Always greet the day with anticipation. Many great delicacies await.
2. Simplicity and a thankful heart are some of life’s greatest virtues.
3. Bring up your young well. They are the next generation, and the key to your legacy.
4. When getting into mischief always make sure you have a buddy. Partners in crime always have more fun.
5. Make sure that you leave a little something for those who care about you. Giving is always better than recieving.
6. Try to appreciate the season of winter. Although bleak, it prepares the ground for spring flowers and other delectables.
7. Tend your gardens well. A well groomed garden makes the heart sing.
8. Choose your flock wisely, they will be your groupies for life.
9. Make time for friends. Friends make the heart happy.
10. Above all, be like butterflies, they hold the key to true freedom.
Hens can teach you so much about the simple pleasures of life. They are simple creatures that require little. They are happiest when they are allowed to do what nature intended them to do.
I hope you enjoyed this lesson on the simple pleasures of hens. They can teach us many things if we just take the time to watch and learn.
I am a published author, multi-disciplinary writer, and web content creator. If you like this post, please visit my writing portfolio or other blogs.
Me observing the eclipse at the Cincinnati Natural History Museum.
On April 8, 2024, the United States was in the path of totality of a Solar Eclipse. I recorded the flock’s reaction with a time-lapse camera and the eclipse with a Celestron telescope and Canon camera. Due to my location, I am just outside the path of totality; for better observation conditions, I traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio, and recorded the eclipse at the Cincinnati Natural History Museum. While there, I took in the museum’s dinosaur wing and captured some images of the Mesozoic ancestors of my backyard theropods.
Daspletosaurus and Tyrannosaurs Rex display at Cincinnati Museum Center. Daspletosaurus-Jurassic ancestor of Cretaceous apex predator T-rex-the blood of these dinosaurs’ pumps through the veins of my backyardflock.
While this blog is about raising and caring for backyard chickens, given the notoriety of the celestial event, observing the flock’s reaction to the solar eclipse is fascinating.
Image Credit: Noelle K. Moser.Cincinnati Natural History MuseumCenter prior to the onset of the solar eclipse.
Before leaving, I set up a time-lapse camera in the backyard to capture the flock’s behavior as the sun, blocked by the moon, darkened the land below. Like all birds, the behavior of the Klucker Crew is predictable but fascinating to witness, nonetheless.
As I was in two places at once, I will pair my observation and progression of the eclipse with the reactions of the flock for this post. As chickens are diurnal creatures and associate the waning of sunlight with nature’s ques to begin roosting, the flock demonstrated these behaviors only to be caught off guard during midday.
Image at inception of the eclipse taken with Celestron refracting telescope with solar filter. Image of eclipse captured with Canon T7i 19-250mm Lense with solar filter.Smaug (Silver Lace Wyandotte Rooster) and Brian (Buff Lace Polish hen) eating at the feeder at the onset of the eclipse.
As the first signs of the moon moving in front of the sun began, activity in the backyard was routine. Occupying their time with hunting and pecking, the flock is blissfully unaware that something spectacular is about to unfold above their heads.
Image taken with Celestron Refracting Telescope with solar filter.Image of eclipse captured with Canon T7i 19-250mm Lense with solar filter.
As the moon traversed more of the sun’s disk, the land below became transformed by the hint of waning sunlight. At this point in the eclipse process, the anticipative effects became apparent.
Back on the farm, as the sky slowly darkened, the flock noticed the early evening waning sunlight. Continuing to graze without sense of urgency, the flock slowly approached the pen.
Image taken with Celestron Refracting Telescope with solar filter.Image of eclipse captured with Canon T7i 19-250mm Lense with solar filter.Image of eclipse captured with Canon T7i 19-250mm Lense with solar filter.
As the eclipse approached totality, the landscape was transformed into a mural of twilight. On the ground crescent shaped shadows filtered through the leaves of a tree near my observation location at the Cincinnati Museum Center.
Crescent shaped shadows from the eclipse sun filtering through the leaves of a tree surrounding a Moon pie box, my snack of choice during eclipse observing.
As the sky above the Kuntry Klucker darkened, the solar lights on my grape arbor turned on, and the flock members stranded in the yard found themselves in the panorama of momentary darkness and confused before the sunlight returned as fast as it had receded.
Below are stills from a time-lapse camera in the pen recording the flock’s reaction to the eclipse. The camera shows that it got dark for a few moments, but not long enough for the flock to make their way up the ladder to the coop. Instead, they froze in place as sudden momentary darkness fell, only to be subsumed into increasing daylight.
The flock’s response was dumbfounded confusion as evening came on suddenly, not giving them much time to react. I hoped they would go to roost to have the sunlight return, rendering their efforts mute. Although I did not get the pics I anticipated, I captured some stunning images of the celestial event. Below is a chronological order of the eclipse as the moon traversed the sun.
At the Cincinnati Museum Center, the darkened sun yielded incredible photos of the landscape during the fleeting period of totality, allowing me several seconds of naked-eye observing.
Cincinnati Museum Center at the inception of the eclipse.Cincinnati Museum Center illuminated by indoor lighting at the peak of totality.Diamond ring eclipse taken with Celestron Refracting Telescope.
This solar eclipse was an incredible celestial event that I am glad I had a chance to observe. While the flock’s reaction was subdued – due to the diminished totality and location at home – the images I captured in Cincinnati are incredible.
Below is a slideshow of the dinosaurs on display. Noteworthy, and one of the reasons I chose this location is the only mounted Torvosaurus in the world is at the Cincinnati Museum Center.
I am a published author, multi-disciplinary writer, and web content creator. If you like this post, please visit my online writing portfolio and my other blogs.
Image Credit: Noelle K. Moser. Tyrannosaurus Rex. Perot Natural History Museum. Dallas,TX
I recently wrote an article examining medullary bone found in a tyrannosaurus rex fossil and how chickens were used to help determine the gender of the fossil. While I focus on backyard chicken-related topics on this blog, I thought my fellow backyard chicken enthusiasts would find this subject matter meaningful and help further understand hens and their biological processes during laying. While this article is scientific, I hope it will bring an appreciation to the marvelous workings and the incredible design of mother nature and our backyard hens.
Image Credit:Noelle K. Moser. Tyrannosaurus Rex. Perot Natural History Museum. Dallas, TX.
Since the discovery of the holotype Tyrannosaurus Rex in 1902 by Barnum Brown in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana, no other dinosaur has captured the human imagination. Upon its discovery, Barnum Brown wrote this to Henry Fairfield Osborn, friend, and curator of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. “It is as if a child’s conception of a monster had become real and was laid down in stone” (Randall, 2022).
Image Credit: Noelle K. Moser.“Walter” Tyrannosaurus Rex. The National Museum of Natural History. Washington, D.C.
Though most of the skull and tail were missing, everything about this monster would overwhelm the human imagination. The specimen that Brown found stood 13 feet tall at the hips, its jaws measured over 4 ft in length, and would have weighed 6-8 tons. This was the only known specimen to science and was given the appropriate name Tyrannosaurus Rex by Henry Osborne in the fall of 1902. Tyrannosaurus which means “tyrant lizard” in Greek and “rex” which means “king” in Latin; Tyrannosaurus Rex, the king of the lizards, no other name would capture in two words the sheer power contained within this beast.
We crave to learn all we can about the largest therapod dinosaurs that ever existed. Over the past one hundred years, we have gleaned a wealth of information from the fifty Tyrannosaurus Rex specimens currently housed in museums around the world.
Image Credit: Noelle K. Moser.Tyrannosaurus Rex and an Alamosaurus (a titanosaurian sauropod). Perot Natural History Museum. Dallas, TX.
Tyrannosaurus rex gender is a tribute to the founder of the specimen. Sue (FMNH PR2081), discovered in 1990 by Sue Hendrickson, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus-rex, is aptly considered female. Stan (BHI 3033), discovered in 1987 by Stan Sacrison, containing the most complete skull, is considered male.
Stan and I. Perot Natural History Museum. Dallas, TX.
While these attempts to assign a pronoun to tyrannosaurus specimens offer a sense of personhood, a link to the actual gender of tyrannosaurus rex specimens rests in the most unlikely of places – chickens.
Smaug: (Silver Lace Wyandotte Rooster). Chickens have much in common with their ancestor, Tyrannosaurus Rex. By understanding chickens, we can much better understand T-rex.
Birds are dinosaurs. Specifically, birds are a type of therapod rooted in the dinosaur family tree that contains the same ferocious meat-eaters as T-rex and Velociraptor (Brusattee, 2018). Birds lie within an advanced group of therapods called parades – a subgroup of therapods that traded in the brute body plan of their gargantuan ancestors for larger brains, sharpened acute senses, and smaller, lighter bodies that permitted progressive lifestyles above their land-dwelling relatives. Anatomically, chickens and tyrant theropods have many common characteristics that define the body plan of these magnificent creatures.
