Poultry Dedicated to More and Better Small-Flock Poultry
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Volume 4, Number 3 Backyard June/July, 2009 Poultry Dedicated to more and better small-flock poultry It’s HOT Out There! Caring for Your Poultry in Hot Weather Pg. 28 Permaculture — Gardening with Chickens Pg.18 Financial Opportunity: Serving the Market for Started Birds Pg. 40 Plus: Keeping a Flock of Jersey Buff Turkeys and much, much more inside... $4.99 US 2 Backyard Poultry RANDALL BURKEY COMPANY Quality Animal Health Products since 1947 FREE Poultry Supply Specialist *Catalog We stock everything you could want or need for poultry! INCUBATORS BROODERS EGG CARTONS NESTS & COOPS MEDICATIONS CHICKEN TRACTORS POULTRY BANDS FEEDERS & WATERERS NETTING CAGES & PENS BOOKS LIVE CHICKS & EGGS $5 OFF your first order over $25 when you mention this ad! SAME DAY SHIPPING TOLL Order Online OnJune/July, in stock items ordered 2009 by 1:00PM CST FREE 800-531-1097www.backyardpoultrymag.comwww.randallburkey.com 3 Volume 4, Number 3 BACKYARD June/July, 2009 POULTRY Backyard 145 Industrial Dr. Medford, WI 54451 www.backyardpoultrymag.com Publisher: Dave Belanger Poultry Editor: Elaine Belanger Managing Editor: Anne-marie Ida Editorial Assistant: Samantha Ingersoll From the Editor: Breeds: Circulation and Fulfillment: Laura A Different Perspective: The American Buttercup: Ching, Ellen Waichulis, Kate Tucker, Biosecurity for the Masses ...............6 The Crown of the Fancy ...............50 Kelly Weiler, Christine Barkley, Gwendolyn Jones Letters to the Editor ..........8 Keeping a Flock of Jersey Bookstore: Ann Tom Buff Turkeys ............................... 54 Coming Events .....................15 Advertising Representatives Showing Poultry: (Rates on request) Housing: Fancy Feathers 4-H 2nd Annual The Garden Shed: A Temporary Open Chicken Show ................. 57 Alicia Komanec Broiler Pen ................................... 16 1-800-551-5691 [email protected] Ohio National Youth Show: Gardening with Poultry: I Never Stop Talking About It ...... 59 Gary Christopherson Permaculture: Gardening with 1-800-551-5691 Chickens ....................................... 18 Just for Fun: [email protected] Poultry Creations: Art for Health: Pleasure & Profit ......................... 60 Backyard Poultry Naturbiotics: Nature + Herbal (ISSN 1559-2251, USPS 023-374) Biotics ..........................................20 Youth: is published bi-monthly at Gertrude McCluck: 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451. The Answer Man .......................24 Periodicals postage paid at Medford, WI Chicken in Charge ....................62 and additional mailing offices. It’s Hot Out There: Caring for Your Poultry in Hot Weather ........ 28 Family Flock Counselor: The views presented here do not Set a Spell ...................................64 necessarily represent those of the editor or publisher. All contents of this issue Helpful Hints: of Backyard Poultry are copyrighted by Running thru Sprinklers with Backyard Poultry Countryside Publications, Ltd., 2009. All Chickens: Help Your Birds Beat Breeders Directory ........... 65 rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or the Heat .......................................30 in part is prohibited except by permission of the publisher. ON THE C O VER : A Drown-Proof Waterfowl The June/July, 2009 cover winner Waterer ........................................32 Editorial and Advertising Office: is a photo by Natasha Tisdale, Saucier, Backyard Poultry Watering Accessories for the Mississippi. To learn how to enter your poultry- 145 Industrial Dr. Well-Furnished Waterfowl Medford, WI 54451 related photos in the Family Album, [email protected] Flock ............................................33 see page 38. Subscriptions (U.S. funds): A Unique Watering Concept .... 36 $21 per year; 2 years $35. Backyard Poultry Subscriptions Backyard Poultry 145 Industrial Dr. Family Album ...................... 38 Medford, WI 54451 1-800-551-5691 Financial Opportunities: Serving a Niche Market for POSTMASTER: Started Birds ............................. 40 Send address changes to: Backyard Poultry Subscriptions 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451 Breeding: Pedigree Baskets ........................46 4 Backyard Poultry June/July, 2009 www.backyardpoultrymag.com 5 Delaware, was held smack dab in the R O M HE DIT O R F T E : middle of the Delmarva Broiler Chicken Industry. Delmarva is an acronym for Delaware/Maryland/Virginia. The Del- marva Peninsula is a large peninsula on A Different Perspective the east coast, occupied by Delaware and portions of Maryland and Virginia. Biosecurity for the Masses This small mass of land produces over I had the pleasure of attending the small flock of birds on my homestead, 5 million birds annually, valued at more Guinea Fowl International