Category: New Silkies

How to Get Rid of Odors in the Chicken Coop

by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

20170804_115301Nothing is worse than a smelly chicken coop.  A stinky pen can be dangerous to your chickens as harmful bacteria, wet bedding and dust can cause respiratory ailments and other problems.  Hot, wet weather with high humidity can increase the bad odors and nathe problems associated with it. If the odor floats over to your neighbor’s yard you will now lose their good will concerning your chicken flock and then you will realize that something needs to be done about the “smell.”

Allowing chickens to free range or have access to a run can help in controlling the odor problem in the coop itself.  The poo is dispersed outside in places  where it can dry out and break down naturally.  Wet poo and wet bedding with poo mixed in it is what is causing the smell inside of the coop.

Removing the poo from the coop and run is the best way for controlling any odor problem.  I use a paint scraper to daily remove poo from my ramps and run.  Scrape any hard surface that has poo on it. Many people place a board under their roost. The board catches the poo during the night. In the morning scrape all of the poo into a bucket for easy disposal. I go through the run every morning and pick up and remove with my scraper any poo left from the day before. Especially pick up the wet poo that never dried. This is the kind of poo that smells bad and attracts flies to it.

About every two weeks I clean out the entire coop bedding. I sweep up and remove poo and dust and use my paint scraper to scrape the floor and sides where poo has attached itself.  Spray with water and scrub walls and floors. If you let the water sit for awhile on the poo spots, it will help to loosen it from the surface. This will make scrubbing it off easier. After it is washed spray a sanitizer such as Oxivir or Oxine and let it air dry.

Pine shavings are best to use for bedding. Sand works well too as it is absorbent.  Straw tends to rot and can grow moldy. Pine shavings should be 4-6 inches deep.  You could add a little Diatomaceous Earth to help dry out the coop in humid weather. Place it in the corners or where ever it is damp.  Make sure that it is Food Grade.

Use lime on floors during the wet season.  Agricultural lime is made from crushed limestone and neutralizes the coop litter PH.  Hydrated Lime is caustic and can burn the bottom of your chicken’s feet so if you use that kind of lime make sure that it is below many layers of bedding.  A very good product is Sweet PDZ coop refresher. Place it under your bedding to help with wetness and odor.  Other similar products are Coop N Compost coop odor neutralizer and Fresh Coop odor Control.  Dookashi for poultry coop odor elimination is also  a compost accelerator.

Zeolite is a natural crystal that is good for drying out and neutralizing odor.  Marineland PA0382 and Sweet Coop are two products that use Zeolite.

When it comes to odor, moisture and water are not your friend. Clean up spills as soon as they happen. Keep the food and the water away from each other. Wet food can smell very bad and will start to spoil.  Use a Fountain style waterer instead of a bowl. I place mine on top of a galvanized pan to keep it higher than the bedding. Make sure that the waterer is level and not dripping onto the bedding.  Change bedding if it becomes wet. Fill your waterers outside of the coop and then bring them in.  Also,  make sure that there are no drips coming from the ceiling causing wet bedding when it rains.

Open up windows and doors whenever possible. A well ventilated coop will let in fresh air and  let out the bad air that has accumulated.  A box fan in the window is wonderful for dying out the moisture and keeping flies away.  If you still smell a strong ammonia smell, it is time to clean the coop

 

For tips and tricks for raising outstanding silkies check out our Chicken Learning Center at VJPPoultry.com .  VJP Poultry is an NPIP and state inspected hatchery located 30 miles north of St. Paul.  We hatch out silkies all year long so we always have stock available.  Like us on Facebook to get weekly updates on what we currently have for sale.

Victoria J. Peterson

20180819_133457-1

How to Practice Biosecurity in Your Own Backyard Silkie Flock

by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

7a31a8c5e329aa4f6b0d5ac6083b2c62Everyone wants their chickens to be healthy, but are you truly giving them the best protection possible?  There are some very lethal poultry diseases out there and you may, without even knowing it, be bringing those pathogens into your backyard. It is important to think about setting up some kind of defense between disease and your birds.