Air Sacs:
Birds achieve flight by two fundamental anatomical adaptions – feathers and hollow bones. While feathers provide the ability to soar above our heads, the real secret lies in their bones. Saurischians – the line of the dinosaur family tree containing both the giant sauropods and therapods – possessed skeletal pneumaticity – spaces for air in their bones. Skeletal pneumaticity produces hollow bones that lighten the skeleton, allowing for a wide range of motion. For example, without pneumaticity, sauropods would not be able to lift their long necks, and giant therapods would lack agility and ability to run because their skeletons would be far too heavy. In birds, air sacs are an ultra-efficient lung oxygen system. This flow-through inhalation and exhalation provides the high-energy birds need during flight. Evolving one-hundred million years before birds took flight, this is the true secret to their ability to take to the skies.
The signature feature of birds – feathers – evolved in their ground-dwelling theropod ancestors first noticed in Sinosauropteryx, the first dinosaur taxon outside parades to be found with evidence of proto-feathers.
Image Credit: Sinosauropterys fossil with evidence of proto-feathers.
The earliest feathers looked much different than the quill feathers of today. Initially, feathers evolved as multipurpose tools for display, insulation, protection for brooding, and sexual dimorphism. These early feathers were more like a fluff – appearing more like fur than feathers – consisting of thousands of hair-like filaments. Silkie chickens possess feathers that lack barbs that form the classic shape we associate with feathers. The first proto-feathers in dinosaurs were much like the texture of feathers on the Silkie. The breed name “Silkie” is derived from this unique feather texture.
Black Silkie hen. Silkie chickens possess hairlike filament feather texturefrom which their name is derived.
Wings:
While large theropods like Tyrannosaurus Rex noticed diminishing forearms throughout the Mesozoic, other dinosaurs like Zhenyuanlong and Microraptor traded in forearms for wings.
Image Credit:Life restoration of Zhenyuanlong, a small theropod that possessed feathered wings but could not fly.Image Credit:Microraptor, feathered dinosaurs that possessed wings on both forelimbs and hindlimbs and could glide from treetop to treetop.
Despite possessing wings, these feather-winged dinosaurs could not fly. Their bodies were far too heavy to achieve flight observed in birds today. Aboral dinosaurs glided from tree to tree or used their wings to fly flop on the ground. These first fully feathered dinosaurs also used their plumage as display features to attract mates or frighten enemies, as stabilizers for climbing trees, and protection and warmth for brooding offspring.
As the body plan for feathered dinosaurs continued to fine-tune the use of feathers, flight happened by accident. More advanced paravians had achieved the magical combination to achieve flight – large wings and smaller bodies (Brusatte, 2018). As the body plan of birds continued to refine, they lost their long tails and teeth, reduced to one ovary, and hollowed out their bones more to lighten their weight. By the end of the Cretaceous, birds flew over the heads of Tyrannosaurus Rex and other land-dwelling dinosaurs. Sixty-six million years ago, the birds and T-rex witnessed the Chicxulub impact that brought the Mesozoic to a close. While therapods with large and expensive body plans died out, birds sailed through to the Cenozoic. For this reason, we say that all non-avian dinosaurs are extinct, but dinosaurs are still very much with us – we call them birds.
Dignitary Locomotion in feet:
Foot of Stan (Tyrannosaurus Rex specimen 3033). Stan walked with digitigrade locomotion.Smaug; Silver Lace Wyandotte Rooster. Like Stan, Smaug walks with digitigrade locomotion.
Theropod means “beast foot”, and for good reason. Adaptions in the metatarsals (foot bones) of theropods allowed them to walk with a digitigrade stance. Unlike humans that walk plantigrade (flat-footed), tyrannosaurus rex walked on their toes. Digitigrade motion has many benefits, as it allows the animal to run fast, increased agility and splayed toes offer better balance on muddy or slippery surfaces. Birds are coelurosaurs and inherited these anatomical characteristics from their theropodian ancestors. Chickens like tyrannosaurus rex walk with digitigrade locomotion, making them swift runners on land and providing excellent balance and stabilizing ability when resting on roosts.
Wish Bone:
Image Credit: Noelle K. Moser. Walter (tyrannosaurus rex) possessed a furcula or “wish bone”. The Furcula can be seen in the image that attached to the forelimbs.National Museum of Natural History. Washington, D.C.
The Thanksgiving tradition of “the lucky break” of the turkey wishbone is possible thanks to theropods who passed this anatomical trait to birds. In Tyrannosaurus rex, the furcula provided strength and power to the diminished but muscular forearms. In birds, the furcula fused from the two clavicle bones and function to strengthen the skeleton in the rigors of flight.
Image Credit: Coracoid and supracoracoideus muscles in a bird’s wing.The furcula provides support to these muscle systems in flight.
In conjunction with the coracoid and the scapula, it forms a unique structure called the triosseal canal, which houses a strong tendon that connects the supracoracoideus muscles to the humerus. This system is responsible for lifting the wings during the recovery stroke in flight.
S-shaped Skeleton:
Image Credit: Noelle K. Moser.Coelophysis, basal coelurosaur with an S-shaped skeleton possessed by both T-rex and modern birds. Perot Natural History Museaum. Dallas TX.
Chickens and all birds have a unique body plan visible in the skeleton. Comparing the skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex with modern birds will yield similar anatomical attributes. T-rex has a skull attached to a spine, ribs, and two legs with splayed toes providing swift bipedal locomotion. Focusing on the appendicular skeleton, we see that T-rex and modern birds have an S-shaped skeleton. The reason is that body plans do not have unlimited parts from which evolution can choose but rather build upon earlier ancestral shapes (Horner, 2009).
While birds lack teeth and long tails, the genes to manipulate these features still exist in the gene sequence of birds. In 2006, researchers at the University of Wisconsin published a report on manipulating the genes responsible for teeth in chicken egg embryos, resulting in buds that would later develop into crocodile-like teeth. The embryos were not allowed to hatch, but this research shows that the genes related to “dinosaur-like” features still exist within the genes of chickens; mother nature has just switched them off.
While it’s easy to say these features are of birds, they are not attributes of birds at all but are of dinosaurs.
Image Credit:Noelle K. Moser. Close up of teeth on tyrannosaurus Rex. Inside the genome of birds lie the genes for teeth and long tails. Mother Nature just has them switched off. Perot Natural History Museum. Dallas, TX.
By studying the anatomy of chickens and comparing these findings with the tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, we see many of the same features. As we look closer, it becomes increasingly clear that T-rex is an overgrown chicken. Since the backyard chicken and the mighty T-rex have these characteristics in common, it stands to reason that these similarities are transferable to the study of tyrannosaur fossils, sexual dimorphism, and gender.
Medullary Bone in Egg Laying Hens:
Polish trio roosting on macramé swing suspended under my grape arbor.
In 2006, while studying bones of a newly discovered tyrannosaurus Rex, B-rex (Bob Rex, a tribute to the finder of this tyrannosaurus skeleton, Bob Harmon), a spongy-like mesh of tiny transparent flexible tubing was visible under a microscope. In attempts to determine the nature of this bone material, researchers turned to the closest living relative of the mighty T-rex – birds, specifically hens.
Buff Orpington chick resting amongst farm fresh eggs from my backyard flock.
This bone medullary bone is a reproductive tissue found only in living female actively reproducing hens. As a hen advances to maturity, marked by egg laying, her body will produce medullary bone and continue to produce this bone throughout her laying duration. In some birds, this is seasonal in hens such as chickens; medullary bone is produced from her first egg at about 20 weeks of age throughout her subsequent laying lifetime. This reproductive bone tissue serves as mobilized calcium storage for the production of eggshells (Larson and Carpenter, 2008).
Buff Orpington eggs from my backyard chicken flock.
The hens in my backyard flock possess the same medullary bone discovered in B-rex. When my hens lay eggs, the shells that protect the egg are medullary bones stored in their bones. As she continues the lay year after year, this reproductive tissue replenishes. Since hens lay several eggs a week vs only seasonal, chicken feed is fortified with additional calcium to extend the egg potential of laying hens. While man’s attempts to lend support by increased calcium allow hens to produce stronger eggshells, the fundamentals are the same. My hens produce medullary bone because it is an attribute that they inherited from their ancestor, tyrannosaurus rex.
Buff Orpington Hens, White Crested Polish hen, and Mottled Cochin Rooster. My hens-related to tyrannosaurus rex-possess the same reproductive medullary bone as that of B-rex.
Unlike other bone types, medullary bone has no other function. It exists solely as a calcium storage for the production of eggshells. The formation of this reproductive tissue osteoclasts in the femur and tibiotarsus bones begins to deposit about 1 or 2 weeks before lay.
It’s a Girl!!!
Image Credit:Femur of MOR 1125 where osteoclasts of medullary bone were found.
The discovery of medullary bone found in the femur of MOR 1125, triggered by the increase of estrogen in her body, signified that this tyrannosaurus rex was not only a female but pregnant.
Living near the end of the 140-million-year reign of the dinosaurs, B-rex moved through the lush forests of a delta that fed several winding rivers in the Hell Creek Formation. She hatched 16 years prior, wandering about this tropical landscape, growing to maturity and preparing to mate.
Image Credit: Noelle K. Moser. Mesozoic plants at the National Botanical Gardens in Washington. D.C. Bob-rex would have seen many of these same plants as she wondered the tropical regions of the Hell Creek Formation sixty-eight million years ago.
