When I first started keeping chickens, all my roosting bars were 2 inch wide boards. I eventually made all my roosting bars removable and also turned them over to the 4 inch wider side facing up. I have listed some benefits of using a wider roosting board in your coop:
🐓By using a wider roosting board your chickens’ feet will stay warmer in the winter since they are able to position their warm bodies and feathers over their feet when they are in a flat footed stance. Yes, I know in the wild chickens roosted overnight in trees but they also didn’t have a coop or feeders or water containers either🤪
🐓If you live in an area where your winters are brutally cold this is especially important as it can also help prevent frostbite on their feet since the extra width allows them to hunker down over their feet.
🐓Using a wider roosting board helps chickens keep their balance and prevents falling off the roost. Yes, this does happen because we all know chickens squabble over roosting positions 🙄😂
Just a little side note on my roosting bars. I round out the squared edges with my electric hand sander🥰
How do your chickens prefer to roost?
#backyardhens #roosting #chickencoops
When I first started keeping chickens, all my roosting bars were 2 inch wide boards. I eventually made all my roosting bars removable and also turned them over to the 4 inch wider side facing up. I have listed some benefits of using a wider roosting board in your coop:
🐓By using a wider roosting board your chickens’ feet will stay warmer in the winter since they are able to position their warm bodies and feathers over their feet when they are in a flat footed stance. Yes, I know in the wild chickens roosted overnight in trees but they also didn’t have a coop or feeders or water containers either🤪
🐓If you live in an area where your winters are brutally cold this is especially important as it can also help prevent frostbite on their feet since the extra width allows them to hunker down over their feet.
🐓Using a wider roosting board helps chickens keep their balance and prevents falling off the roost. Yes, this does happen because we all know chickens squabble over roosting positions 🙄😂
Just a little side note on my roosting bars. I round out the squared edges with my electric hand sander🥰
How do your chickens prefer to roost?
#backyardhens #roosting #chickencoops
How well do you know your breeds?
Can you guess the 4 different breeds of hens in this video??
Also, who else can watch chickens drink all day? I think it so fun to watch them 😉
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🥁Ok, here are the answers!!
From left to right ➡️
1. Olive Egger:
🐓This hen is Olive (original I know). Olive eggers lay large olive green colored eggs! They lay around 150-200 eggs per year and are pretty consistent layers. They tend to be friendly and curious and in my opinion are a must have in your flock. Did you know that an olive egger is a cross between a dark laying chicken (barnevelder, maran etc) and a blue egg laying chicken (crème legbar, ameraucana etc)?! Pretty cool, huh!
2. Ameraucana:
🐓This hen is Talulah, she is an Ameraucana. Ameraucana’s come in a variety of colors. They lay gorgeous blue eggs! These chickens have unique facial feathers such as cute beards and muffs around their beaks. This breed of chicken does well in both cold and hot climates. They are pretty consistent layers and rarely go broody.
3. Welsummer:
🐓This hen is Dory. She is a welsummer! Welsummer’s lay unique dark brown eggs that usually are speckled too! They are friendly and intelligent and are good layers with good size eggs. Welsummers also sport beautiful feather colors that range in browns and a reddish breast.
4. Blue Copper Maran:
🐓This is Violet. She is a maran and specifically a blue copper maran. Within the maran breed there are a few different variations. Some marans are a dark black in color and some are lighter like this hen. Marans typically have large combs and lightly feathered legs. This breed can act as a good dual purpose choice for both laying and meat production. They are also good foragers and lay dark rick brown eggs! A definite must have in your flock!
Do you have any of these breeds in your flock? Which would be your favorite?!
#backyardchickens #poultryofinstagram #chickenbreeds
The joys of having farm fresh eggs means
that sonmetimes those eggs will have some imperfections that
are totallų normal AND harmless.
You see the eggss that you buy in the grocery store go through a
pretty rigorous process of washing and being analyzed. Each
egg is candled by a special machine that detects any
imperfections or defects such as a "meat spot" so it would be
Very rare to find a grocery store egg with a meat spot.
Having said that, that doesn't mean you have to freak out
about eating farm fresh eggs. Meat spots are totally normal
and is so something to worry about. You just simply pick it out
and then continue on.
What is a meat spot?
