A Bird of Your Own
There is among other trends, an increased interest today in local sourced food, backyard homesteading, and what could be more local than food produced at home?
Many are newcomers to this exciting enterprise. When
deciding to raise a few chickens or a hundred, when choosing between chickens, turkeys,
ducks or geese, or all the above, advance planning is necessary for success.
All species need some care and some shelter from both the
elements and especially predators. Fowl
have been domesticated for thousands of years. This short article cannot hope
to inform all things needed, but will be helpful as a start. First, before you
purchase any chicks, where will they live after their brooding period?
The young bird no longer a chick, but yet not mature will
need more permanent housing. If you already have adult birds, they may or may
not be receptive to juveniles joining the flock—remember all those sayings
about the ‘pecking order’?
Try introducing 10-12 week old birds at dusk to an
existing flock. Make sure there is ample food and water to forestall fighting.
Check closely the next few days for signs of injury to young birds. Remove any
if necessary until the birds mature. Avoid removing single birds of any age for
any length of time.
Adult hens are very attractive as sources of fresh eggs.
The adult hen will lay, if sufficient daylight, from about the age of 5 months
and many produce an egg every 26 hours. Hens will produce actively for a period
of about 24 months from the time of their first lay. After this time their lay
becomes less regular and finally sporadic.
After about the age of three, many hens will lay three or
less days a week. Some only rarely. Thus the stewing hen. If stewing birds is unacceptable, then you
must plan to care for the birds for their lifetime, and plan for younger birds
to continue to have fresh eggs. Don’t assume others will want your old birds—they
like fresh eggs too! Check for local ordinances regarding the number of birds
you may keep.
All species of fowl practice a ranking system or a pecking
order. You will find chickens to be most stringent, next are the turkeys and
then duck and geese who seem to peck by ‘committee.’ I’ll explain more about
waterfowl later.
Certain breeds of chickens are notably more aggressive
than others; your birds might be injured if casually placed into an established
flock, so think ahead and choose carefully.
Also certain hatcheries produce strains of the various
breeds which prove more or less aggressive, so the notes here are what is
generally thought true for most breeds. Some are more wily, often avoiding
predation and therefore more suited to pasturing.
If you will coop your birds continuously, then whatever
species you prefer may be quite successful, provided they are not over-crowded.
Chickens, including hens will fight with each other for space, nesting, food,
water, perches, etc. Don’t forget the pecking order in your plans! Generally
most species continuously cooped, require approximately four square feet of
floor space per bird. Birds that have outdoor access require less, up to half.
Free range or pastured chickens are generally content with a coop of two square
feet per bird.
The matter of housing is the utmost importance! The list
of predators for chickens of all ages, young turkeys, and waterfowl is
extensive. It includes, owls, hawks, rats, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, weasels,
skunks, possums, domestic dogs and cats, feral cats, and snakes! Chickens and
turkeys are most prone to predation. Waterfowl gain some protection if a pond
is available for roosting at night or they have a secure shelter like a barn or
tight pen.
Also, in general, fowl have excellent daylight vision and
much poorer night time eyesight, making them a favorite of most night time
predators. So while with good fencing, it may be fairly safe to pasture your
birds in the day time, they must be cooped or protected by night fall. Many
predators are effective chewers. They will chew through wood without difficulty.
Some, such as weasels while quite small, slip through openings as small as a 25
cent piece, are ferocious killers once inside the coop.
Making a home for your birds
Consider raising your coop off the ground to deter rats or
others from making their home underneath. Alternatively, use a solid, chew
proof foundation such as concrete or brick.
Provide good interior ventilation year round, but make it
inaccessible to climbing predators.
Make a door that is easy for you to enter the coop
standing up—it does need cleaning regularly as well as food and water for your
birds, but secure when closed to keep out predators. Provide good natural
lighting with windows, make them tight fitting so they do not become an access
point for predators.
Remember, raccoons for one, are very agile with their paws,
like hands, and like many other predators, are excellent climbers. Use good
latches and door closings.
Consider lining the walls, doors and floor of your coop
with wire mesh hardware cloth. (Do not substitute chicken wire. It’s not strong
enough, and the mesh is too large to prevent weasels from entering.) This step will
seriously deter most predators, including weasels who are most fearsome.