Whether or not this was her first mating season, we do not know. Perhaps she died without ever producing offspring, or she was preparing to be a mother for the first time. We know that sixty-eight million years ago, she died young of unknown causes, and her burial was quick because her skeleton was well preserved.
The discovery of B-rex is the holy grail for paleontology and dinosaur studies. We can now assign gender and learn more about the intimate lives of tyrannosaurus rex specimens and other medullary bone-bearing dinosaurs through the lessons of B-rex, the pregnant T-rex.
I hope this post was resourceful and brought more understanding to egg laying in backyard hens and where the eggshell is derived. By understanding the ancestors of our backyard flocks, we can better understand their biological processes.
If you have any question, feel free to post in the comment or you can e-mail me: kuntryklucker@gmail.com
Thanks for reading. Till next time, keep on crowing.
Tyrannosaurus Rex and I. Perot Natural History Museum. Dallas, TX.
~ Noelle K. Moser ~
Resources:
Brusatte, Steve. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A History of Their Lost World. William Marrow of Harper Collins Publishers. New York, NY. 2018. Pgs. 282, 298, 299.
Harris P Matthrew, Hasso M Sean, Ferguson W.J. Mark, and Fallon F John. The Development of Archosaurian First-Generation Teeth in a Chicken Mutant. Current Biology Vol. 16, 371-377, February 21, 2006. URL
Horner, Jack. How to Build a Dinosaur. Plume, Published by Penguin Group. London, England. 2009. Pgs. 8,9,57, 58, 60.
Larson, Peter and Carpenter, Kenneth. Tyrannosaurus Rex: The Tyrant King. Indiana University Press. Bloomington, Indiana. 2008. Pgs. 40, 93, 95, 98.
Randall K., David. The Monster’s Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How it Shook Our World. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York, N.Y. 2022. Pgs. 153.
The red glow of a LED bulb in The Coop De Ville bachelor pen.
As fall transitions to winter and temperatures begin to plummet, many backyard chicken keepers are looking for ways to overwinter their flocks and prepare for the anticipated cold weather. While steps to winterize the coop and pen will yield positive impacts, there are potentially dangerous mistakes to avoid when overwintering your flock. The most destructive of these is heat lamps.
In this post, I will explore the dangers of heat lamps and new and safer methods to implement in overwintering backyard chickens. While it is good husbandry to see to the needs of your flock, the most dangerous mistake a chicken keeper can make is judging the flock’s comfort level by your own.
The Kuntry Klucker winterized to keep the coop and pen clean and dry.
Heat lamps-synonymous with chicken coops-began in our grandparents’ days. During the 1940s through the 1980s, heat lamps were used in brooders to keep chicks warm and then used in the coop during winter as a supplemental heat source. While the intentions of these generations of chicken keepers were good, many unfortunately suffered the consequences of using heat lamps in these settings.
During the early 2000s, better methods of providing heat to the brooder setting reduced the need for heat lamps and the associated unintended consequences. However, despite the development of safer products specifically designed for the needs of a backyard chicken keeper, the tradition of heat lamps has progressed through time.
Ganondorf (white crested polish rooster) peering out of the window in the Coop De Ville illuminated by the red glow of a LED light in the coop.
Large, inconstant bulbs, blasting long wavelength red light at an impressive 250 or 500 watts, may seem benign, harmless, or passive. However, the dangers of these bulbs when used in the coop environment are anything but innocuous. A chicken coop filled with dry wood shavings, dust, and feathers is prime kindling for a swift, vehement, and exhaustive fire.
The path of destruction set forth by these bulbs is possible in two primary ways. First, there is no assured way to mount heat lamps in a habitat where the residents can fly. Heat lamps, by the antics of the chickens, are easily knocked down. Once they fall, if the bulb does not bust, the radiating heat will quickly ignite the dry shavings, and a fire ensues.
Secondly, due to the incandescent nature of heat lamp bulbs – at the end of their lifespan – the filament within the bulb can burst, causing the bulb to explode. Releasing a burst of light, heat, and sparks, the instability of heat lamp bulbs when making contact with the kindling in the coop will result in a fatal fire.
Silkie flock roosting in the coop.
Despite best efforts to mount a heat lamp in a chicken coop, the flighty nature of the residents inside makes a coop fire an ever-present danger. Given the volatility of heat lamps in an enclosed environment, there are much safer ways to keep the flock comfortable as the winter weather rages.
Plastic sheeting for winterizing coops.The TARDIS winterized.The Kuntry Klucker winterized to keep the coop and pen clean and dry.The flock in the Kuntry Klucker warm and cozy on a cold winter night.
To successfully overwinter a backyard flock, only two things are required – a clean and dry place to call home. Chickens are wearing down coats, factory installed. Artificially warming the coop can be life-threatening in severe winter weather. The loss of power is common in winter storms. We survive these events by wearing warmer clothes, huddling under thermal blankets, and consuming warm food and beverages. All of these creature comforts are unavailable to the freezing flock outside.
Miss Bossy (Buff Orpington Hen) trudging through the snow.
When faced with the same situation, a flock that has become dependent on supplemental heat can freeze to death. During the winter, I will receive several correspondences from other chicken keepers seeking help after a power outage that accompanied a winter storm resulted in death among their flock. In addition to sharing their sympathies, I will take the time to educate them on why this happened and how to avoid a reoccurrence in the future.
Chickens evolved to live outdoors and acclimate to the changing temperatures naturally. During molt, in addition to growing in new feathers, chickens will also grow in winter down to keep them warm during the winter. When the coop is artificially warm during this time, a variable that will cause a flock to be ill-equipped for the coming cold weather is introduced. With the added consequences of power loss during winter storms, flock’s dependent on artificial heat sources suffer when factors outside their control ensue.
The flock venturing out in the snow.The flock following paths cleared of snow.The flock investigating newly fallen snow.
Installing plastic sheeting around the coop and pen does two things. First, the plastic is a wind barrier. Secondly, winter precipitation will stay outside the pen and coop area. This simple improvement will keep the flock’s living habitat clean and dry, which makes cleaning much easier in the winter.
The natural body temperature of a chicken is between 107- and 109-degrees F, fatal for us but necessary for their survival; chickens are little furnaces wrapped in down feathers. A wind barrier is crucial for overwintering a flock because it allows the chickens to trap this heat next to their body where they need it to keep warm. Exposure to winds will lift their feathers, and they will lose the heat they worked hard to maintain. Given a draft-free place to call home, the chickens do the rest.
Roy (Buff Orpington Rooster) inspecting a snowman in the backyard.
Is it safe to free-range the flock during the winter? The answer to this is absolutely yes. A winterized coop and pen protected from the wind, elements, and temperatures will allow flock members to determine their comfort level. Given access to the outdoors, individuals will spend some time free ranging, if they get a chill from the wind or precipitation, they will come to the coop, warm up, and then continue free ranging. Access to the outdoors will keep a flock happy and healthy as they have natural resources such as sunshine and fresh air.
While it may seem daunting, overwintering a backyard flock is simple and affordable. Providing a clean and dry coop and pen stocked with fresh water and feed is all that chickens require. Keep it simple and let the chickens do the rest.
I hope this post was helpful and made the process of winterizing your coop and overwintering your flock much easier. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. You can also reach me as the following e-mail address: kuntryklucker@gmail.com
I check my e-mail often and will respond as soon as I can.
To watch a YouTube video on my procedure of winterizing The Kuntry Klucker, please click here.
To watch a YouTube video where I go more in depth on overwintering my flock, please click here.
Image Credit: Noelle K. Moser. A male cardinal perching on a snow-covered tree.
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If you like this blog, please visit some of my other blogs and online writing portfolio.
In the coming days, the United States is going to experience some of the coldest weather in almost 40 years. A polar cyclone with the pressure of a category 3 hurricane will descend on the middle and eastern half of the country. Numerous advisers and warnings are in place in anticipation of the polar airmass.
For backyard chicken keepers, this presents unprecedented challenges. Throughout the past decade of owning chickens, I have never encountered temperatures that are forecasted for the coming days. Like many backyard chicken keepers, I am making preparations to weather the worst of old man winter. Below I have some tips to help you prepare your flock for severe winter weather.
Wrap to buffer the winter winds.
Help your flock buffer the worst of the winter winds by wrapping your coop in construction-grade plastic or feed bags. Supplying your flock with a windbreaker will aid them in the ability to keep warm. Chickens are well adapted to living outdoors and keeping warm by generating body heat and trapping it with their feathers. If a cold blast of wind lifts their feathers, they will lose all the heat that worked hard to achieve. Installing a windbreak around the coop will have the added purpose of keeping the elements out of the coop and pen. During times of frigid weather, keep your flock confined to the coop and pen. Chickens can freeze to death if they are subject to cold bitter winds for sustained periods.
Provide plenty of feed.
To keep warm in cold weather, chickens will consume extra calories to help them generate necessary body heat. In times of severe winter weather, it is important to make sure that your flock has access to plenty of food. To ensure that all members have access to calories needed provide several feeders. Offer them high-calorie treats such as a scratch or cracked corn. While I don’t treat my flock too often because it dilutes the nutrition they need from their feed, in times of severe winter weather I make an exception.
