Volume 11, Number 4 Backyard August/September 2016
PoultryDedicated to more and better small-flock poultry
The Coolest A Vocabulary of 2016 Guide for Coops NEW CHICKEN OWNERS Cooking with OSTRICH EGGS A Profile of the AFRICAN GOOSE
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photos by gina easley
Gina Easley is a multi-talented backyard poultry enthusiast who enjoys spending time among her chickens, even if it’s in a full yoga pose. Her flock of turkeys, ducks and chickens all are allowed to wander around her garden and enjoy the love and attention Gina gives them every day. Oh yeah, and she’s also a pretty good photographer, which is why her pictures were selected for this issue’s opening photo essay.
4 Backyard Poultry Yoga, a Hindu spiritual practice, involves breath control, meditation and body postures to promote health and relaxation. It also helps with coordination, which can mean one less broken egg every now and then. Ducks and chickens free-range around Gina’s property while she meditates in a lotus pose.
44 Coolest Coops Clever designs, functional features and good cover for flocks helped make these three coops this year’s winners.
4 Downward Chicken FEATURES CONTENTS 30 Family Album 14 Something To Crow About The best of the best submission from flocks around the world. 11.4 18 Coming Events
34 Bookstore
36 Poultry Talk Ron Kean and Pam Freeman answer reader questions about their flocks.
42 Healthy Feed Peppermint has been proven to help a chicken’s immune system 28 and strengthen eggshells. HELPFUL HINTS 44 The Coolest Coops of 2016 Pictures and coop details 22 Sex-Links and the W Chromosome from the top three finishers How long-awaited research into the female chromosome is turning into in our third annual Coolest a field of its own. Coops contest. 24 The Nervous System In part 7 of our biology series, Thomas Fuller traces the chicken’s nervous 48 From Nutrena system, from their brains to their feet. Ten chicken-feeding facts for 28 Free-Range Problems your flock. Your chickens want to be free, but that’s not always good for them.
8 Backyard Poultry
52 Breast Myopathies How to recognize and prevent muscle diseases in common backyard meat birds.
56 Why the Flu Never Flies Chicken eggs are vital for studying viruses at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia.
62 Chickens (n): Defined A vocabulary list built just for chicken owners.
Fowl Language Kenny Coogan finds all the poultry clichés and 60 idioms you can put in one basket.
64 The African Goose We introduce you to a versatile bird with a little bit of attitude.
70 Finding CoCo CoCo is showing off a few deals on cool new products aimed at backyard poultry owners.
78 For the Love of the Hobby Judy Mehlman updates us on all the animals, including chickens, Happy Hen Treats entertaining her in her backyard. Premium Treats for Chickens 82 Shell Games We know how much you love your flock, so reward them How many ducks does it take to lay an with some tasty Happy Hen Treats. Our treats are specially egg? How many have you got? formulated for chickens and made from quality ingredients. We know you’ll love our products, because all our products 84 Gertrude McCluck An Enormous Task are tested and approved by our own backyard flock. 86 Marketplace Janice Cole has some fun cooking with an ostrich egg, which will feed 88 Breeder’s Directory a small village. 72 Visit us online to find a dealer near you! 90 Classifieds happyhentreats.com
10 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 Volume 11, Number 4 : August/September 2016 Backyard Poultry www.countrysidenetwork.com
ON THE General Manager Mike Campbell COVER [email protected] Special thanks to Sue Sturm from Editor Ryan Slabaugh Illinois, who won our August/ [email protected] September 2016 cover contest. We allowed our online readers Circulation and Fulfillment to vote for their favorite cover Laura Ching, Ellen Soper, Lori Adams, for this issue, and this was their Christine Barkley choice. Great job Sue! For more information about the photo, and Bookstore Managers for more pictures, see page 30. Ann Tom Sam Ingersoll [email protected]
Advertising Representatives From Backyard Poultry 800-551-5691 Alicia Komanec [email protected] One Chicken, Two Chickens, Kelly Weiler [email protected] Clint Lindell Three Chickens … [email protected]
The most common question I get from other media Publication Designer discovering the backyard poultry lifestyle is, “How Malisa Samsel many backyard chickens are there in the country?” According to the 2012 U.S. Agriculture Census, the Backyard Poultry’s Main Coop number of poultry owners is exactly 221,779. Backyard Poultry My answer is usually two words: “No idea.” 145 Industrial Dr. Medford, WI 54451 Ask any small backyard poultry grower if they [email protected] completed a 2012 census report, and many will cock Ryan Slabaugh their head and look at you funny. If you are just using Subscriptions (U.S. funds): Editor the poultry for personal use (or just giving eggs to a $24.99 per year few neighbors and cousins), then chances are, nobody Backyard Poultry Subscriptions is counting you as part of the larger food system. 145 Industrial Dr. This idea seems a bit crazy to us — we talk to our readers every day, Medford, WI 54451 and eggs and meat are two of the most popular reasons our readers have for 800-551-5691 raising poultry. Many do it specifically because they know they can’t control everything about where they get their food, but they can control a few chickens Printed in the U.S.A. and get some farm fresh eggs.
One state is trying to count you, the backyard chicken owner. California Backyard Poultry is launching a poultry census program to measure its number of backyard (ISSN 1559-2251, USPS 023-374) poultry growers, and are finding out quite amazing things. But, turnout is is published bi-monthly by Countryside Publications, still small. We are looking into the census program, and will publish the at 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451. Periodicals postage paid at Medford, WI and additional findings, along with a story, in our October-November issue. If you’re in the mailing offices. ©2016 Countryside Publications. state, look it up and help them contribute at http://ucanr.edu/sites/poultry/ The views presented here do not necessarily represent California_Poultry_Census. those of the editor or publisher. All contents of this One side note before I close: Every time I write headlines for the cover, issue of Backyard Poultry are copyrighted by Countryside Publications, 2016. All rights reserved. I feel like I’m leaving out a number of pieces that deserve more recognition. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited except In this issue, one of those is a feature about how unfertilized chicken eggs by permission of the publisher. are used to harvest and grow vaccines that are vital to our public health. It’s a must read and on page 56. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 707.4.12.5); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Contact Ryan Slabaugh at [email protected]. send address corrections to Backyard Poultry Subscriptions, 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451 12 Backyard Poultry
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 or email [email protected]
Sharing Summer Tips I have always provided a fan in the to have to compete — pecking order and I adore this magazine and have been coop. It helps cool, of course, but also all that. You need your lowest bird to be reading it for about eight years now. I just keeps mosquitoes from settling on them. able to drink. would like to give some summer tips for I also provide a day fan. They certainly My chickens are like my children and keeping your flock happy and healthy. utilize it by competing for who gets to be their health and comfort is a big priority. Some breeds are not suited for very hot closest to catch the best breeze. I have even As with other readers, I frequently give climates like southern Louisiana, where I taken two-liter bottles full of frozen water my flock melons that are full of water and live. I have actually had an Easter Egger and placed them behind the fan to create a natural sugars. I even salt them a bit to help back in 2011 who I strongly believe cooler breeze. It is known that birds do not the birds retain more water in their bodies. died from a heat stroke, considering like warm water; they will consume less if Mary Lapara the temperature that day in June and it is too warm. In the summer I always pour Mandeville, Louisiana the posture in which I found her — she the contents of my icemaker into the water. looked to have passed standing up and I only have six aging chickens currently, To the Editor then fell over. Those with pea combs are and I keep three waterers in place. Water Your enthusiasm for backyard poultry less heat-tolerant. is not a place where you want your birds and for real, live squawking, crowing poultry is infectious, and I love it! Every issue illustrates your growing knowledge (which you so generously share with your readers) and your appreciation for all things poultry. Best wishes, and a little peck. Christy Proost Virginia
Thanks Christy. We can assure you the enthusiasm is always motivated by readers like you, who send us amazing stories and tell us how much their animals mean to them.
Thanks from 4-H Clubs I would like to thank you for donating No Limitations magazines to Leftovers 4-H Club for our Here is a big event. Our show could not be what picture of me it is without donations like yours. This enjoying a nice show was put on for both the community spring day with and for 4-H youth to learn and be the best my chicks. they can be! So thank you for helping They’re make our dream a reality. about 3 weeks We always appreciate your generos- old in the pic- ity at our poultry shows. Your magazine ture. teaches us something new each time we read it. Jason Reagle Everyone at the 4-H Pennsylvania Leftovers Club Washington
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Our Leftovers 4-H Club’s poultry and cooking. The shell can be dissolved, thus pigeon show was a great success this year. avoiding this painstaking task. Place the One of my most memorable moments egg in full-strength vinegar for about 12 was dressing up my Old English Game hours, agitating every several hours. This cockerel in a taco costume for the costume still leaves the egg enclosed in a membrane raffle contest and winning a Polish hen. I or skin. The skins can then be removed also enjoyed the poultry racing contest, the easily by hand. Wash the eggs in clean arts and crafts entries, the silent auction, water, and then can or refrigerate them.” raffle items and the many chicks that were I also remember several pages de- available for people to take home. scribing using vinegar to dissolve quail Phoebe Smurthwaite egg shells, and then to pickle the eggs and sell them to bars as a snack, similar to how pretzels, peanuts and chips are marketed and sold. If memory serves me correctly, it was FORGET TO CLOSE THE COOP AGAIN? during the period when farmers of all types were looking for alternative profit WHEN WILL YOUR LUCK RUN OUT? centers and using intermediate technology. I do remember there is a slightly stronger commercial vinegar they use, but standard grocery store vinegar is in the area of five to six percent. Hopefully this information will give some dedicated individuals some direc- tions on how to use the production of • Japanese quail. • Richard “Rudy” Rudowski Thank you for donating to our club. Pennsylvania • We’ve been in 4-H since last year and love • it. We get to show our chickens, ducks and • geese and have learned so much about how to take care of our animals, and how we • Battery can show off our hard work at fun events. • We had fun at the showmanship work- • Charging options: shops, playing poultry Jeopardy, and even brought home a few new chicks. • Ruby, Violet and Fred Davis • Thank you! We appreciate your sup- • Many port for our 4-H poultry sale. It was a huge success! • Three sizes available Maggie, Sara, Gage, Jeb, Ben and Sasha Remembering Mama the Turkey • Starting at $180 + options Kentucky I am writing to tell you about a very special turkey, one that was very close Tips for Japanese Quail Shells to my heart. About four years ago, my I sent you a poor copy of a mimeo- family decided to by a pair of pigs and graphed page from Michigan State Uni- a turkey from a man named Benjamin. versity that I received while in high school We negotiated, and finally settled on a in the 1960s. We lived in town but my price. Two nights later, they arrived at dad took us to various educational events our house. during the Easter spring break. One year, We had been around pigs before, but we attended the various Japanese Quail never turkey. Mr. Benjamin told us how workshops. Here is a retyping of the study, much to feed her, how to house her and produced by Dr. Sam K. Darghese: how to keep her happy. He also told us “The eggs peel easier soon after cook- that his family had named her Mama, and ing, and if they are about 1 week old before that she had a broken wing due to a coyote
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 15 attack, in addition to saying that she was Needless to say, the change from Ari- One Bad Duck quite a few years old. We thanked him, zona dirt to Kentucky grass was a real treat I purchased a couple of chicks and and then went about getting her settled in. for Mama. She would spend the day eating one who was supposed to be a goose. Very soon, this turkey and I were at- grass, bugs and her personal favorite, It wasn’t. It was a duck. We named tached. I would go out to her yard and she strawberries! We stayed in this house for her Daffy. She was friendly with one would start honking and waddle up to me. about six months, and then made our final of the new chicks, and they spent time I would scratch her head, rub her neck and move to a house farther out in the country. together. give her treats, all of which she loved. In By this time, Mama started slowing I have an 8-year-old retired hen, and turn, despite her age, she would give me down. At first, she would wander as far she pals around with one of the new a large egg a day. as our front porch (maybe an acre from white chicks. The new gray bantam Not a year after, we were getting ready the barn). Then, she would only come chick wanted the attention of the older to make a move about a mile down the out that far if we had seeds or bread for hen. Daffy was in her small pool when road. In her new house, we were able to her. Finally, it got to the point where she she jumped up and got between them let her out of her run so she could forage would leave her stall in the morning, eat and broke them up. They talked it over with the chickens. With her newfound and drink her fill, then lay in the straw and and then went about their business. freedom, she started following me around nap, never once leaving the barn, which is The next day, the little white chick for as long as she could (keep in mind that always left open during the day. Though was acting funny and staying close to she was very old). we expected it by this time, finding Mama me. I looked up, and there was Daffy Looking for a change of scenery, my laying still in her stall one morning was talking to the gray chick. All of a sudden, family decided to make a move to Ken- still a heart-wrenching experience for us. Daffy ran past me and grabbed the white tucky. We were not sure if we could take Thank you for allowing me to share chick by the neck and tried to run off her, but after seeing that she fell into a Mama Turkey’s story. She was an excep- with her. I jumped up and ran after them state of depression in which she would not tional bird, and she will always remain and knocked her off the chick. eat or drink if I was gone for more than a in the hearts of our family and everyone The next day, Daffy went to live at week, we started on the paperwork. Soon, who knew her. my daughter’s house. we had her, four hens and a rooster named Phoenix Gray Ruth Kennedy Pirate buckled in and ready for the move. Kentucky Florida
16 Backyard Poultry donkeys. Numerous cats and four dogs help keep our little parcel of heaven very busy. Our farm garden provides food, not only for us, but also for our Maryvale Day Care School and neighbors in need. We are all excited when the new Backyard Poultry magazine arrives. Thank you for your wonderful publica- tion and all the help you give to those of us who enjoy and care for chickens. God’s blessings on all of you … and all our feathered friends! The Maryvale Sisters North Carolina
Hello Backyard Poultry Friends! Generations Not so long ago, our county celebrat- I wanted to share a chicken picture ed a “Food to Fork” awareness week. in hope that you can share it with others. The photo is of Sister Mary Francis with I had the privilege to go through photos her favorite hen, affectionately named with my grandmother of 85 years this past “Cluck.” Sister is holding the daily basket week. I found this picture of her grand- of eggs from our 32 hens and has a fork mother within the box, and immediately tucked into her apron. Sister Mary Fran- fell in love with the child and long-legged cis is a member of our small community chicken. known as the Maryvale Sisters. We are I have also attached pics of my beau- Catholic Sisters, and have a 25-acre farm tiful hens. It is my first flock and I am in Vale, North Carolina, where we not officially hooked! only have chickens, but also raise a small Thank you and enjoy! herd of beef cattle and enjoy the compa- Cicely Suhayda ny of our two pet goats and two spoiled McKinleyville, California
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 17 COMING EVENTS: The Coming Events listing is gathered and provided by www.poultryshow central.com. Add your show listing on their website or send to: Coming Events, Backyard Poultry, 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451 or email [email protected]. To be included in the Backyard Poultry magazine listing, event details must be sent 60 days in advance. If you do not have access to website show listings, please contact us for show specifics at 800-551-5691.