Equipment and management
Poultry require minimal equipment to get started, the
housing is the most important. Chicks require “brooding.” This is true from
hatch day until about 8-10 weeks of age. During brooding it is essential that
warmth is provided to them continuously for a period of about the first 30
days, even in summer. Many will otherwise die due to cold. Their body
temperature is about 102 degrees. They need a safe, secure, draft free place to
grow.
All chickens need a feeder, a waterer and for adults,
perches.
Nest boxes are nice and may be well used by the birds, but
they may also be a source of serious fighting due to the pecking order, and
they need regular cleaning. Allow one box per 4-5 birds. If you wish, you may
use more boxes for small flocks, if space allows.
Perches may be a simple wooden clothes rod purchased from
a lumber yard and nailed length wise in the coop. Place about 18 inches off the
floor.
All coops require some form of “litter.” Litter is bedding
material spread on the floor about 4-6 inches deep. It may include, wood
shavings, ground corn cobs, peat moss, straw or other materials locally
available. Keep in mind that it should be dry and not excessively dusty. A
small garden rake is ideal for the task of regularly turning over the litter.
Simply rake the coop one or more times a week, keeping it something like a cat
box. This takes a few minutes. Composted chicken manure with litter is
excellent garden fertilizer.
Entirely remove the bedding as needed, about 2-4 times a
year. In between complete litter changes, add fresh litter if needed to
maintain its depth or the health of the birds. Keep the litter dry as possible;
remove wet litter promptly.
Birds are highly prone to respiratory illnesses if kept in
wet, excessively dusty conditions. Also in warm weather, ammonia forms
naturally in the litter, especially if damp or wet. Use pelleted garden lime
raked into the litter to neutralize the irritating vapors produced by the
ammonia. Lime is also good in the composted material. Check the amount needed
by getting down low and sniffing. Add more if you smell ammonia Your birds are
smelling a lot more since they live at ground level. Lime works almost
instantly, so check after raking to determine the amount needed.
All birds need day light. Chickens need good sunlight to
lay their best eggs, so make sure they have as much daylight as possible. Feed
a good quality commercial chicken feed. Follow package instructions. Chickens
love to supplement their prepared feed with bugs, worms, ants, greens such as grasses
and other fruits or garden vegetables. Allowing them to forage will occupy
their interest because they are highly sociable with each other, it prevents
fighting and enhances their diet. And they’re just fun to watch! But don’t be
fooled. Hens, you will find, are as noisy as roosters and sometimes just as
loud.
Raising Ducks and Geese
For those who want to raise geese, what could be easier
and more fun? The highly sociable, long lived goose is a wonderful addition to
your life. As social creatures, geese need a minimum of two others to form the
smallest of flocks. While a chicken can be cooped full time with another for
company, geese are much larger, weighing 12-20 pounds compared to 4-10 pounds
for chickens. The gooses’ wingspan is often three feet, and they like to
exercise their wings daily.
Like other poultry, geese and ducks are vulnerable to
predators, primarily domestic dogs and coyotes. Goslings and ducklings are
preyed upon by most all of the same animals who also attack chickens, including
rats*. Keeping this in mind, a
suitable, dog proof enclosure will keep your geese safe days and nights, and
protection from the wind keeps them comfortable. They need substantial shade in
summer, as do chickens and other fowl.
Nature has equipped the goose with the warmest, softest,
most abundant of feathers. Your goose can withstand subzero temperatures if you
keep them out of the direct wind. Clean, bright straw makes ideal bedding for
geese. Allow for 8-12 inches of straw.
These birds eat grass as their primary diet, year round.
Also waterfowl require plenty of water for drinking and bathing.
A small quantity of grain to supplement their diet may be
beneficial. Waterfowl enjoy oats, corn,
milo, sorghum, wheat or other locally available feed grains.