Offer bordom busters
While winter weather rages, confining flocks to the safety of the coop and pen, they can get bored. To prevent boredom related behavior issues, provide essentials to keep your backyard flock mentally engaged. Place a sandbox in the pen and fill it with play sand, in a plastic bottle poke small holes and fill them with scratch, scatter mealworms on the pen floor, and provide hours of pecking fun with a flock block.
Liquid water is essential.
When temperatures plummet, water is necessary. In addition to increased calorie consumption, water aids chickens in regulating their body temperature. Take steps to make sure that your flock has drinkable water. Employ a heated waterer, make a tin-heated water base or haul fresh unfrozen water out to your flock several times a day.
A note on heat lamps.
Although it may be tempting to supply a heating source in your coop, refrain from doing so. Heat lamps are dangerous, and responsible for many tragic coop, house, and barn fires. Your flock comes factory installed with down coats, the same coats that we put on in cold weather, they are wearing. Chickens do not need heat, rather assist their efforts in keeping warm by implementing the steps aforementioned in this post.
Providing your flock with a wind-free environment, plenty of food, and clean drinkable water is all they require; they can do the rest.
I hope these tips help as your make preparations for the coldest temperatures in decades. You are not alone, backyard chicken keepers all over the nation share the same concerns, I am here to offer a little direction. If you have any questions, please post in the comments, I will check often and get back to you promptly.
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As late summer is coming to an end, and spring chicks are now full-grown birds, it’s time to introduce them to an established flock.
I like many backyard chicken keepers, acquired new chicks earlier this spring, and am now in the process of introducing them to my established flock. While this process is rather easy, it takes time and must be approached with care.
It is in a chicken’s nature to resist any new members to the flock, if done too hastily, it could spell disaster or death for the new kids in the flock. In this post, I will explain why chickens are resistant to new members and how to introduce them so that this process is done successfully.
Why do chickens resist new members?
To understand why chickens are so resistant to new members, we need to get into the head of a chicken using a bit of chicken psychology.
Chickens are highly socially organized creatures. Their entire lives revolve around a hierarchy. Within this hierarchy, each member knows their place and what this assignment means in terms of flock activity.
Typically, the flock hierarchy begins with the alpha rooster, under him will be any subjugated roosters in the flock, these boys will then assume the beta rooster positions. Following the roosters will start the order of the hens. The head hen or alpha hen will occupy the top position in the order. The Alpha hen is a bit bossy regarding the other hens in the flock. She is the individual who will often roost next to the roosters at night and is commonly the “favorite” of the alpha rooster in terms of mating. This may be due to her size, receptiveness to mating, or her fertility as judged by the roosters.
Occupying the hierarchical positions under the alpha hen will be the other hens in the flock. Order and status are determined by the “pecking order”. Members in a flock peck each other on the back indicating status. The pecker is above the pecked in flock hierarchy. This competition for position flows from the alpha rooster down to the member that is at the bottom of the pecking order.
Once established, the order is strictly maintained. Any breach of the position will be met with a firm reminder of this order and each place within it. Once in a while, a member may challenge and higher hierarchy order individual for their position. This is usually met with a skirmish which will decide if the challenger successfully raised their position or is put in their place. This behavior is not just found among the roosters in the flock, hens will also fight for position and status in the flock.
Once the flock agrees on the order, all activities within the flock revolve around this order. Everything from who roosts where, to the order in which they exit the coop in the morning, and the order in which they return at night are all determined by the pecking order. The alpha hens will often eat from the feeder first in the morning. After she gets their fill, the other hens will then get their share. The roosters most commonly eat last despite their hierarchical position in the flock. It is by evolutionary design, that the roosters know that the hens need the nutrition for flock procreation. A good rooster will always let the hens eat first, he will then eat any remaining morsels.
As organized and structured that the flock hierarchy may be, it is fluid, and always in flux. Many activities can affect the pecking order in a flock. Events such as an illness or death of a member. If a member is injured and can no longer defend their position, they will oftentimes find themselves at the bottom of the pecking order. Once they recover, they can sometimes regain their previous position, although this is not guaranteed. In the case of the death of an individual, the hierarchy reorganization can be quite sophisticated.
For example, when we lost our rooster, Roy, the flock found themselves suddenly without their top member, the Alpha member. It took the girls a while to decide who was going to occupy the position at the top of the pecking order. After the decision was made, the rest of the girls had to reestablish their position in the flock. It took several weeks for the girls to finally agree on the new pecking order. Once it was established, peace reigned once more in the coop.
It is for this reason that chickens are so resistant to any new additions to the flock. When a keeper introduces new members to the flock, they interfere with this sophisticated hierarchical social construct within the flock. Knowing this, a keeper needs to take care of how and when to introduce new individuals to an established flock.
There are several things that a keeper can do to make this transition as least stressful on the flock as possible. I will dedicate the rest of this post to the process I have used for over a decade of chicken keeping.
Brood new chicks in the flock environment or close to their enclosure.
If using a broody hen to hatch and rise a clutch of chicks for you, she will take care of the introduction of her new chicks to the flock. In the absence of a broody hen, it falls on the keeper to make this social transition. The easiest way to do this is to brood the chicks in the pen if possible, or near the established flock’s habit.
When I get a new clutch of chicks, I will keep them inside for the first two weeks. This allows me to monitor them so for health issues, physical issues, or other behavioral issues. Once I am confident that they survived their trip and have acclimated to the brooder environment, I move them outside to the girl’s pen.
Inside The Kuntry Klucker, I have a wood pot shelf that I will set the brooder on. The girls are unable to gain any access to the chicks but are aware of their presence and activity. This does several things; this allows the established flock to get to know the new kids in the flock early on. Over time they will become accustomed to their presence in their environment, they will begin to ignore them and just associate them with the daily hum of flock activity.
Once the chicks are large enough to run in the pen, I will take them out of the brooder, and give them access to the larger pen environment. During the phases, I will cut off the girl’s access to the pen from the coop and will open the external access door on the side. The established flock will then exit and enter through this secondary external access door. Meanwhile, the chicks will be confined to the indoor pen. This allows the established flock to see and interact with the chicks while forbidding any contact.
As the chicks grow, the established flock will be allowed visual access only. Over time, the established flock will once again ignore the presence of the chicks, as they become a daily presence in their lives.
Once the chicks are roughly the same size as the established flock, around 18-20 weeks, I will then, allow the established flock access once again to the indoor pen area where the chicks have spent the last several months. By this time, the chicks have reached egg-laying age and are put on the same layer of feed that the established flock normally consumes.
By this time, the established flock is so used to the chicks being present in their lives and environment. Thus, the transition is much easier on both flocks.
This method works best if you are introducing a group of new individuals to your established block. I try to introduce groups of at least 5 or more. This year I am introducing 12 new individuals to my flocks. The larger the new flock the better.
The Pecking Order Begins:
Once the two flocks are allowed to contact each other, the new pecking order begins. The established flock will begin pecking the new flock members on the back, indicating they are at the bottom of the pecking order. It is for this reason that the new kids in the flock need to be roughly the same size as the established birds. This allows them to handle the pecking order initiation process much better.
The pecking order at first may seem brutal. The established flock is putting in its two cents on the new hierarchical assignments. As long as it is just pecking on the back, I do not intervene. If the pecking order takes on more of a harsher bullying quality, I will then monitor the pecking order assignments for several days till the flock seems to agree on positions.
The initiation process usually recedes in a few days. At most, my flock wrestles with the pecking order decisions for a week. It usually does not take long because the new members generally reside at the bottom of the pecking order. Very rarely do new members challenge established members for a higher position in the flock hierarchy. Even new roosters will often take a subjugated position at the bottom of the pecking order vs challenging the alpha rooster for his position.
Once the flock agrees in the place of the new members, flock harmony reigns once more. For several months there may be a bit of pecking as reminders of position. But for the most part, the hard part is over.
As time goes on, the flock will act more like a single flock rather than two individual flocks. By the 4–6-month mark, the two flocks will work as one. The new members will most likely reside at the bottom of the pecking order for the first year of their lives. After that point, they may try to challenge another member for a higher position, but even this is not usually an issue.
At this point, if you have a rooster in the new flock, they may begin to fight. I have had this go both ways. I have had a new rooster after several months challenge one of the established roosters for their position. I have also had new roosters just sit happily at the bottom of the order. This all depends on the temperament of the new rooster. He may assume the beta position well or he may not. It is during this time that you need a plan for your extra roosters. I typically put my roosters in bachelor pens where they bunk with other roosters. I will link the post here where I detail how bachelor pens work.
Even when roosters compete for the position, the skirmish does not last too long. I have 13 roosters; all are well-behaved and get along fairly well. Once they decide on the social order, they will happily tolerate one another.
I hope this has helped many fellow “spring chicken” backyard chicken enthusiasts merge new chicks into an established flock.
Chickens are very simple creatures; one just needs an understanding of their nature and habits. They ask little but give much in return.
If you still have questions, please feel free to leave me a comment or contact me at kuntryklucker@gmail.com.
I am a published author, multi-disciplinary writer, and blog contributor. If you enjoy this blog, please visit some of my other sites.
The girls spending the evening grazing on a freshly cut lawn.