Basically a meat spot is just a brown discoloration within the
egg that typically occurs when a blood vessel ruptures while
the egg is forming. It may not look very appetizing but is
something not to be concerned about.
Have you ever had a meat sppt in one of your farm fresh eggs?
Did you eat the egg or toss it?!
chicken essentials guide.
#chickenladyproblems #chickensoninstagram #chickensofig
#ilovemychickens #farmfresheggs #fresheggs #layinghens
#chickenfarmer #homesteadlife #pasturedeggs
#growyourownfood
The joys of having farm fresh eggs means
that sonmetimes those eggs will have some imperfections that
are totallų normal AND harmless.
You see the eggss that you buy in the grocery store go through a
pretty rigorous process of washing and being analyzed. Each
egg is candled by a special machine that detects any
imperfections or defects such as a "meat spot" so it would be
Very rare to find a grocery store egg with a meat spot.
Having said that, that doesn't mean you have to freak out
about eating farm fresh eggs. Meat spots are totally normal
and is so something to worry about. You just simply pick it out
and then continue on.
What is a meat spot?
Basically a meat spot is just a brown discoloration within the
egg that typically occurs when a blood vessel ruptures while
the egg is forming. It may not look very appetizing but is
something not to be concerned about.
Have you ever had a meat sppt in one of your farm fresh eggs?
Did you eat the egg or toss it?!
chicken essentials guide.
#chickenladyproblems #chickensoninstagram #chickensofig
#ilovemychickens #farmfresheggs #fresheggs #layinghens
#chickenfarmer #homesteadlife #pasturedeggs
#growyourownfood
💡⁉️Should you put an artificial light in your coop this winter?
This seems to be one of the big chicken keeping debates. Some people say you should and some people say you shouldn’t.
❌✅I don’t necessarily think there is a right or a wrong. But there are definitely pros and cons when giving a light and it’s helpful to understand them.
First off, let’s understand the science behind light and the laying cycle of a hen⬇️
💡Chickens needs a certain amount of daylight hours to be able to lay. Light triggers egg production and stimulates the pituitary gland which is needed for consistent egg laying.
💡Chickens need between 14-16 hours of daylight hours to be able lay. When the days get shorter and less daylight hours, your chickens will start laying less and may take a break completely until spring!
Basically supplementing an artificial light just tricks your chickens into thinking there are more daylight hours even when during the shorter days and winter months.
Now here are the pros and the cons…..
✅The biggest pro to putting a light in your coop is that you will STILL get eggs through the winter months. You won’t have a flock of free loading chickens for a few months 😉
❌A big con to giving a light to your chickens and making them lay through the months with shorter days, is that you will shorten their egg laying life. Chickens are born with the amount of eggs they will lay. So if you have your chickens lay year round they will just run out of eggs faster.
In the past I have always allowed my chickens to take a break through the winter months as that is what they would naturally do as the days get shorter. However, I do miss my chickens paying me rent throughout those months 😉
What do you do?? Do you give a light or not? Maybe this year I’ll switch it up.
#chickensofinstagram #backyardchickens #ilovemychickens #farmfresheggs #freerangeflock #pasturedeggs #happychickens #homesteadlife #farmtoplate #chickenkeep
💡⁉️Should you put an artificial light in your coop this winter?
This seems to be one of the big chicken keeping debates. Some people say you should and some people say you shouldn’t.
❌✅I don’t necessarily think there is a right or a wrong. But there are definitely pros and cons when giving a light and it’s helpful to understand them.
First off, let’s understand the science behind light and the laying cycle of a hen⬇️
💡Chickens needs a certain amount of daylight hours to be able to lay. Light triggers egg production and stimulates the pituitary gland which is needed for consistent egg laying.
💡Chickens need between 14-16 hours of daylight hours to be able lay. When the days get shorter and less daylight hours, your chickens will start laying less and may take a break completely until spring!
Basically supplementing an artificial light just tricks your chickens into thinking there are more daylight hours even when during the shorter days and winter months.
Now here are the pros and the cons…..
✅The biggest pro to putting a light in your coop is that you will STILL get eggs through the winter months. You won’t have a flock of free loading chickens for a few months 😉
❌A big con to giving a light to your chickens and making them lay through the months with shorter days, is that you will shorten their egg laying life. Chickens are born with the amount of eggs they will lay. So if you have your chickens lay year round they will just run out of eggs faster.