Don’t make the mistake of regarding their dietary needs to
be nearly like chickens! In a pinch waterfowl can do well on chicken feed, but
unlike chickens they are not omnivores. Instead the goose, notably, is an
herbivore; its feed needs are more like rabbits. Quality rabbit pellets may be
successfully and economically fed to geese when good hay or pasture is
unavailable. Choose the lowest protein,
usually 12-15 percent. They also happily consume pelleted hay after an
introductory period of a few days.
Timothy hay blends are ideal. Allow all they care to eat
daily. However hay in cube form may not be suitable since its large size
creates a choking hazard for geese. Always choose moderate to small size
pellets for feeding geese.
As waterfowl, maintaining their feathers is extremely
important. The goose will spend a fair amount of time cleaning and preening
each day.
Geese produce delicious, jumbo sized eggs in the early
spring, and provide down and meat. For meat, geese and ducks may be fattened
with larger quantities of grain.
Before planning to produce birds for meat, make sure there
is a State and/or United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified
processor in your area or in driving distance. Inspect it in advance for
cleanliness and humane procedures. The USDA can provide guidance for this. Check if any licenses or inspectio0ns will be required
Feathers and down
Goose and duck down must be plucked at a specific time of
the year to avoid pain and bleeding which will otherwise occur. The breast
feathers are used. It’s best done when the bird normally sheds its feathers, a
process called molting. It then grows new feathers.
While geese and ducks like and prefer access to lakes or
ponds, it is not necessary. Both species can be well kept with just a low
sided, 15 to 20+ gallon or larger waterer, often available at farm stores in
which they can bathe and drink. For larger units, check for a drain plug. Check
it often, to keep the water fresh. Fill or refill as needed. Don’t be surprised
to find more than one in it at a time!
Bathing is a social time for most. But wait until the chicks are four to six weeks of age, or until they venture into a larger bath by climbing into it on their own. Younger birds will drown if left alone to bathe because brooded birds do not have their mother to oil their feathers which makes the bird buoyant. Without oiled feathers they will be unable to float and will surely drown. Birds will produce oil as they mature and instinctively oil themselves as a normal part of preening.
Bathing is a social time for most. But wait until the chicks are four to six weeks of age, or until they venture into a larger bath by climbing into it on their own. Younger birds will drown if left alone to bathe because brooded birds do not have their mother to oil their feathers which makes the bird buoyant. Without oiled feathers they will be unable to float and will surely drown. Birds will produce oil as they mature and instinctively oil themselves as a normal part of preening.
Long life
Domestic geese enjoy long lives, about 20 years, compared
to about 10 years for chickens. Because of this, you will find them more
intelligent than some other fowl, and actually trainable with patience and
time. They thrive on any routine, if performed daily, such as leaving and
re-entering their barn for grazing in an enclosed pasture. and while geese
observe a defined pecking order, they are much less likely to resort to open
combat as chickens sometimes do. Instead they prefer more social, community
methods for daily interactions with members of their flock. Most breeds of
geese, in fact, choose lifelong mates with the gander doing the active choosing
and the goose vying with other females to become the favorite. This trait
underpins their stable social order.
Ducks and Turkeys
Raising ducks is more like raising geese than chickens,
and raising turkeys is more like raising chickens because turkeys are land
birds like chickens. Many favor ducks because of their plentiful egg production
as well as meat and feathers.
Young turkeys, called poults, are appealing for many
newcomers to the simple, homesteading life. However they are most susceptible
to cold and to certain illnesses to which other fowl are otherwise unexposed.
If you decide to try your hand at turkeys, plan to keep them separated by a
significant distance from other poultry, especially chickens since turkey often
carry disease which chickens are known to succumb. In fact many hatcheries will
not guarantee the health of their chicks if brooded or kept with turkeys.
For more information about geese, ducks and turkey many excellent books are
available, and many more are available for chickens. Check on-line, at a book
seller or your public library.
*About rats—Many
will presume they don’t have rats around, and the rats like it that way.
However as wild animals, rats are often present. Most active at night until
dawn, rats have a varied diet like dogs. Young chicks are definitely on their
menu. Effective, routine control of
rodents is a must! Rodents carry disease such as salmonella in their feces and
they attract larger predators like coyotes and weasels. Use one or more
methods: live trap, rodenticide baits, or the old standby, baited rat and mice
traps for control.
