Volume 2, Number 1 Backyard February/March, 2007 PoultryDedicated to more and better small-flock poultry Pastured Poultry For Profit & Peace of Mind Pg. 30 Breeding The Homestead Flock Pg. 41 4 Portable Housing Ideas Plus: • Getting started with quail • Supporting rare breeds • Build a trap nest • Book reviews • Just for fun ...and more inside! Reliable for both Poultry & Predators— Designed specifically to keep poultry, ducks and geese in while keeping coyotes, raccoons, fox, dogs and skunks out. The bottom portion is a physical and pain barrier against poultry. (Pictured here is the PoultryNet 42.) What is it? A prefabricated fence. White vertical plastic strings are “welded” to black and white electroplastic horizontal strings and supported by white plastic posts—which are built into and spaced throughout the netting. It arrives at your door as a complete 164 ft., 114 ft. or 82 ft. roll. Most rolls weigh less than 15 lbs. PoultryNet is 42, 47 or 48 in. tall, with 12 horizontals and verticals every 3 in. Bottom openings measure 2 in. by 3 in. Posts have 6 in. spikes. How does it work? The close spacing of the verticals and lower energized horizontal strands of our nets combines as a physical and a pain barrier to both birds and predators. What are its uses? • To fence in most non- flying poultry (chickens, ducks & geese). • To fence out most predators (dogs, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, opossum & skunks). • To enable poultry to be easily rotated from one grass area to another. PoultryNet arrives on your doorstep as a complete pre-assembled portable fence with all posts pre-fitted into each roll. Energizer is sold separately. 2 Backyard Poultry February/March, 2007 3 Volume 2, Number 1 February/March, 2007 Backyard Poultry Letters to the Editor ..........8 A “Coup de Ville“ Movable Poulty House ..............................17 Coming Events ....................10 Build Your Own Pastured Your Voice: Poultry Pen ................................ 18 Avian Influenza Poultry Preparedness Briefing ................12 Health: The Answer Man .......................20 Your Voluntary Animal ID May Be Used Against You ..........13 Detecting & Alleviating Egg Binding in Avian Females .. 27 Pasturing poultry can be a viable option for the Helpful Hints: small-scale farmer. Page 30 Movable Chicken Tractor Backyard Poultry Photo Coop #1...................................... 14 Contest: Sunny-Side Meadows .................33 And the Winner Is .................29 Movable Chicken Tractor Book Reviews: Coop #2 ..................................... 16 Financial Opportunities: Raising Poultry on Pasture ............ 36 Pasturing Poultry .......................30 Pastured Poultry Profit$ ................37 Breeding: Further Breeding Options ........ 38 Breeding the Homestead Flock ........................................... 41 Making Trap Nests ....................44 Rare American Breeds Need Your Support..............................49 Choose a Heritage Breed .........50 Old-Time Starter Grower Four moveable poultry house designs, beginning on page 14. Ration .........................................50 4 Backyard Poultry ON THE C O VER : BACKYARD POULTRY Photo of a Barred Plym- 145 Industrial Dr. outh Rock by Christy Allen, Medford, WI 54451 Oregon. www.backyardpoultrymag.com Kristy tells us, “This is ‘Bull,’ named by my son. Publisher: Dave Belanger Bull has passed on now but Editor: Elaine Belanger Managing Editor: Anne-marie Ida was one of the nicest roosters Circulation and Fulfillment: Laura we’ve ever had and looked so Ching, Ann Tom, Ellen Waichulis, handsome in the snow.” Kristin Martin See page 29 for photo Special Projects: Ray Kreuziger contest details. Advertising Representatives (Rates on request): Recipes: Baked Custard Update ...............51 Alicia Komanec 1-800-551-5691 [email protected] Just For Fun: Unique Photos ............................51 Michele Motte 1-800-551-5691 Breeds: [email protected] Great Times Sharing Experiences Backyard Poultry With Guinea Fowl ..................... 54 (ISSN 1559-2251, USPS 023-374) is published bi-monthly at German Geese, the Old Gray 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451. Goose and Other Historic Sharing experiences with Periodicals postage paid at Types ........................................... 56 guinea fowl. Page 54 Medford, WI and additional mailing offices.©2007 Getting Started in Quail ........... 58 Backyard Poultry The views presented here do not Index 2006 .............................64 necessarily represent those of the editor or publisher. All contents of this issue Associations: of Backyard Poultry are copyrighted by ..........66 Judging Exhibition Poultry .......62 Breeder’s Directory Countryside Publications, Ltd., 2007. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited except by permission of the publisher. Editorial and Advertising Office: Backyard Poultry 145 Industrial Dr. Medford, WI 54451 [email protected] Subscriptions (U.S. funds): $21 per year; 2 years $35. Backyard Poultry Subscriptions 145 Industrial Dr. Medford, WI 54451 1-800-551-5691 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Backyard Poultry Subscriptions 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451 Breeding for the homestead flock. Page41 February/March, 2007 5 Discover a better way FR O M THE EDIT O R : of life... right in your own backyard! LET THE FUN BEGIN BY ELAINE BELANGER t’s that time of year, when we receive (June/July, 2006), planning for predator tons of hatchery catalogs (as well as protection (every issue), health of flock seed catalogs) and begin planning for (every issue) and much more. Ithe new season of poultry. Such choices, This issue we offer a different sea- such fun. sonal viewpoint with articles discussing & Small Stock Journal In previous issues we discussed many potential business opportunities raising of the concerns that come to mind when meat and layer birds on pasture, as well With each issue of planning the flock: the care of chicks as how to market your products. COUNTRYSIDE (Feb/March, 2006), choosing the right The “Helpful Hints” section presents you’ll learn how to: breeds for your needs (Feb/March, 2006), four options for portable poultry houses, incubating versus the natural method both for the large and small flock. Save money • We include two articles on breeding • Enjoy gardening, nature options to improve the quality of your and the outdoors flock for the long term, as well as articles • Raise chickens, rabbits, from the American Livestock Breeds cows, goats, pigs, and more Conservancy (ALBC) and the Society for • Make better use of your the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities time (SPPA) discussing rare and endangered • Become more self-reliant poultry breeds, and what you can do to and secure help save them from extinction. Backyard Poultry had the pleasure Subscribe Today! of spending the weekend of November 17-19, 2006 at the Crossroads of America $18 for 1 year (6 issues) Poultry Show. With over 11,600 birds If Countryside doesn’t save you money and entered in this event, this was the largest enrich your life, just tell us and we’ll refund poultry show held in the U.S. in over a every cent you paid! decade. Poultry shows vary in size from a Name dozen birds at local fairs to the large numbers seen in Indianapolis. Try to Address visit a poultry show this spring for an opportunity to see the many breeds available. Whichever show you go to, I City guarantee there is much to see and will be worth the trip. State Zip Another great place to view a variety of birds is the website www.feathersite. Mail to: com. Along with many photos, there are COUNTRYSIDE hundreds of links to associations, helpful 145 Industrial Dr. articles and much more. Spend some time this season planning Medford, WI 54451 We raise the critically rare Spangled Russian Orloff hens but do not have a for the future of your flock, consider 1-800-551-5691 cock. If you have a purebred Spangled raising a heritage or rare breed and don’t www.countrysidemag.com Russian Orloff cock, or breeding eggs for forget to search our Breeder’s Directory Credit cards accepted sale, please contact Elaine at [email protected] on page 66. Start planning your flock or 715-785-7979. now—just for fun. 6 Backyard Poultry FULL PAGE AD STROMBERGS February/March, 2007 7 LETTERS : Do you have something to crow about? We want to hear from you. Send questions, comments, opinions, advice, coming events, etc. to: Backyard Poultry Editor 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451 e-mail: [email protected] Expensive Chickens Rat Zapper Really Works The article on page 42 shows a turkey I think I have the world’s most ex- Someone recently mentioned the Rat and chickens together in a pen. I was told pensive chickens. I bid $350 apiece for Zapper as a way to cleanly and effectively to keep these separated because turkeys two chickens. A rooster I called Wilfred kill rats. I bought the Rat Zapper Ultra can become infected with blackhead dis- and the hen, Wyona. based on the recommendation. Just got ease. What do you recommend regarding At the 4-H fair in Guthrie County, it and in seven days I have killed nine these issues? Iowa the kids have their livestock auc- rats in the same location. They appear Janice, Wisconsin tioned off. A young lady, Erika, from our not to get wary and apparently die im- church raised them and I bid the chickens mediately upon being zapped. This is First, the chickens and goats. There up for her to help her college fund. But one fine product! is probably very little risk to the chickens that’s not the end of the story—at a bid Kathy via E-mail from this. Birds and mammals are quite of $351 by someone else, I didn’t get the different, so few disease-causing organ- chickens. After the auction, the person The Rat Zapper’s website is www. isms can survive in both. There may be who out bid me sold them to me for $4 ratzapper.com.—Ed. a slight risk in transmitting some bacte- apiece and I now have the chickens. It’s rial diseases such as salmonella.