CANADA CALIFORNIA www.poultryshowcentral.com/Waver- September 17, 2016, Shipshewana, ly_Iowa_Exotic_Bird_Animal_Swap.html Indiana: Newbury Square Swap Meet & August 20-21, 2016, Millarville, Alberta: August 4-7, 2016, Crescent City, Cal- Flea Market; www.poultryshowcentral. Priddis & Millarville Fair; www.poultryshow- ifornia: Del Norte County Fair; www. September 25, 2016, Waukon, Iowa: com/Newbury_Square_Swap_Meet_Flea_ central.com/Priddis_Millarville_Fair.html poultryshowcentral.com/Del_Norte_Coun- Northeast Iowa Bird and Animal Club Market.html ty_Fair.html Swap; www.poultryshowcentral.com/ August 13-14, 2016, Coombs, British Northeast_Iowa_Bird_Animal_Swap.html KANSAS Columbia: Coombs Fair; www.poultry- August 18-28, 2016, Ferndale, California: showcentral.com/Coombs_Fair.html Humboldt County Fair; www.poultryshow- IDAHO August 6-13, 2016, Coffeyville, Kansas: central.com/Humboldt_County_Fair.html Inter-State Fair & Rodeo; www.poultry- August 26-28, 2016, Courtenay, British August 19-28, 2016, Boise, Idaho: West- showcentral.com/Inter-State_Fair_Rodeo. Columbia: Comox Valley Exhibition; www. August 19-28, 2016, Lancaster, Califor- ern Idaho Fair; www.poultryshowcentral. html poultryshowcentral.com/Comox_Val- nia: Antelope Valley Fair; www.poultry- com/Western_Idaho_Fair.html ley_Exhibition.html showcentral.com/Antelope_Valley_Fair. September 9-18, 2016, Hutchinson, html September 3-10, 2016, Blackfoot, Kansas: Kansas State Fair; www.poultry- August 31-September 4, 2016, Arm- Idaho: Eastern Idaho State Fair; www. showcentral.com/Kansas_State_Fair.html strong, British Columbia: Interior Provin- September 11, 2016, Orange, California: poultryshowcentral.com/Eastern_Ida- cial Exposition; www.poultryshowcentral. Los Angeles Pigeon Club Annual Young ho_State_Fair.html KENTUCKY com/Interior_Provincial_Exposition.html BirdShow; www.poultryshowcentral.com/ Los_Angeles_Pigeon_Club.html ILLINOIS August 17-21, 2016, Louisville, Kentucky: September 3-5, 2016, Saanichton, British Kentucky State Fair; www.poultryshow- Columbia: Saanich Fair; www.poultry- COLORADO August 3-7, 2016, Woodstock, Illinois: central.com/Kentucky_State_Fair.html showcentral.com/Saanich_Fair.html McHenry County Fair; www.poultryshow- August 28, 2016, Pueblo, Colorado: Col- central.com/McHenry_County_Fair.html MARYLAND September 9-11, 2016, Duncan, British orado State Fair; www.poultryshowcentral. Columbia: Cowichan Exhibition; www. com/Colorado_State_Fair.html August 4-7, 2016, Warren, Illinois: Jo Da- August 12-20, 2016, Gaithersburg, Mary- poultryshowcentral.com/Cowichan_Ex- vies County Fair; www.poultryshowcentral. land: Montgomery County Agricultural Fair; hibition.html September 24, 2016, Pueblo, Colorado: com/Jo_Daviess_County_Fair.html www.poultryshowcentral.com/Montgom- Pikes Peak Poultry Association; www.poul- ery_County_Agricultural_Fair.html September 24-25, 2016, Petitcodiac, tryshowcentral.com/Pikes_Peak_Poul- August 11-21, 2016, Springfield, Illinois: New Brunswick: Greater Moncton Fur & try_Association.html Illinois State Fair; www.poultryshowcen- MAINE Feather Club “NB Fall Show”; www.poul- tral.com/Illinois_State_Fair_Open_Poul- tryshowcentral.com/NB_Fall_Show.html GEORGIA try_Show.html August 20-27, 2016, Union, Maine: Union Fair; www.poultryshowcentral.com/ September 8-11, 2016, Grassie, Ontario: September 22-October 2, 2016, Marietta, August 24-28, 2016, Peotone, Illinois: Union_Fair.html West Niagara Fair Poultry Show; www. Georgia: North Georgia Fair; www.poultry- Will County Fair; www.poultryshowcentral. poultryshowcentral.com/West_Niaga- showcentral.com/North_Georgia_Fair.html com/Will_County_Fair.html August 28-September 5, 2016, Windsor, ra_Fair_Poultry_Show.html Maine: Windsor Fair; www.poultryshow- September 24, 2016, Calhoun, Georgia: September 4, 2016, Kankakee, Illinois: central.com/Windsor_Fair.html September 24, 2016, Fergus, Ontario: Northwest Georgia Poultry Club; www. Tri-K Pigeon & Bantam Club Pigeon Fair; Colwyn Championship Showcase; www. poultryshowcentral.com/Northwest_Geor- www.poultryshowcentral.com/TriK_Pi- September 18-24, 2016, Farmington, poultryshowcentral.com/Colwyn_Cham- gia_Poultry_Club.html geon_Bantam_Fair.html Maine: Farmington Fair; www.poultry- pionship_Showcase.html showcentral.com/Farmington_Fair.html IOWA September 10, 2016, Freeport, Illinois: August 26-28, 2016, Dundas, Prince Illinois Pet & Game Breeders Society September 23-25, 2016, Unity, Maine: Edward Island: Prince Edward Island August 11-21, 2016, Des Moines, Iowa: Fall Swap; www.poultryshowcentral. Common Ground Country Fair; www.poul- Plowing Match & Agricultural Fair; www. Iowa State Fair; www.poultryshowcentral. com/Illinois_Pet_Game_Breeders_Soci- tryshowcentral.com/Common_Ground_ poultryshowcentral.com/PEI_Plowing_ com/Iowa_State_Fair.html ety_Swap.html Country_Fair.html Match_Agricultural_Fair.html August 14, 2016, West Burlington, Iowa: INDIANA MICHIGAN September 2-3, 2016, Abram-Village, Southeast Iowa Pigeon Club Buy-Sell- Trade Days; www.poultryshowcentral. August 5-21, 2016, Indianapolis, Indiana: August 6, 2016, ClareLoomis (Yoder’s Prince Edward Island: Exposition Blacksmith Shop): Michigan: Michigan Agricole et le Festival Acadien; www. com/Southeast_Iowa_Pigeon_Club.html Indiana State Fair; www.poultryshowcen- tral.com/Indiana_State_Fair.html Bird & Game Breeders Association; www. poultryshowcentral.com/Exposition_Ag- August 26-27, 2016, Kalona, Iowa: poultryshowcentral.com/Michigan_Game_ ricole_et_le_Festival_Acadien.html Kalona Alternative Bird and Animal August 9-13, 2016, Milledgeville, Indiana: Breeders_Swap_Clare.html September 11, 2016, Souris, Prince Auction; www.poultryshowcentral.com/ Carroll County Fair, www.poultryshowcen- Kalona_Sales_Barn.html tral.com/Carroll_County_Fair.html September 10, 2016, Montrose (Mon- Edward Island: Eastern Kings Exhibition; trose Orchard), Michigan: Michigan www.poultryshowcentral.com/Eastern_ September 10-11, 2016, Grundy Center, August 20, 2016, Kimmell, Indiana: Wolf’s Bird & Game Breeders Association; www. Kings_Exhibition.html Iowa: Grundy County Bird and Animal Swap Meet; www.poultryshowcentral. poultryshowcentral.com/Michigan_Bird_ ALASKA Swap; www.poultryshowcentral.com/ com/Wolfs_Swap_Meet.html Game_Breeders.html Grundy_County_Bird_Animal_Swap.html August 5-14, 2016, Fairbanks, Alaska: August 26-27, 2016, Napoleon, Indiana: September 10, 2016, Trenary, Michigan: Tanana Valley State Fair; www.poultry- September 11, 2016, West Burlington, Solid Rock Swap; www.poultryshowcen- Trenary Fur and Feather Swap; www.poul- showcentral.com/Tanana_Valley_State_ Iowa: Southeast Iowa Pigeon Club Buy- tral.com/Solid_Rock_Swap.html tryshowcentral.com/Trenary_Fur_Feath- Fair.html Sell-Trade Days; www.poultryshowcentral. er_Swap.html com/Southeast_Iowa_Pigeon_Club.html August 27, 2016, Shipshewana, Indiana: ALABAMA Newbury Square Swap Meet & Flea Market; September 24, 2016, Rockford, Michi- September 17, 2016, Maquoketa, Iowa: www.poultryshowcentral.com/Newbury_ gan: Rockford Small Animal Swap; www. September 17, 2016, Clanton, Alabama: Eastern Iowa Bird and Small Animal Swap; Square_Swap_Meet_Flea_Market.html poultryshowcentral.com/Rockford_Small_ Alabama Bantam Club Young Bird Show; www.poultryshowcentral.com/Eastern_ Animal_Swap_Meet.html www.poultryshowcentral.com/Alabama_ Iowa_Bird_Small_Animal_Swap.html September 11, 2016, Knox, Indiana: Bantam_Club.html Golden Horseshoe Saddle Club Swap MINNESOTA September 18, 2016, Waverly, Iowa: Meet; www.poultryshowcentral.com/Gold- Waverly Iowa Exotic Bird and Animal Swap; en_Horseshoe_Saddle_Club_Swap.html August 17-21, 2016, Hutchinson,
18 Backyard Poultry Get the proper Levels of Fly Control Minnesota: McLeod County Fair; poultryshowcentral.com/Erie_Coun- August 18-21, 2016, Newport, Ore- with the new web-based app at www.poultryshowcentral.com/Mc- ty_Fair.html gon: Lincoln County Fair Open Poultry Levels.StarbarProducts.com Leod_County_Fair.html Show; www.poultryshowcentral.com/ August 16-21, 2016, Bath, New York: Lincoln_County_Fair_Open_Poul- August 20, 2016, New Ulm, Minne- Steuben County Fair; www.poultry- try_Show.html sota: New Ulm Bird & Small Animal showcentral.com/Steuben_Coun- BAIT AND Swap & Sale Days; www.poultryshow- ty_Fair.html August 26-September 5, 2016, central.com/Brown_Co_Pigeon_Poul- Salem, Oregon: Oregon State Fair; try_Club_Swap.html August 25-September 5, 2016, Syr- www.poultryshowcentral.com/Ore- SWITCH acuse, New York: New York State gon_State_Fair.html August 25-September 5, 2016, St. Fair; www.poultryshowcentral.com/ TURN THE TABLES ON Paul, Minnesota: Minnesota State Fair New_York_State_Fair.html September 19-21, 2016, Cottage NUISANCE FLIES 4-H Poultry Show; www.poultryshow- Grove, Oregon: WOE Heritage Fair; September 10, 2016, Bath, New Consistently control nuisance flies with central.com/Minnesota_State_Fair. www.poultryshowcentral.com/WOE_ ® html York: Buffalo & Western NY Poultry Heritage_Fair.html a rotation of Starbar fly baits. The Show; www.poultryshowcentral.com/ combination of QuikStrike® Fly Bait and MISSOURI Twin_Tier_Poultry_Club.html PENNSYLVANIA Golden Malrin® Fly Bait will help avoid resistance and control fly populations. August 5-7, 2016, Boonville, Missouri: September 11, 2016, Bath, New York: August 1-6, 2016, West Chester, Lake of the Ozarks Pigeon Club Swap- Twin Tier Poultry Club; www.poul- Pennsylvania: Goshen Country Fair; Learn more about Starbar® fly control per’s Days; www.poultryshowcentral. tryshowcentral.com/Twin_Tier_Poul- www.poultryshowcentral.com/Gosh- com/ Lake_of_the_Ozarks_Pigeon_ try_Club.html en_Country_Fair.html at StarbarProducts.com, call your local Club_Swappers_Days.html distributor or call 1.800.347.8272. September 17, 2016, Bath, New August 2-6, 2016, Arendtsville, Penn- August 11-21, 2016, Sedalia, Mis- York: Twin Tier Poultry Club Fall Auc- sylvania: South Mountain Fair; www. souri: Missouri State Fair; www. tion; www.poultryshowcentral.com/ poultryshowcentral.com/South_Moun- poultryshowcentral.com/Missou- Twin_Tier_Poultry_Club_Auction.html tain.html ri_State_Fair.html September 18, 2016, Gouverneur, August 7, 2016, York, Pennsylvania: August 12-14, 2016, Filmore, Missou- New York: Northern NY Poultry Fan- White Rose Pigeon Association Sum- ri: Fillmore Swap Meet - Flea Market; ciers; www.poultryshowcentral.com/ mer Show; www.poultryshowcentral. www.poultryshowcentral.com/Fill- Northern_New_York_Poultry_Fanciers. com/White_Rose_Pigeon_Associa- more_Swap_Meet-Flea_Market.html html tion.html
September 29-October 2, 2016, September 25, 2016, Cobleskill, New PA, August 20-27, 2016, Meadville, Versailles, Missouri: Jacob’s Cave York: Eastern New York State Poultry Pennsylvania: Crawford County Fair, Swapping Days; www.poultryshow- Association, www.poultryshowcentral. www.poultryshowcentral.com/Craw- ZERO IN central.com/Jacobs_Cave_Swap- com/Eastern_New_York_State_Poul- ford_County_Fair.html ON ROTATION ping_Days.html try.html August 21, 2016, Dunbar, Pennsyl- Always read and follow label directions. Starbar, Starbar with design, QuikStrike, and Golden NEBRASKA OHIO vania: Uniontown Poultry and Farm Malrin are registered trademarks of Wellmark International. The red-yellow color gradation is a registered trademark of Central Garden & Pet Company. ©2016 Wellmark International. Products Association; www.poultry- August 26-September 5, 2016, Grand August 20, 2016, Lima, Ohio: Allen showcentral.com/Uniontown_Poul- Island, Nebraska: Nebraska State County Fair; www.poultryshowcentral. try_Association.html Fair; www.poultryshowcentral.com/ com/Allen_County_Fair.html Nebraska_State_Fair.html September 18, 2016, Dunbar, Penn- August 23, 2016, Wellington, Ohio: sylvania: Uniontown Poultry and Farm NEW HAMPSHIRE Lorain County Fair; www.poultryshow- Products Association; www.poultry- central.com/Lorain_County_Fair.html showcentral.com/Uniontown_Poul- September 29-October 2, 2016, try_Association.html Deerfield, New Hampshire: Deerfield September 3-5, 2016, Johnstown, Fair; www.poultryshowcentral.com/ Ohio: Johnstown Swapper Days; SOUTH DAKOTA Deerfield_Fair.html www.poultryshowcentral.com/John- stown_Swappers_Days.html September 2-3, 2016, Huron, South NEW JERSEY Dakota: South Dakota State Fair; www. September 15-17, 2016, Mt. Hope, poultryshowcentral.com/South_Dako- August 5-14, 2016, Augusta, New Ohio: Mid Ohio Alternative Animal and ta_State_Fair.html Jersey: New Jersey State Fair; www. Bird Sale; www.poultryshowcentral. poultryshowcentral.com/New_Jer- com/Mid_Ohio_Swap.html TENNESSEE sey_State_Fair.html September 17-18, 2016, Tallmadge, August 11-20, 2016, Dandridge, September 10, 2016, Mullica Hill, Ohio: Eastern Ohio Poultry Associa- Tennessee: Jefferson County Fair; New Jersey: New Jersey State 4-H tion Show, www.poultryshowcentral. www.poultryshowcentral.com/Jeffer- Small Animal & Poultry Show; www. com/Eastern_Ohio_Poultry_Associa- son_County_Fair.html poultryshowcentral.com/New_Jer- tion_Show.html sey_State_Small_Animal_Poultry.html August 16-20, 2016, Newport, September 24-25, 2016, Lucasville, Tennessee: Cocke County A&I Fair; September 18, 2016, Jackson, New Ohio: Lucasville Trade Days; www. www.poultryshowcentral.com/Cocke_ Jersey: Central New Jersey Poultry poultryshowcentral.com/Lucasville_ County_AI_Fair.html Fanciers Show; www.poultryshow- Trade_Days.html central.com/Central_NJ_Poultry_Fan- August 19-27, 2016, Lebanon, ciers_Show.html September 25, 2016, Eaton, Ohio: Tennessee: Wilson County Fair; Dayton Fancy Feather Club Swap www.poultryshowcentral.com/Wil- NEW MEXICO Days; www.poultryshowcentral.com/ son_County_Fair.html Dayton_Fancy_Feather_Club_Swap_ August 8-13, 2016, Farmington, New Days.html September 9-18, 2016, Nashville, Mexico: San Juan County Fair; www. Tennessee: Tennessee State Fair; poultryshowcentral.com/San_Juan_ OREGON www.poultryshowcentral.com/Tennes- County_Fair.html see_State_Fair.html August 6, 2016, Brownsville, Oregon: August 22-27, 2016, Portales, New Oregon Summer Poultry Swap; www. September 12, 2016, Knoxville, Ten- Mexico: Roosevelt County Fair; poultryshowcentral.com/Oregon_ nessee: Tennessee Valley Fair;www. www.poultryshowcentral.com/Roos- Summer_Poultry_Swap.html poultryshowcentral.com/Tennes- evelt_County_Fair.html see_Valley_Fair.html August 16-21, 2016, Canby, Oregon: September 9-18, 2016, Albuquer- Clackamas County Fair; www.poultry- TEXAS que, New Mexico: New Mexico showcentral.com/Clackamas_Coun- State Fair; www.poultryshowcentral. ty_Fair.html September 3, 2016, LaGrange, Texas: com/New_Mexico_State_Fair.html Fayette County Fair; www.poultry- New York August 17-20, 2016, Grants Pass, showcentral.com/Fayette_Coun- Oregon: Josephine County Fair; ty_Fair.html FAST FENCE August 10-21, 2016, Hamburg, www.poultryshowcentral.com/Jose- Info and buy now at New York: Erie County Fair; www. September 11, 2016, Abilene, Texas: phine_County_Fair.html www.electricnets.com August/September 2016 800-356-5458 The Most Efficient Feeder & Waterer Ever! • Rodent Proof! • Rain Proof! • Virtually Waste Free!
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August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 21 Helpful Hints
CHICKEN DNA, PART 4 This is the fourth in a six-part series on poultry genetics by Doug Ottinger. The fifth article in the series will publish in the October-November issue.
Doug Ottinger lives in northwest Minnesota with his wife, Connie. They raise chickens, ducks and geese on their small hobby farm. Doug’s educational background is in agriculture, with an emphasis in poultry and avian genetics.
