Nesting Etiquette

Hi all. As you know, our hens have begun to lay. I'm thinking we've already got a broody hen on our hands. That just means we've got a hen who thinks she wants to hatch some eggs out herself. While I'm willing to try to accomodate her, I thought it would be a good idea to write a post about nesting etiquette in general.

Chickens look for a few key things when looking for a spot to lay that all-important egg in. They tend to look for privacy, protection, darkness, and comfort. If you provide these things, your chickens can happily lay their eggs there. 

First, I want to discuss the nests themselves. You really can use just about anything for a nest. You can build some or use household items. Some good examples of useable household items include:

*   Litterbox-covered ones work especially well
*   Small pet carrier
*   5 gallon bucket
*   Crates
*   Dog house

Our nests are handmade and items from the house. I have a set of 3 stacked crates turned on its side and then Mitch's handmade nests on top of those. You can elevate the nests or have them on the ground. We covered our nests after the pictures were taken to prevent roosting in the boxes. Many people put curtains on the boxes for added beauty and privacy.

The next thing I want to discuss is bedding in the nests. You can use whatever you use in the rest of the coop, which is what I do, or you can use something else. Some suitable bedding options are straw, pine needles, or wood shavings (not cedar). This will add protection for the delicate eggs and comfort for the hens. Other items can be added to the bedding for additional benefit. One example of this is herbs like mint. You can read more about this at The Fresh Eggs Daily Blog.

I like to add golf balls or fake eggs to my nests. Chickens will feel more confident laying eggs in a nest where there are already some eggs. This means that that is a safe spot. This will help prevent chickens from laying eggs in oddball places. It is really helpful for new laying hens.

These are the main things to keep a hen happy when laying eggs. Wish me luck with my broody!

Thanks for reading!

Found A Baby Bird

Hi all! I was outside the other day feeding the goats, and wouldn't you know, I spotted a little baby bird in a pile of hay on the ground. We had found one just the day before, a few feet further out. That poor little thing didn't survive.

I thought for sure that this little bird would be dead too. Much to my surprise it was alive! The nest, that I'm sure it fell out of, is pretty high up. I put the little bird in a plastic tote without a lid, some straw for bedding, and an ice tray half full of water and half full of chicken feed. I put him on top of our tallest pile of straw near the nest.

It has been about 3 days now and the little thing is still alive. I'm pretty surprised. I don't know if its mama is caring for it in the mornings or evenings, but it is alive and thriving. The little guy is trying to learn to fly.

Does anyone know what kind of bird he is? Here is a picture of what I suspect to be its mama:

I'll just keep caring for him and hoping for the best!

Thanks for reading!

Staying Cool on the Farm

Hi all! We are expected to get some 80-90 degree weather this week! Whew! During hot 

days, most people tend to gravitate toward A/C chilled rooms and staying cool by the pool. 

So, what do we do to cool down our animals? Animals exposed to high temperatures are exposed to fatigue, loss of appetite, dehydration, loss of weight, decrease in productivity, illness, and even death. Keeping your animals cool and hydrated is the key to safely bringing them through those high temperatures. What follows is how we do things here on Edgington Farm.

For all of our animals we monitor how much they eat and drink. I water our animals 2-3 times a day on very hot and nasty days. One of the things we made sure of when building our coops and enclosures was to have both sun and shade. If your animals seem to be particularly fatigued, they may benefit from a dose of electrolytes in their water. Make sure your shelters are well ventilated and have circulation. We use a window and small fan in our chicken coop.  

Egg laying production can be completely halted on very hot days, especially if the hens are dehydrated or thirsty. I use 2 waterers in the coop on very hot days and I put extra water out in the yard if they are free ranging. Cold melons can be a very refreshing and hydrating treat for the chickens. Other special treats can be made like this ice wreath from the Fresh Eggs Daily blog. I've made it before in cake pans with equal success.

Pigs are notorious for being mucky and stinky. And that they are. But, slopping in mud serves a very special purpose. A pig's skin is tender. Lighter colored pigs are as susceptible to sunburn as people are! It is important for a pig to have access to mud and water so that it can coat itself in a protective layer. Our pot belly Bacon has already wallowed out is own favorite spots. I like to fill them up with water so he can take a refrshing dunk. They say mud baths are good for our skin too...