Know your Zoning laws:
First and foremost, before you get chickens, know your zoning restrictions. Many cities, states, and counties have different laws regarding keeping livestock. If you are in the city, if you are allowed backyard chickens, you will most likely be restricted to a small number of hens, omitting roosters.
In the county or country, you may have more freedom, but you will still need to abide by guidelines.
My flock is confined to my backyard by the use of a wood privacy fence.
For example, based on my location, I am not restricted to the number of chickens I can have. However, I am restricted on how far my coops need to be from my neighbor’s front door. My animals must be confined to my property by a fence or attached pen to a coop. I need to practice good manure management to reduce rodent and odor issues for my neighbors. Even in the country, some guidelines need to be followed.
Caster making his way out of the Coop De Ville to the outdoor pen area.
If you are unsure of what your zoning laws require, you can find out simply by calling the State Veterinarian for your state and asking. They will be able to tell you based on your location what your restrictions are.
Addiction
As the saying goes, “You can’t have just one”. This more than applies to owning chickens. I started with 17 Buff Orpington chicks and now have ballooned to a flock of 50+ of various breeds. I underestimated the addiction risk of chickens. I love my backyard divas and have plans for more.
Today my flock is a thriving multicultural mesh of different breeds. By acquiring a variety of breeds, I can profile the behavior of various breeds along with any advantages and drawbacks. After owning several breeds, I can honestly say that the Polish are my favorite breed of all my Backyard Divas.
Aphrodite in a barrel of Gerbera Daisies.
Time/chores
Clean coops and happy hens after morning chores.
Chickens require time and daily care. Like all pets, chickens require dedication. However, chickens require little but give much in return.
To illustrate. My flock of 50 and 7 coops requires about 30 minutes of my time every morning. Daily chores consist of cleaning the coops, filling feeders, filling waterers, collecting eggs, and maintaining nesting boxes. All of this, while sounding like a lot does not require much time out of my day.
However, like a dog or cat, maintenance needs to be performed daily. Also, like your cat or dog, if you go on vacation, care will need to be arranged in your absences.
Eggs
Tripple tier egg storage basket in my kitchen.
Most people keep chickens for farm fresh eggs. However, this pursuit, although positive has some drawbacks.
First, once you get a taste of farm fresh eggs, it’s hard to eat any other type of egg. For example, store-bought eggs after eating farm-fresh eggs taste differently. You will find yourself becoming an egg connoisseur of sorts, an egg snob if you will.
Basket full of eggs. The girls were busy today.
Second, you will come to realize that at first, your flock will produce the most expensive eggs that you ever collected. Allow me to explain.
Once obtaining your flock, it will be about 20 weeks or 5-6 months before you collect the first egg from the nesting box. But during the “waiting period”, you will have to feed your flock. Egg laying or not, feeding your flock is a necessity. By the time you get your first egg, you will have spent a hefty amount on chicken feed, flock supplies, and coops/pens. However, once the flock starts to lay dependably, your cost and reward ratio will begin to align. But until then, you will be putting money into a “timeshare” of sorts without any benefit. Many people do not realize this, they falsely assume that chickens lay eggs right away and do not factor in a period of egg drought.
Egg droughts do not only happen during the development/maturity of the hens toward laying age but also at various times throughout their lives. Yearly molt, the coldest part of winter, or the hottest part of summer depending on the breed. The point is, your flock will go through dry spells where they are not laying but you will be spending money on chicken feed. During these times of declined egg production, I humorously refer to my girls as “free-loaders”. All in good spirits of course. I understand my girls need a vacation now and then and grant them time off.
Premium chicken feed the girls earned with the sale of their eggs. My flock is a big fan of Purina chicken Feed. They prefer it to any other brand. My girls are indeed pampered poultry.
Third, they will find you. When an egg recall or egg ration is suffered by the egg industry, backyard chicken keepers become everyone’s favorite neighbor.
Empty egg coolers at my local Walmart during the past bird flu scare and massive egg recall. And just like that the crazy chicken lady is everyone’s favorite neighbor.
For example, during the past egg scare when the bird flu raged havoc throughout the egg industry, I got a few unexpected visitors at my door. It takes quite a bit of gut to knock on a stranger’s door and ask for eggs.
The situation of this particular visitor was rather unique. She was a friend of a friend, who worked with a friend who told her that she knew me and that I had a fairly large backyard chicken flock. Her husband was on a strict diet, eggs were his primary source of protein. Being that the bird flu forced many egg producers to recall eggs and euthanize their flocks, he was practically starving.
I gave her what eggs I had. I offered them at no charge given their unique and desperate situation. She insisted that she pay for them. This was the first day that a stranger knocked at my door and the girls turned a profit, but it was not the last.
All proceeds the girls make on the eggs, I turn back to them in the form of feed, treats, and other necessities.
This was when I first realized how self-sustaining my little farm is. A massive egg recall raging through the nation, had I not watched the news, I would have had no idea. Now, when egg recalls or egg scares make the news, I am prepared for a few visitors looking for eggs. The humble backyard chicken keeper to the rescue.
Illness and the importance of a Chicken first aid kit:
First Aid Kit for my girls.
Just like kids and other pets, chickens too get sick. However, unlike a pediatrician for little humans and vets for cats and dogs, most vets will not treat chickens since they are technical “livestock”. While backyard flocks are rapidly reaching pet status, for now, they are categorized as livestock.
Thus, the backyard chicken keeper has to become a chicken doctor. Although this sounds scary, chickens are simple creatures. Most conditions that plague a backyard flock are relatively simple to treat.
The more common health conditions that a backyard chicken keeper will encounter are mites, lice, bumblefoot, fly strikes, respitorary illnesses, and sour crops. The good news is good flock maintenance practices will eliminate many of these conditions. If your flock has fresh water daily, fresh feed in clean feeders and a clean dry place to call home, most of these potential illnesses will be greatly reduced.
In my 10 years of keeping chickens, I have only had a few illnesses inflicted my flock. Mostly treatment for mites, worms, and bumblefoot. If your chickens are allowed to free range, at some point they will come down with a case of red fowl mites. You can think of mites as a badge of honor because your flock has access to grass, fresh air, and sun. Treatment is similar to flea/tick treatment for cats and dogs only for chickens. My favorite product for this purpose is Epernix. Found a Feed/Farm store in the cattle section.
Marketed for cattle, Epernix at a low dose is safe for chickens. Use 1/2 cc for bantams and 3/4 cc for standard-size birds. With a syringe, drop the liquid behind the neck, just like treating a cat or dog. Repeat in 14 days, and that’s it. After two doses, lice and mites are history. Treat every single flock member, I do this 1 to 2 times a year. I treat only when symptoms are present. Note: when using this product there is an automatic egg withdrawal of 20 days while the girls are in treatment.
Worming is the same. Marketed for goats, safeguard at small doses it is an effective treatment for chickens. This time, with a different syringe use 1/2cc for bantam and 3/4cc for standard-size birds. Drop the wormer on a piece of bread and feed it to each member of the flock, repeat in 14 days. There is a 20-day egg withdrawal for safeguards like Eprinex. That’s it, crises averted.
The most complex issue I have had to deal with is bumblefoot. I will link a post detailing my method for dealing with bumblefoot here.
Although chicken keeper needs to take their flock’s health into their own hands, it’s not hard. Most things you need to treat your flocks are found at feed/Farm stores. If you can find a vet to treat your birds, the price will be very high. However, most vets will put a gravely ill chicken down. Some keepers prefer this to put their sick hens down. I humanly euthanize my sick members, but most people are not able to do this which is fine. Most vets will assist in this event.
Chicken first aid kit.
Things to keep in your chicken first aid kit:
Vet wrap, gauze, triple antibiotic cream, salve, plastic knives for administrating salve and creams, sterile scissors for cutting gauze and vet wrap, hydrogen peroxide, syringes without needles for administrating medication orally, Rooster Booster poultry cell (great for providing sick birds with iron, amino acids, and minerals for recovery), Rooster Booster B-12 (good for providing sick birds with essential vitamins for healing, high in B-12), VetRx for poultry (great for birds with respiratory issues, similar to Vicks for humans. Drop in water or place under the wing to help birds recover), bleach to sterilize instruments.
Most of these things are household items except for items specific to poultry. Keeping a first-egg kit (pun intended) ready and stocked makes it easier to treat on the spot rather than waiting till you can get the items you need.
Have a plan for winter
The coops all bundled up for the cold winter season.
When acquiring chickens, most people are so focused on brooders and bringing their flock to laying age. Little thought is given to seasonal change. As fall approaches keepers often find themselves frantic as the mercury drops. Preparing a flock for winter takes time, preparation, and some expense. However, chickens come factory installed with down coats, it’s not the cold keepers need to worry about but wind and moisture. To adequately prepare your flock for winter a keeper needs to take measures to keep the coop/pen clean and dry. Installing a heater or heat lamp is not recommended. Coop fires are often started by good intentions to keep flocks warm. The rule of thumb is to never judge your flock’s comfort by your standards. Chickens evolved to live outdoors, all a keeper needs to do is keep them clean and dry, warmth is not necessary, the chickens take care of that on their own. I will link here the methods I use to prepare my flock and coops for winter.
Coops and Pens: There are so many options.