Research into a hen’s W chromosome is proving the genetic piece could play a role in everything from a chicken’s fertility to its broodiness instinct.
or years, sex-linkage in fowl has been a well- known and fairly well-understood fact. All birds have a “ZZ/ZW” sex- chromosome system. That Sex-Links and the is,F males have two Z sex chromosomes in their genetic make-up, or genome, and females have one Z and one W sex chromosome in their genetic make-up, or genome. W Chromosome Sex-linkage in fowl has been understood since 1910, thanks to researchers William Bateson and Reginald Ignored by Male Researchers for a Punnett, who did extensive work on feather-barring and published their findings that year. They determined that a Century, We are Finally Learning About the number of traits are controlled by genes that are attached directly to the Z or “male” chromosome. In many cases, Importance of the Female Chromosomee this theory is correct, and has been substantiated by our current systems of gene and chromosome mapping 100 By Doug Ottinger years later. Minnesota One theory about the whole picture is changing, and changing in a major way. For many years it was assumed that the W chromosome, or the “female” sex
22 Backyard Poultry chromosome, was just a rudimentary piece linked” trait. In poultry and birds, it has Sources: www.avianbiotech.com/research of leftover or non-functional DNA. It is very generally been assumed, and taught, that small, and early researchers often missed it all sex-linked traits are totally linked to Gibbs, H.L., et al., Genetic Evidence for Female entirely. In any event, it was considered vir- one or both of the Z chromosomes. Now Host-specific Races of the Common Cuckoo, Nature, tually useless. This belief persisted into fair- we have enough information to make us 2000, September 14, U.S. National Library of Medicine, ly recent times. In fact, one textbook from question at least part of that theory. In other National Institute of Health, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p. a well-respected European publishing firm, words, are there some “helper” or modi- Garcia-Moreno, Jaime, and Mindell, David P., printed in 1984, gave a very brief brush-off fying genes attached to that W sex-chro- Rooting a Phylogeny with Homologous Genes on to the W-chromosome issue, dismissing it mosome that we never suspected before? Opposite Sex Chromosomes (gametologs): A Case Study as serving “no functional purpose.” We now know that the W sex chro- Using Avian CHD. Oxford Journal, volume 17, issue 12, Fast-forward just six years later. Begin- mosome does indeed exist as a true chro- December 2000, mbe.oxfordjournals.org/. ning around 1990, and thereafter, research mosome, and yes, there are “sex-linked” Nam, Kiwong and Ellgren, Hans, The Chicken (Gallus on the W-chromosome began to be done by genes attached to it. We just don’t know gallus) Z Chromosome Contains at Least Three Nonlin- numerous researchers, and in 1997 or 1998, exactly what they do at this point in time. ear Evolutionary Strata, Genetics, October 16, 2008, vol. research picked-up at a very rapid pace. There are a number of things that are now 180 no. 2, 1131-1136. Studies of the W female sex chromosome in suspected. For example, some research organisms having a ZW system has almost indicates that fecundity, the fertility rates Mank, Judith E., Small but Mighty: Evolutionary Dy- become a separate field of research. in various bird species, may be linked namics of W and Y Sex-chromosomes, Chromosome Thanks in large part to improvements to genetic information carried on the W Research, 2012, January; 20(1):21-33. in staining techniques, researchers are now chromosome. Some researchers also sus- Dean, R., and Mank, J.E., The Role of Sex-chromosomes able to view and study this chromosome pect that traits of broodiness and maternal in Sexual Dimorphism; Discordance Between Molec- in much more depth. Not only is the W instincts might be at least partially related ular and Phenotypic Data, Journal of Evolutionary chromosome of chickens and other related to genetic information associated with Biology, 2014. fowl being studied, but numerous other this chromosome. These are only a few McQueen, Heather A., Division of Developmental Biol- animals with a ZW chromosome genome of a continuing number of research-based ogy, Roselin Institute, Clinton, Michael, Edinburgh Uni- are included in the research. (Many types hypotheses being explored in more depth. versity, Avian Dosage Compensation; Avian Sex-chromo- of moths and butterflies are being studied. I am keeping this article shorter than somes: Dosage Compensation Matters, 2010. Silkworm ZW genomes also are being most articles that I write. I could continue, investigated.) and write in some depth, about sex-linked Hutt, F.B., Ph.D., D.Sc., Genetics of the Fowl, Mc- For many years, both the W sex chro- genes, and resulting traits, attached to the Graw-Hill Book Company, 1949. https://poultrykeeper. mosome in birds (including all poultry), and Z or male chromosome. However, the com/poultry-breeding/autosexing-poultry/ the Y sex chromosome in most mammals very first research papers in this area were Monhadam, H.K., etal., W Chromosome Expression (including humans) were relegated to a clas- published more than 105 years ago! While Responds to Female-specific Selection, U.S. National sification of “minor chromosomes.” Both much of this information is very basic, and Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health, www. have striking similarities. It was believed, is still used in the poultry breeding indus- ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22570496 May, 2002. and perpetuated, that both served very try today, I wanted to shy away from what Romanov, M.N., Genetics of Broodiness in Poultry – A minor purposes in the whole big scheme has been written, and rewritten so many Review, Asian-Australian Journal of Animal Science, of things. Current indications and findings times, and share some new information. volume 14(11), November, 2001. now suggest that this may be wrong. If you have the time and interest in With current techniques of specimen the subject, I encourage you to do some Ibid., et al., (Division of Integrative Biology, Roslin staining and microscopy, researchers are research on the W chromosome. The on- Institute, Edinburgh, Scotland), Genetic Control of able to see at least 10 identifiable genes going findings are quite interesting, and Incubation in the Domestic Hen, Poultry Science As- on the W sex chromosome of the female may alter a few things we have held as sociation, 2002. chicken. At least eight of these genes appear concrete beliefs, in genetic studies. Smeds, Linea, et al., Evolutionary Analysis of the Fe- to possibly match some of the genes on Most living organisms are complex, male-specific Avian W Chromosome, Nature Commu- the Z sex chromosome. Many genes must including chickens and human beings. nications 6, Article no. 7330, published 04 June, 2015. have a matching, or corresponding gene, And it seems that throughout human his- www.science2.0.com (citing Smeds, et al.,) DNA Which on the corresponding chromosome, in the tory, males have always complained that Only Females Have, Scientific Blogging, Science 2.0, chromosomal pair, to be effective. Based they just don’t understand females. So I June 10,2015. on this alone, it is quite possible that the W find it amusing, and somewhat ironic, that chromosome, as well as the attached genes one of the least understood things in the Xu, H.P., et al., The Dopamine Dz Receptor Gene Poly- or DNA segments, may play a much larger whole big scope of the genetics picture, morphism Associated with Chicken Broodiness, Oxford role than researchers once believed. has been the W, or female, chromosome! Journals, Poultry Science, volume 89, issue 3, 2009; ps.oxfordjournals.org/content/89/3/4/428.full I suppose it stands to reason however: Sex-Links Most of the researchers were males! So, Expression of the Chicken W Chromosome and the and the W Chromosome next time you go out to the chicken coop Evolution of Female Phenotypes, Research Councils, Any gene attached to one of the sex and see those hens, remember they are U.K., Gateway to Research; Department of Genetics, chromosomes is considered sex-linked, probably not understood as well as they Evolution and Environment, University College, London, and the resulting trait is known as a “sex- should be. 10 January, 2016.
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 23 Helpful Hints
OUR BIOLOGY SERIES Ever wonder how your chicken really works? In part seven, we are illustrating how the blood flows through the chicken’s circulatory system, with the help of illustrator Bethany Caskey, and writer Thomas Fuller, a retired biology teacher and lifelong poultry owner, in upcoming editions of Backyard Poultry magazine.
The Nervous System Biology of the Chicken, Part 7
By tHoMas l. fuller new york
ot unlike our own human body, receptors to avoid a bitter tasting treat and the chicken’s body needs a choose instead something sour. Something control center with a commu- as simple as to walk or to fly is based on Nnication network. The nervous system somatic or voluntary nerve responses. inside our Hank and Henrietta integrates Involuntary nerves perform their and directs the various functions of their function without the chicken’s con- body. It is comprised of two major parts: scious control or choice of action or the central nervous system (CNS), and event. The vital actions of regulation the peripheral nervous system (PNS). of heartbeat, process of digestion and Additional stimuli are received through breathing in and out cannot be afforded to the senses and interpreted by the brain to conscious thought. These critical functions alert our fowl of the constantly changing are regulated by the autonomic or involun- environmental conditions. tary nervous system. How long would we The central nervous system is com- stay alive, let alone our chicken friends, posed of the brain, spinal cord and nerves. if we had to think about every beat of our Within this system, the brain heart, where that burger (or kernel acts as the “main office” by of corn) is in our food tube, or processing the information it is remember to breathe? And all at given through various stimuli the same time? and returning a decision for an A different type of involuntary appropriate response. The spinal cord Somatic (voluntary) and autonomic response to external stimuli is a reflex. collects micro-electric responses from the (involuntary) signals are sent to the Reflexes are “short cuts” in an already expe- nerve endings, and like a major phone line, peripheral nervous system (PNS), dient nervous system built in for protection. transfers the messages to the brain. Both of which translates the signals and sends In the peripheral network of nerves covering these organs are encased by a protective them onto the central nervous system the body of the chicken, certain actions need (CNS) to generate a response. Reflexes boney structure. In the case of the spinal to be taken immediately without including (like ducking) are automatically cord it also has a myelin (fatty) sheath for preprogrammed responses that help the the thought process of the brain. The sensory additional protection. chicken survive. signal of the reflex reaction only travels as As the name implies, the peripheral far as the spinal cord to initiate the appropri- nervous system interprets the periphery or use muscles stimulated by a motor neuron ate response. Life and death decisions such area around the CNS. The PNS includes to escape the danger. as ducking from a hawk or flying from the the senses and telegraphs its environmen- Within the chicken’s nervous system, fox cannot be afforded any thought process, tal stimuli, such as a tug on Hank’s tail, individual nerve responses may be either only immediate physical responses in the to the sensory neuron (nerve cell). This voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary control form of a reflex action. neuron sends an immediate message to functions occur when the chicken con- As in humans, there are five basic sens- the brain by way of the spinal cord at a sciously responds to some activity or stim- es. The senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste speed of more than 120 meters per second. ulus. The nerves that initiate these types of and touch appear in most animals but vary in Hank’s squawk seems almost instanta- responses are called somatic nerves. For degree of strength. As we have mentioned in neous as the brain sends the response to example, Henrietta may use her taste bud the past, the ability of flight has influenced
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Visit for the chicken’s biological systems. A chicken ception. Though similar to our mammalian keen sense of hearing is, however, not as brain is highly developed for coordination, eye, our fowl’s eye has a higher threshold of good as our own. The ear of the chicken is eyesight with better visual acuity, and a light intensity. Therefore chickens are diur- located on each side of the face behind the sense of touch that can detect the slightest nal or active only during the daylight hours. eye. Unlike the human ear there is no ear change in air pressure. These senses are It is the reason they seek to roost at night flap or lobe to direct sound waves. Ears imperative for flight. for protection from nocturnal predators. are also covered by a tuft of feathers to By far, sight is the chicken’s strongest As a prey animal, their sight affords them protect the ear canal from dust and other sense. A bird’s eyes are the largest relative a tremendous field of view of almost 360 harmful materials. Because birds interact to their body in comparison of all animals. degrees or a full circle. It makes it difficult with varying altitudes during flight, they bag. a in love FEEDS: BLUEBONNET The location of the eyes on the face afford for a predator to sneak up on them. have a special duct (tube) that connects the binocular vision (both eyes see an object); Hearing ranks a close second to sight in middle ear with the roof of the mouth to this placement is important for distance per- the senses of our Hank and Henrietta. Their regulate air pressure and prevent injury to poultry of line complete our with love more little a even them Show you. love they and birds your love You the tympanic membrane (eardrum). premium high-end our or grain scratch ds, fee starter is it Whether flock. backyard your for designed feed Also as a prey animal, their sight affords them a The sense of taste is first interpreted by the taste buds located on the base of the time. every love the feel You’ll covered. you has Feeds Bluebonnet feeds, conditioner and tremendous field of view of almost tongue. These stimuli are transferred to the appropriate receptors in the brain. Chickens 360 degrees or a full circle. It makes it difficult for have a low tolerance to sodium chloride (table salt, NaCl) while being more accept- BluebonnetFeeds.com a predator to sneak up on them. ing of sour food. Hank and Henrietta tend to be sensitive to a bitter taste, but unlike [email protected] humans, have little preference for sugars. 800.365.2456 A sense of touch is present in our bird friends but is not as extensive as it is in humans. As a creature of flight our chickens are very sensitive to changes in air pressure and wind velocity. Those stimuli transfer through feathers to the skin, resulting in Reserved. Rights All Feeds. Bluebonnet ©2016 expedient adjustments while in flight. The feet and legs contain very few nerves, how- ever, to afford tolerances to cold weather conditions. Pressure and pain sensors also help to protect the comb and wattles of our Hank and Henrietta. The sense of smell is received and interpreted in the olfactory lobes of the chicken’s forebrain. Birds in general have little use for a sense of smell and have comparatively smaller olfactory lobes than mammals. Motor neurons cause muscles to re- spond and take action when needed. Re- flexes protect without thought. Involuntary nerve responses “take care of business” BLUEBONNET FEEDS: love in a bag. (such as heartbeat) that any organism could not remember to do voluntarily. The You love your birds and they love you. Show them even a little more love with our complete line of poultry nervous system of our Hank and Henri- etta controls the reactions and activities feed designed for your backyard flock. Whether it is starter feeds, scratch grain or our high-end premium necessary to sustain life and respond to an and conditioner feeds, Bluebonnet Feeds has you covered. You’ll feel the love every time. ever-changing environment. Just remember that a chicken’s “field of view” can always see you coming. The best plan is to catch BluebonnetFeeds.com them at night!
Illustrations by Bethany Caskey 800.365.2456 [email protected] Thomas Fuller is a retired biology Somatic nerves (voluntary) reach down to feet and wings, which the bird controls. teacher and lifelong poultry owner. Look Autonomic (involuntary) nerves reach to the vital organs to automatically control for the final part in his series on the biology breathing and heart rate, among other vital life functions. of a chicken in the next Backyard Poultry.
26 Backyard Poultry ©2016 Bluebonnet Feeds. All Rights Reserved. love in a bag. a in love FEEDS: BLUEBONNET
You love your birds and they love you. Show them even a little more love with our complete line of poultry poultry of line complete our with love more little a even them Show you. love they and birds your love You ds, scratch grain or our high-end premium premium high-end our or grain scratch ds, fee starter is it Whether flock. backyard your for designed feed and conditioner feeds, Bluebonnet Feeds has you covered. You’ll feel the love every time. every love the feel You’ll covered. you has Feeds Bluebonnet feeds, conditioner and BluebonnetFeeds.com [email protected] 800.365.2456
©2016 Bluebonnet Feeds. All Rights Reserved. Rights All Feeds. Bluebonnet ©2016
BLUEBONNET FEEDS: love in a bag.
You love your birds and they love you. Show them even a little more love with our complete line of poultry feed designed for your backyard flock. Whether it is starter feeds, scratch grain or our high-end premium and conditioner feeds, Bluebonnet Feeds has you covered. You’ll feel the love every time. BluebonnetFeeds.com 800.365.2456 [email protected]
©2016 Bluebonnet Feeds. All Rights Reserved. elpful ints H H Problem #2: Predators Losing chickens to predators is an- Chickens who free- other concern for owners of free-range range tend to stay alert birds. Foxes, coyotes, skunks, weasels, while they are foraging, raccoons, opossums and hawks all enjoy but they can be easy targets for predators. chicken for dinner. In the years I have owned poultry, I have lost perhaps 30 birds to predators. I can honestly say that 98 percent of the time the predator was my own dog. On two separate occasions, I took in stray dogs that turned out to be chicken killers. It is probably a mistake to keep strays, or to accept second-hand or free-to-a-good-home dogs. Any canine not raised around free-roaming birds will likely become a chicken killer. Once they know it’s wrong, they can be quite sneaky at it. Conversely, the best defense against other four-legged predators is a big farm dog patrolling his domain for interlopers. Our dogs consider themselves to be mas- ters of all they survey. Several opossums and skunks have experienced an untimely demise because they didn’t believe it. Free-Range Problems I don’t have a serious problem with hawks. Only twice have I witnessed birds They Want to Be Free, of prey attempting to take one of the hens. Once, a big red-tail plunged out of the But That’s Not Always sky, hit a hen in an explosion of feathers, Problem #1: Flying Where They but then left empty-taloned when the hen Good for Them Shouldn’t Be rolled under the tractor. She survived. Roaming chickens cause problems, Another time, some sort of falcon By Donna Insco however. They will completely destroy streaked between the barn and the coop Missouri young plants in a garden. They will and made a tight turn directly over the jump to remove tomatoes and berries heads of several hens. They didn’t wait have kept a flock of free-range from established vines, as well as peck for it to make a second pass, but dove laying hens for 20 years. Allowing holes in turnips, cucumbers and squash. for cover like kids playing commando. poultry to roam can cause problems, If they can reach it, they will either eat Suddenly aware that death could come butI there are reasonable solutions to it or ruin it. from above, for weeks the flock was those problems. The solution is to fence the garden seldom seen out in the open. Seeing Some things must be considered be- with 48-inch poultry netting with a strand people up close makes hawks nervous, or fore letting your flock out of the coop. A of barbed wire six inches above that. Ini- perhaps they realize that their natural prey free-ranging flock is not recommended tial costs of fencing are high, but “chicken disappears when humans are around. So if you have close neighbors. Your birds wire” will also keep out rabbits, turtles, the best defense against birds of prey is will not recognize property lines and dogs and other small animals that can’t a lot of outside human activity. A bunch you can’t expect a neighbor to fence his climb. Depending on climate, poultry of noisy, rambunctious children works property to keep your birds out. Some netting will last for eight to 12 years fabulously. breeds of poultry wander farther than before it rusts away. others. I remember my grandmother’s My garden fence worked beautifully Problem #3: Losing the Eggs guineas out in the field 150 yards from the at keeping the hens out until I bought Another problem with free-range house. However, my New Hampshires several dozen Barred Rocks. They were hens is the loss of eggs. Instead of using and Rhode Islands never get more than apparently the hoodlums of the chicken the nest boxes provided, chickens may 50 yards away. Another thing to consider world, because they gleefully sailed over prefer to find their own secret spots to lay is the proximity of neighboring dogs, the fence and made confetti out of my eggs, often inconveniently located. The since they will likely be the predators that vegetable plants. If you keep big heavy cure is to keep them in their coop until cause the most concern. In many areas, birds that don’t fly well, a garden fence at least noon, to force them to lay where free running dogs outnumber the local may be all that is required. But now I rou- you want them to. Some will still delay population of wild predators. tinely clip the flight feathers of my birds. egg laying until they’re released. Every
28 Backyard Poultry few days, we look in the spots where they have made secret nests in the past, and manage to collect most of the eggs.
Problem #4: Foraging for Danger Keep in mind, also, that anything harmful, such as pesticides, cleansers or fertilizer must be kept away from poul- try. Chickens will eat things that other animals wouldn’t dream of eating, and since they are in the human food chain, be especially vigilant. Poultry should not be allowed to forage in the trash, so keep trash and recycling bins covered and inaccessible. Besides the obvious poisoning opportunity, things like bits of aluminum foil or Styrofoam cups or packing peanuts may stop up their crop and kill them. A flock of hens parading around the farm is the image of country life. The problems can be managed so that the farmstead can enjoy the benefits of less expensive birds and fewer insect pests.
Donna Insco raises free-range chick- ens in Richwoods, Missouri.