When we use the term “Biosecurity” we are talking about a system of methods that, used correctly, will help to protect your birds from the unseen viruses and bacteria that are looking for a new home. We don’t want that new home to be your chicken coop.

There are many contagious diseases out there that can effect your flock.  There has been an outbreak of Virulent Newcastle Disease is southern California this summer.  This particular outbreak is effecting small backyard flocks and not the large commercial poultry houses like we saw with the Avian Flu a few years back. The Newcastle outbreak highlights the need for year round poultry biosecurity.  If biosecurity is not practiced it would be very easy for Newcastle disease to make its way across the United States infecting birds as it hitches a ride on the tires of a truck or on the bottom of someone’s shoe.

The first thing that you can do is to keep things clean in your own backyard.  Something as simple as washing your hands or using hand sanitizer  before entering or exiting your bird area can be effective. Change food and water daily in your pen.  Clean and disinfect cages, tools or other equipment that comes in contact with your birds or their droppings. There are several good disinfecting products.  I use Oxivir on everything. Other good products include Oxine and Virkon S.  Cleaning and disinfecting are important steps to keep your bird’s environment healthy.  Disinfectants only work effectively when you first clean all dirt,  manure, and bird droppings from your tools, cages, boots and equipment. Clean these things outside of your house to keep germs outside.

Have a separate set of clothes and shoes that you wear only in your poultry area. I have a pair of slogger boots that I only wear when I am doing chicken chores. They slip on and off easily and can be cleaned daily with a garden hose.  I do not go down to the chicken coop unless I am wearing those boots. I have a set of snowmobile boots that I use in the winter for chicken chores. When I go into the house I change into my house shoes.  Those shoes I will wear in the brooder room and the incubation area.  I wear an apron in the brooder room that is washable.  Outside in the adult chicken area I have a coat that I only wear when doing chicken chores. It is washable as well. I also wear gloves that are easily washed as well.   It is important to me to keep the adult chicken germs away from the baby chick area and the rest of the house.  Wash and disinfect shoes and clothes often.

It is important to keep other people and other birds away from your flock as much as possible. That includes birds you just bought and wild birds. Both could carry disease to your chickens.  Restrict access to your property and your birds.  Avoid visiting farms or other households with poultry.  At your own place, do not let visitors near your birds at all if they have their own birds. It is sad to have to say this, but you need to protect your flock.  If you can’t avoid contact with others then make sure that you disinfect your shoes and clothes before being with your birds again.  This is why you need separate boots and coats that you only use with your chickens.  Don’t use other people poultry equipment without disinfecting it first.

If you like to exhibit birds at poultry shows, make sure that you quarantine birds for at least two weeks after the event. Wear different shoes and clothing when at the show or fair and disinfect when you return home. Disinfect cages that were used for transport.

Be sure to buy birds from a reputable source. Check and see what kind of biosecurity they practice.   Someone who is an NPIP breeder has their flock pullorum tested every year and can only buy from others who are NPIP.  A state inspected hatchery has a state vet come out and inspect the premises every year and discusses biosecurity standards with them.  Whoever you do buy from make sure that you keep new birds quarantined for at least 30 days.

Don’t let wild birds have contact with your flock.  If your birds are outside, consider keeping them in a screened area. Do not let wild birds eat food in your chicken run. This will also help keep insects and rodents away.  Hang fly strips or fly traps in the coop. Flies can transmit disease on the bottom of their feet. Put out mouse traps and clean up spilled feed to keep your area rodent free.

Change is always hard especially if you are used to doing things in a certain way. Just pick one suggestion and start with that. Once it becomes a habit, choose another biosecurity measure to implement.  You will feel better knowing that you are keeping your flock safe and healthy.

 

 

For tips and tricks for raising outstanding silkies check out our Chicken Learning Center at VJPPoultry.com .  VJP Poultry is an NPIP and state inspected hatchery located 30 miles north of St. Paul.  We hatch out silkies all year long so we always have stock available.  Like us on Facebook to get weekly updates on what we currently have for sale.

