Volume 14, Number 6 Backyard December 2019/January 2020 Poultry America's Favorite Poultry Magazine KELLY RANKIN’S NEW BEGINNINGS BACKYARD CHICKENS AND LEAD COCCIDIOSIS Plus: INTRODUCING MOONBEAM CHICKENS! $5.99 US backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com Backyard Poultry FP 2018:Layout 1 10/12/18 2:01 PM Page 1 Backyard Poultry FP 2018:Layout 1 10/12/18 2:01 PM Page 1 Proven Protection Against PNroigvehnt PPrreodteactotironAnAigmaainlsst NiNte•Giugarhd StolaPr® rhaes bdeean ptroovern efAfectniveimin reapellisng pNreitdea•tGouraarndimSoalasrf®orhtahsebpeaesntp2r2ovyeenaresff.eNctitivee•GinuraerpdeSlloinlagr aptrtaecdkastotrheandimeeaplsesftormtohsetpparsimt a2l2feyaerarosf.nNigithet•aGnuimaradlsS,otlhaart Nite•Guard of being discovered. When the sun goes down, Nite•Guard attacks the deepest most primal fear of night animals, that ReNpiteell•eGnut aTradpe obfebgeininsgtodifslacsohvearned.cWonhtiennuethseusnutinl sguonersisdeo.wTnh,eNsiitme•pGleubaurdt RKeepeepslleprnetdaTtoarpse beefgfeincstivteo falacsthisanthdactoant“ifnlausehs oufnltiiglhstu”nirsissee.nTsheed saismapnleebyuet Kaeweapysdpurreindgattohres daylight hours effecatnivdebfeacotmisetshatn aim“fmlaesdhiaotfelitghhrte”aits tsoemnsoesdt ansigahnt eye away during the daylight ho9u5rs and becoamneims aalns iamnmd ethdeiaytewitllhreuantatwoamy.ost night $14 animals and they will run away. $14 95 PO Box 274 • Princeton MN 55371 PO Box 2714.80•0P.3rin2c8e.t6o6n4M7N 55371 www1..n80it0e.3g2u8.a66r4d7.com wwCawll o.r ncliciktteo lgeaurnahorwdto.kceeop m away a specific night animal Call or click to learn how to keep away a specific night animal Backyard Poultry FP 2018:Layout 1 10/12/18 2:01 PM Page 1 Backyard Poultry FP 2018:Layout 1 10/12/18 2:01 PM Page 1 Proven Protection Against PNroigvehnt PPrreodteactotironAnAigmaainlsst NiNte•Giugarhd StolaPr® rhaes bdeean ptroovern efAfectniveimin reapellisng pNreitdea•tGouraarndimSoalasrf®orhtahsebpeaesntp2r2ovyeenaresff.eNctitivee•GinuraerpdeSlloinlagr aptrtaecdkastotrheandimeeaplsesftormtohsetpparsimt a2l2feyaerarosf.nNigithet•aGnuimaradlsS,otlhaart Nite•Guard of being discovered. When the sun goes down, Nite•Guard attacks the deepest most primal fear of night animals, that ReNpiteell•eGnut aTradpe obfebgeininsgtodifslacsohvearned.cWonhtiennuethseusnutinl sguonersisdeo.wTnh,eNsiitme•pGleubaurdt RKeepeepslleprnetdaTtoarpse beefgfeincstivteo falacsthisanthdactoant“ifnlausehs oufnltiiglhstu”nirsissee.nTsheed saismapnleebyuet Kaeweapysdpurreindgattohres daylight hours effecatnivdebfeacotmisetshatn aim“fmlaesdhiaotfelitghhrte”aits tsoemnsoesdt ansigahnt eye away during the daylight ho9u5rs and becoamneims aalns iamnmd ethdeiaytewitllhreuantatwoamy.ost night $14 animals and they will run away. $14 95 PO Box 274 • Princeton MN 55371 PO Box 2714.80•0P.3rin2c8e.t6o6n4M7N 55371 www1..n80it0e.3g2u8.a66r4d7.com wwCawll o.r ncliciktteo lgeaurnahorwdto.kceeop m away a specific night animal Call or click to learn how to keep away a specific night animal contents // 14.6 08 Editor’s Letter 10 Photo Essay: 5R Farm 14 Coming Events 16 Something to Crow About 20 Ask the Expert Ron Kean and Marissa Ames answer reader questions about their flocks. 26 Flock Photos The best of the best submissions via snail mail and our social sites. 28 All Cooped Up: Coccidiosis By Lacey Hughett 32 Winter Comfort Foods By Rita Heikenfeld 38 36 5 Easy Pickled Egg Recipes by Ann Accetta-Scott 38 Kelly Rankin's New Beginnings By Theresa Miller 42 Backyard Chickens and the Risk of Lead Exposure By Genevieve Rajewski 46 Developing Moonbeam Chickens By Rebecca Sanderson 50 Internet and World Record Chickens By Kenny Coogan 46 54 Policy Changes, Farmers, and MeWe vs. Facebook By Rebecca Sanderson Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation 58 Chicken Welfare: Five Title of publication: Backyard Poultry. Publication no. 023-374. Published bimonthly. Annual subscription price Basic Needs $29.97. Mailing address of publication, headquarters of general business offices, publisher, editor and managing editor: 136 W. Broadway, Medford, WI 54451. Publisher, Mike Campbell; Editor, Steph Merkle; Managing Editor: By Tamsin Cooper Marissa Ames. Owner: Fence Post Company, Paul W. Toler, Chairman, 580 Mallory Way, Carson City, NV 89701. Known bondholders, mortgagees and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities: Swift Communications, Inc. Extent and nature of circulation: Average no. 62 Poultry Bones of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months (actual no. of copies of single issue published nearest to filing By Doug Ottinger date): 15 A: Total no. of copies printed: 39,274 (30,000). 15 B(1): Paid/requested outside county as stated on form 3541: 18,315 (16,351). 