ADVANTAGES OF FREE-RANGING For me, the benefits of free-range birds outweigh the disadvantages. Since I started keeping chickens, the price of 50 pounds of laying mash has nearly tripled, and the price continues to climb. Allowing birds to forage for some of their own food reduces the costs of keeping them. In summer, hens can get approximately half of their food by patrolling the yard, pasture, edge of the woods and barnyard. Free-range birds suppress ticks, ants and crop pests such as caterpillars and grasshoppers. Chickens relish these pests as tasty morsels. Their constant scratching in the dirt helps prevent some insect eggs from hatching by uncovering them and causing the eggs to dry out in the sun and wind. Chickens also dislike snakes, and will sometimes let you know when one is near. My hens have a peculiar cackle when a snake is close by. Once, the flock had a snake surrounded and backed up against the truck tire. From a distance, it looked like a copperhead, but turned out to be a harmless hognose. — Donna Insco
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 29 Backyard Poultry Family Album August/September 2016
Photo WinnerContest August/September 2016
The August/September 2016 cover photo was submitted by Sue Sturm from Illinois. Sue says, “It was a busy morning in the coop today and sometimes a girl just can’t wait!” Thanks for the great coop photo Sue!
The fruits of our labor.—Krystin Friling, New Hampshire
Professor Speckles isn’t camera shy!—Cassie Jones, Colorado
30 Backyard Poultry My front yard.— Eva Hanson
This is my duck named Fluffy. She loves to swim, and I have taught her to give me hugs!— Aliya Potts, Ohio
Send Your Photo(s) Today! Photo Contest Guidelines Each issue’s winner will be displayed in the position of honor— on the front cover of the magazine! Photos must relate in some way to poultry or their products. No limit on number of entries. Attach your name, address, phone number or e-mail and photo caption or description to each photo (not on the front, please). Backyard Poultry retains the right to publish and/or reproduce any and all photos submitted in future issues or publicity, with or without mention of source. To have your photos returned, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Send your entry to: Backyard Poultry Photo Contest, 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451; or e-mail photos in jpg format to [email protected].
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 31 Our silkie rooster named Joe.—Riley Wolynn, Pennsylvania
Melissa Munch, New York Could Your Photo Be On The Next Cover? Tips to Make Your Photo a Winner
eauty: Photos should be just plain pretty enough to be placed on the cover. Think ver- ticalB with some space on top for a masthead. Many otherwise perfect photos are taken in a way that makes it impossible to display them in the position of honor on the front cover of the magazine. If we won’t be able to do it justice, the judges will avoid awarding it first place. • Clarity: The judges will be scrutinizing this aspect thoroughly and will only award first place to clear photos that can be enlarged to cover size without loss of clarity. • Conciseness: Photos are better if there isn’t too much clutter or aren’t too many things going on. • Good Photos tell a story. This is Rojo, an Ameraucana, ruler of everything he sees.—Laurie J. Smith, Louisiana
32 Backyard Poultry The girls with their faithful guard dog named Tipper.— Denise Williams, Tennessee
My daughter, Imogen, enjoying our flock of 11 Silkies and Sizzles. We got our first six chicks last May and have been in love with them ever since!—Corri Riebow, Michigan
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 33 Backyard Poultry Bookstore
New Books! • New Books! • New Books! • New Books!
The Ultimate Guide JustTo Dutch It! Microshelters Natural Farming & Sustainable Living 59 Creative Cabins, Tiny Permaculture For Beginners Houses, Tree Houses, & More By Archie And LindA dixon By nicoLe FAires By derek “deek” diedricksen Permaculture is an important but often If you dream of living in a tiny house, misunderstood method of growing food and building homes in a manner or creating a getaway in the backwoods that works with nature, rather than or your backyard, you’ll love this col- against it, to create beautiful, healthy, lection of tiny houses, cabins, forts, and useful gardens. Blending ecology, studios, and other microshelters. These 59 unique and innovative organic agriculture, green home design, structures show you the limits of what is possible. Each is dis- appropriate technology, and biology can played in full-color photographs accompanied by commentary be confusing and overwhelming, but The by the author. Also includes six sets of building plans by leading Ultimate Guide to Natural Farming and designers to help you get started on a microshelter of your own. Sustainable Living simplifies this vast field for practical application. You’ll also find guidelines on building with recycled and sal- This is a hands-on guide, taking the beginner through each step of vaged materials, plus techniques for making your small space the design process, so that anyone can apply permaculture principles comfortable and easy to inhabit. 255 pages, $18.95 to his or her life. 330 pages, $19.99
Pure Soapmaking Essential Oils How To Create Nourishing, 100 Natural, Non-toxic Recipes Natural Skin Care Soaps for the Beginner & Beyond By Anne-MArie FAioLA By ALiciA Atkinson It’s easy to make luscious, all-natural Here is a simple, yet comprehensive, guide soaps right in your own kitchen. This col- to essential oils. This book begins with an lection of 32 recipes ranges from simple overview of the history, science, and methods castile bars to intricate swirls, embeds, of use of essential oils, discusses quality and and marbled and layered looks. Begin safety, and goes on to explain how essential with a combination of skin-nourishing oils and then add blueber- oils can be used for physical, mental, and emotional health, per- ry puree, dandelion-infused water, almond milk, coffee grounds, sonal care, nutrition and cooking, home cleaning, and with pets. mango and avocado butters, black tea, or other delicious ingredi- Each section includes protocols and recipes that are easy-to-fol- ents—and then scent your soap with pure essential oils. Step-by- low and create at home. The Complete Guide to Essential Oils is step photography guides you through every stage of cold-process written in an accessible style that is perfect for both the novice and soapmaking. Hardcover, Spiral Bound, 240 pages, $19.95 the experienced essential oil user. 205 pages, $14.99 The Complete Survival Shelters Handbook The Backyard Goat A Step-By-Step Guide to Building Lifesaving An Introductory Guide to Structures For Every Climate & Wilderness Situation Keeping Productive Pet Goats
By Anthonio AkkerMAns By sue WeAver You can survive a couple of weeks without food and a few days without Pulling carts around the farm or serv- water, but in some cases, you would ing as loyal pack animals, goats are be lucky to survive one night without naturally hardworking and make shelter. With structures ideally suited for friendly companions. This for any weather condition, this book presents emergency shelter straightforward guide teaches you designs built from a variety of elements, including 100% gathered how to choose, house, feed, train, and breed the best goats for items, a combination of natural and store-bought supplies and even your space and needs. Whether you want to churn out fresh durable construction materials. Learn helpful tips and techniques dairy products, harvest soft cashmere for knitting, or keep for mastering your shelter-building skills, as well as tutorials on goats as playful pets, The Backyard Goat makes it easy to en- how to make basic tools, bedding, mattresses and other items to joy the benefits of owning goats, with no experience necessary. increase shelter comfort. 144 pages, $15.95 215 pages, $16.95
34 Backyard Poultry How to Raise Chickens The Small-Scale Poultry Flock The Chicken Encyclopedia y ail amerow By Harvey Ussery B G D By Christine Heinrichs Everything An All-Natural Full Color Photos & You Need Approach to Raising Illustrations. to Know Chickens and Other More than 1,000 To Raise Chickens Fowl for Home and entries, 100% Market Growers related to chickens 208 pages, $19.99 394 pages, $39.95 319 pages, $19.95
Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Chicken And Egg How to Raise Poultry Poultry Breeds By Carol Ekarius By Janice Cole By Christine Heinrichs Chickens, Ducks, A Memoir of Everything Geese, Turkeys, Suburban You Need Emus, Guinea Fowl, Homesteading to Know To Ostriches, Partridges, with 125 Recipes Raise Poultry Peafowl, Pheasants, 256 pages, 176 pages, $19.99 Quails, Swans 277 pages, $24.95 $24.95
To request a bookstore catalog, call 1-800-551-5691 or write to: Bookstore Catalog Request, 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451 or for a complete list of books visit www.CountrysideNetwork.com.
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August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 35 HealtH
paM freeMan ron kean Forums Coordinator Extension Poultry Specialist countrysidenetwork.com University of Wisconsin-Madison Poultry Talk You Ask Expert Poultry Questions, We Give Expert Poultry Answers
most common killers of backyard hens lid will give you double protection, and and are caused by a bacterial or viral in- at night, hang your chicken feeder high fection. I recently wrote about a lash egg, and away from walls, or place the feeder which can be a symptom of salpingitis. inside the closed can or tub. There could have also been some type There are a few natural deterrents, of blockage of your hen’s oviduct. But too. If you plant peppermint around the that’s hard to determine just from photos. coop, rodents often find it too powerful. Good luck with your flock! Dabbing cotton balls with 20 to 30 drops of peppermint oil and jamming them into Editor’s note: Linda contacted us entry points also does the same trick, ac- later to report that U.C. Davis confirmed cording to Missy Ames, a frequent writer the hen died from salpingitis. for Backyard Poultry and Countryside magazines. Now, as far as getting rid of the cur- Rats and Mice rent mice … You have to do that quickly, Good afternoon! My chicken house as they multiply and they carry disease. is struggling with rats and mice dig- Here’s the most foolproof way: If you Swollen Abdomen ging tunnels underneath the dirt floor have a couple friends with cats, we could My friend’s hen had a swollen abdo- in the coop and eating the chicken suggest hiring them for a couple weeks to men and she died this morning. He cut feed! They are a terrible nuisance and patrol your coop grounds and start to get her open and found fluid in the abdomen I have tried to do my best in getting rid of the pests. Rat zappers also work, and three masses. In the picture you see rid of them by pouring buckets of as the mouse crawls inside and is killed two masses already cut out of the bird and water down their underground tunnels immediately. the third mass still encased in tissue (ovi- and killing them. But I have not tried Finally, do not use poison. You are duct?) before he cut it out. He cut them in poison yet because I’m afraid if I put correct to avoid this, as it’s hard to con- half and it looks like the start of an egg in it in the coop, my chickens will eat the trol, and your chickens will eat it. one. Do you have any idea what this is? poison! What would you do? Best of luck with this issue, and we Linda Hamid Caden Koehn hope you can fend off these nuisances.
Hi Linda, Hi Caden, It’s hard to know from a post mortem What a frustrating problem! We will Spreading on the Comb what your hen’s original problem was, turn to our archives for an answer, as we Have you seen this before? I noticed both those massed looked like egg mate- recently published a few pieces exactly on a penny-sized spot two weeks ago. Since rial and tissue from your hen’s oviduct. this issue. The first thing to know is, you we are in Alaska and I let the crew out Two problems come to mind imme- are not alone. This is a common issue, and for one hour if the temps are above zero, diately when you see this: salpingitis usually can be prevented by keeping food I thought it was frostbite. and peritonitis. Both are infections and in closed containers, including human Now it is increasing and starting on inflammations of the hen’s oviduct and food, dog food and chicken food. Storing the other side as well. At first it is wet reproductive tract. They are some of the livestock feed in garbage cans with a tight then crusting over. I think it is bacterial.
If you have health-related poultry questions, send them to us at Backyard Poultry, Attn: Answer Man, 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451 or email to [email protected]. All submissions will be considered for print publication. Please include your name and hometown with your questions, which should be as detailed as possible. Pictures help us answer questions, so please include those too!
36 Backyard Poultry Hi Bonnie, We are not sure about the particulars of your situation, but in general chickens do not lay fewer eggs from being played with by children. The exception to this Jumbo French Guineas, rule is too much playing. The laying cycle for a chicken can be interrupted Bantam Silkies, Freedom when they are stressed. Too much time Ranger Broilers & Layers, spent being played with and handled can Muscovy Duck, & Khaki cause stress. When Pam’s children were younger, Campbell Ducks she was careful that most of her time with the flock was spent watching them. Her kids held their chickens, but it was Do you have any idea? The girls don’t supervised and they were careful to keep show any sign of the same problem. I it limited. As a result, their chickens, to appreciate your suggestion. this day, are very friendly and seek out Rita Butteri their attention. We are sure you’ll be able to find a happy medium where both Hi Rita, chickens and children have fun. Thank you for the excellent pic- tures. It really helps us see the problem, rather than guessing from a descrip- What is Killing My Chickens? Guineas are fast growing, suitable for tion. That said, we’re not exactly sure I have been trying to find out what is backyard growers who want to control ticks what might be causing this. going on with my chickens. Let me first and for those who would want to use them as We don’t believe that it is frostbite. start by saying I adore them. I have had a meat bird. The tips of the comb would be the first to chickens for the past six to seven years freeze, rather than the base. We guess the and they were doing great: no break-ins Freedom Rangers are only way we think it could be frostbite from raccoons or anything. specially suited for full is if he got water splashed on that area, Recently, like the last year and a half, pasturing, free range, organic certified, which could be a possibility. it seems I am slowly losing them to some- backyard, etc. We think you might be right that thing mysterious. They start off lackadai- it might be a bacterial infection. You sical, they fluff up, their back ends seem To order Freedom Rangers, call Kendall at might try getting a human anti-bacterial to start to bother them and they walk as 717-336-4878 or visit ointment and applying that. though they have an egg stuck between www.freedomrangerhatchery.com Ron Kean discussed this with a col- their legs. They seem to get very thin, league, and he wondered if he might be although they are still heavy when picked scratching the area. Check the rooster for up, but the breastbone is still sticking out. mites on the possibility that he is scratch- They also end up with loose poop on their ing at those. It isn’t unusual for a rooster back ends. This seems to take six months to have mites even if the hens don’t. or better before I bring them in and they We also wondered about pecking. end up dying (five to date). Are the other chickens pecking at his I tried talking to my local vet and The Muscovy is fast growing and a comb? It isn’t a common pecking wound he admitted he knew nothing about great range duck with a lean meat that is that we’d expect, as usually the points chickens. I tried antibiotics. I have tried desired by many restaurants. Call or visit us online. get pecked rather than the bottom of the spraying the coop with Clorox once or To order Muscovy and Khaki Campbell comb, but it is possible. twice a week. I have tried soaking my ducklings call Stephen at 717-445-6255. As we said, we’d probably try the girls in lukewarm water (thought it was antibiotic ointment and see how it goes. egg bound in the first chicken.) I have tried a little oil in the rectum. It does J.M. Hatchery seem to spread as I have two at the mo- 178 Lowry Road Handling Hens ment going through this. Heartbreaking! New Holland, PA 17557 Do chickens lay fewer eggs when If you have any ideas as to what I should 717-354-5950 they are handled a lot and played with try or what I am dealing with I would be by the children? very grateful. www.jmhatchery.com Bonnie Sheen Christine Delucchi
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 37 Hi Christine, men. If either of these things occurs once Excess feed, which leads to excessive This is a fairly common occurrence in or twice, the hen’s body can absorb them fat deposition, may increase the incidence laying hens, especially as they get a little without too much problem. If it happens of this and other reproductive prob- older. If you cut into the abdomen (after consistently, the egg material will begin lems. Some of the distended appearance the hen has died) you will often find an to accumulate in the abdomen. A mass may be to excess fat deposition in this accumulation of fluid and a mass of par- such as this is often found in hens with a area as well. tially formed eggs. A brief explanation of distended abdomen.As expected, this egg There is a good discussion on this, as the “normal” progression of egg formation mass is a fairly hospitable site for bacterial well as on other reproductive problems, can help explain this problem. growth. Bacteria, such as E. coli, often in this chapter of a book, written by Yolks are formed on the ovary. There lead to illness known as egg yolk peri- some Canadian poultry scientists: www. are many small, whitish ova present on a tonitis. This will usually prove deadly to spottedcowpress.ca/chapters/06Abnor- normal ovary. A few of these (normally the hen, though some can live a long time malities.pdf. about seven or so) enlarge and become before they eventually succumb. The loss of feathers that often occurs yellow as they are enriched with nutri- A follow-up question is often, “Why in this area is most likely due to internal ents. The ova are encased in a follicle. does it happen?” This is not answered infection. The tissue generally turns red There should be a progression from small quite as easily. A number of things can from exposure to the sun. to large. When one yolk is large enough, it affect proper oviduct function. There Though it’s unsightly, the hens can of- is released from the follicle. This is called are some viruses that can damage the ten live a long time with this. If the infec- ovulation. This yolk should be caught oviduct. Infectious bronchitis virus is an tion becomes systemic, or if it is leukosis by the top of the oviduct (the infundibu- example. Lymphoid leukosis is a common and the tumors grow to a point where they lum). It should then pass down the oviduct, virus that often causes tumors of the in- interfere with intestinal passage, the hen where albumen, membranes and the shell ternal organs, including the reproductive will die more quickly. Sometimes the hen are added. About 24 to 26 hours later, the system. Infections of the oviduct (salpin- will slowly lose weight until they are too hen should lay this egg. gitis) can be a potential cause. It is not weak to go on, too. In some cases, a yolk or two may unusual to find infection at necropsy, but We don’t really know of anything miss the oviduct and be deposited in the it is difficult to know if this infection was that can be done to prevent it. Limiting abdomen. In other cases, a partially formed the initial cause, or if it is a secondary oc- treats (or using higher fiber, lower energy egg passes back up the oviduct for some currence. Some physical damage, from an treats) may decrease the chances of hens reason. Again, it is deposited in the abdo- injury, for example, could also be a factor. becoming overweight, so that may be
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BackyardPoultry_OctNov2015_V1.indd 1 8/5/15 12:15 PM helpful. Once the hen has this, we don’t Hi Don and Sharon, people like them because they smell know of a good answer. Antibiotics can This is a good question and it really wonderful. But that wonderful smell can sometimes help, but you said that you depends on what your goals are for your irritate your chicken’s lungs and cause tried that and it didn’t work. Forcing a flock. If your goal is to have eggs for eat- health problems down the road. molt by decreasing the hen’s day length ing, then there is no need for separation. We prefer to use pine shavings. They to about eight hours might help, as it If your goal is to breed your flock, then are probably the most popular bedding would take the hens out of production. A it might be nice to separate the related option. They are in supply year-round few weeks of short days like this will birds. Since it sounds like you may be and we get them where we buy our generally cause them to molt. During this unsure of who is related to whom, it may chicken food, so they’re convenient. time, the oviduct and ovary will regress, be good to add some new unrelated hens They are fairly inexpensive, and most so they might come back into production to your flock. That way you can separate important, they are absorbent and don’t in better condition. Having 16 hours of the unrelated hens and roosters when it’s break down quickly. total darkness is not always easy to do in breeding time to make sure your hatching Another option is straw. We person- a small-flock setting, however. eggs are not from interrelated birds. ally find it harder to get year-round and If it is Leukosis or some other tumor We hope this is helpful. Good luck it can get kind of sticky. We have also that is causing the problem, we don’t with your flock. used grass clippings in the summer and know of anything that will help. leaves in the fall, but only as a treat. If Sorry we don’t have a better answer. you use these, you want to make sure your Are Cedar Chips Harmful? lawn hasn’t been treated with chemicals. Are cedar chips safe to use as litter in We have also heard of people who use Inbreeding? chicken house? Are they harmful to adult shredded newspapers and office papers, I love your magazine. My question chickens? Thank you. but they are messy and tend to break is: I have three bantam roosters and 11 Charles Gaines down quickly. Plus, we don’t like to ex- hens from I believe the same family. Do pose our flock all that ink and are wary I have to get rid of my roosters and get Hi Charles, of any metal clips or staples that might different ones so they don’t interbreed? Your question is a good one that be in the paper. Thank you. often comes down to personal preference We hope this is helpful! Don and Sharon Ramberg with one caveat — cedar chips. Many
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40 Backyard Poultry Bad Food for The “ChickenSafe” Chickens? Walk-in Chicken Run Can you tell me what foods I shouldn’t give my chickens and roosters? Model Shown Darlene McMahon 13 ft x 13 ft
We’ll share our list of foods we recommend here:
Apples seasoned and Apricots sugared nuts.) Bananas Oats (Not the peels.) Parsnips Beets (plus greens) Pasta Variety Of Sizes Available Online Blackberries Peaches Blueberries Pears * Fully Galvanized Steel Framework * Strong 17gauge Galvanized Welded Mesh Bread (Try to offer Peas * All Joints Bolted * 1” Square Mesh Holes healthy bread to Plums * Treated Timber Door & Frame * Mesh Ground Skirt All Round give your chickens Pomegranate the biggest bang Popcorn * Door 5’ 11” x 2’ 6” * Anchor Pegs Supplied for their buck.) Pumpkins * Galvanized Hinges & Bolt * Optional PVC Part Cover Broccoli Radishes Brussels Sprouts (plus greens) Visit us at: www.ChickenSafe.com Cabbage Raisins Cantaloupe Rice E-mail: [email protected]; Call: 662-385-5888 Carrots (plus Seafood greens) Seeds Cereal (Avoid Spinach (Feed sugary cereals.) sparingly; too Cherries much can interfere Since 1944 Collard Greens with calcium Hatching America’s Corn (Chickens absorption.) Best Baby Chicks! especially love Sprouted Seeds corn on the cob.) Squash Cranberries Sweet Potatoes Cucumbers Tomatoes Eggs (Do not feed • White/Brown Egg Layers (Hard boiled eggs green tomatoes, • Jumbo Cornish Cross Broilers are yummy. Warm leaves or vines.) • Red Rangers scrambled eggs Turnips • Rainbows are perfect on a Watermelon • Waterfowl cold morning.) Zucchini • Pheasants Fish Garlic • Guineas Grains • Bantams • Chick Equipment & Medications Grapes FREE Honeydew Melons Kale Brochure! New Breeds Available 2/16/16 Lettuce Meat Call or E-mail for Friendly Service! (You can also 800-247-7014, Fax 641-395-2208 give your flock the bones and they will [email protected] pick them clean.) www.hoovershatchery.com Nuts (Avoid salted, See us on Facebook!
