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Chicken coop & run flaws & fixes
There are many thing a person can use to make a coop. There are also many pre-made coops or paid/free plans available. I have found that most coops, sometimes even advertised "predator proof" ones, do not use 1/4" hardware cloth. This is essential if you want to keep any predators out larger than a weasel. Chicken wire is…
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Recipes Using Home Canned Chicken Recipes
Looking for new recipes using home canned chicken. I have a lot of it canned. Some with bones some without. Need to find some new ways to use it. Any ideas or recipes would be appreciated.
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I have a blue egg!
Finally! A blue egg. One lays green. One lays blue. One left to find out. I hope she lays blue also. My eggs for Easter. 😄
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Chickens & extreme cold
People often ask about chickens and extreme cold. Many (but not all) who house birds where it's cold don't heat their pens. The reason behind this that is often cited is that heat lamps only heat directly underneath (so maybe 4 chickens keep warm/too hot), are a major cause of coop fires, and all your chickens in that…
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DIY Chicken Feed
There are many out there that insist that a person cannot create a diy balanced chicken feed. I believe they are incorrect. You don't need a degree in poultry health to know what to use. You don't need to be paid by a manufacturer to know what's best. Chickens have been around for eons. Many breeds & hybrids are more…
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Getting good stewing hens
I am feeling that it gets harder and harder to find a good stewing hen/chicken. I use to make chicken broth or soup when someone in my family is sick and it gets harder every time to find a decent one without pre-ordering it. Today I was only able to get half chickens. I do not have the space to grow my own chickens and…
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Keeping Poultry Water From Freezing: Zones 5a-7b
Now this advice comes from Pennsylvania, and the "feels like" temperatures were only down to -7°F or approximately -21°C (keep in mind that we went below -52°C this past winter). This idea would not help us for very long up here in the winter, but might be useful for some of you down south or in similar zones as stayed…
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Farm life: The chickens are laughing at me again. Story
I have certain cliques of chickens that hang out together. My one small group was following me closely yesterday and watching me with my one goat. I could read thier minds, they were looking for spilled food. I finished feeding my goat and put her away for the evening and turned to check on another group of chickens. I…
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The difference between cooking for service and home cooking... and artistry in chicken butchering!
Okay, so first of all, you've probably seen Joel Salatin butcher a chicken. Well, get ready.... Jacques Pepin was the head chef for Howard Johnson in the 60's, back when that chain was the place for business lunches and dinner. NOT fast food or Sysco. Watch a true master, who also cooked for the President of France, break…
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ISO: Black Orpingtons
I have one source for Black Orpingtons but would like 2 more and am running in to dead ends with people having fertility problems... does anyone here in/around Missouri know of a Black Orpington breeder? Thanks!
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Respiratory Infections in Farm Birds
This article has a comparitive symptom chart that could prove useful. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
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Fermenting chicken food
We have been fermenting the feed for our chickens (and pigs.) Our feed mix is made by combining oats, barley and whole peas, which we then added water and allowed to sit (stirring daily) for 3-4 days initially starting with 3 batches. When we fed the first batch, we drained the liquid and reused it to start the next batch.…
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Christmas Chicks! Serama eggs have been set, now hatching!
I have 7 eggs set. I will add one tomorrow if she lays. Lockdown will be Dec. 15th, with hatch to follow Dec. 16-18 if all goes well. Pure serama eggs are not known for their great hatch rate nor chick viability in the first 24 hr. My hen still doesn't know what the eggs are. She announces & so does the rooster (in a lot…
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Aparagus Stuffed Chicken Breast