Victoria J. Peterson

cute Chicken cartoon character with stop sign

 

Keeping Silkie Chickens Safe From Raccoons

by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

Raccoon_(Procyon_lotor)_2Raccoons are one of silkie chicken’s biggest predators.  Raccoons can climb walls and over fencing. They can reach their hands through wire mesh that their bodies can’t get through to grab their prey.  In the United States, raccoons are the most common predators of chickens.  They are intelligent foes. They will remember your chicken coop and come again and again to prey upon your chickens.  But, if you have a raccoon proof coop they will go elsewhere to find easier food.

Raccoons are mainly nocturnal.  Make sure to always lock up your birds at night. If you see a raccoon during the daytime it may be sick or even have rabies. Stay clear of any raccoon you see in the daylight.

1516665071064535880345

The first sign of a raccoon in your area is if you see foot prints in the mud around your coop.  Raccoon tracks are very distinctive with five toes on both the front and back paws.  You might also notice its scat or poo nearby.

 

A single raccoon can devastate your flock of chickens in a short period of time. He will both kill your birds and eat their eggs.  A raccoon typically attacks birds by biting the head or upper neck area. The heads of adult birds are bitten off and then left some distance from the body. The crop and breast may be torn and chewed and entrails eaten.

Raccoons have been known to mutilate poultry in cages by pulling their heads off.  Raccoons like to put their fingers through holes and pull the chicken through or pull out parts of the bird that they can reach. Several kills will  be made in one night. Dead birds may be found at the site or dragged off.  Young chickens that still sleep on the ground at night are a prime target for raccoons.  Silkies are at a disadvantage because they can’t fly up into the rafters to escape.  They sleep on the ground and are easy prey.

It is important to make sure that your coop and run are predator proof. Raccoons can both climb and dig. Placing paving slabs or burying wire mesh around the perimeter of the run will help to deter them. Use hardware cloth that is 1/4 or 1/2 inch. Hardware cloth should be fitted over coop windows. Use large washers and screws to fit hardware cloth to window frames as raccoons can rip staples out.  They will bend or pry any screen mesh in order to make a hole to get through. Keep your chickens inside the coop at night. Do not allow them to run loose after dark.

Raccoons have great manual dexterity and can open complex latches. Make sure that your closures have at least two steps or use padlocks. Make sure that your coop and run have a roof on them and check for any little holes that would allow for entry.  They will pry or dig in order to make the hole larger.

Don’t attract raccoons to your yard or coop.  Don’t leave pet food out or bird seed under your feeders. Both are favorites of raccoons. In periods of dry weather, raccoons will also be attracted by any sources of water in your yard.  That includes waterers in your run.  Keep all food out of your run and coops at night. The smell will attract the raccoons.  Keep animal proof lids on your trash cans.  Pick up any fruit that has fallen from fruit trees.  Raccoons love fruit and will make your yard a nightly stop when they start to fall.  Raccoons remember where they found food before and will keep coming back until it is gone.

There are many products out there that can help to deter raccoons.  Nite guard solar lights can help to protect a chicken coop.  Mount at eye level, about 10-15 inches from the ground.  Mount four lights, one on each side of the coop. The flashing lights will spook the raccoons into thinking that they are eyes of other animals.

Motion activated sprinklers such as Orbit or Hoont can repel predators by surprising them with a water spray.   Use at night in an area where it will protect your coop.

Raccoons hate strong odors.  Set out shallow dishes containing sponges soaked in ammonia. Sprinkle the lawn with cayenne pepper or use dog or cat repellents around the perimeter of your yard.  Taste or odor repellents such as Ropel can turn away raccoons.

Raccoons do not like loud noises.  animal Bird X repellent uses ultrasonic sound with a motion sensor. Vigilant chicken owners often install baby monitors or even security cameras in their chicken coops.  If you hear a clamor, run to the chicken coop as fast as you can making loud noises to scare the raccoons away.

