Happy Holidays—From Our Flock To Yours! Volume 5, Number 6 Backyard December, 2010/January, 2011 PoultryDedicated to more and better small-flock poultry Coop Project Benefits The Entire Family Pg. 22 Build A Brooder For Chicks, Keets & Poults Pg. 30 The Belgian d’Uccle Bantam A true bantam breed Pg. 54 Plus: An Herbal Mash for Sick Chickens Grow Mangels for the Birds A Chicken Christmas Tale Treats for Pet Chickens This little black box will scare the crap out of guys like him. Believe or not, this little black box with a red flash of light, could be the best security system you could ever buy. It's a simple concept and a proven fact that night animals are deathly afraid of flashing lights. Their natural instincts tell them that danger is near and they stay away. Simply place several Nite•Guard Solar® units on your property to provide efficient & cost effective security. Nite•Guard Solar units are solar powered, weatherproof and maintenance free and can provide reliable protection for your needs for up to 4 years. SATISFACTION Sound too good to be true? Log onto our website for more details and videos. GUARANTEED or your money back! niteguard.com • 1.800.328.6647 1 2 3 ............. 3 EASY KEEPING STEPS TO YOU SAFE SECURITY SINCE............. 1997 2 Backyard Poultry This little black box RANDALL BURKEY COMPANY Quality Animal Health Products since 1947 Live Baby Chicks Poultry Supplies Customer Services White Egg Layers Incubators & Brooders Free Catalog Brown Egg Layers Coops & Pens Friendly Operators Rare & Unique Breeds Nesting Boxes Web Shipping Special Bantams Medications One Year Warranty GUARANTEED Turkeys & Waterfowl Feeders & Waterers Same Day Shipping* Guineas Egg Cartons *On in stock items ordered by 1pm CST Peafowl Books, CDs, & DVDs Toys & Treats Order by Phone 1 2 3 800-531-1097 Order Online randallburkey.com Everything you could want or need for poultry! BACKYARD POULTRY Backyard 145 Industrial Dr. Medford, WI 54451 www.backyardpoultrymag. com Poultry 800-551-5691 Volume 5, Number 6 December 2010/January 2011 Publisher: Dave Belanger Editor: Elaine Belanger Managing Editor: Anne-marie Ida From the Editor: The Scientific Chicken.................. 46 Editorial Assistant: Samantha Ingersoll Lighting Important for Strong Egg Circulation and Fulfillment: Laura Production .........................................6 An Herbal Mash for Sick Ching, Ellen Waichulis, Kate Tucker, Chickens...........................................48 Kelly Weiler, Christine Barkley Photo Cover Judging On Now.........6 Bookstore: Ann Tom Feed: Youth Writing Contest Mailbox Mangels: Heritage Feed for Heritage Advertising Representatives Overflows with Witty Stories...........6 Chickens...........................................50 (Rates on request) Alicia Komanec Readers’ Letters ............................8 Breed Focus: 1-800-551-5691 The Belgian d ’Uccle Bantam: A [email protected] Special Reports: True Bantam Breed ...........................54 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Responds Gary Christopherson to Request for Regulation Changes My Long Goose Breeding Saga...... 58 1-800-551-5691 on Muscovy Ducks.......................... 12 [email protected] Just for Fun: Readers Weigh in on Plastic Feed Feisty’s Ventures ............................. 64 Backyard Poultry Bags...................................................14 (ISSN 1559-2251, USPS 023-374) Pee Wee Hits the Road...................67 is published bi-monthly by SPPA News A Chicken Christmas Tale............. 69 Countryside Publications, Ltd. at 145 Poultry Shows Offer Networking, Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451. Quality Stock and Education .........16 Youth: Periodicals postage paid at Medford, New Year’s Resolutions for Poultry Gertrude McCluck: Chicken in Charge WI and additional mailing offices. Youth Writer Contest Stories ....... 70 ©2010 Countryside Publications, Ltd. Keepers.............................................16 The views presented here do not Coming Events ............................ 18 Breeders Directory .................... 72 necessarily represent those of the editor or publisher. All contents of this issue Backyard Poultry ON THE COVER: of Backyard Poultry are copyrighted by Family Album: Countryside Publications, Ltd., 2010. All You Be the Judge: Vote for Your The December 2010/January 2011 rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or Favorite 2010 Cover ...................... 20 cover photo was sent in by Denise in part is prohibited except by permission Anthony, Rhode Island, of a White of the publisher. Housing: Chinese goose named “Sugar Pie.” Coop Project Benefits Entire See page 21 for more information. Editorial and Advertising Office: Family ............................................... 