Category: Chicken

short-night veggies

I was aware of but didn't not pay much attention to the long-day and short-day preferences of certain vegetables.  I knew that with onions, since I live in the south, I needed to grow the short-day variety.  But that was it - until recently.  In spring last year I had a lot of success with radishes and beets and so this past fall I seeded the ground again with  radishes, beets and, for good measure, turnips.  Only the turnips grew, excepting a couple of sorry looking beets.  Got me wondering.  Read more [...]

while walking

I notice the butterflies love the zinnia plantings in the vegetable patch. I have  not lost any more chicken to predators, for which I thank my handsome rooster.  His aggressiveness to some of the chickens seems to have abated.  Here he is with Lady Macbeth, who is still missing feathers from the back of her head, but they now seem on cordial terms. And the rains we have fortunately received have promoted sprinklings of mushrooms throughout the woods and perhaps encouraged the turtles Read more [...]

battle of wits with a chicken predator

Matching wits with a chicken predator is not a contest I chose.  But I have no option but to contend, as best I can. Some 3 weeks ago on a Saturday evening as I readied to close up the chicken coop I did my count and noticed that Goldie 2 was missing.  We searched the three paddocks and then the perimeter zone without result.  It was only when I went 50 yards into the woods that I noticed one of her feathers.  Golden Comets have distinctive gold colored feathers.  Goldie 2 was my favorite Read more [...]

rainwater from coop roof

When I built the new coop in October last year I fitted  a gutter which directs rainwater to an adjacent 250 gallon storage tank.  My thought was to (a) collect all rainwater landing on impervious surfaces, and (b) use the water to irrigate a chicken food growing area.  To grow food for the chicken I would have to cordon off a growing area and maintain it with vegetables and irrigation, which involves extra work, so instead I now give them excess vegetables from the vegetable garden.  And the Read more [...]

2nd chicken coop door installed

Last week I designed, constructed and installed my first coop door opener - it has operated flawlessly the past week automatically opening the door at about 8am and then late afternoon I reverse the current and close it when I feed the chickens and settle them for the night. An ongoing issue has been the aggressiveness of the Buff Orpington rooster  to his Buff Orpington sister.  The coop has a partition door and, prior to the advent of the door opener, I would house Lady Macbeth (such a fierce Read more [...]

chicken coop door opener

After several weeks spinning my thoughts, I finally got down to it and built and installed an automatic chicken coop door opener.  For the time being it is half automatic - it will open the coop door in the morning (time set for 7.30am) and I will close it in the evening after I have housed and fed the chicken.  Cost of components, excluding scrap wood, hardware, and the transformer which was laying around, was less than $50. I have included full details and photos under the "Self reliance" Read more [...]

summerizing the coop

Before I get to the coop, a quick update on my "Spring activity" journal.  I mentioned that pokeweed is an unwelcome visitor, difficult to extricate because of its long thick taproot.  In permaculture "the problem is the solution" and it occurred to me that the taproot, like that of comfrey was performing a valuable function mining minerals two or more feet below the surface.  But this seemed inadequate justification for its presence until I noticed that it, and it alone, has been attacked and Read more [...]

neem oil – a remedy for chickens

I have been intrigued with neem oil for some time. Something exotic about it. When I first planted tomatoes in north Georgia four years ago, and they were overwhelmed by aphids, neem came to my rescue. Aphids were never a problem again, not because of the neem but my voracious ladybug population. (This week I have been collecting my overwintering ladybug guests and ushering them out to their workplace in my vegetable garden). My second recourse to neem was a couple years ago when the stinkbugs arrived. Read more [...]

egg production

I have mentioned my travails with the Speckled Sussex - one was ill and died and the other went into a serious slump and, despite my efforts also died.  So from 13 hens and 1 rooster I am down to 11 hens and a rooster.  Two of the hens had problems of sorts. Gimpy, one of the hybrids inherited from my neighbor, developed a bad leg or hip.  Don't know why - could this has been from the rough attentions of the rooster?  She hobbles with difficulty and I recently noticed she was now losing feathers Read more [...]