Keeping a flock of chickens in your backyard is a great step towards self-sufficiency. A supply of fresh, organically-produced, free-range eggs is a big plus…but what if you get too many at once? Sure, you can boil, poach, fry, and scramble- but what else can you do to make the most of your eggs? Here’s
Keeping your own chickens at home can be exciting! But chickens are food for many predators, so you might be wondering how to keep your chickens safe. Aside from building a coop or pen, there are actually dogs that can guard your chickens, known as livestock guardian dogs. This article outlines the four best livestock
Chicken tractors and static chicken coops or runs/pens are both good ways to house a backyard flock of hens; but, there are key differences besides the obvious (of one being mobile and the other not) that people should take into account before they make their final decision to buy. The main thing you will want
One of the biggest infrastructure mistakes some people make when they first start keeping chickens is not building a holding or isolation pen at the same time as they build the coop and run. Holding/isolation pens are not often discussed in the mainstream when talking about keeping chickens or other types of poultry – I
There are plenty of different types of chicken feeders on the market today some are good and some are very bad. One of the most popular types of chicken feeders is the treadle feeder and in this article I will explain my thoughts and recommendations on this particular type of feeder so if you are
If you're looking to get chickens and wondering what type of feeder is best to buy than before spending a lot of money perhaps try making a chicken feeder yourself – it's easy and could cost you absolutely nothing! In this short article, I'll show you step by step how I made my chicken feeder.
Introduction Article updated on 17th October 2018. Over the years as a backyard chicken keeper and breeder, I’ve heard lots of claims and remedies for how to safely treat mites or lice on chickens and other poultry; such as products like ivermectin, Maldison 50, Permethrin (synthetic pyrethrum), Carbaryl (Sevin), pest powders, dipping solutions. Or, more
According to the maker of Dine-a-Chook chicken feeders their new PVC feeder is much improved – or is it? This very popular selling chicken feeder seems to have had quite a substantial makeover with its new twist handle top lid for easy removal, moulded hooks for easy fixing to a wall or cage, and
I started growing sorghum by accident after it self-seeded in my vegetable garden. I’m positive the seed hitched a ride in the garden mulch I used recycled from our chicken pen. There’s nothing better on the garden and around plants than used mulch from the chicken pen mixed with manure! Anyway, I decided to let a considerable
There are plenty of things you can do with a glut of eggs, here's 10: 1. Mayonnaise – It uses eggs as the base for the recipe so make a big batch! 2. Custard – Make your own custard from scratch (so much better and healthier than pre-made junk). 3. Cheese cake – Some cheese
Eating fertilised chicken eggs I've posed this "tip" as a question because I'm often asked "if I have a rooster will my eggs turn into chicks and are the eggs safe to eat?" As strange as this question may seem, it's actually a very good one because fertilised eggs can indeed start growing an embryo
Yes there is a difference between chicken and duck eggs A question I often hear or get asked is do duck eggs taste the same as chicken eggs? The simple answer is NO but having said that, the differences for most people are not obvious. Standard duck eggs are usually bigger than chicken eggs by
Make a free DIY chicken feed scooper today! Here's a nice simple tip to make a DIY scooper for those who keep chickens and any other animal for that matter requiring the scooping out of feed from a bin or bag etc. The DIY feed scooper is made out of a soda/soft drink bottle, such
How many chickens should you keep? How many chickens does the average newbie chicken keeper really need? Or, how many chickens should I start out with? These are two common questions asked by people who want to start keeping chickens but aren't quite sure about egg laying or chicken maintenance. The first thing I say
Can you just keep one chicken I should you have more? Can I keep just one chicken or will it fret? One of the great things about chickens is their versatility. They are also an independent animal and often like to be on their own. Therefore, it is OK to keep just one chicken because
Here's some info on when chickens start laying eggs Chickens usually start laying between 16 to 20 weeks or around 4 to 5 months old; however, it can take a little longer for hens to settle in and start laying especially if they have been moved to a new area or spent a fair amount
You often hear the term "point of lay" in association with buying or selling chickens so what does point of lay actually mean? Simply, the term "point of lay" means hens which have matured to the stage when they should be starting to lay eggs. The time it usually takes for a good laying breed
Article revised on 10 April 2015. This article is a very basic outline but we have plenty of other articles also about chicken keeping in our poultry section. When I initially decided to investigate getting chickens the very first question that came into my mind was how easy are chickens to keep? At the time I
Is feeding chickens as simple as feeding a pet cat or dog? Well, yes, and no. When people first start researching about what to feed their chooks they soon realise there are many answers. And, most of what I have read (and heard) is completely fine; however, there are some areas worth exploring more when
Introduction This post on chicken feed test is a short supplementary article to complement my YouTube video “Chicken Feed Test”. I wanted to further explain the test and results for the benefit of anyone who is just visiting and hasn't yet seen the video and for those who are just interested in the reasoning
Self Sufficient Me is a blog about self-sustainment by growing our own produce (plant/animal), and self-fulfilment by looking after our health (physical/mental) through exercise and slowing life down a little.