22 Backyard Poultry 145 Industrial Dr. Using a Chicken Tractor in Medford, WI 54451 Winter .....................................28 [email protected] Happy Holidays from Our Subscriptions (U.S. funds): Flock to Yours.........................29 $21 per year; 2 years $35. Backyard Poultry Subscriptions Build a Brooder for Chicks, 145 Industrial Dr. Keats & Poults........................30 Medford, WI 54451 1-800-551-5691 Pet Chickens: Treats for Pet Chickens: Why Pet POSTMASTER: Stores Will Never Look the Same........34 Send address changes to: Backyard Poultry Subscriptions Health: 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451 The Answer Man............................ 40 4 Backyard Poultry December 2010/January 2011 www.backyardpoultrymag.com 7 LETTERS : Do you have something to crow about? We want to hear from you. Send questions, comments, opinions, advice, coming events, etc. to: Backyard Poultry Editor, 145 Industrial Dr., Medford, WI 54451 or e-mail: [email protected] Breed Correction duce more Rhode Island Reds. Predator Protection Is Music The Rhode Island Red hen, Ruby, Sex-links are crosses of two pure to Your Ears on page 37 of the Oct./Nov. 2010 issue breeds. Two pure breeds are crossed be- I have raised chickens for seven is really a red sex-link hen. A very nice cause the first generation offspring have years, raising as many as 120 birds at a bird, but she has too many white feathers been found to be either faster growing or time. One secret that I learned to keep for a RIR. lay slightly more eggs. In the case of this away predators is to play a radio turned Charles D. Vopat, Kansas sex-link hen, her parents were a Rhode up quite loud and being turned on at all Island Red rooster with a Rhode Island times, particularly at night. The human Charles is correct, the bird in that White hen (two different breeds entirely). voices, whether playing music or talk photo is a sex-link hen. Rhode Island The resultant offspring are good layers, shows, seem to convince predators that Reds are a pure breed — when a Rhode but, like hybrid plants, when bred they they don’t want to come into the coop. Island Red rooster and hen are mated all do not produce offspring with the same Larry Lewis, Kentucky the chicks will be just as productive as abilities. their parents and will be able to repro- Don Schrider Gingerbread Chicken Coop My son, Devin, age 12, is a New Hampshire homeschooler with a small flock of 13 chickens. He sells his organic Chicken Float Wins Award eggs to friends and neighbors. During the My son is a member of the Monroe County 4-H Poultry Club in Indiana. holidays last year, he and his homeschool- This year after the county fair the club decided to get together and create a float ing friends made gingerbread houses to for the Ellettsville Fall Festival Parade 2010. A wooden frame was made with put on display for the delight of the resi- lots of chicken wire to create the chicken’s body. The chicken float was built on dents of a local senior center. Devin made a hay wagon. The children all got together and stuffed the holes in the chicken a gingerbread chicken coop! wire with tissue and toilet paper. The beak was wrapped with crepe paper and Dale Shields the eyes are from coffee can lids. The children had lots of fun creating this float New Hampshire and being in the parade. Our club totals over 100 members so in the parade we also had a second hay wagon attached with members sitting on hay bales. There were also children dressed in chicken costumes walking along the side of the float handing out candy (I should say throwing candy). This was the first year this club had ever entered a float in a parade and we were very excited when we won “The Presidents Choice Award.” Barbara Haley, Indiana Devin uses this photo on the labels for his egg cartons. The name of his company is “3-D Eggs: Devin’s Daily Dozen.” 8 Backyard Poultry Hands-free chicken picker gets ‘em spankin’ clean in 20 seconds! Features: • Tough, UV-stabilized, food-grade, plastic tub and housing • 1 HP motor, 10:1 speed reducer • Spray ring to wash feathers away • Feather chute for tidy work area While many people make a gingerbread house for the holidays, not many decide to make a gingerbread coop, complete with chocolate chickens, a waterer and feeder like Devin Shields did to entertain residents of a senior center. ONLY $975! Ask about the “Set-Up Special” Cochin Bantams Make Great Sexing Eggs Moms, Dogs Defend Flock In the Oct./Nov. 2010 issue, page 8, “Scalder, cones, & other equipment available” I enjoy your magazine very much, and Gail Damerow talked about “identifying have subscribed for several years. I enjoy the gender of incubated eggs.” Could www.featherman.net many of the articles, especially the ones you please provide information telling PO Box 62, Jamesport, MO 64648 660/684-6035 email to:[email protected] about different breeds of poultry. I would me how this is done. I use an incubator like to see stories from people as to their favorite breed of chicken and why, or maybe a vote and see which breed wins. All your poultry supplies, I am 65 years old and lived on a farm and raised poultry all my life. My favorite in one convenient place! breeds are New Hampshire Reds and White Wyandottes—both are very good farm chickens. As to your articles on setting hens, I use Cochin bantams.