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Gifts for the Chicken Lady

December 2, 2017May 17, 2020 by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

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

Chicken Lover’s Gifts for the Home

November 28, 2017May 18, 2020 by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

There is no end to the amount of chicken themed items you can find for your home. The amount of people who keep backyard flocks is increasing every year and I have gathered a few things a true chicken lover might want to have in their home or as a gift to give to others.

How about a chicken bedroom set? Chicken Family bedspread and Blue Rooster and Hen . How about throwing a rooster runner down the floor?

Now we move on to the bathroom. A chicken themed shower curtain is just the thing to liven up that bathroom and show your chicken spirit. Here is a great toilet roll holder that looks like chicken wire. There is also a matching towel rack made from the a similar chicken wire look. We also have a vintage chicken toilet roll holder.

The kitchen has many chicken gift ideas. There are many rugs with the chicken theme. These can also be used as bath mats. How about some kitchen dish towel sets? There are many to choose from. I found four different sets of chicken themed dishes. If you are in the mood for making cookies, here is a rooster cookie cutter. You will need an oven mitt to get those cookies out and not burn yourself. Decorative tiles to use as trivets abound in chicken designs. Cute art glass chickens to put on your window sill can let the sun shine through. Get up in the morning with a Love Chickens coffee cup to start your day in the coop.

If your chicken math is like mine, you may want to add a life sized chicken statue in the backyard. A way to increase your flock in case you don’t have the space for more chickens. If you are interested in gifts for kids that love chickens or in gifts for chickens themselves, or maybe Gifts for the Chicken Lady check out these blog posts. We also have Gifts for Guys Who Like Chickens. and Gifts For Silkie Chicken Lovers.

Victoria J. Peterson

How to Fix a Heated Water Base Which is Too Hot

November 17, 2017December 1, 2018 by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

Last fall I purchased eight new heated water bases to be used under galvanized waterers in order to keep my water from freezing in the chicken coop. I began to notice that the water was alway spilling over and making a wet mess of the pine shaving bedding. This seemed strange because the water never overflowed in the summer. I ended up buying pizza trays to place under the metal waterers. This was successful but the pizza trays had to be drained off every day which was extra work.

Then I began to notice that the water was beginning to become very warm – hot even. I could see the steam cloud raising up from the waterer when ever I changed out the water. I put my finger in the water and it was like very hot bath water. I figured that the water was around 100 degrees F. The water should have been between 32 F and and 45 F.

Chickens do not like to drink hot water. They wouldn’t wait until I changed out the water and then they would descend on the cooler water. There wasn’t an empty spot all the way around the waterer when the cool water was added to it.

As the water was heated, the water expanded and was forced over the rim. This created the situation with the wet bedding which had to be replaced. This would happen every time new water was added.

I did a little research and read some reviews of the product. I noticed that quite a few people were having the exact same problem that I was having – overheated water and water expanding and spilling out.

Dennis troubleshooted the situation and found that the snap disc thermostat was defective which was causing the base to operate at too high of temperature. He purchased new snap disc thermostats that turn on at 32 F and off at 45 F. You actually can buy the thermostats at different temperatures but these are the correct ones for the water bases.

Here are the steps for replacing the thermostats:

Flip the Heated base over.
Us a cordless drill to drill out the pop rivets holding the back plate on. Be sure to mark the placement because we found the holes to be an uneven distance from each other.
Pry off the back cover with something like a screw driver.
. Unplug the connections to the thermostat.
Remove the rivets to the thermostat with a cordless drill.
Take out the old thermostat and replace it with the new one. Ours had a red casing.
Fasten the new thermostat with new pop rivets using a pop rivet gun.
Connect the wires back up to the new thermostat.
Using aluminum pop rivets, fasten the protective back cover on the pan. Use the pop rivet gun to do this.
The little pop rivets go in each hole on the back side.
End of repair. I originally purchased two different brands of heated bases. The Farm Innovators we purchased worked great and we did not have to repair them. The other brand had to have all of its thermostats replaced. All appliances wear out sooner or later. It’s nice to be able to repair instead of having to replace. .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

What To Expect at a Poultry Show

November 4, 2017May 21, 2020 by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

A poultry show is usually a three day event. The first day is spent “cooping-in”. This is when you arrive and place your birds in their show cages. The second day is when the judging takes place and other events. The third day is very short and it is known as “cooping-out” or cleaning up and taking your birds back home.

