chicken swap – VJP Poultry

There are probably more gifts that are chicken themed for women than any other category. I think that women have a soft spot in their hearts for their chickens and like to wear items that reflect that love. If you know someone who loves chickens, this is a great place to get gift ideas for them.

Lets start with shoes. We have some lace up chicken boots for working outside. They also have high top sneakers with the same pattern. Maybe you prefer flip flops for the beach, or canvas slip ons. You may want some cool chicken socks to go with your shoes. Purple rooster socks are fun as well.

Boots for working in the garden or out in the chicken coop are necessity. Short boots or tall boots will get the job done. After working all day, slip into some soft chicken slippers to give your feet a rest.

Scarves with a chicken theme are nice way to dress up an outfit. There are many different scarves to choose from. A chicken hat is a nice addition as well.

The I Love My Chickens hoodie is a fun way to keep warm. There are so many chicken inspired T-shirts that there is no way to list them all. Mother of Chickens makes me think of Game of Thrones. I love my Ladies just about sums up how I feel on this T-Shirt.

There is also a nice silkie t-shirt.

We will finish off the clothing part by showing a night shirt and a couple of dresses. If I have to dress up, I want a dress with a chicken on it.

Purses with chickens on them are interesting. You can get totes for grocery shopping or small wallet sized pouches. Single shoulder back packs work well too.

Speaking of bags there are also makeup pouches with chicken themes. I love these chicken feet sponge holders for your make up table. Chicken poop lip balm is always good for a laugh and great for your lips.

What can I say about chicken jewelry? Have a look at some of these items. We have a rooster necklace and a rooster brooch for your sweater. A chicken charm bracelet for your wrist and some stud earrings for the ears.

As I am looking at these rooster wine stoppers, I am thinking of having a glass of wine myself. How about a set of wine glasses to go with it. This is a cute fat chicken to hold all of your wine corks.

I like to keep a journal and notes on all of my birds. This journal looks like a good one for keeping individual records on bird.

Lastly, I am going to show you some cute iphone cases. Here is one for the iphone 8. They also have the 7plus and 8 plus cases. I really liked this phone case as well. There are also Samsung and Galaxy phone cases if you hunt around.

If you would like to see other chicken gift ideas check out Chicken Lover’s Gifts for the Home and Gifts for Kids Who Love Chickens . If you are interested in a gift for your silkie chicken check out our blog. We also have Gifts for Guys Who Like Chickens. and Gifts For Silkie Chicken Lovers.

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

Silkies are sometimes described as a more high maintenance breed of chicken. Owners are known to give them baths and pedicures and to trim around their eyes when they are so fluffy that they can no longer see. Many live a pampered existence.

Silkies are often thought to need a higher protein chicken food than most other breeds. We feed all of our adult silkies a Gamebird Conditioner feed which is 20% protein. But, does the feed contain all of the vitamins needed for outstanding birds?

Most commercial feed companies will make sure that there is the proper amount of vitamins and minerals for the type and age of the bird. For example, layer feed will have the higher amount of calcium that the hen needs to create egg shells.

However, with any product, the age of the feed is critical to its nutritional content. Vitamins are sensitive to changes due to light, heat and moisture and can lose potency over time.

Some people try to create their own feed mixtures and this can leave the birds with incorrect amounts of certain vitamins and minerals. Corn and scratch are enjoyed by chickens but are empty calories.

Silkies need extra vitamins during times of stress, very cold weather, when they are breeding , when they are chicks and growers and when they are ill.

There are two kinds of vitamins. Fat soluble and water soluble. Water soluble vitamins are not affected by the fats in the chickens diet. These would be the B and C vitamins. If too much is ingested, it is excreted through the urine. Fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K. More care needs to be taken not to over supplement these particular vitamins.

Cluck N Sea Kelp is a nice mixture of Kelp meal that can be added to the regular feed with many benefits. Poultry Power can be added to their food and is a good source of vitamin E. Life Lytes Mega tabs is another product that can be added to the water. It is a good souce for vitamins A, B12, D and E. Durvet Vitamins and Electrolytes is what I use to add to both my chick’s and adult’s water. Rooster Booster is a product I would use with adults for show conditioning or if I was having problems with roosters not performing. Nutri Drench can be used if you have a sick chick and need something fast acting.

Now a word about Wry Neck…. Wry Neck is evident when you see a bird tucking her head between her legs. It usually hits young chicks but can happen in older birds. This can be caused by a vitamin E deficiency . Vitamin E and vitamin B complex are both known to be good for neurological disorders.

Wry Neck is different from a peck on the head, which silkies are very susceptible to. Their vaulted look when chicks is caused by an opening in their skull like a baby’s soft spot. Pecks can lead to head injuries that look very similar to what you see with Wry Neck. Vitamin E and Selenium (helps animals absorb vitamin E) can be helpful with these injuries.

If you think that your silkie has wry neck or a head injury, the first thing to do is separate it from the rest of the flock. Stress will make it worse, so it needs a quiet environment. Take a vitamin E capsule and squirt it onto its feed or into its mouth. Take 25 micrograms of a selenium tablet (or break a 50 mcg tablet in half ) and crush that up and add it to the feed. Give this to the chick two or three times a day. You may have to hand feed it if it is not eating by itself. It may take as long as a month before the condition disappears. Keep giving it the vitamins for two additional weeks beyond where they appear to be recovered. Wry neck affects 8% of chicks across all breeds. It is not contagious.

Since silkies are more prone to head injuries, you may want to take care not to place them in a pen along with more aggressive chickens. Keep them away from bully birds and do not place them in crowded situations.

As a preventative and just for general good health, I place 1/16 tsp of vitamins and electrolytes per 2 quarts of water. This is at the feed supplementation level. More could be used if the bird was showing illness. I also add 1/2 tsp of apple cider vinegar to the 2 quarts of water. The chicks are given vitamins every day but the adults are given it every other day. With the adults I alternate with Red Cell ( one half capful per gallon of water ) and regular vitamins as well as days where they just get plain water. Use less vitamins on hot days as they will drink more water than usual.

Victoria J. Peterson

Tag: chicken swap

Gifts for the Chicken Lady

Vitamins, Silkies, and Wry Neck