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
Cheap egg incubators are a great way to get into hatching your own poultry at home; however, they can also be a total waste of money! This article will outline why you can waste your time and money buying a cheap incubator online and what you can do to limit the chances of that happening.
Coturnix or Japanese Quail are sometimes also called Pharaoh quail and this name lends some explanation as to why this breed of domestic poultry no longer sits on their eggs. In fact, most quail don't even lay their eggs in nesting boxes or even in the one general area. More often than not, quail keepers
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
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
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
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 Article updated 30 Sep 2019 Provide a spot or box with some straw and your hens will happily lay eggs it's that simple, jobs done – sad to say it isn't quite that simple. After much trial and error, open-eyed surprises, shaking head disappointments, wasted money, wasted eggs, and lost time, I have evolved
The death of my American Hovabator incubator Updated on 12 Dec 2015 When my American Hovabator incubator died, it put me into a bit of a spin because I essentially wasted about 60 quail eggs due to the thermostat packing it in. Basically, the temperature soared overnight to past 120 F and the developing embryos
This article was updated on 27 Oct 2015 Summer in Queensland, Australia (where I live) means snake season and it’s the same for many other places around the world. Snakes are fine in the wild but around the home they are not so welcome and if you keep chickens you can be rest assured snakes
This post gives a simple guide and my six recommendations for keeping ducks in the backyard like: eating and drinking needs, habitat requirements, sociability, and general care. Some people may not realise that ducks are as easy to keep as chickens but to ensure this special breed of poultry is kept happy in the backyard
This is a simple guide about breeding Japanese or coturnix quail in the backyard and basically my assessment of the most relevant information people need to know for breeding new quail stock and practically how I breed my own quails. I've tried to write this article based on my experiences and incorporate my thought processes
Yes, you can keep ducks and chickens together is the short answer but there are some special considerations to be made if you plan to keep both of these beautiful poultry breeds side-by-side. Therefore, in this short article I’ve selected the most important areas to consider when keeping ducks and chickens together pointing out where
We all know the benefits of keeping chickens and producing your own eggs but how about being really different and producing a carton of eggs with several different colours like: white, chocolate, brown, speckled, and even blue! Yes that’s right, chicken eggs can come in a variety of different colours and even multi-coloured so what
When it comes to growing quail in the backyard environment one of the big advantages we have over a commercial operation is the lack of any market pressure to sustain a product all year round. Therefore, we don’t need to worry too much when our quail go off the lay for a few months and
When people mention poultry for backyard suburbia the first bird which comes to mind is the chicken. And why not? I mean, the humble chicken is easy to look after, there’s lots of information out there about keeping chickens, and everyone is familiar with chicken eggs. However, say the “quail” word and most people have
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.