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 41 HealtHy feeD By lisa steele
Lisa Steele is the author of Fresh Eggs Daily: Raising Happy, Healthy Chickens…Naturally (St. Lynn’s Press, 2013). She lives on a small hobby farm in Maine with her husband and their flock of chickens and ducks, two dogs and a barn cat. She is a fifth-generation chicken keeper and writes about her experiences on her award-winning blog at www.fresheggsdaily.com. In her free time, she loves to garden, bake, knit and sip homebrewed herbal teas.
PEPPERMINT, for Thicker Eggshells
Mint is one of my favorite herbs to Newcastle disease. Another international grow. Sure, it will spread unchecked and Research completed in 2009 study — this one done in 2014 with a team take over your entire garden (and yard!) and 2014 tested chickens fed of scientists in Asia — showed that chick- if you give it the chance, but that’s one controlled amounts of ens fed a diet of dried peppermint leaves reason I like it. It’s nearly impossible to peppermint versus a control lay larger eggs with thicker eggshells and kill, it will grow almost anywhere, and group fed normal layer feed. Here also showed an increase in egg production, once it gets established, you’ll always is a summary of the findings: so offer your chickens fresh mint from the have plenty. • Peppermint leaves can be beneficial garden or dry some leaves and crush them Just one plant will spread and send when fed to laying hens. into their daily feed year round. out runners, so the following year you’ll The jury is out whether mint actu- • Peppermint leaves at 5–20 g/kg have the beginnings of a wonderful mint ally will keep mice out of your coop, improved egg production patch! If you do want to contain your mint performance and egg quality. but I love to sprinkle fresh (or dried) patch, planting it in containers, planters or mint leaves into my chickens’ nesting window boxes is a good method to use, or • Peppermint reduces serum cholesterol boxes. It smells nice and your chickens and increased total proteins in serum. you can just prune or rip out any mint that can nibble if they want a quick escapes the confines of your garden. • Peppermint oils proved to be able to snack while they’re laying or Mint is a cold-hardy perennial that is trigger positive immune response and sitting on a nest of eggs. Most best started from a small plant instead of have a potent effect in chickens. insects, including flies, rodents seeds, and comes in a variety of flavors. and even snakes aren’t fond of Most common are spearmint and pepper- strong scents, so adding mint, but it also comes in orange, lime, A 2009 study in a couple of handfuls of apple and chocolate varieties. Fresh mint Pakistan (which was a mint to your nesting leaves can be brewed into a hot or iced tea follow-up to several ear- boxes can’t hurt to for both your family and your chickens. lier studies) showed try to keep these pests Chickens love steeped herbal teas. It’s a that the antioxidant at bay. nice change for them from plain water, and properties of pepper- Planting some mint around adding some ice to their tea in the summer mint oil successful- your coop is another great way to not gives them a wonderfully refreshing, cool- ly boost the immune only ensure a ready supply at hand when ing beverage. But mint, more specifically systems of vaccinated chickens, helping you need some, but also to try and deter peppermint, has been studied for other to protect them from various infectious those pesky field mice from moving into uses in chicken keeping. diseases including avian influenza and your coop come winter.
42 Backyard Poultry
The Coolest Coops of 2016 The winners of our third annual contest are full of inspiring ideas and beautiful ways to create safe little havens for your backyard poultry. Winners received prizes from Brinsea and some Backyard Poultry gear.
44 Backyard Poultry first place: The Hen’s Bed and Breakfast
Winner: Lyndia Decker, Arkansas
This is the hand-built log cabin we call “The my new six baby chickens and two ducks. My Hen’s Bed and Breakfast.” We notched each log ducks were raised with the chickens, and they and built this cabin, log by log. We put on a tin roof sleep, eat and live with them. They refuse to live and roosting bars inside with baskets for laying. I in their pond, and are the first ones in the coop have the sweetest chicks ever. at night. My chickens just think they are adopted The Update: We are currently adding another chickens from another flock, and are really fun- addition to the back of the coop to accommodate ny-looking chickens.
Photos courtesy Lyndia Decker
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 45 second place: Coop Saloon
Lindsey Brian, Ontario, Canada
It’s our Wild West-themed coop. The coop was our first carpentry project. It is a 6-foot by 8-foot winterized coop that currently houses 11 layers.
Photos courtesy Lindsey Brian
• Chicks • Turkeys • Ducklings • Goslings • Guineas • Gamebirds • Bantams • Equipment • Books Call 717-365-3694 www.hoffmanhatchery.com FREE PO Box 129BP CATALOG!! Gratz, PA 17030
46 Backyard Poultry third place: Reclaimed Garden Coop
Denise Krainock, California
I built this coop using mostly reclaimed and repurposed mate- rials. The only items purchased were the cement, wire and the four main posts. We were tearing out an old corral and used the lumber for the main structure, the window and door was from an old house. I also repurposed some old PCA crates (Poultrymen’s Coop- erative Association) into nesting boxes. It’s been a great coop for a small backyard flock, and I even have had four batches of chicks born in it. Photos courtesy Denise Krainock
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 47 From Nutrena Ten Chicken-Feeding Facts Here Are the Essentials for Feeding Your Flock
By Tiffany Towne Nutrena Poultry Expert
ome say chickens are simple animals. We say they are amaz- A White ing! Like humans, though, a Leghorn wholesomeS diet can make a big differ- investigates its ence. Practicing these 10 nutritional next meal. must-knows will help keep your flock flourishing.
#1: Nom, nom, nom! Full-grown chickens will consume about 1.5 pounds of chicken feed each week. But what’s more interesting is that a chick may consume one pound every week to support its rapid growth.
#2: Two cups of water An average laying hen will consume two cups of water each day. Offer fresh, clean water on a daily basis to help your girls keep up with their daily nutrition needs.
#3: Scratch Scratch grains should only be used as a treat for your flock. Keep scratch grain supplementation to no more than 10 per- cent of a chicken’s diet. If fed more, it can reduce the amount of protein consumed on a daily basis. Protein is an essential part of growth and egg production.
#4: What’s in a bag? Four of the most common ingredients in poultry feed include soybean meal, canola meal, corn, and wheat midds. Not sure what wheat midds are? Wheat midds, short for middlings, are an excellent At four months, chicks can move source of energy, protein, and fiber, and come from the wheat milling process. from chick-starter feed rations to #5: Four months This is the length of time a chick layer feed rations. needs to be fed nutritious chick starter.
48 Backyard Poultry 3BYPXWin at Prizes! Vetericyn.com/print Enter Code
At the conclusion of those 16 weeks, switch them to a layer feed such as Nutrena’s NatureWise Layer Feed to suit their growing nutritional needs.
#6: Grit “When in doubt, put it out.” That’s the advice from experts on grit. Because chickens do not have teeth, grit (which is essentially small pebbles) ends up in the gizzard and help digest food. Free-choice grit, as well as crushed oyster shells, allows self-regulation by your flock. Grit should be fed starting at six weeks. #7: Speaking of oyster shells Poultry Care Did you know that laying hens require three times the calcium of is nothing to peck at non-laying hens? It makes sense, since 97 percent of eggshells are calcium Protect your flock with Vetericyn Plus Poultry Care, the safe and effective carbonate. This fact makes it important way to clean pecking sores, wounds, foot injuries and irritations—setting to consider a layer feed that includes ad- equate calcium and to offer free-choice the stage for optimal healing conditions. crushed oyster shells.
#8: Power the good No antibiotics, alcohol or steroids. Selecting poultry feed that is bal- anced and the correct ration will Non-toxic & safe if ingested provide prebiotics and probiotics that power good microbial activity in a Safe for all life stages Advanced Hypochlorous Technology chicken’s gut, and supplements benefi- No withdrawal time cial bacteria to support digestion.
#9: Keep a balance Veterinarian Recommended Like humans, a chicken’s digestive system can become upset from time to Visit our website for a store near you! time. Common disruptions may be due Vetericyn.com | 866.318.3116 | to diet changes, extreme temperatures, dirty or lack of water, molting, trans- portation or handling, using antibiotics, or stress. $10: Waste not! Hatch your own eggs… The bi-product of feeding chickens Brinsea is the world leading incubator manufacturer (chicken waste) makes excellent garden and has a full line of: Incubators • Brooders fertilizer after being aged in a compost Egg candlers • Starter kits and much more! pile for some time. PLUS – NEW ChickSafe Automatic Coop Door Openers NEW Find a Nutrena dealer near you at For more information www.NutrenaPoultryFeed.com, sub- www.brinsea.com scribe to the Nutrena poultry blog at or call 1-888-667-7009 ScoopFromTheCoop.com, and sign up Free for Flock Minder at www.FlockMinder. Color com to receive timely tips delivered Catalog www.brinsea.com directly to your inbox.
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 49 join the trys Coun ide Network Countryside Network now includes all the information from Backyard Poultry magazine, Countryside magazine, Dairy Goat Journal and sheep! in one, easy-to-read website, plus a ton more from our team of experts.
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Guides Magazines My Library Shop A pastured Plymouth Rock forages for some food, and is a favorite heritage alternative to a Cornish cross.
feature Cornish Crosses and Breast Myopathies How to Recognize and Prevent Muscle Diseases in These Popular Backyard Meat Birds
By gail DaMerow hree conditions found in the breast meat of industrially grown Cor- nish cross broilers are of major concernT to the poultry industry, but also can be disconcerting for anyone who raises heavy-breasted broilers for the family table. These myopathies, or muscle diseases, are known respectively as green muscle, white striping and wooden breast. None of the three conditions is evident until a broiler is slaughtered and its breast meat examined. Green muscle is nothing new, being first recognized in 1975, but white striping and wooden breast weren’t identified until around 2012 and didn’t grab major media at- tention until last spring. All three conditions are associated with industrial broiler strains bred for excessively large breast muscles, which can be as much as 25 percent of a bird’s total body weight. Even if you choose to raise an industrial broiler strain for homegrown meat, these breast myopathies may be avoided through good management and proper nutrition. If you do encounter any of these conditions, the following information will help you identify the problem and determine how to prevent it in the future.
Green Muscle Green muscle was first identified in broad-breasted turkeys. Among industrial Cornish cross broilers, it occurs less often in pullets than in heavier cockerels. It affects the tender strip of meat that, when the breast is removed from the bone, easily separates from the main part of the breast. Because the tender is deep within the breast (or pectoral) muscle, green muscle disease is technically known as deep pectoral myopathy. The deep pectoral is the muscle a chick- en uses to raise its wing. This muscle is surrounded by a tough, inflexible sheath and is further confined by the breast bone below and the larger breast muscle above. When a broiler flaps its wings, blood flow increases to the deep pectoral, supplying the muscle with needed oxygen. This increased blood flow causes the muscle to expand until it becomes restricted within its tight chamber, which then blocks the flow of blood. If the wing flapping continues, the tender is deprived of oxygen. The muscle Learning to recognize three unappetizing breast meat conditions that plague the bruises, atrophies and dies. Depending on poultry industry will help you identify and prevent them in your own homegrown how long before slaughter the wing-flap- chickens. Artwork by Bethany Caskey ping incident occurred, the bird’s tenders may appear bloody or yellowish, or turn an unappetizing green color.
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 53 Heavier broilers, such as might be raised for roasting, are more likely to be affected than broilers harvested at the fryer stage. Broilers raised in cool weather grow faster and therefore are more likely to be affected than those grown in warm months. Green muscle can be a bigger issue in pastured Cornish cross broilers than in confined broil- ers, because outdoor chickens are subject to a greater variety of scary wing-flapping experiences — such as prowling predators, large birds flying overhead, or sudden loud noises from passing people or vehicles. Since green muscle disease produces no outwardly visible signs, no treatment is possible. Prevention involves taking mea- sures to ensure heavy-breasted broilers are not startled into excessive wing flapping. Teach small children and household pets not to chase broilers. Do not catch or carry the birds by their wings or legs. Do not provide perches, from which birds would fly down while flapping their wings.
White Striping The cause of white striping has so far baffled the poultry industry. Like green To prevent green muscle disease in industrial-strain broilers, protect them from muscle disease, white striping mainly76288 affects events that encourage wing flapping. Artwork by Bethany Caskey industrial strain broilers grown to heavier
Animals speak louder than words. And hens fed with Layena® Plus Omega-3 poultry feed have eggs with 250mg of Omega-3. Store-bought eggs only have 50mg*. Turns out one egg can say more than others. FPO Your local Purina retailer can tell you more than this ad ever could. Or visit purinamills.com/chicken-feed
© 2016 Purina Animal Nutrition LLC. All rights reserved. Layena is a registered trademark of Purina Animal Nutrition. *When fed a diet of Layena® Plus Omega-3 exclusively for at least 3 weeks. Based on large egg (56 g). Results may vary with factors such as total diet and hen health. A typical store bought egg contains 50 mg of Omega-3 fatty acids per large Egg (USDA: National Nutrient Base)
54 Backyard Poultry
2391A0024_7x4.875_Flcok_Omega_3_BackPoultry_REV_2.indd Cyan Magenta Yellow Black weights. It appears as white lines, consists recent report in the journal Poultry Science of fat tissue, and runs parallel to the breast concludes that breast meat myopathies are muscle fibers. White striping can also affect marginally related to genetics and may be other muscles, most notably the thighs, and controlled through good management and occurs in heavy breasted turkeys as well as nutrition. For those of us who grow our in Cornish cross broilers. own chicken meat, it means we can avoid Breast meat with white striping is these myopathies, even if we choose to lower in protein and higher in fat than raise one of the Cornish cross strains de- normal breast meat. It does not as readily veloped for industrial production. absorb marinades, and tends to lose more Another option is to raise colored Cor- moisture when cooked compared to normal nish hybrids, an industrial creation popular chicken meat. among proponents of pastured broilers. While white striping appears to be a Some common trade names are: Black form of muscular dystrophy, it is unrelated Broiler, Color Yield, Colored Range, Free- to white muscle disease that occurs in calves, dom Ranger, Kosher King, Redbro, Red lambs and goat kids. Unlike white muscle Broiler, and Silver Cross. Most strains have disease, white striping cannot be prevented red plumage, but they also come in black, by increasing vitamin E in the chickens’ diet. gray, or barred — anything but white. Their White striping is associated with rapid colored feathers make them less attractive growth rate, especially in broilers that to predators, especially hawks, but more are fed a high calorie diet to encourage difficult to pluck clean. Colored Cornish faster growth. Current speculation is that broilers grow more slowly than white the resulting rapid increase in breast size hybrids, so they are not afflicted by any reduces the ability of oxygen and nutrients of the breast meat myopathies. A further to adequately supply the muscle, and also result of their slower growth is that their reduces the ability of muscle cells to remove meat is more flavorful than that of the metabolic waste. White striping may be faster growing white hybrids. prevented by avoiding high energy feeds or A third option appeals to those of us by restricting feed intake, rather than making who keep a standard or heritage breed for feed available 24/7. eggs. Nothing is wrong with raising surplus cockerels for the freezer. Heritage breeds Wooden Breast with the greatest potential as broilers are: Wooden breast is the latest myopathy Delaware, New Hampshire, Plymouth to appear on the poultry scene. It occurs as Rock, and Wyandotte. Naked Necks aren’t ELECTRIC a separate condition from white striping, a heritage breed, but they do make good although the two disorders may appear meat birds and have sparse plumage that together. Wooden breast is a stiffening can be an advantage at plucking time. All NETTING of the breast muscle, typically appearing these breeds are good foragers and have a in the middle of the breast fillet as hard, moderate to slow growth rate. Compared pale, bulging, wood-like fibers that make to Cornish hybrids — white or colored — the meat unpleasant to chew. they have thinner breasts and more dark Breast meat affected with this condition meat, and the meat has a stronger chicken absorbs marinades less readily than meat flavor. Plus, of course, they do not incur affected by white striping, and loses more the Big Three breast myopathies. moisture during cooking. The high mois- Regardless of the breed or hybrid you ture loss results in tougher meat at the table. choose to raise for meat, by properly man- • Superior protection from predators As with white striping, the exact aging your homegrown broilers to mini- • Lightweight, portable design for easy installation cause of wooden breast is not yet known mize stress and by providing them with a • Available in green, orange, and white Apparently it is the result of muscle fiber healthful well-balanced diet, you can enjoy • Choose from 82’ and 164’ lengths degeneration and subsequent scarring. Like the best tasting chicken on earth. And you other breast myopathies, wooden breast is needn’t be concerned about the possibility • Free shipping on all electric netting associated with unusually rapid growth. of serving green tenders or woody breasts Starting at $110.50 Prevention is the same as for white striping. at your family table.