The Coop-Hood. Currently I maintain 50+ chickens and a fleet of 7 coops.
Before you get chickens, decide what kind of coop you want to get. Before shopping for coops, you need to know how many chickens you intend to get and how many coops you want to have. There are lots of resources for acquiring coops. If you are skilled at woodworking, you could build your own coop and pen. If you’re like me and woodworking is not your cup of tea, there are many prefab coops on the market. Contrary to popular belief, prefab coops can and do make great homes for your flock. I will link here my post where I talk about prefab coops, hacks, and how to get the most out of your prefab coops.
Finally and most importantly: Brooder set up
Brooder set up for a successful flock.
To raise a successful flock, your chicks need a good start, and the best place to get this start is in the brooder. Before you get chicks, you need to think about their brooder and how you plan to brood your clutch. Just about everything you can think of has been used for brooders, kiddie pools, Rubbermaid totes, dog crates, boxes, bathtubs, garages, attics, and so on. The possibilities are endless. At the end of the day, a brooder is just a heated home for your growing chicks, what you use to achieve this home is up to you. I started out using large boxes then switched to puppy playpens as my preferred brooding container. Everyone will have their idea on what to use and how to brood. The size of the flock will also affect the type of container to use. I will link my brooding method and supplies here.
Grape Arbor and the Coop-Hood.
I hope that this post has been a helpful addition to the information-gathering phase on starting your backyard chicken flock. Chickens are a great asset to any farm, homestead, or city backyard. They ask little but give much in return.
If you have any questions not addressed in this post, feel free to ask. You can also drop us a line at kuntryklucker@gmail.com
I am a published author, multi-disciplinary writer, and blog contributor. If you enjoy this blog, please visit some of my other sites.
Forget their bad rap, let’s take a fresh look at Roosters.
Lestat: White Crested Polish Standard Rooster
For those who have followed me, you know that I have two central passions within the backyard chicken movement, conservation of Heritage Breeds and Roosters. Roosters have acquired a bad rap that they are not totally deserving of. Much of this reputation started in our grandparent’s day when keeping chickens was a basic way of life. The breeds available for this purpose were few and most were considered game birds by our breed standard today. The rooster was a bit cantankerous and aggressive. Not of their own volition, but due to the lack of breeding for demeanor, temperament, and docile attributes.
The backyard chicken hobby has come a long way since the day of our grandparents, starring the nightmare bird that tormented us. Much has been done in the way of breeding that has produced roosters that are much more docile and friendly. Make no mistake, a rooster has a job to do, and he takes it seriously, but as a general rule many breeds today possess roosters that are much better suited for the backyard chicken hobby way of life. I went into the hobby carrying with me the traumas of the dreaded backyard bird on my grandparents’ farm. I have since then learned much about these creatures and come to appreciate and admire them.
Roy: Buff Orpington Rooster
The first rooster that I had was Roy. Roy was a Buff Orpington rooster that came with the first batch of chicks that I ordered. I was terrified to have a rooster, but nonetheless went forward with raising him alongside the other chickens in the clutch. I feared that Roy would grow up to be the vindictive bird so often elapsed from generations past. All I had was my working knowledge and many negative associations attributed to roosters.
As Roy grew into an adult rooster, he showed me another side of roosters, a side that I never thought possible. He showed me that roosters are effectuate, approachable, friendly and even docile. I was blown away by the unchartered path the Roy was taking me down. Not only was he not aggressive, but he was also a gentleman. When I brought treats to the backyard, he would feed the girls. When I came to visit the flock, he was more often than not my welcoming committee. Through Roy, I was able to witness the selfless service he offered to my hens. Even giving his life if necessary.
Roy the Rooster
One early spring day, I was in the house going about my regular activities. Due to the temped weather, I had the windows open. Out of the silence of my otherwise quiet day, I heard Roy crowing. This crow was different, instead of his usual “just checking in” crow, this crow had a timbre of urgency. Throwing on my boots and rushing to the backyard, I saw a scene before me that I was not prepared for. In the middle of the backyard stood Roy, he had sounded the alarm because a large raptor had laid siege upon the flock. All the girls were safely hidden under a tree, but Roy was alone in the backyard preparing to take on the hawk alone, thus giving his life for his hens. As I approached the backyard and took in the reality of what was unfolding, I too took action and grabbed the closest thing to me waving it in the air. With my hoe in hand, I approached Roy, striking the Raptor, scaring it, it flew over the fence scratching into the distance. Once Roy was freed from the predators’ talons, I saw that he was injured. He sustained injuries to his head and back. I cared for him, nursing him back to health, returned him to the flock where he lived on several more years as a decorated war hero. I learned that day the ultimate value of a rooster. Roy showed me that a rooster is more than a reputation that hinged from a long-ago era. A rooster is a sentient being that gives more than he will ever receive. Even giving his life when necessary.
Roy’s Grave: Under this white butterfly bush is Roy’s final resting place. Although gone, I can still hear his crow echoing in the voices of rooster that I care for today.
Roy has long since passed, buried under a white butterfly bush in my backyard, but he is not gone. I still hear his crow echoing in my backyard amplified in the 13 roosters that I now have the honor to care for. He was the first of many roosters that I now own and will own in the future.
The lessons I learned from my Rooster Teacher will never fade. I take what Roy has taught me and now advocate for roosters. Roosters are amongst the most abused and forgotten creatures, a singer of the songs of the ancients, with a heart of gold, he cares for and even surrenders his life for his friends.
This post is dedicated to Roy and his legacy, but most importantly it’s the story of my journey with roosters. Proof that roosters are indeed sentient beings worthy of admiration and respect. Here are my top 10 Reasons why Roosters Rock.
Protection:
Enigma (Mottled Cochin Rooster) keeping watch as the girls dig in the fresh hay for delectibles.
The most common attribute possessed by roosters is that of protection. When free ranging, a rooster will keep an eye to the sky, looking out for any danger that may threaten the flock. When a danger is detected, he will sound the alarm, send the girls running for cover and if needed give his life for his flock. This is what I witnessed on that fateful day when Roy sounded the alarm. Had I not been home, I often cringe at what would have been. But luckily, I was there to save Roy’s life just as he was preparing to save the life of my girls.
It is often said that a rooster is a better watch dog than a watch dog. After owning many roosters, I have to concur. Roosters will keep you up to date all on that goes on in the backyard or chicken yard. They are a real live and up to date news service on the condition of their surroundings. If there are multiple roosters in a flock, they will check in with each other, crowing communicating the “all clear here”, echoed by a “clear here too”. This banter will go on throughout the day as the boys on duty keep the flock updated on the air traffic in the area or other important announcements. I delight in hearing my boys check in with each other, I feel good knowing that the guys are on duty.
2. Crowing
Lestat: (White Crested Standard Rooster) announcing my arrival to the backyard as I prepare to mow the grass.
Singing the song of his people, a rooster’s crow is an ancient song, a song of a world long forgotten in time. He sings the ancient song long before our time, a time when his larger ancestors roamed the earth. His is a song from a world that long ago existed before his song was drowned out by our modern way of life. His song is a song of purity, the reminiscence of a day when life was hard but simple. A time when a rooster’s crow ushered in the beginning of a new day. Greeting the sun, setting the world around him in motion. Our modern life drowns out the sounds of nature and the past. His song has a purity that money cannot buy but few will hear. His song is a relic of the ancients, linking us to his past and to ours.
3. A Dancer:
Dracula: (Easter Egger Rooster) shaking is waddles, showing that he is a real “stud”.
A rooster is a gentleman. Before he mates with a hen, he courts her with a shuffle dance. As he approaches her in anticipation of a date he will dance for her, shuffling his feet, displaying his wings and at times shaking his waddles, the ultimate display of a rooster “stud”. If she accepts, he will then mate with her and then make plans for his next date. Watching this mating dance within my own flock by my roosters is such a delight. I never thought that roosters could have such killer moves, but nonetheless, my backyard is a dance floor with some of the best dancers I have seen. I never get tired of watching my boys dance for my hens.
4. Fertilized Eggs
Buff Orpington chicks sitting atop eggs collected from my backyard.
Linked close to number 3 (dancing) is fertilized eggs. When a rooster mates with a hen, it is his aim to pass long his genes to the subsequent generation of chicks. If you want to procreate your flock, fertilized eggs are a must. Not only that, but if you sale your fertilized eggs you can make a small profit on the side. For example, when the covid-19 pandemic hit the US, lot of people wanted to keep chickens. Seeking to be independent from the supply chain, many began seeking a more self-sufficient way of life. A lot of people reached out to me asking if I would sale some of my hens or chicks. Being that it was January when covid impacted my area, chick season was a bit far off yet. However, I did have fertilize eggs that I could sale and start their flocks. As a result, I earned a profit by selling fertilized eggs from my flock. All the proceeds went right back to the girls whether be it feed, treats, or other things they benefited from.
5. Hunting for his Hens:
Devros and Micky Smith (Silkie Roosters) standing watch as their hens eats the bugs they found.