You may want to use a live trap to remove your raccoon.  Bait the trap with canned cat food, sweet corn or raccoon bait.  Place the bait as far back into the trap as possible as raccoons seem to know how to take the bait without springing the trap.  If you plan on relocating the raccoon make sure that you travel at least 10 miles away or they will find their way back to your coop.  Check your states laws. Some states do not allow relocation of trapped raccoons.  Use heavy gloves when letting the raccoon out of the trap.  Be extremely careful as you are opening the door. They have a nasty bite.

Raccoons will live in any enclosed area such as a tree hole, a garage or attic or even culverts.  They have become urban dwellers as they have access to both food and shelter where man resides.  Chicken is one of their favorite prey which is why backyard flock owners must be ever vigilant.

For tips and tricks for raising outstanding silkies check out our Chicken Learning Center at VJPPoultry.com .  VJP Poultry is an NPIP and state inspected hatchery located 30 miles north of St. Paul.  We hatch out silkies all year long so we always have stock available.  Like us on Facebook to get weekly updates on what we currently have for sale.

Victoria J. Peterson

main-qimg-2a472a1792ff8f5f67941823cf95337c-c

 

 

How to Keep Silkie Chickens Cool During a Heat Wave

by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

123951 (1)The hot days of summer usually signal a lowering of egg production in your hens and lowered fertility in your roosters, but it can also cause heat stress or heat stroke in chickens which can lead to sudden death when a heat wave comes on.  It is important to be prepared ahead of time and to know ways and methods in which to quickly cool down your flock.

Watch your weather forecasts very closely.  They will let you know several days in advance if a heat wave is coming to your area.  Check for humidity warnings.  Don’t get caught off guard or your birds will suffer.

Chickens perform at their best at 75 degrees Fahrenheit.  Their core temperature is 107 degrees Fahrenheit. When the outside temperature climbs to 85 F they begin to show signs of distress.  Heavier birds will feel the heat more than lighter birds.  Small chicks can handle temps up to 100 degrees F but larger birds will have problems. Not all breeds handle the heat the same. Silkies have a harder time with the heat than the cold. Poor eyesight due to large crests can make locating shade and water difficult.  Dark colored birds absorb the sun’s rays where light colored birds can reflect it. Use small rubber bands to tie up crests on silkies to help them cool off and find water easily.

Chickens do not sweat.  They release moisture through panting, droppings and evaporation. I see my silkies lifting their wings up and out to try and cool off on very hot days.   If a bird is listless and panting, she may have heat stroke. You will want to try and cool off her body temperature as quickly as you can.  One hot day I saw one of my birds lying down and panting. I picked it up and moved it outside into the shade and gave it a shallow dish of water. She began drinking quickly and recovered. If I had not discovered her in time, she might have died.  Many people lose poultry during heat waves.  Slowly submerging a chicken into a bucket of water can bring down their body temperature.  Make sure that the water is not too cold as to shock their system which could cause heart failure. Also, do not let the beak submerge under the water as that can cause drowning.

The best thing that you can do for your flock during a heat wave is to provide them with plenty of cool, clean drinking water.  I put out multiple drinking founts both inside of the coop and outside of the coop.  Make large ice cubes and place them inside of your waterers to cool the temperature of your water.  Chickens do not like to drink warm water, and will avoid the waterer if they know the water is warm.  You could also place small shallow bowls of water that are easier to get their beaks into.  It is easier to change out and get new water with this type of waterer than a large fountain type so you will be more apt to do it.

Adding electrolytes to their water can help with dehydration and can add vitamins and minerals. Do not add electrolytes every day. I would go for 3 days on and then 3 days off. Birds drink more during hot weather which can increase the amount of vitamins they are ingesting upsetting their vitamin dosage.