15 B(2): Paid in-county subscriptions: 0 (0). 15 B(3): Sales through dealers, carriers, street vendors, counter sales, and other non-USPS paid distribution: 17,853 (9,600). 15 B(4): Other classes mailed through 66 Selling Eggs as a Business on the USPS: 0 (0). 15 C: Total paid and/or requested circulation: 36,168 (25,951). 15 D(1): Free distribution by mail: 0 (0). 15 D(4): Free or nominal rate distribution outside the mail: 0 (0) 15 E: Free distribution outside the mail: 0 the Homestead (0). 15 F: Total distribution: 36,168 (25,951). 15 G: Copies not distributed: 3,106 (4,049). H: Total: 39,274 (30,000). By Amy Fewell I: Percent paid and/or requested circulation: 100% (100%). 16 A: Paid electronic copies: 147 (119). 16 B: Total paid print copies + paid electronic copies: 36,315 (26,070). 16 C: Total print distribution + paid electronic copies: 36,315 (26,070). 16 D: Percent paid (Both print & Electronic copies): 100% (100%). I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete /s/ Ellen Grunseth, Business Manager, 08/29/19. 4 Backyard Poultry contents // 14.6 68 Poultry Summit 2019 By Christine Heinrichs 70 Olivia and Elizabeth By Stephanie Bouchard 72 My Experience with Ascites (Water Belly) By Angela Ferraro-Fanning 76 Coop Inspiration: A Coop in the Woods By Laurel Finnegan 80 Secret Life of Poultry: Kauai's Feral Chickens By Lacey Hughett 82 Breed Profile: Egyptian Fayoumi By Tamsin Cooper 93 Breeders Directory 95 Classifieds 76 96 Just for Fun Can You Find the Roo? We hid the BYP roo in this issue! He looks just like the roo above. If you find him, snap a pic and email it to [email protected] or mail your entry to P.O. Box 566, Medford, WI 54451. We’ll pick one random winner to receive a canvas Backyard Poultry tote. Enter by 12/14/19. These handy totes are new to the Backyard Poultry store. October/November 2019 issue winner: 82 • Bobbi Buller, Michigan 6 Backyard Poultry December 2019/January 2020 backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com 7 from the editor BACKYARD POULTRY Here’s to backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com EDITORIAL New Beginnings Marissa Ames, Editor [email protected] Steph Merkle, Content Director ho doesn’t like a fresh start? and meat production as I raised my [email protected] Whether you’re literally children, but my youngest just turned starting all over again from 18. Now I want to choose a rare breed Editorial Assistants W Samantha Ingersoll, Ann Tom scratch or adding a new extension to an that needs saving, in the same way that existing project, the optimism shines I help propagate the nearly-extinct San CIRCULATION & MARKETING brightly. But sometimes, that fresh start Clemente Island goats. Do you have any Ellen Grunseth, Marketing Director happens because life hit a speed bump. recommendations? [email protected] As I write this, I’m currently poul- Along the topic of new beginnings Publication Designer try-less. (Shhh … it’s our secret.) comes the story of Kelly Rankin. Many Sara Heideman I had to move my farm and with a longtime Backyard Poultry subscribers lease ending in early October, we needed remember his letter in 2015 when he ADVERTISING a place to go. Current real estate prices sketched a rooster and submitted it … Alicia Soper, Advertising Director meant we couldn’t be choosy. Finally, from prison, where he would remain for [email protected] 715-748-1388 we found an acre suitable for the goats several more years. Once released, Kelly and chickens, but it had no existing infra- finally obtained chickens of his own. His Kelly Weiler structure. We made a difficult decision. story has become a source of inspiration [email protected] We rehomed some of the goats then for many readers, and we are excited to 715-748-1389 struggled through 100-degree-F weather hear how we could help along the way. Sue Lapcewich to build pens for the other goats. With Plus, be sure to read about Moonbeam [email protected] little time remaining before we had to be chickens, a new variety which may be 970-373-7301 out of the old house, we didn’t believe we available this year! could build an adequate coop to keep the Whether you start from scratch or chickens safe from coyotes. continue with existing plans, we hope this General Manager Mike Campbell A family with five children received next year is optimistic and successful for [email protected] my prolific laying hens and my duck your flocks and your families. that had been hatched by a turkey. They no longer have to buy eggs, and we now Backyard Poultry’s Main Coop purchase from neighbors’ coops. Backyard Poultry P.O. Box 566, Medford, WI 54451 But with that transition comes the backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com optimism. For years, I focused on egg Subscriptions