Snake Problem? Let's Fix It!

Hello Chicken Raising Chicks!

This Summer we, and many others, are having a bit of a snake problem.

There are many lakes in our areas that are reporting snake sightings by the dozens.

If you own chickens or other birds this can be a problem for you.

There are many breeds of snakes to be wary of, but a definite worry is the chicken snake.

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Chicken Snakes can vary in color from light brown to dark brown to jet black.

So how can you tell if what you're dealing with is a chicken snake?

Well, they tend to hide out in your coop doing this:

Pretty sight huh?

This creatures are an absolute pain to pretty much all chicken raisers.

We recently lost about 12 eggs to one of these sneaky little things.

So, what the heck should you do?

Well first I want to make something clear.

There are a lot of people who have a problem killing snakes. I understand completely and I agree that not all snakes should be killed when you catch them. After all, not all snakes are poisonous or even harmful. Some of them are actually beneficial, such as the rat snake.

However, I personally think that a chicken snake should always be killed when it is caught.

Why?

Because chicken snakes are very harmful. Not usually to you, but to your flock.

A single chicken snake can eat dozens of eggs, and then stick around until he's hungry again and then eat more. And on top of that, if your chickens are small enough or if they try and fight back when the snake is eating the eggs, the snake could harm or even kill your chicken.

Even if you catch the snake and release it before it does any damage to your flock, you might be causing someone else a bunch of trouble when that very same snake finds a new chicken coop to raid.

Now, that is my opinion and I ask you to consider it, but the choice is ultimately up to you.

There are many humane snake traps. Simply searching "snake traps" on Google gave me about 4,050,000 results. And you could always find some other way to catch it. I've read that spreading mothballs around the outside of the coop helps keep snakes away, as they hate the smell.

However, if we are agreed on the idea of the chicken snake = varmint then read on.

 The tried and true way of all of our great grandparents is to knock its head clean off with a hoe or shovel. Heck, my great uncle could snap its head off with his bare hands.

But, due to Miranda's any my research after our snake incident, we have found another solution.

Wooden Eggs.

Yep. The kind that can be purchased for about a dollar.

The idea is to keep the wooden eggs in an area where the snake will likely eat them. If you don't mind sacrificing a few other eggs then you could place them all together. Keep them away from your chickens so that they don't get defensive and try to save the eggs.

If the snake eats any of the wooden eggs he should die, as its body can't simulate it. You could also use golf balls.

This is by far the most simple solution and many chicken raisers swear by it.

But, as our snake left after he ate a dozen eggs and injured our rooster, we didn't get to try it out ourselves.

So if this works for you, please let us know.

Thanks for stopping by,

Got Eggs? Candling Eggs To Check for Fertility

Hello Chicken Raising Chicks!

Many people who own chickens, at least at some point, discover that one of their hens has decided to go "broody".  AKA You know how, every morning when you've collected eggs, you've been wondering why one of your chickens isn't laying? Well..... she has been! 

And now, you have before you the chance for some free chicks.

Maybe.

You see, not always are the eggs fertile. Most of the time at least some of them are, but some hens (especially Silkies)  go broody for any eggs. Fertile or infertile.

The best way to check for egg fertility is through candling.

Candling has been used for the longest time and seems to be the best method. But you can only candle the eggs after the have been incubating a minimum of three days. Freshly laid eggs can look the same as an infertile egg. 

All you need is a bright flashlight and your egg. (You might also want a store bought egg for comparison.)

I am providing you with this tutorial from WikiHow because there are pictures for you to compare to.

There are a lot of people who say that another way to check the eggs is by placing the egg in water. DO NOT DO THIS. Eggs are porous, which means that placing one in water can kill the chick. DO NOT DO THIS. 

So far candling is the safest way.

And, when all else fails, sometimes the best thing to do is just let the hen take care of the eggs for 21 days and see what happens. 

We often find that this is the best way to do things. It usually doesn't hurt anything to leave her be and wait it out.

I hope this helped and have a great day,

What the Heck is a "Bantam"? And Why You Might Want One!

Hello Chicken Raising Chicks!

"What the heck is a 'bantam'?"

"Is that some kind of musical instrument?"

"A breed of snake?"

No.

A bantam is a smaller variety of a standard sized chicken.

Well actually I just discovered there are many different bantams, (view that odd list here) but we're here to talk about chickens so we'll just stick with what people mainly mean when they use the word bantam.

According to Wikipedia:

"Most large chicken breeds have a bantam counterpart, sometimes referred to as a miniature. Miniatures are usually one-fifth to one-quarter the size of the standard breed, but they are expected to exhibit all of the standard breed's characteristics."

Think about dog breeds for example. There are a lot of dogs who have miniature counterparts. They both have basically the same characteristics, they are simply different in size.

Here is a picture courtesy of Wikipedia that shows the difference between a Japanese Bantam (left) and an Orpington (right). The Bantam is about half the size of the Orpington.

Many people with smaller space to house chickens prefer bantams because they take up less room.

They have a pretty good egg ratio, but you need to remember that their eggs are about half the size of a regular egg. Except for size their eggs should be just the same as your other chickens eggs.

We have chosen to own bantams as well as regular sized chickens.

What we have noticed is:

° Whereas we have problems with our other chickens when it comes to attempting to fly over the fence our bantams have never tried it. They are quite content with staying in the yard.

° The bantams require less food and water than the other chickens. Their bodies aren't as big, therefore they need less.

° Our bantams were a little finicky to raise from chicks, but they are now very hardy. 

