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    • Pecking Order is a Thing. Here’s How to Handle It.

      Posted at 8:00 am by HomeDabbler, on June 23, 2020
      HomeDabbler | Pecking Order is a Thing. Here's What to Do About It.

      Photo by Berend de Kort from Pexels

      Do some of your chickens push the others around? Do you have one or two that dominate the rest? Do you have trouble getting your big chickens to accept newer birds to the flock?

      It’s pecking order.

      That’s a Real Thing?!

      You’ve heard the phrase. It comes from the chicken yard, and it’s a thing.

      Chickens, like people, live in hierarchies. Fact is, some of your birds are going to rise to the top and some are going to be relegated to the bottom. This is typically just fine. However, sometimes those at the top will bully those at the bottom.

      Those at the top of the order should not cause physical harm to others or deprive them of food (which can happen). A little posturing is fine, but when it comes to truly hurting each other, you have to stop it.

      Here’s how.

      Reset the Order

      Did you know that your current pecking order doesn’t have to stay that way?

      Chicken behavior can be remarkably easy to change. Unlike mammals (dog and cats), chickens have primitive brains and are a bit like robots. They can be programmed. Change the program, change the behavior (I wrote a whole post on it).

      Step 1: Remove the Offending Chicken(s)

      As long as the bullies “rule the roost” (another popular term from chicken life), they will be bullies. But you can use the primitive chicken brain against itself.

      First, remove those at the top of the pecking order from the flock and put them in a separate location.

      I prefer a broody breaker. Don’t have a broody breaker? You need one. I wrote an article on that too. You can also use your nursery.

      Give them food, water, and nesting. Make them comfortable, but don’t let them near the other birds.

      Step 2: Wait

      This is the hard part. Most chicken raisers don’t like to see their birds locked up, even mean ones. But it is necessary if you want to reset the pecking order. Separate the bullies from the general flock for at least three days.

      While the dominant birds are away, something interesting will happen. The remaining birds will reset the pecking order. They will choose a new leader, often a bird that was near the bottom of the old order. Don’t know why, but it works.

      Step 3: Reintroduce the Bully Birds

      After a few days, simply take the birds out of lock down and put them back into general population. No special care required. They are now the “new birds” and should fall in under the new boss.

      Once the pecking order is reestablished, it usually doesn’t go back to the old way. Sometimes, but rarely. And usually, the new king or queen of the flock is nicer. Again, don’t know why, it just works.

      Rinse and Repeat as Necessary

      Things will usually stay peaceful for quite a while after the reset. However, if the birds at the top of the new pecking order get mean, repeat the process again until things calm down.

      We’ve never had to do it more than once at a time.

      Kevin

      P.S. – If you want more chicken articles, visit my Chicken page.

      HomeDabbler Chicken Raising Manual for Beginners
      Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged chicken coop, chicken raising, Chickens
    • 3 Things Chicks Need That Big Chickens Don’t

      Posted at 8:00 am by HomeDabbler, on May 10, 2020
      HomeDabbler | Baby chicks eating starter crumbles

      Baby chicks are not just miniature adult chickens. They have special needs.

      Chicks need water and a place to dust dust bathe just like grown chickens, but here are three things your chicks need that your biggies don’t.

      1. Starter Crumbles

      Babies of all species have different nutritional needs than adults, including chickens.

      There are feeds designed especially for chicks. They are called starter crumbles (or starter grower).

      Crumbles are just that, little giblets of dry food. But starter crumbles are not just crushed layer pellets (what you feed adults). Crumbles have the right mix of protein and other nutrients to help your babies grow.

      Keep your chicks on crumbles for at least three months, usually about four.

      We like the Nutrena brand.

      PS – Give your babies ONLY their starter crumbles. No kitchen scraps until they are adults.

      See the little crumbly food? That’s chick starter.

      2. Heat Lamp

      Especially when the nights are cool. Baby chicks, if left with their mother, stay cuddled in her down feathers most of the time.

      They want to stifle. Ideally, they want to be about 95 degrees all the time.