Keep the water fresh and clean. They won’t drink dirty water even when they are thirsty.  Don’t place the waterers in the direct sun.  The chickens will not walk out to the waterers if they have to go into the hot sun to do so. Place the waterers in the shade.  Keep the temperature at least 10 degrees cooler than the outside temperature using ice cubes or frozen bottled water inside the waterers.   Make it easy for them to get to the waterers by placing them near to where they are shading themselves.

Frozen treats can help to cool down your birds. Frozen bananas, watermelon, apples and strawberries are good choices. Don’t feed cracked corn, scratch or other grains as it will warm up their insides as it is digested.  The best food in hot weather is a high protein pellet/crumble food that contains all the nutrients they need. Do not place the feeders in the direct sunlight.  The birds will not want to walk out to eat from it.  Feed the flock in the late afternoon about an hour before dark.  That way they will have a full crop before going to sleep.  Feeding them in the morning will cause them to have a full crop in the heat of the day and going through the digestion process will raise their internal temperature during a time they need to be cooling off.

Create shade if you do not have it in the run area.  Use beach umbrellas or sail cloth to block out direct sunlight. I will even use tarps to drap over the top of runs to create more shade.  Let your birds free range when you can and they will find shrubs and bushes to rest under during the heat of the day. Provide places to dust bathe and even cool down those area with some water poured into them.

Good ventilation is important in your coop especially in hot weather. Leave windows open and place window fans in them to create air flow.  Place a large block of solid ice in front of a fan for a cooling breeze.  Good circulation of air moves the hot air out and the cool air in.

Cool down the coop by keeping the poop under control.  Decomposing manure creates heat and attracts flies and other insects.  Flies in the coop can lead to fly strike.  Ammonia fumes can cause respiratory problems.  Pick up and remove large chunks of poo each day.  Note that chickens tend to have watery diarrhea during times of heat.

Set up a baby pool and give your birds an hour or so in the pool getting their feet and bottoms wet.  Make sure you supervise this activity.  Even just holding them down in the water and then lifting them out will cool them off. Do not make the water too deep. Only a couple of inches of water is needed.

Get a mister attachment for your hose and leave it on during the day.  Hang it from something like a tree branch.  It will reduce the temperature of the ground underneath it.  You could also spray the outside of your coop walls with water using the “flat” spray setting on your nozzle.  If you needed too, you could gently spray down your birds during the hottest times of the day using the mist setting.

Avoid stressing your birds during hot weather.  Do not move pens around or switch birds so that they have new pen mates.  Do not over crowd them.  They need plenty of space to be able to lift their wings and cool off. Keep interaction with your birds to a minimum.  Seeing people tends to excite them and will make them hotter.  Expect that egg production will slow down and then stop altogether during this time.  Hens do not like change, though roosters can handle it better.  Keep an eye on them and try to make them as comfortable as possible.

For tips and tricks for raising outstanding silkies check out our Chicken Learning Center at VJPPoultry.com .  VJP Poultry is an NPIP and state inspected hatchery located 30 miles north of St. Paul.  We hatch out silkies all year long so we always have stock available.  Like us on Facebook to get weekly updates on what we currently have for sale.

Victoria J. Peterson

123951

 

 

 

Bachelor Pads for the Silkie Rooster

by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

20180627_154829What can you do with your extra roosters?  Almost every flock owner that keeps roosters is faced with this dilemma.  There are rooster rescues,  craigslist ads or even the stew pot,  but not all of these solutions work for all people. Maybe a rooster bachelor pad or Roo frat house is a solution for you.

Bantam breeds are very difficult to sex.  Silkies may be at the top of that list.  Silkies are usually sexed at around 3 to 4 months old.  Bantams and silkies are sold “straight run” which means that you are buying the chicks unsexed.  Fertile chicken eggs have a 50/50 chance of being roosters.  Consequently, many people end up with more rooters than they bargained for.

If you and your family have raised a group of baby chicks up from day olds, you will no doubt have become very attached to every single member of your flock.  It will bring a tear to your children’s eyes if you contemplate selling or giving away your little guys to someone  who may be planning a chicken dinner or even worse, such as using them for cock fighting or as bait birds.