Solutions Gail Damerow is author of The None of these conditions has been at- Chicken Health Handbook which, along tributed to any known infectious agent. In- with her several other books on raising stead, they appear to result from malfunc- chickens, is available from our bookstore Call now for your free fence guide & catalog tioning metabolism in the muscle cells. A on page 35. www.kencove.com 1-800-KENCOVE
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 55 Scientists use chicken eggs because they are a controlled place to grow a virus.
Feature Why the Flu Never Flies Chicken Eggs are Vital for Scientists at the Center for Disease Control
By Heather and Forrest Townsend
ost of us do not put much thought into where a vaccine comes from. Sure, it is scien- tists in white coats, gloves and goggles, tirelessly working to hopefully save millions of people’s lives. But have you ever wondered what role your beloved chickens might Mplay in the development if those vaccines? You might want to hug your chickens a little harder than usual tonight after you read this. Chickens have an amazing role in the development of vaccines. Have you ever been asked, “Before you get this flu vaccine, are you allergic to eggs?” It’s because of the remarkable incu- bation chamber that the chicken egg provides that has led to the mass production of vaccines on the market today. We are not here writing this article as pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine scientists, but merely relaying the facts of how chickens are used in this process. Years of teaching microbiology (Heather) and taking care of peoples’ beloved pets (Forrest) have allowed us to appreciate all that goes into protecting one’s immunity.
Why Eggs? dish with some nutrients (called agar), and they Viruses are very small nonliving particles. could grow the bacteria on a lab bench. Then, They are not cells; other microorganisms such when it came time to test its sensitivity to an as bacteria, fungi and protozoa are cellular or- antibiotic, they would simply add the antibiotic ganisms and contain all of the features necessary and see the effect that it had on the bacteria. to carry out life. Viruses do not possess all of Viruses are much trickier to grow and to use to those necessary characteristics. For instance, if test various substances. a scientist wanted to study antibiotic-resistant Viruses require a host cell in order to re- bacteria, all they would need would be a petri produce. If scientists wanted to grow viruses in
56 Backyard Poultry order to produce a new vaccine, they need living cells for the virus to get AmericAn Poultry AssociAtion into, gather all of the necessary mate- rials to make more of itself, and then DEDICATED TO PROMOTING AND leave the cell to take over more. For PROTECTING STANDARD-BRED POULTRY this reason, it is impossible to culture viruses on nonliving media, such as a Benefits include: petri dish. Often times in laboratory settings, they will use various cells Quarterly Newsletter-Annual Yearbook growing in a petri dish and offer them Officially Sanctioned Shows and Judges to the viruses so that they may infect them and reproduce (the more viruses one has to study in a lab, the better). A JOIN TODAY-Dues: $20 per year or $50 for 3 years chicken egg is a perfect place for this to Junior members $15 per year or $40 for 3 years happen. The embryonated egg acts as a controlled environment with all of the cells that a virus would need in order American Poultry Association to successfully replicate. PO Box 306, Burgettstown, Pa. 15021 There are many various types Phone: 724-729-3459 - Email: [email protected] of viruses. The influenza virus is an Website: amerpoultryassn.com RNA virus that has many different strains. Influenza causes approximately 200,000 Americans to be hospitalized each year and is the cause of death of approximately 36,000. Historically, the pandemic of 1918 was the worst and most deadly — 500 million (a third of the world population at that time) people contracted the disease and an estimated 20 to 50 million died. This pandemic of 1918 occurred prior to the advent of the influenza vaccine, which was developed in 1933. Today, the most organic eggs. common way the influenza vaccine is produced is through chicken eggs. happy fairy princess.
An Annual Need So why do you have to get a new flu shot every year? Since the influen- za virus mutates frequently and new THE HEALTHIEST CHICKENS strains arise, it is crucial to develop a LAY THE TASTIEST EGGS. new vaccine for use each year. The vaccine helps protect people YOU AND YOUR KIDS WILL NOTICE from contracting the virus and can THE DIFFERENCE. decrease the severity of the symptoms associated with flu. Influenza can cause symptoms such as coughing, fever, Get your organic on fatigue, muscle aches, sore throat, and at newcountryorganics.com even vomiting and diarrhea. Most vaccines like the flu vaccine contain a particle that resembles a dis- ease-causing microorganism, a killed microorganism, or a live weakened virus. These particles cause our immune system to react and protect us from these organisms when we are exposed to the real virus. Since our body re- SOY-FREE, CERTIFIED ORGANIC, LAYER FEED • MORE GREAT STUFF 888-699-7088 • M-F 8-6, SAT 9-1, ET
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 57 Today, the most common way the
influenza vaccine is a non-veined area of a fertilized chicken eggs. Different eggs are used for the produced is through three different strains since they want each egg to produce a pure strain of the chicken eggs. virus. The hole is then covered using parafilm (a piece of wax-like paper) and sponds to specific parts on the influenza the virus is left to reproduce for two to particle, it is important to make a new three days. For the flu shot preparation, vaccine each year to ensure that we are a chemical is injected into the egg to protected due to the ever-changing influ- kill the virus and then the allantoic fluid enza virus. (This is one reason why when that contains the virus is extracted. For the H1N1 pandemic outbreak happened the nasal spray, the viral particles inside in 2009, we were not equipped to handle the egg are weakened (the process for it in a quick manner — it took time for making this is different than the flu us to develop a vaccine for this relatively shot, and we will focus on the flu shot new strain of the virus.) preparation). The FDA tests for purity of Currently, there are three approved the viral particles, and it then eventually ways the U.S. Food and Drug Adminis- combines the three strains and creates tration (FDA) allows the production of the vaccine. The production of the vac- the influenza vaccine. There is the re- cine is an entirely different process that combinant flu vaccine, the cell-based flu requires a lot of checks and balances vaccine, and the egg-based flu vaccine. along the way. Using chicken eggs in the production Influenza vaccines produced in this of a flu vaccine is the most common way way are considered safe and effective that the influenza virus is made. The at supplying someone with the immu- process of harvesting the influenza virus nity they need to protect against the inside a chicken egg has been around for influenza virus. Since the vaccines will more than 70 years and is considered contain a small amount of egg protein, safe. Using eggs to produce a vaccine it is recommended that patients with results in a flu shot (which consists of severe reactions to eggs not receive the using inactivated viral particles) and vaccine until they have gone through a nasal spray (which uses a live but appropriate sensitivity tests. (So there weakened virus). is the answer to the doctor’s question about your sensitivity to eggs and egg The Vaccination Process products.) Other vaccines, such as The Centers for Disease Control Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) and (CDC) is the governmental office in herpes simplex virus have also been charge of all things infectious and dis- produced using the egg-based method. ease-related. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Estimates have shown that it would take this is the agency that keeps tracks of approximately1.2 billion chicken eggs to outbreaks and all sorts of data. produce three billion doses of a vaccine! The CDC starts the process of pro- So there you have it. Our chickens ducing the egg-based influenza vaccine protect us from the inevitable boring- by selecting three strains of the virus that ness of life, and also help to protect are projected to be circulated throughout against a potentially deadly disease. the population in the upcoming flu sea- son (typically the winter months). The Heather is a professor at a community CDC distributes these strains to private college, where she uses her PhD in veter- manufacturers. inary medical sciences to teach microbi- Private manufacturers obtain fertil- ology (and in the past, zoology). Forrest ized chicken eggs and incubate these is a veterinarian. Both are avid chicken eggs for 10 to 11 days at 98.6°F to allow enthusiasts who said they breed Silkies for cell growth to occur. The viruses are because, “We have found they are the injected into a small hole that is made in best with our three children.”
58 Backyard Poultry Laura14
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NT_NW_poultry_BackyardPoultry-8.25x10.875.indd 1 6/15/16 2:16 PM Feature It started in elementary school for me. Our fifth grade teacher, who was all bark and no bite, opened a We Try To Put All the large can of worms when she asked, Fowl Poultry Clichés and Idioms “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Going around the circle my in One Basket classmates responded, egg, chicken, Language egg, egg, chicken. I responded with By Kenny Coogan a statement, rather than an answer: Florida “I want a pet chicken!” All my peers giggled and thought ur backyard poultry have I was the cat’s pajamas. infiltrated many aspects of I didn’t want to let the cat out our lives. They have their of the bag; obviously it was the ownO feed stores, their own medical chicken first. My statement surely complexes and even their own depart- didn’t make me the teacher’s pet, ments within many extension offices. but I moved on up to the next grade They have also long been living inside level. Sixth grade was middle school our daily colloquialisms, and if you and with a different building, I was really listen closely, we can’t stop no longer a big fish in a small pond. talking about our birds. At home, I adopted three Call duck- lings. I was busy as a beaver caring for them and they stayed healthy as a horse. I cared for ducks, chickens and pigeons at my home from middle school all the way up to college. I loved them so much I become a veg- etarian and started eating like a bird. High school moved at a snail’s pace, and then it was time to fly the coop. Although birds of a feather flock together, my classmates were all headed in different directions. Grabbing the bull by its horns, I attended University at Buffalo and treated the world as my oyster. After college, little birds told me of job opportunities and I worked at two zoos and an aquarium. But I wanted to try my hand at teaching. As I teach, I pick up many poultry idioms. I hope you can use these idioms in your daily lives. I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but I hope you have a whale of a time reading.
Kenny Coogan, CPBT-KA, is a pet and garden columnist and has been fascinated with the English language for years. Some of his favorite words are crepuscular, cau- liflory and coprophagy. He cares for 15 birds on his one acre homestead. Please search “Critter Companions by Kenny Coogan” on Facebook to learn more.
60 Backyard Poultry ONE DAY CHICKEN LIKE WATER OFF A CHICKEN AND THE NEXT DAY DUCK’S BACK AND EGG FEATHERS Easy, without an The ebbs and flows apparent effect of owning something BEING UP WITH THE valuable ODD DUCK CHICKENS A rather unusual, Heavy Duty To get up particularly RAISE YOUR HACKLE strange, or Automatic Chicken early, most likely prior to FEATHERS peculiar person Coop Door sunrise To show your emotions outwardly SITTING DUCK CHICKEN-HEARTED Someone or something Cowardly RULES OF THE ROOST vulnerable to attack Household rules COCK SURE To brag, arrogantly SOMETHING TO GOOSE confident CROW ABOUT Exciting news to tell DON’T COUNT YOUR A WILD GOOSE NEVER LAID A TAME CHICKENS BEFORE SUNNY-SIDE UP EGG THEY HATCH Cheerful attitude A warning to those Something will not be who jump to positive LIKE CHICKEN spontaneously different conclusions SCRATCH from where it came from Messy handwriting - Keeps Predators Out EGG ON YOUR FACE GOLDEN GOOSE - All Weather Materials - No Assembly Required Caught in a lie ALL THE EGGS IN ONE Something that has a lot of potential - Electric W/Battery Backup BASKET - Digital LCD Display EMPTY NEST A single bet or GOOSE EGG SYNDROME investment that leaves SALE: $245.00 A raised bump on Feelings of loneliness nothing left when children move out the skull, scored zero Call 1-800-624-4493 CHICKEN WITH ITS in a game FOR CHICKEN FEED HEAD CUT OFF GOOSE FLESH, For nearly nothing, Uncontrollable GOOSE PIMPLES cheap COMING HOME TO Goosebumps HATCH AN IDEA ROOST SILLY GOOSE Create a plan Getting what is due, Foolish as in karma HAVE TO BREAK EGGS TO MAKE AN OMELET WHAT’S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE IS GOOD Have to get messy to TURKEY FOR THE GANDER get something done A belief in equality HEN CACKLE COLD TURKEY WILD GOOSE CHASE To laugh, hoot To quit abruptly To send someone on a LIKE A CHICKEN WITH TALK TURKEY pointless search A PIP To speak business In low spirits, in a weak TO GOBBLE FOWL or sickened manner SOMETHING UP To eat with enthusiasm NEITHER CHICK NOR NEITHER FISH, FLESH CHILD OR FOWL Childless, without a DUCK Not belonging to child or pet any suitable class or description NEST EGG HAVE YOUR DUCKS To save money IN A ROW RUN FOWL OF To be organized To be in disagreement, NO SPRING CHICKEN trouble or difficulty A person past their LIKE A DUCK ON A prime, an older person JUNE BUG FOWL LANGUAGE All over something A terrible pun we used as a headline
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 61 Feature FEMALE CHICKENS
BROODY A hen that covers eggs to warm and hatch them. Sometimes refers to a hen that stays in the nest for an extended period without producing eggs.
DAM Mother
HEN A female chicken.
IMPACTION The blockage of a part of the digestive tract, typically the crop or cloaca.
ISTHMUS The part of the female reproductive tract where the inner and outer shell membranes are added.
NEST EGG Artificial egg placed in a nest to encourage hens to lay there.
OVARY A part of the female avian reproductive tract which holds the female genetic material and collects the yolk material Chickens (n): normally associated with eggs. OVIDUCT A part of the female avian Defined reproductive tract where the egg white (albumen), A Vocabulary List Built Just for shell membranes, shell and bloom (cuticle) are added Chicken Owners to form a complete egg. OVIPOSITION By Kenny Coogan The laying of an egg. Florida OVULATION The release of a yolk y substitution for Sports Illustrated, Men’s Fitness and Harper’s magazines from the ovary. were always easy: Strombergs, Murray McMurray Hatchery and Holderread Waterfowl. These magazines would keep me occupied for not only hours, but PULLET Mdays. I would study all the one-inch by one-inch cells that would contain an exemplar picture A female chicken under of an adult male and female duck, chicken, turkey or goose. The magazines would arrive one year old. in late winter, days apart from one another, just in time for placing an order in the early spring. This way the chicks or ducklings would be ready to be judged at the summer fairs. SET To keep eggs warm so they will For those new to the hobby or for veterans who want to brush up, here are the must have hatch; also called “brood.” vocabulary words for a chicken owner.
62 Backyard Poultry MALE COCCIDIOSIS SPLAYED LEGS CHICKENS A parasitic protozoal The legs are positioned PERCH infestation, usually occurring making the bird unable A place where chickens in damp, unclean housing. to stand up (also called COCK can get off the floor “spraddle legs”). (also called a roost). COMB A male chicken; also The fleshy, usually red, VENT called a “rooster.” PINFEATHERS top of a chicken’s head. The outside opening of the The tips of newly COCKEREL cloaca in birds through which emerging feathers. CREST A male chicken under the digestive, excretory and A puff of feathers on the one year old. reproductive tracts empty. STARTER heads of breeds such, as A feed ration for newly SIRE Houdan, Silkie, or Polish; hatched chicks, also POULTRY Father also called a “topknot.” called “crumbles.” SHOWS SPUR CROP STRAIGHT-RUN (CHICKS) The sharp horny protrusion A pouch at the base of a Day-old chicks who have AMERICAN STANDARD OF from the back of a bird’s chicken’s neck that bulges not been sorted by sex PERFECTION shank (typically larger in after the bird has eaten. (also called unsexed). A book published by the males than in females). EGG TOOTH American Poultry Association ZOONOSIS describing the ideal specimen STAG A tooth-like structure on a A disease transmissible from for each breed recognized A cockerel on the brink of chick’s upper beak that helps an animal to a human. by that organization. sexual maturity, when his comb the chick pip through the shell. and spurs begin to develop. EMBRYO BANTAM ANATOMY A miniature chicken. Banty (pl.). TESTES & HEALTH A fertilized egg at any stage of development prior to hatching. The male reproductive glands BREED (located internally in birds). GIZZARD A stock of chickens, having ALEKTOROPHOBIA An organ that contains grit a distinctive appearance Fear of chickens (probably no HUSBANDRY for grinding up the grain and and typically having one reading this magazine.) plant fiber a chicken eats. been developed by deliberate selection. BLOOM BROODER HACKLES Also known as the cuticle, it is A heated enclosure used Feathers over the back of a BROILER the natural coating on the to imitate the warmth chicken that are pointed in A young, meat chicken; eggshell. The bloom helps to and protection a mother males and rounded in females. also called a “fryer.” hen gives her chicks. prevent bacteria from getting inside the shell and reduces HELMINTHES CLEAN LEGGED moisture loss from the egg. CANDLE A category of parasitic worms. Having no feathers growing To examine the contents down the shanks. BROOD of an intact egg with a KEEL 1. To care for a batch of chicks. strong light source. The breast bone of birds. CONFORMATION 2. The chicks themselves. A chicken’s body FLOCK MOLT (MOULT) shape/structure. CARRIER A group of chickens A part of the hen’s An apparently healthy living together. reproductive cycle when she FEATHER LEGGED individual that transmits stops laying and lose her Having feathers growing disease to other FREE RANGE body feathers. Males loose down the shanks, i.e., individuals. This individual To allow chickens to roam feathers during a molt as well. Cochins and Brahmas. a yard or pasture at will. carries the recessive trait. PREEN GLAND LACING CHALAZAE GRIT An oil sack on the back, Border of contrast color Two white cords on each side Sand and small pebbles near the base of the tail of around the entire feather. of a yolk that keep the yolk eaten by a chicken and birds providing oil used in properly positioned within the TRIO used by its gizzard to grind preening (also called the egg white; singular: chalaza. A male with two females up grain and plant fiber. oil or uropygial gland). of the same species, PECKING ORDER SADDLE breed and variety. The social rank of A part of a bird’s back individuals within a flock. just before the tail.