I like to provide our duck with a cool and shallow pool for him to swim in. I will be going to a larger pool soon so he can dive. The shallow one is fine though while he is still maturing.

Besides needing plenty of water and shade, our goats don't really need much special care. We water our plants in the mornings or evenings during dry spells to prevent them drying out and withering.

I also taught our two legged animal how to drink from the hose. I can promise that NOTHING tastes like water from the hose. It is wonderful!

Thanks for reading! Stay cool and hydrated on those hot days!

Gary The Snail-Keeping A Garden Snail for a Pet

Hi all! The weather here is fickle. Beautiful one day and raining the next.  We had about 2 weeks of rain, and then we were teased with a few nice and sunny days.  Despite my displeasure over the weather, it has been treating our garden pretty well. Our garden beds are thriving!

One of the things you may be dealing with is garden pests. Among the many annoyances one encounters in a garden is a snail. If a snail population is not kept down, they can wipe out leafy green plants like lettuce. Some people suggest squishing a snail if you find one in your garden. We got a little creative instead.

Snails are actually kind of cute if you don't mind the slime. A garden snail can be a fun little pet to teach your kids about. We keep our own little snail for our son Toby to watch. A typical garden snail can be kept comfortably in a large jar or small aquarium. Sprinkle a layer of soil on the bottom for the snail to dig in and lay eggs. Collect a few small twigs, rocks, etc. to create hiding places for the shy snails. Remember to keep the soil damp and moist. Dry conditions will dry a snail out very quickly. I use a squirt gun, sippy cup, or turkey baster to moisten ours a few days a week.

Snails enjoy leafy greens to eat. You can use lettuce, salad mixes, or other edible plants. You can also feed them veggie peels. I change our snail's food every other day to prevent it from rotting. Snails need calcium to keep their shells strong. You can use a cuttlebone for birds or use eggshells. I just use eggshells since I already crush them for our chickens. The snails won't need much. You can find my tutorial here. Be sure to wipe the interior of the jar occasionally to get rid of unsightly droppings.

There is no need to worry about male or female snails as snails are hermaphrodites. They can lay fertile eggs without mates. I hope to see some tiny snails in ours soon.

Thanks for reading.

Edgington Farm Is Now On Facebook

Hi all! I just wanted to let you all know that Edgington Farm is now on Facebook. You can like our facebook page for even more updates and photos!!

http://www.facebook.com/edgingtonfarm

Don't miss a single post by subscribing to emails by following us here and selecting "LIKE" on our Facebook page!

Thanks for reading!

Crush Eggshells for Your Chickens

Hi all! Some may be surprised at the idea of feeding crushed eggshells back to the chickens. But, this is neither a new nor a novel idea. Eggshells are full of calcium to keep them hard and protected. If a chicken does not acquire enough in its daily diet it will result in thin shelled eggs.

Thin shelled eggs are fixed by feeding crushed oyster shell or crushed eggshells to the hens. Below is a quick tutorial on serving up a bowl of crushed eggs to the backyard flock.

Crushed Eggshells
1. You will need eggshells, I like to collect at least 6 before I even bother. Store bought eggs are not generally advised, along with any other eggs from other chicken flocks. This is just an extra security measure to prevent the spread of diseases. Save those shells for your compost pile.

2. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes (the microwave can alternatively be used for about 1-2 minutes) or until all remaining egg whites are dried out. Allow to cool completely.

3. Crush eggs with a mortar and pestle, food processor, blender, or (if you prefer simplicity like myself) use a heavy drinking glass. They do not have to be crushed to dust. You just want them to be in manageable pieces and to not look like eggs anymore. This will prevent the girls learning those eggs actually taste pretty good.

4. Serve to hens as you would oyster shell.

Chicken Processing Part 2-2013

Hi all! We were a little past due on processing our meat birds. In effect, we spent more on feed and got a slightly lower quality meat. :( We have promised ourselves not to let this happen next time. The meat is still good, but it is a bit tougher.

We processed 5 red ranger meat roosters and 2 red sex link packing peanut roosters. Our meat roosters averaged out at about 7 lbs each (YOWZA!) and our packing peanuts were about 4 lbs each. We still have a couple packing peanuts to process this year. I was stunned though!

They sure tasted good in these chicken tacos!

We barbacued 3 of them a day or 2 later. They sure were good, but I think I still could use more practice cutting up a whole chicken!

Thanks for reading!