      Your babies need heat, so put a heat lamp in their nursery. A cheap 250 red bulb will do.

      Heat lamp tip – If your chicks constantly huddle under the heat lamp, they are too cold. Get the temperature up. If they spread out, scratching and pecking naturally, they are just right.

      If they huddle in a corner away from the heat lamp, they are too hot. Raise the lamp some to cool it down.

      Give them the lamp until about three weeks old or the nights warm up.

      HomeDabbler | Heat lamp for baby chicks

      A cheap 250 watt red bulb makes a great heat lamp.

      3. Isolation

      You cannot throw your chicks into general population too soon. The older chickens will pick on the babies and can injure them.

      Your chicks need their own space for the first few months, until they are big enough to fend for themselves. However, I recommend that you put your nursery close to where the older birds are so they can all hear each other and acclimate.

      We usually transition ours into the larger flock between three and four months old.

      HomeDabbler | Chicken coop with adult chickens and baby chicks

      See the babies in their special nursery? Close to the adults but safely isolated.

      Give ’em a Good Start

      Chickens are super easy to raise. Babies have just a few more considerations. They are not hard to do but they are important.

      If you have trouble, comment on this post of message me through my Facebook page.

      Kevin

      Here are a few more articles I wrote about raising chicks:

      • 4 Solid Reasons to Buy Chicks Instead of Hatching Them
      • Got Spring Chickens? Here’s How to Care For Them
      • Chicken Pickin’: How to Choose the Breed For You

       

      HomeDabbler Chicken Raising Manual for Beginners
      Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged baby chicks, chicken coop, chicken feed, Chickens
    • Let’s Talk About Roosters

      Posted at 8:00 am by HomeDabbler, on September 20, 2019

      Roosters are gorgeous and majestic, the iconic poultry specimen. That said, I do not have them in my flock and haven’t had for many years.

      Most roosters are extremely aggressive once they reach sexual maturity (about six months old). After that, they are prone to attack you or your children.

      See that spur? It has one job – to stab.

      Don’t roosters protect the flock?

      Contrary to the idea of the noble rooster protecting his flock, more often than not our roosters spent more time harassing the hens.

      If you get a serious predator like a raccoon or fox, even the burliest rooster will be no match, especially at night when these varmints attack.

      Ready for a 24-hour serenade?

      And the crowing. Roosters do not just scream at day break. They crow around the clock, disturbing you and your neighbors.

      But what about eggs?

      The idea is that, without a rooster, your hens will not make eggs. Not true. The female of almost every species makes eggs no matter what. If you have no roosters, you will have no fertilized eggs, so no baby chicks.

      That said, hatching your own chicks is overrated, in my opinion. There are good reasons for just buying them.

      You’ve been warned.

      I know it’s romantic to have a towering rooster commanding your flock. But unless you want to hatch your own chicks, I recommend against it.

      Kevin

      P.S. – Want more chicken articles? Visit our Chickens page.

      HomeDabbler Chicken Raising Manual for Beginners
      Posted in Chickens | 1 Comment | Tagged backyard chickens, backyard poultry, chicken coop, Chickens, raising chickens, roosters
    • Chicken Wire is Useless

      Posted at 8:00 am by HomeDabbler, on September 9, 2019

      It sounds so right.

      Chicken. Wire. Wire for enclosing chickens. What could go wrong?

      A lot. Chicken wire, also called poultry netting, is a lot like duct tape. Used for everything but good for nothing.

      You’ve seen it, the cute honey-comb pattern wrapped around rustic coops, the very model of American farm yard-ery. The only problem is that chicken wire, while visually pleasing, doesn’t do its job, at least not long term.

      The primary reason for enclosing your chickens in their own space – a coop, run, or nursery – is to keep them safe. Chicken wire is made of, well, wire. However, the wire is very thin. It is galvanized to withstand the elements, but will not over the long haul.

      Eventually, your chicken wire will rust and corrode. Because it is so thin, predators like raccoons can (and will) break it. And they don’t need much space to get in. A raccoon or fox can slink through a hole the size of a grape fruit.