A rooster will hunt for his girls. When free ranging, a rooster will actively look for things to offer his hens. When he finds something of value, he will call his girls over to partake of his hard work. When they heed his call, he will then pick up the morsel and drop it, showing them what he found for them. As they eat, he will keep watch looking out for any danger deemed to be a threat to the flock. If his hunts come up empty, he will lead his girls to the feeder when he feels that it’s time for them to eat. After the girls have had their fill, only then will he eat if there are any remaining morsels. It is by evolutionary design that he knows the girls need the extra nutrition for the procreation of the flock (egg laying).
Roosters are known for this chivalrous behavior. I spend much time watching my boys as they hunt and call over their girls as the proudly watch as they eagerly eat his find. This was a behavior that I least expected to see in my roosters. Even when I bring treats to the backyard for the flock, the boys will be up front ready to receive the treats to distribute amongst their appointed hens. I will often give the treats to the roosters and watch them feed their ladies. In this process, the roosters have learned that I am the supplier of sustenance and will often squabble in anticipation of getting the first hand out to offer to their hens. When multiple roosters are in the flock, this behavior is even more interesting to witness.
6. Keeping his friends close and his enemies closer:
Enigma (Mottled Cochin Rooster) keeping his girls close as the roam the backyard for snacks.
When out free ranging, the presence of a rooster in a flock will keep the girls from wondering too far. In my backyard, the boys have divided the yard into jurisdictions. Each head of the flock knowing where the boundary lines are, and which girls belong on which rooster team. Given that my backyard is large providing much roaming space, each rooster keeps his girls within their section of the vast yard. When the girls start to wonder too far from their coop or into “enemy territory”, he will herd them back to home base. When roosting time approaches, he will also herd them to the coop in preparation for night fall. I have multiple coops in my backyard, each rooster knows which coop is his and will see to it that all his girls are accounted for before I lock up. If I find one of the roosters wondering in the backyard, I know that one or more of his girls are in the wrong coops. I assist him with finding his missing hen in one of the other coops, put her on the ground and let him lead her to the correct coop for roosting (it is apparently a violation of the rooster code for him to enter a suspect coop in search of his hen). I have often times gone to lock up the coops for the night and found one, sometimes more of my boys waiting for my assistance. They know that as I lock up coops, I will discover any misplaced hens and reunite them with the correct flock and corresponding head of flock management.
7. Keeping order in the ranks:
Caster and Pollux (White Crested Polish Bantam Roosters) leading their girls to a shade tree near the coop for a mid-afternoon nap.
As the head of the flock, a rooster will keep order in the ranks. Contrary to popular belief, chickens are very intelligent and highly organized creatures. Phrases that we often use in our everyday language are derived from the complex social structure of chickens such as, “pecking order” and for good reason. The social hierarchy of a flock is established by literally pecking another member on the back indicating placement in the social order (the pecker is above the peckie). Starting with the alpha rooster, below him are the subjugated roosters in the flock, then flowing throughout all the hens to the last member at the bottom of the pecking order. All activities are then performed around this order, such mundane flock activities as who roosts were at night, the order in which the flock leaves the coop and the order in which they return.
As predicted, there are often squabbles amongst the hens when someone acts out of turn or challenges another member to renegotiate their position. When this happens, a conflict often ensues. During these times, a rooster will step in and quell any disruption within the ranks, establishing peace once again in the order. Left in isolation, conflicts among the flock can result in injuries to the contenders. It is a rooster’s job to see to it that no injuries are sustained by breaking up any fights that may break out among the hens. Once order is reestablished, the flock can then carry on about their day hopefully without further disruptions.
8. Beauty:
Frankenstein (Easter Egger Rooster) accompanying his girls in the garden as they look for bugs and worms in the soil.
Before I had roosters, I never stopped and examined them. What I have found is that although all my girls are stunning, my boys are just absolutely beautiful. From the iconic 80’s hair band atop my Polish boys’ heads to the elaborately long tails and stunning colorations, my boys are just beautiful. They take pride in their crests and long tails to. When molting season is upon them and my boys lose their tails, I can almost visibly see their egos affected.
They will strut their stuff in the backyard while shaking their waddles just to let everyone know they are the heart throbs of the backyard. My boys take great care in their looks, I assist them in making sure they stay pest free, aiding them in their grooming regiment. I have a few that are the pride of my backyard and know it. When multiple roosters are in the flock, the eye candy appeal is even more enticing. They just add a beauty to my backyard flock that is hard to miss. I thoroughly enjoy watching my backyard studs as they strut their stuff and care for the hens.
9. Fun!
The chicken yard Spring 2020! The roosters add a lot of fun and dynamic to the over landscape of the backyard.
Roosters create an interesting dynamic in the flock. As they each care for their section of the hens in their agreed upon jurisdiction, things can sometimes become entertaining. Occasionally a hen or two will wonder off too far, so the associated rooster needs to fetch them while keeping an eye on the rest of the flock.
Or this scenario, a hen or two will cheat on a rooster by mating with a rival rooster in another part of the yard. Or a young rooster who has yet to establish his harem works to try and siphon off a few hens from other roosters. This often leaves the backyard in a state of confusion for a few days. My boys are very well behaved, so fights are usually limited to short durations. Typically, when two roosters start to squabble, one or more of the other roosters will hear the disruption and break up the confrontation. Basically, backyard life is never boring with roosters around.
Even funnier still is when I bring new items into the backyard. Last year we put in a grape arbor in our backyard which entailed many items coming to the backyard, all needed inspection by the boys. An auger to dig the post holes, large timbers to frame the arbor, more wood to create the canopy, and finally the grape plants themselves. The boys each had to make sure it passed inspection before they felt comfortable with the hens going near it. The year earlier we put in a large backyard garden shed. That too had to pass rooster inspection. This year we plan to give them a break. I cannot imagine my flock without my boys, they are a great joy and bring much happiness to my soul.
10. Balance
Dracula (Easter Egger Rooster) and his ladies enjoying hunting a pecking on a freshly cut green lawn.
When I observe my flock free ranging in my backyard, I see a balance. The Yin Yang, the Yi Jing, all in balance flowing as nature designed and intended. Many city locations will not allow roosters due to the noise issue related to crowing. However, many city chicken keepers are posing challenges to this discriminatory precedent being allowed one rooster. Roosters whether in a fenced backyard or a pasture bring a completion to the flock that is often missed when a rooster is absent. I am thankful for every summer eve that I am able to sit at watch my flock as they bring to an end the day’s activity. I cannot imagine my life without my boys, they have taught me so much.
I hope that this post has brought some clarification to the subject of roosters. It is my aim to challenge the stigma, the bad rap that is often unfairly attached to roosters, and to instead present them as the amazing creatures that they are. Yes, the roosters of our grandparent’s era were bad barnyard birds. They were often closely related to the game cock which is a very aggressive species. But as the backyard chicken movement has taken hold in this country, so has the demand for a bird that fit this purpose. No longer needed to sustain a family farm, chickens today are assuming the role of a family pet much like a dog. The poultry industry has responded by providing more and more breeds that are docile and even downright lovable. Sometimes a rooster can be so docile that he is for all explicit purposes useless. Pantaphobia, one of our white crested polish roosters, is so docile that he fits this description. To read his story, click here.
Take the Silkie for example. Silkies are known the world over as the teddy bears of the chicken world. They live up to this reputation as lovable, furry feathered friends that are great to have around kids. One of my sons has a flock of Silkies, he is very attached, absolutely loves, and cares for them. There are many other examples such as the Silkie that meet the needs of the backyard chicken hobbyist.
In this post it was my aim to take a fresh look at roosters. Gone are the days of our grandparent’s barnyard rooster that terrorized us as kids. Meet the roosters of today and start your adventure with backyard chickens.
I am a published author, multi-disciplinary writer and blog contributor. If you enjoyed this blog, please visit some of my other sites.
When it comes to keeping backyard chickens, there are lots of decisions that a keeper needs to make. In addition to breeds, coops, whether or not to have a rooster, there is NPIP certification. In the post I will detail what NPIP Certification is and if it is something that you want to do for your flock.
What is NPIP Certification?
In short NPIP stands for National Poultry Improvement Plan. The NPIP is a voluntary program overseen by the United States of Agriculture (USDA) and managed by each state. The program monitors flocks and hatcheries for a variety of serious diseases that can devastate chicken populations, creating serious problems for the poultry industry or backyard chicken enthusiasts.
NPIP Certified hatcheries adhere to a set of established standards that ensure that the birds sold are free from diseases listed above. Testing involves taking blood samples from their flocks, swabs from their bird’s throats, adhering to sanitation and biosecurity procedures.
Hatcheries are required to test their flocks for the diseases, included in the certification set out by the USDA. Testing procedures can vary from state to state, most require testing for Avian Influenza (AI) and various forms of Salmonella. Typically, a cross selection of 300 birds will be tested. If a hatchery has less than 300 birds, than every single bird is then tested. Hatcheries must re-test annually to keep their certification up to date.
So what does this mean for the backyard flock owner?
As a perspective backyard chicken keeper looking to start or add to an existing flock, it is best to buy from a breeder that is NPIP Certified. Most hatcheries are certified, there are a few out there that are not. Some hatcheries will list on their webpage that they are NPIP Certified along with their certification number. If you do not see where they are NPIP certified just ask. Any hatchery that is NPIP certified will readily and freely prove to you that they are certified and will give your their NPIP certification number. If they are certified, you can be sure that you are buying from a reputable breeder or hatchery that holds animal husbandry to the highest standard.
