In addition to practicing Biosecurity to protect chickens from disease, vaccination is an effective way to prevent or reduce specific diseases in poultry. Since we’ve had issues with Infectious Bronchitis (IB) in the past and it’s extremely contagious for poultry, we decided to vaccinate our chickens against it. Although we plan to maintain a small-closed flock thereby minimizing possible exposure, IB can “jump” relatively large distances, so we decided to vaccinate ... continue reading...
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Deep Litter & Healthy Chickens?
Ok, this post may be a bit “deep” (sorry for the pun), but I’ve been researching chicken litter management. For the past couple of years, our chickens were either housed in an Eglu (with a pull-out shelf for dropping removal), or in a barn stall, where we could shovel dirt and bedding in and out as necessary for sanitary control. However, now that we’ve got the new coop (see New Coop), I’ve been investigating the “deep litter” management method.What Is It?The “deep litter” technique ... continue reading...
Young Chick Care
The six young chickens that came with the new coop (see New Chicken Coop) were a complete surprise, so we scrambled to accommodate them. It really just came down to what is best for housing, feeding, and watering five week-old chicks so they attain their full potential as healthy, happy, productive chickens.HousingFor housing, baby chickens are started in a brooder with a heat lamp until about 4-5 weeks of age, so we verified that these chicks had been moved out of the brooder, ... continue reading...
New Chicken Coop (with surprise)
On Friday, June 11, our new chicken coop was delivered. It has some nice features: it's elevated, has eight nest boxes accessible from the outside, three operable windows, a built-in roosting area, chicken hatch that can be opened from the human door, and back ventilation hatch. It's 8' x 10', and they even used dimesional shingles on it that match the house.Here's the back wall ventilation hatch (can be adjusted or closed), and the roost area that's built in:Below is the ... continue reading...
Best Lemon Bars
These lemon bars have a deliciously intense lemon taste, are really easy to make, and always disappear quickly on dessert buffets. And, once people have tasted these bars, they always request them again or demand the recipe!Lemon bars may be an "old-fashioned" dessert, but they're always delicious and appreciated. I guess there's really nothing old-fashioned about great taste. Best Lemon Bars For ... continue reading...