      These predators play for keeps. I lost my entire flock of 12 chickens in one night when two coons broke in.

      2″ chicken wire. See how corrode-y?

      There is a better way

      There are three better options to chicken wire, based on application.

      1. 2″ x 4″ weld wire

      Weld wire is also made of galvanized wire, but it is much thicker than chicken wire and will last longer.

      While I do not recommend using weld wire for high-security areas like your run, it is fine for a broody breaker or yard fence.

      2. “Rabbit wire”

      Love this stuff, especially the kind coated with PVC. Rabbit wire is the common name for 1″ weld wire (it is commonly used for rabbit hutches).

      It is expensive, so use it sparingly. You would not use it to cover an entire run (you could, but you better have serious budget), but it is great for nurseries. The small spaces make it impossible for even the tiniest chick or slither-i-est rat snake to pass through.

      3. The ultimate: chain link

      Lasts for ages. Virtually unbreakable. Chain link is the ultimate poultry protection device.

      It is also expensive but you will not have to replace it for years and years and years. No predator (save a bear, maybe) can penetrate it. I use chain link to cover my run – top, sides, and along the ground – and haven’t lost a chicken to a predator since.

      My coop and run. Chain link on top, sides, and along the ground.

      You won’t regret it

      I used chicken wire for way too long and lost many birds along the way. If there is one tip that I wish someone had shared with me when I was a new chicken raiser, it would be this one.

      Dump the chicken wire and use something actually made for chickens.

      Kevin

      HomeDabbler Chicken Raising Manual for Beginners
      Posted in Chickens | 0 Comments | Tagged backyard chickens, backyard poultry, chicken behavior, chicken care, chicken coop, chicken raising, chicken run, chicken wire, Chickens
    • How to Program a Chicken: Acclimating A New Flock

      Posted at 12:18 pm by HomeDabbler, on September 2, 2019
      Buff Orpington Chicken

      Many new chicken raisers are afraid their chickens will run away or that they won’t come back to the coop at night. Luckily, chickens are like little feathered robots. You can program them to pretty much do what you want.

      It’s all about habits. Once a chicken establishes a behavior pattern, she almost never breaks it. That includes her sleeping and laying spots.

      How to Program a Chicken

      When you introduce new birds to your space, leave them locked in the run for several days, a week if possible. This will make them sleep in the coop and lay in the nest boxes. Don’t worry if they don’t lay right away.

      After a few days and nights in your run, their habit will be locked in and they will return to that spot every night, no matter how far they roam during the day.

      It’s all about habits. Once a chicken establishes a behavior pattern, she almost never breaks it. That includes her sleeping and laying spots.

      Feel free to let your flock loose in the yard at this point. Then watch as the sun starts to set. They will slowly scratch and peck their way back to the coop and put themselves to bed. Just shut and lock the door behind them!

      What if One Won’t Behave?

      Every once in a while you’ll get a rogue hen who wants to sleep in the yard. Wait till night fall, gather her up, and put her in the broody breaker for a few days. It should reset her habit.

      Kevin

      P.S. – Bantams are a little wilder than large breeds. They can be less likely to follow the patterns you set for them. Sometimes they are just going to sleep in the trees. It’s one of the reasons I quit raising them.

      HomeDabbler Chicken Raising Manual for Beginners
      Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged chicken behavior, chicken coop, chicken raising, Chickens
    • [VIDEO] A Tour of My Chicken Coop

      Posted at 9:26 am by HomeDabbler, on June 23, 2019

      Chicken coops don’t require much, but it is important to get the elements right. Watch this for a quick tour of my poultry Shangri-la.

      Kevin

       

      HomeDabbler Chicken Raising Manual for Beginners
      Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged backyard chickens, chicken coop, Chickens
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      • Pecking Order is a Thing. Here’s How to Handle It.
      • 2″x 4″ Welded Wire: What It’s Good For and What It’s Not
      • Large Breed Chickens vs. Bantams: Which is Right for You?
      • Why Drought is Good for Your Lawn
      • 3 Things Chicks Need That Big Chickens Don’t
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