LIving with chickens everything you need to know to raise youse your own

Living with CHICKENS Living with CHICKENS Everything You Need to Know to Raise Your Own BAC KYA R D F LO C K Second Edition JAY ROSSIER PHOTOGRAPHS BY GEOFF HANSEN Introduction by the American Poultry Association, Inc Revised by Lisa Steele Guilford, Connecticut Previous Page: A group of hens and roosters race out for their morning breakfast at Lianne Thomashow’s home in Strafford, Vermont About six months after moving to Vermont from Brooklyn, New York, Thomashow started her flock, and she now has a dozen chickens on her quarter-acre lot in the village An imprint of Globe Pequot Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK Copyright © 2017 by Rowman and Littlefield Photographs copyright © 2002 Geoff Hansen Illustrations: Greg Crawford Sidebar engravings: www.arttoday.com All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available ISBN 978-1-4930-2995-2 (paperback) ISBN 978-1-4930-3230-3 (e-book) The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 Printed in the United States of America To A n d y , S a m , a n d L i a m C O N T E N T S Acknowledgments ix Introduction xi Chapter 1 The Charm of Chickens 1 Chapter 2 Where Your Chickens Will Live 21 Chapter 3 Getting Eggs to Hatch 51 Chapter 4 Raising Chicks 69 Chapter 5 Buying Adult Chickens 85 Chapter 6 Feeding Your Chickens 95 Chapter 7 Hens and Eggs 121 Chapter 8 Butchering Your Meat Birds 133 Chapter 9 The Health of Your Chickens 149 Chapter 10 Children and Chickens 163 Appendices Chicken Breeds 171 Hatcheries 175 Equipment and Supplies 179 Cooperative Extension Offices 181 Other Poultry Links 187 Organizations 187 Glossary 189 Bibliography 193 Index 195 Opposite: An apple tree frames Tom Powers’ chicken house in South Royalton, Vermont Built in 1983, the building is too far from the main house, according to Powers: “I’ve had to dig a 100-foot path through the snow ten times some winters.” A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S For many reasons this book owes its existence to the patience, persistence, and good humor of Ann Treistman of The Lyons Press Many thanks also to Geoff Hansen for his photographs and friendship, and The Mountain School of Milton Academy in Vershire, Vermont, for the use of their space Many friends and acquaintances have shared their chicken experiences with me and helped in other ways, but I had particularly valuable assistance from Gerry Coleman, Alex Keats, Bob Machin, and Mary Hays —Jay Rossier Thanks are due to chicken farmers Carrie Maynard, Tom Powers and Lianne Thomashow, the Vermont Bird Fanciers Club, author Jay Rossier, and especially editor Ann Treistman at The Lyons Press — Geoff Hansen, Photographer Opposite: One of Lianne Thomashow’s birds, spending an afternoon in the chicken coop on a cold afternoon 190 Glossary A flock of meat chickens curl up for the night with Frye the pig After the birds were slaughtered, the pig began sleeping in a little bed made by his keeper—Thomashow’s layers preferred to sleep separately on their roosts Co cke rel  A male chicken less than a year old Comb  The fleshy red spiked top-knot on a chicken’s head C rop  The pouch in a chicken’s esophagus, at the base of its neck, that bulges with feed after the bird has eaten Cu l l  To remove a nonproductive or otherwise troublesome bird from the flock; also, the removed chicken itself D e b e a k  To remove part of the top beak to prevent cannibalism D roppi ngs  Manure E mbr y o  The developing chicken inside a fertile egg Glossary Fa ke e gg  An object with the shape, size and weight of an egg left to encourage hens to lay in a particular place Fr y e r  A young meat bird, also called a broiler G i z z a rd  An organ in the digestive system of a chicken that grinds food with grit swallowed by the chicken G r it  Sand and pebbles eaten by chickens to grind food in its gizzard H e n  A female chicken a year or more old Ho ck  The joint in the chicken’s leg between the thigh and the shank Hybr id  The offspring of a cock and a hen of different breeds K e el  The breastbone of the chicken Litter Biodegradable material such as pine shavings used on the floor and in nesting boxes to absorb moisture and keep housing clean M ite  A type of external crawling parasite M olt  The annual dropping out and regrowing of a chicken’s feathers O v iduc t  The tube through which an egg travels over the course of its formation until it is laid Pa s t i ng  Manure sticking to the rear of a young chick Pe ck i ng orde r  The social ranking of a group of chickens Pe rch   A pole a chicken