Poultry Breeds Storey’S Guide to Raising Ducks by Carol Ekarius Full Color Photos & Chickens, Ducks, by Dave Holderread Illustrations
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NO EGG DISCARD ALL NATURAL FORMULATED FOR CHICKENS, TURKEYS, DUCKS, GEESE, DOMESTIC POULTRY, AND WATERFOWL OF ALL AGES Now there is a comprehensive, safe, and effective way to help protect poultry health ® The Backyard Chicken™ Health Pack is designed to ZYFEND A improve intestinal health, provide safe drinking water, n Use during worm infestations to help offset and help protect poultry from worm related issues. worm related issues The all natural formula supports 25 chicks for about n All natural with no synthetic chemicals 50 days with three water soluble health aids – n One bottle treats 90 gallons of water HealthyFlock ® Tabs, Oxy E-100, and Zyfend® A. HEALTHYFLOCK® TABS n Targets harmful pathogens n Improves intestinal health n Contains beneficial bacteria n All natural formula n One bottle treats 90 gallons of water OXY E-100 n Sanitizes drinking water n Safe and easy to use n Reduces exposure to pathogens n One bottle treats 90 gallons of water Stay Cool, Chickens Photos by Kirsten Bellew When temperatures increase, so do our concerns for the backyard flock. When chickens start to overheat, they will often start to pant and flap their wings, just like you would flap the bulletin in a hot church to move some air. There are some things you can do to help keep them cool. For one, make sure they have plenty of safe, shady places to get out of the sun. Trees, shrubs and porch furniture make great shelters for chickens. Or at least, they seem to think so. If you fear your chickens are way overheated, try splashing them with water or installing fans around the coop to keep air moving around them. Just like in cold temperatures, ventilation is as important as anything. Enjoy these photographs from Kirsten Bellew, a photographer and frequent contributor from Georgia. Her pictures show in good detail how chick- ens deal with the heat. 4 Backyard Poultry RIGHT: When a chicken starts to pant, you know it is overheating. Consider giving it cool water or relocating it to the shade. BOTTOM RIGHT: A hot chicken will often seek shade close to shelters. BELOW: Cool treats are always a good idea on hot days. June/July 2016 If your chickens are free-ranging (and we hope they are), make sure to give them places to escape the sun. They will use them. 62 Soil Testing The history of your backyard is buried in the soil, and learning that history could help your flock stay healthy. 4 Stay Cool, Chickens FEATURES CONTENTS 32 Family Album 14 Something To Crow About The best of the best submission from flocks around the world. 11.3 18 Coming Events 36 Bookstore 40 Poultry Talk Ron Kean and Pam Freeman answer reader questions about their flocks. 46 Healthy Feed Ginger can be given three different ways to help your chickens improve their health. 48 Coop Inspiration Happy Hen Treats The Burgun family’s coop 20 in Ohio builds on a national Premium Treats for Chickens park theme. We know how much you love your flock, so reward them HELPFUL HINTS 50 From Nutrena with some tasty Happy Hen Treats. Our treats are specially Tips for keeping your chickens 20 Feather And Skin Development formulated for chickens and made from quality ingredients. cool this summer. How chicken genetics and research have built today’s complicated feather We know you’ll love our products, because all our products colors and patterns. 54 Cats + Chickens = are tested and approved by our own backyard flock. Toxoplasmosis? 28 How To Read Coop Cards Having cats around your Going to your first poultry show this summer? This will help. chickens could bring in some 30 The Circulatory System uninvited guests. Visit us online to find a dealer near you! In part 6 of our biology series, Thomas Fuller traces the chicken’s circulatory happyhentreats.com system, starting with the chicken heart. 8 Backyard Poultry Happy Hen Treats Premium Treats for Chickens We know how much you love your flock, so reward them with some tasty Happy Hen Treats. Our treats are specially formulated for chickens and made from quality ingredients. We know you’ll love our products, because all our products are tested and approved by our own backyard flock. Visit us online to find a dealer near you! happyhentreats.com 70 Feed and Care for Geese Geese are hardy birds, but giving them the right feed and care will extend their lives. Class Action A few lucky students in Wisconsin get to manage 58 a chicken coop as part of their core curriculum. 74 Continental Birds Breed specialist Stuart Sutton continues his series on preserved breeds of Lille Museum. 82 Finding CoCo CoCo is showing off a few deals Goose Eggs on cool new products aimed at Janice Cole shows us why cooking with backyard poultry owners. goose eggs can be challenging — and it starts with finding them. 88 84 Martin Silverudd The famous breeder’s magical breeding programs changed almost everything about raising chickens in the backyard today. 94 For the Love of the Hobby Judi Casey loves raising her chickens up high in the Rocky Mountains. 98 Every Bird Out of the Pool Lori’s pampered flock looked cramped, so she expanded the pool. But cramped is exactly what they wanted. 100 Gertrude McCluck 102 Marketplace 104 Breeder’s Directory 106 Classifieds 10 Backyard Poultry Volume 11, Number 3 : June/July 2016 BACKYARD POULTRY www.backyardpoultrymag.com ON THE General Manager Mike Campbell COVER [email protected] Special thanks to the Editor Ryan Slabaugh June/July issue cover [email protected] photographer, Quintin Muhlenkamp, from Circulation and Fulfillment Greenville, Ohio. Learn Laura Ching, Ellen Soper, Lori Adams, more about his beautiful Christine Barkley picture on page 32. Bookstore Managers Ann Tom Sam Ingersoll [email protected] Advertising Representatives From Backyard Poultry 800-551-5691 Alicia Komanec [email protected] Small Farming, 2.0 Kelly Weiler [email protected] sing the parlance of our times, it looks Clint Lindell [email protected] like backyard chicken farmers and farmers markets are getting an upgrade. Publication Designer UThe recent technological revolution has resulted Malisa Samsel in the increase in our access to real-time information about what is going on around us. It shouldn’t come Backyard Poultry’s Main Coop as a surprise then that Silicon Valley, the creators Backyard Poultry of this culture, has its eyes on chickens and the 145 Industrial Dr. local food movement. We are hearing about the Medford, WI 54451 Ryan Slabaugh development of airplane-like black boxes that track [email protected] Editor chicken movements in the coop, which will then allow homeowners who are away to know when something Subscriptions (U.S. funds): goes wrong. New apps like this spring up almost daily to help gardeners and $24.99 per year livestock managers, and while the traditional ways still work, for those who Backyard Poultry Subscriptions 145 Industrial Dr. are inclined, the new tools are trying to make life a little easier. Medford, WI 54451 From our point of view, the most revolutionary tools coming out this year 800-551-5691 are allowing backyard farmers to communicate directly to those interested in buying their products. Like those dozen eggs or loaf of bread you got at Printed in the U.S.A. the farmers market last weekend? Want to sell eggs to the neighborhood? Now, services will allow you to reserve eggs, connect with growers and sell hyper-locally. These tools will allow everyone to see when a gardener Backyard Poultry (ISSN 1559-2251, USPS 023-374) or beekeeper is harvesting, and to plant your stake in some of their fresh is published bi-monthly by Countryside Publications, produce, honey or eggs without ever leaving the house. It’s exciting, as at 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451. this should greatly improve the food supply. We are quickly entering an era Periodicals postage paid at Medford, WI and additional where farmers markets will become virtual, 24/7 operations, and we know mailing offices. ©2016 Countryside Publications. The views presented here do not necessarily represent from history that with any growth or innovation in local food movement, those of the editor or publisher. All contents of this backyard poultry enthusiasts will play a large part. issue of Backyard Poultry are copyrighted by Countryside Publications, 2016.