The problem with extra roosters is that the many people who end up keeping all of them and not removing them from their flock assume that the boys can just continue to be part of their little group and that nothing will change.  Well, puberty happens and the male hormones start to kick in and the sweet little boys that you cuddled will suddenly have other things on their minds.

The optimal ratio for roosters to hens is around one rooster for every ten hens.  In a pen where just one rooster rules the roost, the flock is content and happily free from stress.  If you invite several “extra” roosters to join them you are opening up your flock to what could be a disaster.

Normal rooster behavior is to defend his flock of hens from all predators and other males. He will give his life to protect his girls.  When you add more males into the pen it will create fights and anxiety.  This disruption of constant fighting will cause the hens in that pen to stop laying as a stressful environment is not conducive to raising a family.

Multiple roosters mating with too few hens will cause the feathers on your hen’s back and crest to be pulled out and damaged.  Hen aprons can be a solution if you are experiencing this problem.   You may also find that the roosters will turn on you as well, as all are fighting for a place of dominance in the pecking order.

Creating a bachelor colony or frat house is a solution. All extra males would be housed together in a separate pen away from the rest of the flock.  Ideally, you want it to be somewhere where they cannot see or hear any hens.  If they know that hens are nearby they will continue to fight each other for them.

First of all, your rooster run will need to be adequately sized so that they do not feel overcrowded.  Even with no hens around, the males will still feel territorial and need plenty of space.  Multiple feeders and waterers are important.  Roosters that are higher up on the dominance scale may try and prevent lower roosters from eating and drinking.

Trim or remove all rooster’s spurs in order to protect pen mates from damage during any squabbles.  Use a diagonal wire cutter to trim off as much as you can.  Keep nails trimmed with a nail clipper  and trim around their eyes with blunt scissors so they aren’t surprised by anything.

Studies have shown that in the wild, roosters will willingly spend time together in a flock away from the hens so penning them separately is not entirely unusual for them.  Watch for signs of anxiety .  I have found that all will be getting along fine and then suddenly all are fighting.  This is when I generally let them out to free range.  Putting space between them generally settles them down. Some people permanently let their roosters free range and simply keep the hens locked in their own run.

Some people will rotate roosters into other pens so that all roosters get to spend some time with hens.  Remember that all chickens hate change.  This will be reflected in a drop in egg production as they get used to having a new rooster.

Sometimes it is easier to have a separate cockerel pen with no hens in sight or ear shot. Once birds reach maturity individual pens are sometimes best.  Then you only move the roosters for breeding .  This gives you total control of your flock or breeding program.  When they are not breeding, the roosters are in their quarters which gives the hens a break.  Many roosters will be friendly and docile when you are the only one having contact with them.  Pick the roosters up frequently and carry them around .  They love to have their chests and wattles stroked.  If a rooster is too excited, hold him until his heart rate goes down before putting him back on the ground.  When roosters are trained and treated well, they can make excellent companions.

20180703_164353

Keeping your roosters in individual pens also controls their environment. You will be able to evaluate your breeders more accurately and be able to make improvements to the quality of your birds.  You can use small coops like the one in the above picture, or even a dog house with fencing like the picture below.  A nice plastic snaplock coop is easy to clean and take care of.  Chicken tractors are always good choices for male colonies as they can be moved around far from the girls.  At the end of this article you can see the bachelor pad we recently built.  I like to have an heir and a spare when it comes to roosters and we built this one on the side of the garage away from the rest of the flock. They are not able to see or hear hens from this spot.

20180703_164531-1

For tips and tricks for raising outstanding silkies check out our Chicken Learning Center at VJPPoultry.com .  VJP Poultry is an NPIP and state inspected hatchery located 30 miles north of St. Paul.  We hatch out silkies all year long so we always have stock available.  Like us on Facebook to get weekly updates on what we currently have for sale.

Victoria J. Peterson

20180703_164137