sleeps on at night, also called a roost Plu m age  The feathering of the chicken as a whole 191 192 Glossary P ubic B one s  The two bones sticking out from either side of the vent P u l le t  A female chicken less than a year old R at ion  The total mix of feeds eaten by a chicken R oa s te r  A bird for cooking whole, larger than a fryer or broiler R o os t  A pole a chicken sleeps on at night, also called a perch R o os te r  A male chicken a year or more old Also called a cock S c ratch  Whole or cracked grain fed to chickens S e t t i ng  The incubation of eggs by a hen S e x e d  Chicks that have been sorted by sex Sh a n k  The lower leg of a chicken Sp u r  The sharp points on the back of a rooster’s shanks St a n d a rd  Short for the Standard of Perfection, published by the APA, which describes the “perfect” bird of each breed Also, the description for any given breed St ight r u n  New chicks that have not been sexed Tr io  A cock and two hens (or a cockerel and two pullets) of the same breed and variety Ve nt  The opening at the rear of the chicken where the digestive, urinary, and reproductive tracts end B I B L I O G R A P H Y Aldrovandi on Chickens: The Ornithology of Ulisse Aldrovandi (1600) Volume II, Book XIV, translated from the Latin with introduction, contents, and note by L.R Lind Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1963 Damerow, Gail, Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens Pownal, Vermont: Storey Press, 1995 Daniel, Charles and Page Smith, The Chicken Book Athens, Georgia: The ­University of Georgia Press, reprint 2000 Graves, Will, Raising Poultry Successfully Charlotte, Vermont: Williamson Publishing, 1985 Jull, Morely A., Successful Poultry Management New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1951 Lee, Andy and Pat Foreman, Chicken Tractor: The Permaculture Guide to Happy Hens and Healthy Soil Columbus, Pennsylvania: Good Earth Publications, 1998 Lippincott, William Adams and Leslie E Card, Poultry Production Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Lea and Febiger, 1946 Logsdon, Gene, The Contrary Farmer White River Jct., Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing, 1993 Luttman, Rick and Gail, Chickens in Your Backyard: A Beginner’s Guide Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale Press, 1976 194 Bibliography Macdonald, Betty, The Egg and I New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1987 Mercia, Leonard, Raising Poultry The Modern Way Pownal, Vermont: Garden Way Publishing, 1990 Salatin, Joel, Pastured Poultry Profits$ Swoope, Virginia: Polyface Inc., 1994 I N D E X Boldface numerals refer to illustrations and photographs acquiring chickens, 17–19, 85, 85–93 beak trimming, 161 ailments Black Australorp, 42 Bumblefoot, 154 bleaching sequence, 92 cannibalism, 157, 161 bleeding, 135, 137, 138 chronic respiratory disease, 153 bloom, 123 coccidiosis, 78, 80–81, 154 Bourbon Red turkey, 170 Fowl Pox, 153 Brahma, 6, 13, 94, 110, 112 infectious bronchitis, 153 breeds infectious coryza, 153 choosing, 4–14 Marek’s disease, 153 dual-purpose, 6, 8–9 Newcastle disease, 153 for laying, 5, 6, 8, 111–13 parasites, 88, 154–55, 157 for meat, 5, 6, 13, 109–11 pasting up, 82–83 See also individual breeds picking, 83 brooder setup, 73 airflow requirements, 25 Buff Orpington, 170 airspace in eggs, 66 Bumblefoot, 154 albumin, 122 butchering Amprolium, 80–81 basic steps, 135 antibiotics, 151 belly incision, 144 appearance, 12–13 cutting off feet, 142 Araucana, xix, 41, 86 cutting out oil gland, 143 eviscerating, 142–46 bacteria, 36, 54, 123, 149, 151 killing the bird, 137–39 beak shield, 159–60 plucking, 140 196 Index preparation for, 135–37 light requirements, 76 pulling out the guts, 145 litter, 76 scalding, 139–40 starting with, 17–19 water requirements, 76–77 calcium, 113, 125 children and chickens, 163–68 candler, 64 chronic respiratory disease, 153 candling coccidiosis, 78, 80–81, 125, 154 airspace check, 67 Cochin, definition of, 64–65 Columbian Wyandotte, x, xvi, 29, 60, equipment, 62, 64  103, 158 fertility check, 65, 66–67 coop See housing cannibalism, 157–61 Cornish, catnip, 43 Cornish-Rock Cross, 6, 13 cedar shavings, 55 cracked corn, 99 chamomile, 43 crowing, 14 chick guard, 72 crumbles, 98 chick starters, 78, 80–81 curtains, 41, 43 chicken tractor, 29 chicks dairy products, 107 ailments, 78, 82–83 Dark Brahma, xiv, 63, 94, 110 arrival by mail, 81–82 diseases brooder setup, 73 causes of, 150 brooding, 69–83 preventing, 149 dispersal in brooder, 73 See also ailments draft protection, 71–75 dogs, 30, 49 feeders, 68 Dominique, feeding, 