As a backyard chicken keeper, if you plan on breeding, selling chicks or chickens it is a good idea to get your flock NPIP Certified. Not only are you ensured that your flock is healthy and selling healthy birds, but it offers you a hedge of protection should the birds you sold be reported sick. If there is an investigation into the origin of the birds sold, you will have a hedge of protection proving that your flock is NPIP Certified. That’s not to say that just because a source is NPIP Certified that birds cannot get sick. It will reveal in the event of an investigation that your flock is healthy and gets routine health inspections documented by your State Veterinarian.
It also gives you a peace of mind as well. For example, if there is an outbreak of AI in your area, a State Veterinarian will be dispatched to your home to test your birds for AI. Some feel that registering your flock and having them NPIP Certified relinquishes too much control to “Big Brother”. This is where the individual keeper’s preference comes into play. I personally have my flock NPIP Certified. Not only do I find it comforting that should AI be detected in my area, the USDA would be on it testing my birds. But if I sell any chicks or adult laying hens, I am confident that I am selling healthy birds and have the certification to back it up.
How does an owner certify their flock?
If you decide that NPIP certification is something that you want to do, getting them certified is very easy. Simply look up your State Veterinarian on the web or in the phone book and give them a call. Simply tell them that you are a backyard chicken keeper and that you want to have your flock NPIP certified.
At that time your information will be recorded, and you will get a call from a USDA agent in a few days to schedule a testing date. If you have a large flock, say 50 birds or more, plan on taking the day off work to have your flock certified. The agents will literally test every one of your birds individually.
They will take a small sample of blood and swab their throats. You as the keeper will be responsible for retrieving each bird, bringing them to the inspectors, and keeping track of who has been tested. Once tested each bird will be issued an ankle bracelet with a number on it, each number is specific to each bird and is logged into a computer. This number is their state ID. Should you need to call the State Veterinarian at a later date about a bird you will need to reference the number on their ankle bracelet.
This is another perk of having your flock NPIP Certified. If you have any questions about health or other illness related questions, you have someone to call. Many local Vets will not see “livestock” in their office. They may be able to answer some general questions but as for advising you in detail they may be limited. The State Veterinarian will know how to answer or direct your questions relating to your flock to qualified sources.
In my early days, I called my local State Vet several time to clarity issues or find treatment direction for basic illness. They were an amazing resource that I readily used. If you call with a suspicious illness such as symptoms of AI, an inspector will be dispatched to your property to test your birds. If you have suspicious deaths (you do not know the cause of death) they will conduct a necropsy or an animal autopsy on the deceased birds to determine what took the animals life. It will then be determined if this is something to be concerned about in relation to the rest of your flock. They are an immense source of information and guidance if you find yourself in a situation where you need expert advice or help.
How much does it cost to get your flock NPIP Certified?
The final aspect the of NPIP Certification that I will touch on is how much it costs. The cost depends on your state, each state will have different rates and procedures of how they go about conducting a NPIP certification. In my state of Tennessee, our State Vet charged $25 for an inspection and certification. It is in the best interest of the state that keepers certify their flocks, so they try to make it simple and affordable.
Each year or every other year depending on your state, your flock will be up for renewal. Each year the flock owner is required to pay the nominal fee to renew their NPIP Certificate. The fee in my case was rendered at time of service directly the inspectors after they tested all my birds. Several days after the inspection takes place, you will receive a card in the mail with your issued NPIP Participant #. This is for your records or anytime you need to prove your NPIP status. Below is an old card that I received for a NPIP Certification several year ago.
I have never regretted getting my flock NPIP Certified. Although I am not an active breeder, I find value in knowing that my flock is healthy. I also found the NPIP certification process valuable in learning how to conduct my own health inspections on my birds. The most important aspect that I value from the NPIP process is the network of contacts. There is a peace of mind knowing that I am only a phone call away from people who are knowledgeable, should I need to tap into that resource.
I hope that this post has helped answer some question relating to NPIP Certification. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave me a comment. You can also drop me a line at kuntryklucker@gmail.com.
I am a published author, multi-disciplinary writer and blog contributor. If you like this blog, please visit some of my other sites.
Hi everyone!! I hope your summer has been well and that you packed all the fun into it as humanly possible. I know I have been absent for a while; it’s been a busy summer. It’s funny how the summer months can turn an average functioning family into a frenzy. Well, that is what summer has been like for us, been busy with activities and of course keeping up what the girls, growing and harvesting season. With the majority of the gardens work behind me I wanted to take the time to touch on a subject that I have been asked by several of my followers. Can owning backyard chickens make you sick?
Earlier this month the CDC released an article/report that backyard chickens are responsible for salmonella outbreaks across the country. Sickening people even sending some to the hospital, but so far, no deaths have occurred, well that’s good. As fear ridding as this sounds, I want to take the time and put my two cents in and tell my side of the story as a backyard chicken keeper.
The long and short of it is Yes, backyard chickens can make you sick, but so can your cat, dog, and pet parrot. You see any animal that lays eggs carries the salmonella bacteria, this includes, pet turtles, snakes, bearded dragons, and of course backyard chickens. It is a bacterium that all egg laying animals/reptiles carry in their body. This is why it is advisable that one wash your hands good with soap and water after handling. It a pretty simple common-sense step to take to avoid illness after contact with pets that can carry the salmonella bacteria. Not that this gets your cat and dog off free and easy without incident. Cats and dogs especially if they are allowed to run free outside can also make you sick. They too can come into contact with pathogens that can be transmitted to you. So really your small flock of backyard chickens are no more dangerous to your health then fluffy or fido.
So why does the CDC single out backyard chickens? Well, I think that the answer is twofold. One, keeping backyard chickens has a direct impact on the factory farm producers of eggs and for some, meat for the table. When consumers take it upon themselves to have a say in where their food comes from the big factory farm producers take a big hit.
It does not help their matters that the backyard chicken movement has exploded by leaps and bounds. Keeping backyard chickens is no more common than a family having a dog roaming the backyard. Even cities have passed laws to allow residents to keep a small number of hens in the small plots behind their homes. It’s a movement that is growing every year which is one reason why people like me who blog about backyard chickens are seeing a huge increase in readers. Potential keepers are seeking out information on how to care and sustain a small backyard flock, this is where people like me come into play.
Secondly, I think part of the problem is that people are cuddling their chickens like they would a cat or dog and inadvertently getting sick in the process. The CDC is right when they state that you should not kiss your pet chickens or allow young kids to hold chicks. This is because young children have an increased risk of putting their hands in their mouths after interacting with chicks. But this same rule can be applied to any pet, not just backyard chickens.
So, what is my stance you may be asking? Well to put it simply, wash your hands! I have been a keeper of backyard chickens for almost 10 years now, I have never become sick due to handling or having contact with my flock. The only chicken I have contracted illness from and took ill was from chicken that I ordered at a restaurant.
My girls have never made me sick in anyway or caused any ill effect in the entire time I have been keeping chickens. Protecting yourself and your family from illness takes nothing more than a commonsense approach. Whenever I come inside from interacting the girls the first thing, I do is wash my hands well with soap and water. I don’t need to submerge myself in alcohol or bleach, a simple thorough hand washing is all that is needed. Additionally, I only wear my “coop” cloths into the backyard when interacting with my girls. Not only is this just a good common-sense move, but it also keeps me from getting my nice cloths dirty. Chickens can be messy so I would not want to wear nice cloths to the backyard anyway. So, wearing clothes that I don’t mind getting dirty that I wear nowhere else and take off and put directly in the washer after coming inside is nothing more than common sense.
So, as you can see just taking simple steps after spending time with the girls is all that is needed. One need not be afraid to own or handle backyard chickens because all that is needed to protect yourself a simple act of washing your hands well after contact.
Now, as far as kissing backyard chickens this is probably advice well worth taken. I love my girls, but I never kiss them for several reasons. Chickens are very interested in human eyeballs, they look like treats to them, I cannot tell you how many times I have seen pics of people on Facebook after getting pecked in the eye by their chicken. It hurts and, in some cases, and cause irreversible damage. So, to keep my eyes safe I keep my face well out of the way of the curiosity of a chicken. It just makes perfect sense.
Secondly, kissing your chicken can be hazardous for your health. I know that a lot of people do, but the line stops there for me. I will tell my girls how much a love them and how pretty they are, but my lips are never laid on them. They live outside bathe in dirt and can carry some pathogens on their feathers that I would rather not have in my mouth. So, my love line stops there, I do not kiss my birds. So, yes, backyard chickens can make you sick but the routes to avoid this are very simple and only require soap, water, and facial/eyeball distance.
So, enjoy your backyard birds just make sure to wash your hands and keep your eyes and lips away from their curious beaks. If you practice good hygienic commonsense, you will have a very happy relationship with your girls enjoying all the benefits of having backyard chickens.
I am a published author, multi-disciplinary writer and blog contributor. If you like this blog, please visit some of my other sites.
3. Bring up your young well. They are the next generation, and the key to your legacy.
The Kuntry Klucker 
