other poultry (ducks, geese, pheasants). Here are a few basic principles to follow when keeping birds of any sort:
- Begin with quality bird stock purchased from a local hatchery, poultry supplier or mail order.
- Give your birds room to roam (free range) outside as well as shelter from the elements and predators (Coop).
- When possible feed your chickens store-bought feed designed for the purpose of egg production or healthy weight gain for meat.
- Supplement their diets with as much natural food as possible (let them eat a free range diet in the summer and give them your table scraps year round).
- Clean out the chicken coop or pen at least twice per year.
- Age the chicken manure in your compost heap for one full year, then add it to your garden soil.
- Sell, trade, or freeze (not in the shell) any excess eggs.
- Don't feed “meat” birds any longer than necessary. Once a meat chicken reached their maximum or expected size, butcher them and eat, can, or freeze them.
WARNING: If you wait too long to harvest your chicken, fat will collect on the heart of the bird which will quickly kill your dinner. If the chicken dies of natural causes and you find the bird a day or two too late the meat will not be good for you to consume.
An important thing to remember, chicken can be housed in small areas, on roof tops, below ground, or in a spare room. What I have written here is not a complete guide to raising chickens. I recommend you search the World Wide Web or purchase a few books on the subject. However, as you can see, raising chickens for food will be an immeasurable benefit to you and your team or group when things as we know it fail.
What experiences have you had with Survival Chickens?