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 63 Breed Profile
The African Goose A Versatile Bird with a Little Bit of Attitude
Story and Photos By Kirsten Lie-Nielsen Maine
flock of African geese make a graceful Key Facts sight in the barnyard. Their long necks These brown beauties are not originally and unique beaks lend elegance to their from Africa at all, but more likely from south- full,A round bodies. Their noisy honking might eastern Asia. African geese are one of the largest be a nuisance to some farmers, but even this breeds of geese, weighing as much as 20 pounds characteristic can be an asset, replacing the need per bird. They are one of two breeds of geese for guard dogs or alarms. with distinct, bulbous knobs above their bills.
64 Backyard Poultry Help your hens lay better eggs
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For valuable coupons and information, follow us on Facebook at Manna Pro Poultry. These distinct lumps are unique to geese descended from the Asian Swan goose. Often raised for meat because of their large size, they can be loud and aggres- sive guard birds. Positively, these birds can make excellent weeders, using their long necks to pluck undesirable plants while leaving tender fruits and vegetables untouched.
Appearance Brown African geese have cocoa-col- ored bodies with creamy undersides, orange feet and black bills. There is also a white African variety, but they are scarcer. Adult geese have a fleshy waddle under their beaks as well, a flap of fat known as a dewlap. Massive birds, African geese have large, low hanging paunches and carry themselves in a more upright fashion than many of their fellow geese. Despite their large bodies, the necks of these geese are can be especially protective of their flock. be sweet and docile, eagerly following longer and more slender than other breeds. This attitude, along with a distinct and their people around the farm. pronounced honk, make African geese Temperament one of the best breeds for guard work. Care Considerations The African breed can live up to the Much of a goose’s attitude is determined These birds are very hardy and can reputation of ornery and aggressive geese. by how they are raised, Africans raised by withstand cold temperatures. However, the During the spring mating season males hand or with plenty of human contact can black knob above their bills is susceptible
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66 Backyard Poultry Advertisement #1 Item You Should Be Hoarding...
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68 Backyard Poultry
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70 Backyard Poultry Birds Eggs Supplies Experience
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have been around for 80 million years. The ostrich is the world’s largest bird, standing An Enormousseven to eight tall and weighing 300 to 400 pounds. The emu stands about six feet tall and weighs about 125 to 140 pounds, while the rhea measures up to about five feet tall Cooking with Ostrich, Taskaving raised a variety of chick- weighing in at 60 to 100 pounds. Most of ens from bantams to the larger these birds in the United States are raised Emu and Rhea Eggs breeds, I am familiar with a for meat, oil, leather, feathers and breeding. rangeH in the size of my eggs and can They are efficient to raise, as 95 percent of readily adapt recipes to compensate for the bird can be utilized. These birds hardly photos and story extra-small or jumbo-sized eggs. Even so, qualify as suitable for backyard poultry, By Janice Cole I was not prepared as I opened the care- although emus are the ones most likely to Minnesota fully wrapped package of ratite eggs and become pets. They’re easy to raise, have a suddenly felt as if I had tumbled down the nice disposition and the males are the ones rabbit hole and into wonderland. These to sit on the nest hugging and turning the eggs were ginormous! The eggs were eggs. You’ve got to love that. also gorgeously colored, extremely heavy Ostrich, emu and rhea eggs and meat and surprisingly sturdy and solid, which I have been consumed for centuries, with learned they have to be to withstand up to mention of their appearance at banquets a 400-pound bird sitting on them! by the Egyptians and Phoenicians. Today, Ratites refer to the family of flightless however, ostrich, emu and rhea eggs for birds with small wings and flat breastbones. eating can be difficult to find. Their shells The most commonly known are the ostrich, are prized by crafters and decorators and are which is native to South Africa; the emu, relatively easy to purchase, but obtaining proclaimed the national bird of Australia; eggs that are edible take a little more effort. and the rhea, which are native to the grassy They are rarely found in the grocery store, plains of Argentina. These ancient birds although some upscale markets have been
learned that although ostrich is poultry, the Ostrich Meat meat is classified as red meat. It looks and Our family’s introduction to ostrich meat tastes like beef but contains far less fat. came through my youngest son while we In fact, it has fewer calories than chicken were on a family trip in Europe. As we or turkey, but it’s higher in iron and protein. hungrily sat down at a casual restaurant Its heart-healthy properties make it popular intending to order simple sandwiches, the with those on restricted diets who fear menu proved a little more upscale than we they’ll never eat steak again. And many had anticipated. Before we could admonish vouch that ostrich burgers are far tastier our boys to stick to the cheaper items, our important to take care not to overcook it or than turkey or chicken burgers. 10-year-old put down the menu, sat up it can become dry. Farm-raised ostrich meat is tender and straight and very confidently announced, “I Ostrich meat comes in cuts similar to perfect for grilling, pan-frying or roasting. think I’ll have the ostrich!” beef: steaks, tenderloin fillets, medallions, It’s best cooked to medium-rare (130°F) and From that first introduction years ago roasts and ground (so lean they don’t shrink no more than medium (145°F). In fact it’s when we all had a taste of ostrich steak, I’ve on the grill).
72 Backyard Poultry These birds hardly qualify as suitable for backyard EMU EGG OSTRICH EGG poultry, although emus are the ones most likely to become pets. They’re easy to raise, have a nice disposition and the males are the ones to sit on the nest hugging and turning the
CHICKEN eggs. You’ve got EGG to love that.
RHEA EGG
OSTRICH FILLET WITH SALSA VERDE lemon thyme leaves Place all the Salsa Verde ingredients, These ostrich steaks are topped with a 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary except oil, in a food processor and pulse fresh-tasting piquant Italian green sauce, leaves until evenly chopped. With motor running, as the name suggests. The fresh herbal 6 anchovies, drained add the olive oil to emulsify the sauce. taste starts with an emulsion of olive oil and 3 large pimento-stuffed green olives Heat a large cast iron skillet at medium- Italian flat-leaf parsley along with additional 2 large garlic cloves, smashed high heat until hot. Add olive oil; heat until herbs, which you can vary to your choice. 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar hot. Add medallions; cook for 2 minutes or 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice until browned. Turn, cover, and turn off the SALSA VERDE: 1 tablespoon capers, drained heat. Let stand 4 to 5 minutes or until steak 1 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, Freshly ground black pepper to taste is browned on the bottom and medium- loosely packed 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil rare in center. Serve with Salsa Verde sauce. 4 green onions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh OSTRICH STEAK: Adapted and used with permission from oregano leaves 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Madeleine Calder, Blue Heaven Ostrich Inc. 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh 4 to 6 ostrich tenderloin medallions
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 73 known to occasionally carry them, and, How to Cook many prefer to beat these eggs and if you’re lucky, you can sometimes find The next question, of course, is use them in a baked dish or to make them at a farmers market. However, how to cook them. These unique and scrambled eggs or omelets. if you’re interested in trying a few of exotic eggs can be cooked the same All of the eggs can be beaten, these eggs your best bet is to use mail way chicken eggs are cooked in that covered and kept in the refrigerator order. That’s how I received my large they can be fried, scrambled, hard or for up to a week using small amounts package that arrived priority mail soft cooked (ostrich eggs will take up at a time. from New Mexico. The eggs arrived to 1 1/2 hours to hard-cook) or used promptly and were literally wrapped in baking. Flavor in newborn baby diapers surrounded Emu eggs have a large yolk-to- As with all eggs, the flavor of by miles of bubble wrap. There was white proportion making them very these eggs reflects the diet of the bird. no chance of breakage. Ratite birds that have been I was quite in awe as I raised with good quality feed unwrapped these beauties. and healthy roaming areas The rhea egg was totally new produce eggs and meat that are to me with its delicate sunny excellent in flavor. The eggs yellow color and pointy ends. are fresh-tasting and should This medium-sized rhea egg have absolutely no strong odor weighed one pound, six ounc- at all, just as you would expect es, and contained about two from a good chicken egg. cups egg, equivalent to about I found the flavor and 10 to 12 medium chicken eggs. texture of these eggs tended The medium emu egg was toward the rich and creamy similar in size to the rhea but side, but otherwise felt they totally different in appearance were very similar to chicken with a forest green color that eggs. And, in many of the reminds me of the malachite dishes, I wouldn’t have been stone used in cathedrals and able to taste the difference, palaces. It weighed one pound, which led me to ask Lesa five ounces, and contained Floeck of Floeck’s Country Ostrich Ranch, “So, why do people order these eggs?” Floeck, who has been in WHERE TO ORDER the business since 1980, said OSTRICH EGGS she gets many orders to be Search out ratite farms in your own area or check out one of the following: sent as presents and many Floeck’s Country Ostrich Ranch other orders come from people Tucumcari, New Mexico creamy and luscious, who are simply interesting in trying 575-461-1657, www.floeckscountry.com perfect for custards something new. and creamy baked She sends eggs throughout the Blue Heaven Ostrich, Inc. things. United States and as far away as Can- www.gourmetostrich.com Rhea eggs have ada. She also supplies restaurants that a more equal propor- use them for special events and for a tion of egg yolk to time had a standing order to supply a scant two cups liquid and is also white and they cook up light and fluffy, emu eggs weekly to a restaurant. equivalent to about 10 to 12 medium making them a good choice for omelets So for those of you who enjoy chicken eggs. The ostrich egg was the or melt-in-your mouth baked goods. trying something new or checking most striking for its size and the beauty Ostrich eggs are filling and very out the wide and varied world of eggs of its shell. The pure off-white heavy heavy. A cooked whole ostrich egg out there, I’d highly suggest taking shell has the look of Italian leather has a slightly different look and ap- a chance and cooking up something and it was so unblemished I hated to pearance than a chicken egg. While from the ratite world. crack it. A hefty three pounds, two the egg yolk looks and tastes exactly ounces, it was only a medium-sized like a chicken egg yolk, the ostrich Janice Cole writes and cooks ostrich egg. They come much larger. egg white has a grey sheen and is very from her home in Minnesota, where This single egg measured 3 3/4 cups thick and heavy. The flavor tastes like she raises chickens and other fun and was the equivalent of about 24 a chicken egg but because the consis- animals. She is a longtime writer for medium chicken eggs. tency and color is slightly different, Backyard Poultry.
74 Backyard Poultry Cracking the Egg The obvious question as you look at these eggs is, “How to open them?” Simply cracking them on the side of the bowl or the counter won’t do it because the shells are simply too strong. There are several ways you can tackle this, and you may have to raid the toolbox.
If you want to save the shells for decorating, gently pound a large nail into one end of the egg, clean away the membrane and shake the egg out into a bowl. Or, attach a small bicycle pump to the opposite end and gently blow in air forcing the egg out the other end. Rinse the eggshell thoroughly and swirl a little bleach inside to disinfect the egg. Drain and dry thoroughly to save.
If you want to cook the egg whole (like a NEW and IMPROVED fried egg), DR® Field and Brush Mowers gently use the claw side of the hammer Faster…Easier... to lightly pound around the center of Lower-Priced! the egg and gently pry open to release the egg into a shallow plate. Mow fi elds, brush, even saplings with never-before ease! To get a smooth even cut around Plus— the egg, use ALL NEW Tow-Behind a hacksaw Models to saw Starting at just around the $1,39999 circumference using a 20 HP, sharp chisel, NEW WIDE CUT MODELS for faster mowing! PRO MAX-34 if necessary, to NEW POWER STEERING for easier handling! gently crack open. NEW LOW PRICES reduced up to $500! 92863X © 2016 — Janice Cole FREE SHIPPING Call for FREE DVD and Catalog! 6 MONTH TRIAL TOLL FREE 800-365-6422 SOME LIMITATIONS APPLY Call or go online for details. DRfieldbrush.com
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 75 Recipes Copyright Janice Cole 2016
Gruyere, Greens and Cheese Egg Puff I originally planned to do a fluffy cheese soufflé showcasing the elegant emu egg; however, I soon realized it’s not always easy to separate the white from the yolk 8 oz. shredded Colby-Monterey Jack with such a large egg. This egg puff there- cheese 1 medium ostrich egg (or 2 dozen fore is my simplified version of a soufflé. chicken eggs) It rises modestly but boastfully showcases 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro the creaminess of this yolk-rich egg. Salt and pepper to taste Garnish: chopped tomatoes, avocado, Ingredients: lime, fresh cilantro, chiles 1 emu egg (or 10 to 12 chicken eggs) 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream Directions: 1 cup whole milk Heat oven to 350°F. Coat a large 1/2 teaspoon salt rimmed baking sheet or extra-large deep 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper casserole with cooking spray. Heat tortillas 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper directly on stovetop 30 seconds or until hot 1 tablespoon olive oil Huevos Rancheros to and lightly charred, turning once. Arrange in 2 large garlic cloves, minced the bottom and partway up the sides of the 6 cups kale, collard or mustard greens Feed a Crowd baking sheet, completely covering the area. 3 tablespoons water Part of the mystique of an ostrich egg Heat the oil in large nonstick skillet 2 cups (4 ounces) Gruyere cheese is being able to serve 12 people with just over medium heat. Cook onion and bell one egg. So go ahead and invite a group pepper 3 to 5 minutes or until soft, stirring Directions: of friends over for brunch to enjoy these occasionally. Stir in chili beans, black beans, Heat oven to 350°F. Coat 6 to 8 cup Huevos Rancheros with gusto and a chorizo, cumin and paprika. Cook 5 to 10 baking dish with cooking spray. pitcher of hot and spicy Bloody Marys. minutes or until hot. Spoon over tortillas; Beat the egg in a large bowl until blend- All of the components of this dish can be sprinkle with half of the cheese. ed. Beat in sour cream, milk, salt and red done the night before, so all you have to Beat the ostrich egg in a large bowl pepper. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet do is assemble and bake in the morning. until blended; beat in cilantro, salt and over medium heat until hot. Add garlic; sau- pepper. Pour over the mixture, sprinkle with té 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add greens; Ingredients: remaining cheese. increase heat to medium-high and cook 3 12 to 14 corn tortillas (depends on the size Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes to 4 minutes or until lightly wilted. Add of the baking dish) or until lightly browned and egg is set, cov- water; cover and let steam 2 to 3 minutes or 1 tablespoon oil ering with foil during the last 15 minutes if until wilted and tender. Uncover and cook, 1 onion, chopped browning too quickly. stirring, until all the water has evaporated. 1 green bell pepper, chopped Place greens in bottom of baking dish. Top 1 (15.5-ounce) can chili beans Serves 12 with half of the cheese. Pour egg mixture 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained, over the top and sprinkle with cheese. rinsed Cooking Tip: I tested this recipe us- Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed 8 ounces chorizo links, chopped or ground ing a 12-inch casserole dish and while it and lightly browned and knife inserted in chorizo, cooked worked okay, I think it would bake better center comes out moist but clean. 1/2 cup tomato sauce in a large rimmed baking sheet. The egg 1 teaspoon ground cumin would spread out and cook quicker on the Serves 6 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika larger surface.
76 Backyard Poultry Caramel Apple Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce The delicately yellow rhea egg transforms bread pudding into a light, luscious and creamy dessert. These larger eggs can be a little more work to beat than a chicken egg so if you’re not up to several minutes of hand whisking, you might want to pull out your electric mixer to thoroughly whisk the eggs and sugar together.
Ingredients: 1 (1 lb.) loaf artisan-style bread, cut into 1-inch cubes 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 large apples, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (such as Braeburn, Gala, Fiji) 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon plus 2 teaspoons pie spice (divided) 1 rhea egg (or 10 to 12 chicken eggs) 3/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 3 cups heavy cream 1 cup whole milk Salted Caramel Sauce: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup packed dark brown sugar 1 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt plus extra for sprinkling
Directions: Heat oven to 350ºF. Coat 13x9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange bread in baking dish. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in medium non- stick skillet over medium heat. Add apples; stir in 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of the pie spice. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until the apples are tender. Spoon the apples over the bread cubes in the baking dish. (Reserve skillet.) Whisk the egg, sugar, remaining 2 teaspoons pie spice and vanilla together in a large bowl un- til blended. Whisk in cream and milk. Pour over mixture in baking dish. Let stand 15 minutes. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until lightly browned and puffed and knife inserted in center comes out moist but clean. Meanwhile, melt 6 tablespoons butter in reserved skillet (no need to clean the skillet). Add brown sugar, cream and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in sea salt. Pour 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce over the bread pudding; serve with remaining sauce, lightly sprinkling each serving with sea salt if desired.
Serves 16
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 77 For The Love Of Hobby Our Backyard Farm, Part 2 Raising Animals is All About Learning as I Go
Story & Photos By Judy Mehlman Maryland
This is Hoppy sitting in our front This is my rooster who yard by the apple tree. She sat ventured out into the there for hours every day during snow while the other the autumn and winter months. chickens stayed behind.