In the past I have always allowed my chickens to take a break through the winter months as that is what they would naturally do as the days get shorter. However, I do miss my chickens paying me rent throughout those months 😉
What do you do?? Do you give a light or not? Maybe this year I’ll switch it up.
#chickensofinstagram #backyardchickens #ilovemychickens #farmfresheggs #freerangeflock #pasturedeggs #happychickens #homesteadlife #farmtoplate #chickenkeep
Chicken math is real 🤣
#chickenmath #backyardchickens #ilovemychickens
Are you dealing with egg eaters??
Do you feel like you want to pull your hair out because your eggs are disappearing and the eggs left are covered in egg yolk from pecked open eggs?! 😱
Here’s what to do!! ⬇️
➡️Get some ceramic eggs.
This will be able to first help you pinpoint who the culprit(s) is. And second hopefully try to curb that terrible habit!
You can find ceramic eggs at most feed stores or online. You can use gold balls but I prefer to do ceramic eggs as they perfectly resemble real eggs.
I will throw a couple ceramic eggs down on the ground. In my experience this will expose the culprits as they’ll come running and instantly peck the eggs.
✅Next I will put multiple ceramic eggs in the nesting boxes. Over a few days this typically curbs the bad habit as the chicken will peck the ceramic eggs over and over without any reward of getting into it and eating the yummy insides!
🥚Plus pecking ceramic eggs typically doesn’t feel great on their beaks so consequently they will associate pecking eggs with a sore beak.
‼️Another tip with helping stop egg eaters is to make sure to collect real eggs as often as possible so the ceramic eggs are typically the only ones left in the nest box.
Have you dealt with egg eaters?! What solutions have you tried??
#chickensofinstagram #backyardchickens #ilovemychickens #chickensareawesome #farmfresheggs #freerangeflock #eggeater #chickenkeepingtips #homesteadlife #raisingchickens #chickenkeepingjoys #chickencoop #poultryofinstagram
Are you dealing with egg eaters??
Do you feel like you want to pull your hair out because your eggs are disappearing and the eggs left are covered in egg yolk from pecked open eggs?! 😱
Here’s what to do!! ⬇️
➡️Get some ceramic eggs.
This will be able to first help you pinpoint who the culprit(s) is. And second hopefully try to curb that terrible habit!
You can find ceramic eggs at most feed stores or online. You can use gold balls but I prefer to do ceramic eggs as they perfectly resemble real eggs.
I will throw a couple ceramic eggs down on the ground. In my experience this will expose the culprits as they’ll come running and instantly peck the eggs.
✅Next I will put multiple ceramic eggs in the nesting boxes. Over a few days this typically curbs the bad habit as the chicken will peck the ceramic eggs over and over without any reward of getting into it and eating the yummy insides!
🥚Plus pecking ceramic eggs typically doesn’t feel great on their beaks so consequently they will associate pecking eggs with a sore beak.
‼️Another tip with helping stop egg eaters is to make sure to collect real eggs as often as possible so the ceramic eggs are typically the only ones left in the nest box.
Have you dealt with egg eaters?! What solutions have you tried??
#chickensofinstagram #backyardchickens #ilovemychickens #chickensareawesome #farmfresheggs #freerangeflock #eggeater #chickenkeepingtips #homesteadlife #raisingchickens #chickenkeepingjoys #chickencoop #poultryofinstagram
The feeling of collecting a full basket of
eggs just never gets old!
Dur ladies typicallų take a little beak through the winter, once
Longer daylight hours arrive and warmer weather gets here it's
always fun to have egg production in full swing again!
Anyone else do a happy dance when their chickens are paying
rent?!
#chickensofinstagram #backyardchickens #farmfresheggs
#pasturedeggs #ilovemychickens #chickenmath
#homesteadlife #happyhens #colorfuleggs
Anyone else had a chicken limit been put on them?! Definitely guiltily of exceeding the “husband chicken limit” 😂😂
Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think it’s possible to not end up adding more chickens to the flock.
Anyone out there staying within their typically comics limit??
#chickensofinstagram #backyardchickens #chickenmath #ilovemychickens #happyhens #chickensofig #chickensaspets #farmfresheggs