78–81 doors, 33–34 heating source, 71 draft guard, 72 197 Index drainage, 25 embryo, 66 dual-purpose breeds, evisceration, 142–46 See also individual breeds dust bath, 158 feed calcium, 113 egg carton, 17 for chicks, 78–81 egg production commercial, 97–100 checking for, 90–91 cost, 111 light requirements for, 127 finishing, 111 molting and, 129 grass, 114–15 rates, 15, 53 growing, 108 eggs for layers, 100, 111 acquiring, 52–53 for meat breeds, 109–11 cleaning, 54 mixed flocks, 113 fertile, 125 oats, 113 fertility of, 65, 66–67 oyster shell, 113 formation of, 122–23, 125 protein content of, 100, 106–07 handling, 53, 54 starter/grower, 109, 111 hatching, 67 storage of, 100–101 hatching rate, 51 supplements, 102, 104, 106–08 incubating, 17–19, 54, 57–58 feeders, 68, 78, 80, 83, 115–17 laying schedule, 15, 52–53 feeding practice, 108 parts of, 123 finishing ration, 111 placement of, 58–59 foraging, 102–04, 111, 112 shelf life, 128 Fowl Pox, 153 storing, 54, 128 foxes, 30, 49 turning, 54, 59–60 freezing, 147 eggshell, crushed, 125 Frizzles, 12–13 198 Index Golden-Laced Wyandotte, 7, 12 walls, 30 grains, 100 windows, 24, 35, 34–36 gravity feeder, 116 hygrometer, 62 grazing, 114–15 grit, 81, 104, 106 incubation airspace in egg and, 61–62 hardiness, 13 artificial, 56–57 hatching rate, 51 by hen, 54–55 hawks, 49 pros and cons, 17, 18–19 hens, older, 121, 125 tips, 57–61 herbs, 43 housing incubators airflow in, 62 airflow, 25 basic, 19 design considerations, 23–24 humidity in, 61–64 doors, 33–34 placement of, 57 drainage, 25 temperature, 60–61 electricity to, 44–47 types of, 56 elevation, 31 infectious bronchitis, 153 floor, 30 infectious coryza, 153 floor plan, 31 infundibulum, 122 location of, 24–25 isolation quarters, 149–50 nesting boxes, 38–41, 43, 55 isthmus, 123 reasons for, 21 roost, 37–38 Jersey Giant, run, fenced in, 24, 29, 47, 49 security, 33–34 killing, 136, 137–39 space needed per bird, 28, 29 killing cone, 139 ventilation, 34–36 199 Index lavender, 43 molting layer ration, 100, 112 duration, 131 laying breeds, 5, 6, 8, 111–13 egg production and, 129 See also individual breeds laying capacity, 121 forced, 131 timing, 131 laying schedule, 53 lice, 154–155 nest, 55 light nest eggs, 41, 52 artificial, 127 nesting boxes, 38–41, 55 requirements of chicks, 76 New Hampshire, xiii, requirements for egg production, 125 Newcastle disease, 153 sunlight, 36 noise, 14 Light Brahma, 112 litter oats, 113 cleaning, 34 Old English Game hen, management, 38 old-time breeds, locks, 33–34 See also individual breeds Orpington, 8, 13 magnum, 122 oviduct, 122 manure, 29, 30, 34, 39, 54 ovulation, 122 Marek’s disease, 153 owls, 49 mash, 98 oyster shell, 113, 125 meat breeds, 5, 6, 13, 109, 111 mink, 32 parasites, 47, 55, 88, 149, 150, 154–55, 157 mites, 154, 155, 157 parts of the chicken, mixed flocks pasting up, 82–83 acquiring, 17 Pearson’s square, 107 feeding, 113 pellets, 98, 111 200 Index pen, movable, 115 scalding, 140–41 picking, 83 shell gland, 123 pine shavings, 55 Silkie, 10, 13 plucking, 140 Silver-Laced Wyandotte, 7, 11, 12, 84, Plymouth Rock,  129, 134 predators, 14, 30, 32, 33, 47 Silver-Penciled Wyandotte, 12, 174 protein, 98, 99, 100, 106, 107 Silver-Spangled Hamburg, 155 protozoa, 154 size pullets, 93, 121 bantam breeds, 10 large breeds, raccoons, 28, 32, 33 skin color, rats, 150 skunks, 30 range feeding, 28–29 soybean meal, 100 Reds, 13 space requirements, 28 Rhode Island Red, 8, 12, 42, 91 spaddle legs, 76 Rock-Cornish Cross, Standard of Perfection, 4, Rocks, 13 starter/grower feed, 107, 109, 112 roost sunlight, 36 building, 37 cleaning, 38, 39 table scraps, 102 rooster, 14, 22, 53, 124, 125, 126, 132, temperament, 13  148, 152 tube feeder, 117 rodents, 100 run, fenced in, 24, 29, 44, 47 uterus, 123 runts, 83 vent, 90 Salatin pen, 115 ventilation, 34–36 scaly leg mite, 157 Veterinary Feed Directive, 151 Index water requirements, 76–77, 95, 97 worms, 154 waterers, 77, 83, 117–19 Wyandotte, weasels, 32 White Leghorn, xv, xx, 6, 162 windows, 34–36 zoning laws, 201 .. .Living with CHICKENS Living with CHICKENS Everything You Need to Know to Raise Your Own BAC KYA R D F LO C K Second Edition JAY ROSSIER PHOTOGRAPHS BY GEOFF HANSEN Introduction... were bred to both tolerably well Once you know what you want from your chicken, you can begin to imagine some of its characteristics: size, temperament, and looks There are chickens bred to be attractive... Adult Chickens 85 Chapter 6 Feeding Your Chickens 95 Chapter 7 Hens and Eggs 121 Chapter 8 Butchering Your Meat Birds 133 Chapter 9 The Health of Your Chickens 149 Chapter 10 Children and Chickens 163