° Our bantams (this could just be due to their breed which is Silkie) are very broody, which means they have the tendency to lay eggs and sit on them until they've hatched. Even our rooster will go broody and has done so quite a few times.

Happy Fourth of July

Hello Chicken Raising Chicks!

We just wanted to wish ya'll a Happy 4th!

Keep safe and have fun!

Ways to Keep Your Chicken Coop Clean and Fresh

Hey Chicken Raising Chicks,

Today I would like to share with you how to keep your chicken coop smelling better.
I know that most chicken raising people have trouble keeping there chicken coop smelling good.

Photo courtesy of HGTV

So here is what ya'll need to do!

1. Clean up your coop and get all there feathers out.

2. If the chicken coop comes apart take the pieces and then get your water hose and spray them off. (It is best if you leave them to dry in the sun)

3. Get wood shavings or hay from your local feed store. These help keep it looking nice and smelling fresh.

4. Make sure that there are not holes or anything that will allow water into where they sleep.

5. After chicken coop dries put it back together and put wood shavings or hay into the coop.

6. Put fresh water and feed into the coop feeders. If water gets moldy it will begin to smell bad.

 Your chickens will love their clean and fresh smelling home and you will too. 

                       
                                                                                     

Roosters, yea or nay?

Hello Chicken Raising Chicks!

Today I would like to address a popular misconception about raising chickens.

You need a rooster for your hens to lay eggs.

WRONG

You only need a rooster to fertilize the eggs, the hens will lay eggs on their own whether or not you own a rooster.

Roosters are good to own for many reasons. Visit this wonderful website to view some of those reasons: Hazel Tree Farm: Good Reasons to keep a Rooster

But the thing you need to remember is that owning a rooster is completely up to you.

There are many different breeds of roosters and each breed has a typical behavior. Some people say that their rooster is their favorite chicken in their flock, and others have had to say goodbye to their roosters because of his bad behavior.

We have a docile rooster named Willie (he is a Silkie Bantam) and he rarely even acts like a rooster. He doesn't crow often, and it isn't very loud. He sits on eggs for the girls quite often, and pretty much just minds his own business. (Not that there is any way possible he could boss most of our hens around, they seem to think they are the queens!)

But we also had another rooster who was the most awful chicken ever! He picked on the girls and pushed Willie around. He was even mean to the baby chicks. We had his butt hauled off for sure.

Sometimes roosters are a great addition to your flock. Sometimes they're a bit too rambunctious.

Either way, the choice is yours.

What is the Right Chicken Breed For You?

Hello Chicken Raising Chicks!

Considering ordering chickens, but can't decide what breed is right for you?

There are many different breeds of chickens. In fact there are hundreds! I remember reading somewhere that there are at least 746!

That is a lot of chickens. And just like what you would do with any other pet you'll want to make sure you get the one you want.

The first thing you need to do is decide why you are getting chickens. Are you getting chickens for:  pets, eggs,  meat,  or are you wanting show chickens? Or maybe you're wanting a combination of some of these. 

You need to also ask yourself these questions: 

1. Do I need a chicken that is hardy? One that can survive harsh winters, or sweltering summers?

2. How many eggs do I want? Do I need a chicken that lays year round, almost everyday?

3. Do I need a Bantam breed (A smaller chicken of the same breed) so they take up less space and eat less?

4. Am I looking for meat birds or laying birds? Or perhaps both?

5. Do I want friendly chickens? Do they need to be docile and good with children? Or will I rarely come into contact with my birds so their temperament doesn't matter?

Those are the main things you need to consider when trying to decide a breed or breeds.

To help you with choosing I am providing a link to My Pet Chicken's Which Chicken Breed Selector Tool

This tool will ask simple questions about what you are looking for, and then determine what breeds you may like and provide you with a list of those breeds.

Each breed of chicken has its own characteristics. In other words they all act different. Some breeds are docile and good layers. Some breeds are good layers but do not interact well with humans.

Our chickens are all fairly docile, they are okay being picked up most of the time, and they don't have a problem with our other animals.

An important thing to remember is that not all chickens will turn out exactly as promised. When people say a certain breed is docile that means that the majority of that breed is. But chickens are animals, and like all other animals they have unique personalities. You take a chance when you order a docile chicken, because that chicken might turn out to be the meanest thing you ever laid eyes on.

A friend of ours owned a Blue Laced Wyandotte rooster who was very mean and aggressive. He would try and chase her children away from the hens in her flock. But I just read a comment a couple of days ago from someone saying they are very happy with their Blue Laced Wyandottes and that their roosters are never aggressive and very docile.

The important thing is to watch your chickens yourself to determine behavior characteristics. Sometimes a rooster or even a hen needs to be separated from the rest of the flock due to issues with aggressive behavior. But, sometimes you won't have single problem. We have only had to give away three chickens since we began raising them in 2010.

I personally think that any chicken can become docile and used to humans if they are handled enough as chicks. If you just let them sit in their box the entire time they grow, of course they are going to be scared of you. Our chickens are used to be picked up, carried around, and petted.

As I said earlier, chickens are animals, and like all other animals they have unique personalities. Many people love chickens and never have a single problem. And if you do wind up with a naughty chicken, you can always give it away to someone who doesn't interact with their chickens and doesn't need it to be friendly.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope this post has helped you in some way. If you have any questions please send them to us: bewitnwise@gmail.com and we will try our absolute hardest to answer them for you.

Later on I want to write more posts on each chicken breed, so stay tuned for that.

Thanks again,