These are the two female goats we borrowed for the summer for backyard fun.
n the February/March issue of Backyard Poultry, I shared my family’s journey of our backyard farm, starting with a vegetable garden we later expanded to raising poultry. From the time we had the garden, and later when we had chickens, we entered our vegetables, chickens and eggs in the 4-H county fair. Each time, we earned ribbons,I and our chickens received first place awards, except when we had two of a particular breed, which placed first and second. Throughout our journey, we learned important lessons on how, and how not to, raise backyard chickens. We started with two things: a desire for pet chickens, and a small incubator with three fertile eggs from a coworker who lives on a farm. From this incubator, one egg hatched our first pet chicken, named Brownie. Soon after my husband built a fenced in area for Brownie, we quickly learned that chickens need a home to protect them from predatory animals at night. During the years of raising chickens through trial and error, we learned from our mistakes, and applied that knowl- edge into practice. The next time we raised chickens, we made sure to provide a home to lock up our chickens at night. With our newfound knowledge, my husband found someone to build us a chicken coop in our backyard. The second time around, we bought a large rectangular incubator, and we were given a dozen fertile eggs from another friend who owned a farm. We thought it would be an exciting experience for our three children, and we eagerly waited the 21
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COLOR Beige, Brown or Silver Perfect Choice HD is not a hearing aid. If you believe you need a hearing aid, please consult a physician. 81078 This is my chick a day after it hatched from our incubator.
It is interesting to watch
days necessary to hatch an egg. After the chickens as they line our next set of chickens hatched that spring, we kept them in a small fish up and ascend the ramp tank, covered with a heater, until the The double to go inside for the night chicks grew feathers and were large yolk explains enough to be moved outside. why the egg was as the sun goes down. We knew that our chickens need- so large. ed a home at night, but during the day, our chickens had full reign of human-size door to put food and water which she heard coming from our house. the yard, and we put them inside the inside, as well as a small door leading Sure enough, I realized that one of our coop before it got dark. This arrangement to the outside area, via a ramp to walk “hens” had, in fact, turned out to be a worked out well until one day when we outdoors. One positive aspect of the small rooster. Usually, as chickens grow to full noticed a hawk in our backyard spying door is that we can close it to shield our size, a rooster will reveal itself quickly, on our chickens. Unfortunately, we later chickens from the elements on very cold by crowing. However, in this case, it took found that one of our chickens became a winter nights. We also installed an electric many months — from its April birth, until victim to the hawk. We then locked up outlet to put a heater inside for days when February — for our rooster to crow. the remaining chickens in the coop to it’s too cold to leave the pets outside. Now, things I didn’t understand keep them safe. Days passed, and I felt Another advantage is peace of mind before suddenly began to make sense. bad that the chickens were cooped up that we no longer have to chase our For example, one of our chickens was inside. Thinking that the hawk was gone, chickens throughout the yard to get them bigger, and had a large, red comb and a and no longer a threat, I let the remaining inside before nightfall, especially during larger waddle than the others, with a big chickens outside to give them freedom to a thunderstorm, as we previously did. It is curved tail of a rooster. Furthermore, after roam as they did before. interesting to watch the chickens as they the snowstorm, we let the chickens roam My original story leaves off at our line up and ascend the ramp to go inside outside in our partially melted backyard. third lesson — that hawks pose an ongo- for the night as the sun goes down. The The only chicken who dared to venture ing threat to chickens at any time. This coop also has a bar where the chickens out onto the snow was the rooster! time around, we ordered a full indoor/ settle in and roost at night. The one other In my original article, I began by outdoor chicken coop, and started our essential part of the chicken coop is the sharing that when I fed bread to the chick- hatching process once again! egg-laying compartment, which is parti- ens, one chicken jumped very high and As the saying goes, “third time’s a tioned off into four sections. snatched a piece right out of my hand! I charm,” and we finally got it right! The This past winter, we had a big snow- finally figured out that it was the rooster indoor/outdoor coop, which my husband storm in Maryland, “the Blizzard of being aggressive, while the other chick- and I assembled together, gives the chick- 2016,” which brought everyone outside ens scampered to get their share of bread. ens the best of both worlds — protection to dig out from two feet of snow. My As days passed, and the crowing became from predatory animals, and freedom to neighbor across the street mentioned to louder, we decided to take the rooster to roam outside. The coop also provides a me that she didn’t know we had a rooster, our friend who owns a farm.
80 Backyard Poultry That same morning, we found an egg home and I named her Hoppy. I fed her between one to three eggs a day. Because in the coop, and decided it might be fertile. carrot juice through a dropper until she our chickens tend to crack their eggs, I try We found two more eggs the following was big enough to eat solid food. to check for eggs a few times a day, to get day, and we put these three eggs in the About a couple of months later, I the egg before it’s too late. Our eggs are incubator. After 21 days, we watched with took her back outside, but first, I marked three colors: brown and two shades of excitement as our first chick hatched from her ears with a permanent marker so green. One time, I found a pastel green our own backyard farm! Sadly, the other I could identify her later on. Every so egg tinged with blue on top. A few weeks two eggs didn’t hatch. Over the years, I often, I would look out my window and after we sent the rooster away, I found have discovered that as with most pets, see Hoppy munching on a piece of grass. a green egg that was so large, it did not chicks are better off with at least one Later that year, Hoppy changed her abode fit properly in the egg carton, which I friend. When I went to the local Southern from the backyard to a dirt mount that stored in a plastic cup. When we opened States to purchase baby chicken food, I surrounds the apple tree in our front yard. it up, we were surprised to find a double noticed a sign on the door that they were She would arrive early in the morning and yolk egg. If that egg had been fertile, it selling chicks for a limited time. I bought a sit there until sunset, many days during the could have become a double chick! Cuckoo Maran chicken so my chick from autumn and winter months. We also had In addition to our backyard ani- our backyard would have a friend. a large groundhog that frequently visited mals, our indoor pets include a green In addition to raising chickens, we the backyard, and interestingly, showed Quaker parrot, a guinea pig, and two had other backyard animals. One summer, up mostly on cloudy days. aquariums, with both saltwater and we borrowed a goat from a friend for the In the spring, our backyard ground- freshwater fish. Raising animals, both summer, just for the fun of it. Another year, hog came to visit us once again, and inside — and in the backyard — has we raised ducks, which didn’t work out so enjoyed eating our grass. Unfortunately, been a great family experience! well as pets. My favorite backyard pet was Hoppy has not returned since the Febru- a rabbit who was also born in our back- ary snowstorm. With the longer days of Judy Mehlman lives in Maryland yard. Several times, we have seen baby spring, our chickens who didn’t lay any with her family and flock. If you’d like to bunnies in our yard. It was a year ago at this eggs during the winter were now becom- submit a story about your flock our For time (of writing) when we found another ing more active egg layers. We’ve learned the Love of Hobby section, write us at hole filled with rabbits while mowing the that chickens need 12 hours of sunlight [email protected], and lawn. We took one of the rabbits into our to lay an egg, and we are now getting please send pictures, too!
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 81 Just For Fun
Shell Games ou might not realize it, but egg How many ducks does No more careless discards! This flock laying is a team sport. would henceforth create a centralized Okay, maybe not a major it take to lay an egg? system of egg containment, appointed leagueY sport like basketball or football How many have you got? and patrolled by a formidable four-and- but just like those higher profile athletic a-half pound hen. Hmm, come to think of events, the daily shell game attracts vocal it, maybe they’re not cheers. Maybe she’s fans who applaud each move with loud By Lori Fontanes going all boot camp on ‘em. cackles and supportive clucks. Quack Me Up Ten-hut! Did I mention loud cackles? Well, whichever it is, their distinc- Every morning, right after the Caro- organized. In fact, when the ducks first tive poultry chitchat heralds each dawn lina Wren kicks off glee club, the ducks began presenting us with protein-and-al- between late March and early December, start up with their own special chant: bumen packets, it seemed like they didn’t and man, those duck chuckles wake me Give me an E! E! quite get the concept. The girls would up faster than any bugle while luckily Give me a G! G! waddle out of the pen, stroll around for being far less annoying to non-enlisted Give me another G! Another G! a bit and then plop! Out came an egg. neighbors! What’s that spell? Alarm clock! They didn’t even break stride! We’d find You know, I’m not really sure why Yay!!!!!!! shelled gifts all over the place — on the their benign conversation tickles my ear- Yup, it’s true. When it comes to lawn, on the deck, in the potato bags. One drums even with all the windows closed competitive egg delivery, waterfowl love time we even found one in a nest. and five or 10 pillows around my head. playing cheerleader. They love to make Like I said, weird-o! Perhaps it’s just another manifestation noise. They love to get each other riled Then we got Lucy. That little Welsh of the psychic bond that forms between up. They love those cute little uniforms Harlequin, imported from Oregon and poultry and their human servants, I mean, — uh, wait, not that. hand-delivered by U.S. Mail, took one caretakers. A bond that goes straight Yet as disciplined as our gals are beady look at our flock’s feckless nest- from the heart, bypassing the auditory about rising each day to cheer on their ing and decided to Make Some Changes canal, leaping into the sleeping brain and sisters, they weren’t always quite this Around Here. No more sloppy popping! shouting: Egg!
82 Backyard Poultry Incubators, Brooders, Cages & Supplies And why does that suddenly make me think breakfast? But back to egg wrangling. Thanks to Lucy’s leadership, the girls follow a system that is simply a marvel of ani- mal industry. It goes like this. First, the Welshie uses her inner GPS to choose an extremely remote destination designed to be as difficult as possible for a varmint (read: me) to access. Once on site, she kicks backwards with her surprisingly powerful legs, turning in a circle until the new nest is formed. After she makes the first deposit, any of the other hens are free to make their own contributions to the community egg bank. When the collection reaches the secret number encoded in her ducky DNA, Lucy again takes charge. She nobly offers her own well-upholstered bottom to protect the flock’s stash and hunkers down for hours at a time, in all kinds of weather and really bad Wi-Fi. What can she be thinking? What goes Quality, Utility, and Performance at a Reasonable Price on in that avian dino brain? Missing eggs GQF MANUFACTURING CO. every night, but every morning, in spite of PO BOX 1552 everything, she takes one look and starts SAVANNAH, GA 31402 USA all over again. So patient! So optimistic! visit GQFmfg.com So exactly like me when I used to think I could win the California Lottery! If only I could explain to Lucy that all her maternal sacrifice is and will always be for naught. It doesn’t mean diddly squat if we abscond with the eggs, because no matter how long they sit, they will never ever, ever, ever … ever … turn into a duckling for one good reason: No drakes. Which means, um, well, that, you know, there wasn’t any, what I mean to say is, er, you can’t, if you can’t … Ahem. Right, well, this is what I get for try- ing to explain the birds and the bees to an actual bird. Sometimes you just have to recognize when a problem is bigger than your paygrade. Therefore, the next time one of those hens gives me the hairy eyeball when I take away her eggs, I’ll just have to pass the problem up the chain of command. Brrrrrrrring!!! Hello? Mom?
Lori Fontanes is a humor writer based in New York and writes regularly for Back- yard Poultry. She also writes about her flock at www.whattheducks.com.
August/September 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.com 83 Youth:
Hello Poultry Pals, I can’tHello write much Poultry today. Every Pals! animal is either getting ready to go to the fair, helping someone get ready to go to the fair, or practicing to compete in the Barnyard Olympics. It’s a madhouse! Boopsy Shanks, our resident diva Polish and best show bird, almost pulled out a cockerel’s new tail feather because he dropped a mealworm on her back and she twisted a feather getting it off. After seeing her chase him across the yard I thought she’d have a good chance of winning the fastest chicken contest, or the craziest chicken…or maybe the loudest. It’s amazing what motivation does to help us rise to the occasion. Good luck on your special events!
Keep your head high, Gertrude McCluck, CIC
Minute Mystery C.I.C. Log, Coop Date 09.05.2016 Jokes: Get the Yolk? A man is driving a pick-up truck “Some wacky duck kept me awake all night! down the road with a bunch of ducks Quack, quack, quack. Quack, quack, quack. Just standing in the back. A police officer look at my crest feathers!” The outburst came pulls over the driver and informs him from Boopsy Shanks, a high-strung black and that he is speeding. The officer then white Polish. She paced in the cage next to mine asks him, “Where do you think you’re going with all those ducks?” The driver at the state fair and was considered one of the says that he just doesn’t know what to favorites for today’s contest. do with them. The officer says, “Look, “Calm down, Boopsy. I didn’t hear there’s a zoo not far from here. Take anything.” them there and that should take care “I’m a light sleeper. It’s hard to look my best without any beauty sleep.” She of your problem.” The man thanks the preened her feathers. “If I could get my wings on the culprint ... ooh, I'd like to give officer and drives off with the ducks. him a piece of my beak.” The next day the officer sees the As Chicken In Charge, it was my duty to get to the bottom of this. I looked across pick-up truck once again speeding the aisle at three ducks. They were the picture of innocence. down the road. This time, though, all the ducks in the back are stand- “Do you three have anything to say about this?” ing there with sunglasses. The offi- Silence. cer pulls over the driver and says, “I “The law will be easier on you if you confess.” I gave them a hard-boiled stare. thought I told you to take them to the Still nothing. Okay, that’s the way it was going to be. Then one of the ducks zoo!” “I did that,” said the driver, “but pointed to its coop tag. I grabbed my trusty spy glass and read the tag. now they want to go to the beach!” “Muscovy, black male.” Rattle-rattle-buzz-grrr…I plugged that data into my bird brain computer and looked at the next tag. Fun Facts “Muscovy, white female.” Okay, that checked out. They both had red faces. • It is normal for a hen to occasion- ally produce double-yolked eggs I waddled to the third cage and peered at the tag, “Pekin, white female.” throughout her egg laying years. It Rattle-rattle-buzz-ding! My bird brain computer had the answer. is most commonly found when a new “I know which duck kept you up last night, Boopsy.” layer is adjusting to producing eggs. How did Gertrude know who the wacky quacker was? • Yolk color depends on the diet of the ANSWER ON NEXT PAGE hen. Feed containing yellow corn or alfalfa produces medium yellow yolks, while feed containing wheat or barley produces lighter color yolks. Gertrude McCluck, Chicken in Charge • Artificial color additives are not is assisted by chicken wrangler Cyndi Gernhart. Find out more permitted in chicken feed so natural yellow-orange substances, such as about Gertrude and her book series for children and marigold petals may be added to light other fun activities at: www.GertrudeMcCluck.com colored feeds to enhance the yolk color.
284 BackyardBackyard Poultry Poultry Gertrude’s Silly Stories Fill in the blanks in the "Word List" category below first before reading the story. Then transfer the words into your story and let the fun begin! WORD LIST 1. ______(county or state) 11. ______(animals, plural) 21. ______(body part) 2. ______(adjective/describing word) 12. ______(animal) 22. ______(body part) 3. ______(-ing verb) 13. ______(name) 23. ______(exclamation) 4. ______(noun) 14. ______(poultry breed) 24. ______(noun) 5. ______(past tense verb) 15. ______(color) 25. ______(number) 6. ______(noun) 16. ______(body part) 26. ______(place/store) 7. ______(adjective) 17. ______(famous person) 27. ______(emotion) 8. ______(noun) 18. ______(adjective) 28. ______(poultry breed) 9. ______(adjective) 19. ______(body part) 29. ______(adjective) 10. ______(past tense verb) 20. ______(number) 30. ______(body part) COUNTY FAIR Last year was the best year ever at the (1)______County Fair. The weather was (2)______, and we had fun (3)______in the (4)______. I (5)______a/an (6)______and ate a/an (7)______(8)______. After that my stomach felt (9)______and I almost (10)______. There were lots of (11)______there, and I even saw a giant (12)______. I exhibited (13)______, my favorite poultry. He/she is a/an (14)______with a/an (15)______(16)______. I think he/she kind of looks like (17)______because he/she has a/an (17)______(18)______. I also participated in poultry showmanship. My bird has (20)_____ defects which I showed to the judge. I spent a lot of time cleaning my bird’s (21)______and grooming its (22)______, but it was worth it: WE WON! (23)______! (13)______was named grand champion, and won a bag of (24)______! I was given a (25)______dollar prize to spend at (26)______. I felt (27)______to see fair end, but next year could be even better: I’m going to show my (28)______. I chose this bird because he/she has the best (29)______(30)______I’ve ever seen! I love the (1)______County Fair!
MINUTE MYSTERY ANSWER: Ducks quack, right? All ducks ... except Baack Talk the Muscovy. They are known as the quiet
What is this duck. Muscovies make a hissing sound is this ? which is hard to hear in noisy places, like chickenduck saying a show building. When presented with thinking? this information, the Pekin quacked under pressure and confessed. Case closed.
E-MAIL your caption idea by August 10 along with your name and state to [email protected] OR MAIL to Baack Talk, 159 Hall Dr. S, Montgomery, TX 77316. Selection for publication in a future issue will be at the discretion of Backyard Poultry. Name and state will be printed with response unless otherwise requested.
A few favorites from June/July 2016 Issue: • “Silly cat, trix are for chix!”—Rich Fullmer, West Virginia • “Oh no, I’m not falling for the dead kitty routine again.”—Candy McGee, Texas • “Do you think it's dead or playing opossum?”—Amy Fullmer, West Virginia • “I tawt I taw a putty tat!”—Sarah Davidson, Michigan • “No, my head is not a ball of yarn!”—Myra Arvig, Minnesota
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Backyard Poultry Breeders Directory
Have birds for sale? Advertise in the Backyard Poultry Breeders Directory for less than $4.50 a month. Your ad will be seen by more than 100,000 poultry enthusiasts. Call 800-551-5691 to get your advertisement in!
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August/SeptemberAugust/September 2016 2016 www.countrysidenetwork.comwww.CountrysideNetwork.com 89111 Backyard Poultry Supplies Poultry Classifieds
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