Association’s and the USDA and other organizations than 2 trillion dollars. This industry ships Annual Conference in Georgetown, that preached caution and concern didn’t broilers around the world, and one small Delaware this spring. I came away from understand backyarders. outbreak could shut down business and it with a new attitude about biosecurity Once I realized the effect one diseased destroy its reputation around the globe. for the small-scale flock. Until I attended flock can have on the industry locally, na- Take these numbers and concerns across this program, I generally felt that the bio- tionally, and in this case, internationally, I the U.S. and you’ve got serious economic security measures needed for the poultry felt rather foolish in my ignorance. consequences. And that’s good reason to industry was totally different from the The conference, held in Georgetown, worry about biosecurity. According to the University of Mary- land Cooperative Extension (UMCE), good biosecurity is easy to practice. Fol- low their guidelines below and learn as much as possible about biosecurity. What is Biosecurity? “Bio” means life. “Security” means protection. Biosecurity is a set of mea- sures designed and practiced to prevent the spread of disease onto your property and into your flock. Biosecurity planning is a proactive approach to safeguarding the health and productivity of your flock. By having a plan set in place, you are protect- Delaware State University Seeks Input Regarding Alternative Treatment for Parasite Control While attending the Guinea Fowl International Association’s Annual Conference, I met Small Flock Poul- try Specialist Brigid McCrea, Ph.D. We discussed the frequent letters I receive regarding alternative poultry treatment, and the interest that she and the Delaware State University have in studying options currently available, as well as new treatments. The first step in working towards this project is to define a need and in- terest in these treatment methods. So, readers, please fill out the sur- vey on this page and let us know if you do, or don’t, want more studies in the field of alternative poultry care. If possible, please fill out online, at www.backyardpoultrymag.com. Your written responses are also welcome; please mail to the address at the top of the survey. 6 Backyard Poultry ing the life of your birds. Biosecurity can easily be incorporated into daily manage- 2008 Facts About Delmarva’s “Dress” your ment practices. It is important to assess, Broiler Chicken Industry birds! and periodically adjust, your biosecurity • Annual broiler/roaster/Cornish Whether they practices for your property and flock. production … 571,263,000 are chickens, • Total pounds produced … ducks, geese 3 Major Requirements for Biosecurity 3,472,445,000 or turkeys. (Jeffrey, 1997) • Number of broiler/roaster/Cornish 1. Isolation: Confining your animals Economical & plucks feathers houses … 5,004 within a controlled environment. This in just 30 seconds!! • Broiler/roaster/Cornish, and breeder includes keeping other animals out and growers … 1,757 Visit us online at: locking doors on poultry houses (if ap- • Poultry company employees … www.schweisswelding.com plicable). 14,500 2. Traffic Control: Reducing the amount PO Box 477 • Fairfax, MN 55332 • Value of chicks started … of traffic onto and around your farm. 507-426-7828 • 507-828-0261 $152,794,000 This includes not only motorized traffic • Annual feed bill … $926,926,000 but foot traffic as well. • Wholesale value of broilers/roasters/ 3. Sanitation: Disinfecting materials, Cornish … $2,167,463,000 equipment, and people that work on your • Each job in the poultry processing property. industry creates … 7.2 jobs elsewhere. Biosecurity is a work in progress. Controlling the amount of traffic on your Prepared by: Delmarva Poultry farm is one of the most inexpensive forms Industry, Inc., Georgetown, Delaware; of biosecurity that can reduce the chance www.dpichicken.org of disease transmission. By practicing good biosecurity, you UMCE website at www.healthybirds. can prevent the spread of disease from umd.edu. You can also find information humans, vehicles, animals, carcasses, on small flock management, housing, and other flocks that may be traveling and nutrition. Another site for biosecurity onto and around the property. information is the USDA’s site at http:// For more information, visit the healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov. June/July, 2009 www.backyardpoultrymag.com 7 LETTERS : Do you have something to crow about? We want to hear from you. Send questions, comments, opinions, advice, coming events, etc. to: Backyard Poultry Editor, 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451 e-mail: [email protected] Article Slanted Against ting he is not producing 10 billion birds Such factors include sunlight (seen any Poultry Industry annually—or