Leading up to this event you will have sent in your entry form to the organization that is hosting the show. You will need to declare how many birds you are entering in each breed and whether they are pullets, hens, cockerels or cocks. Pullets are females up to one year of age. Cockerels are males that are up to one year of age. Cocks are male roosters over one year old. There is a small fee for each bird that you enter. You will also need to have each bird pullorum tested and have that paperwork sent in along with your entry form. There will be a cut off date for getting your entry forms completed and mailed in.

Leading up to the show, you will need to keep your bird in condition with high protein food. Practice handling and cage training your bird. A week before the show you will need to clip toenails, beaks and bathe your bird. You may also want to do some reading on primping your bird for the show.

Friday evening is coop-in time. You will need to to load your birds into your car or trailer. Use poultry carriers or cat carriers to transport your birds. One bird per carrier space is preferred so that they do not poo on each other’s feathers.

When you arrive you will check in and locate where your show cages are. They will not all be together, especially if you are bringing more than one breed of poultry. These show cages are very small. There will be some pine shavings already in the cage, but you can bring your own from home to add to it. Set up your feeders and waterers. If you are showing silkies, you will want the pop bottle waterer. I use mini bungee cords to secure the waterers instead of the springs that come with them. I bring jugs of water from my own home that has electrolytes added to it.

In my cage cups I put a wild bird seed mixture. This will help to keep their poo firmer and not make such as mess in their cages. Each cage has a card attached to it. Read the card carefully. It will say the breed, color (variety) and sex of the bird that should go into that cage. If the information is not correct then you need to find someone in charge and get it corrected.

You can then start to unload your birds from their carriers and into their show cages. As I do this, I carefully wipe clean their feet with baby wipes or citrus hand cleaner. Look around to see where the outlets are located in the building. You will need to be able plug in your hair dryer in the morning. I also put a little Vet Rx on the comb to help their immune system since they are in a new environment.

You can zip tie or lock your cage before you leave, but understand that the zip ties and locks must be off before the judge can inspect your bird. Then it’s off for a good night’s sleep and an early start the next day.

On Saturday morning you will want to arrive as soon as the doors are open. Check your birds for water and then remove the food from their cage until judging is over. You do not want your bird to have a full crop when it is being judges. Then get out your showbox supplies and plug in your hair dryer. Carefully check each bird for messy feet or feathers and try to clean it with a baby wipe. If it is a larger mess, use Cowboy Magic or Citrus hand cleaner.

After they are cleaned up, I spray a cloth with Show Sheen and rub it all over the bird. I use the hair dryer to dry the show sheen and fluff up the silkie feathers. Use a slicker brush or a fine tooth comb to tease and back comb the fail feathers to make it look as fluffy as possible. When satisfied with the look of the bird, put it back in the cage and await judging.

Keep your cage as clean as possible and remove any poo or eggs as they come. You are not allowed in the judging aisle while the judge is there. I do like to observe from several aisles over white the judge is going over my birds. It helps me to understand my scoring card later.

Learn to read a cage tag and interpret the judges markings prior to your arrival. The birds are first judged against others that are the same color, sex and age. For example, all the white silkie pullets are judged against each other. They will be given a ranking or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 for the top five birds in this group. This is written or circled on the card. Then they will judge all the white hens, then all the white cockerels etc. until all of the white have been ranked. Then the judge will award BV (Best Variety) and RV (Reserve Variety). This is like first and second place. All of the other colors (varieties) in the breed are judged this way. When that is completed the judge will then decide BB (Best of Breed) and RB (Reserve best of Breed). This is based on all the colors (varieties) that are represented by the breed. The Best of Breed silkie is then judged against other winners that are in the Feather Legged category. Again, that winner will go to Champion Row and then compete for Best Bantam and Reserve. The winner of Best Bantam goes on to compete for Super Grand Champion of the show against the Grand Champion Large Fowl and Grand Champion waterfowl.

The judge will often write comments on the cards such as “nice” or “wing?”. What you don’t want to see is a DQ (disqualification) or a blank card with nothing written on it. You will need to find the judge later when they are finished to ask them questions about what was written or why they judged the way they did.

There are other things to do besides watching the judging. Jr. Showmanship will be taking place. It is always fun to watch the kids answer questions about their birds. There will be auctions and raffles to participate in. Vendors are often there so you can look at all the new chicken supplies.

Outside you will find many people selling birds from their cars or from specially marked areas. Food will be for sale as well as a special banquet at night where awards are often given out.

Sunday morning is coop-out time. Awards will be given at that time as well. Make sure that you do not remove your birds until the coop out announcement is made. Then it is a mad dash to quickly take down your food and waterers and load your birds back up in their carriers for the trip home. Before the bird goes in the carrier make sure that you give it a quick spray of Adams Flea and Tick in case they picked anything up at the show.

The best thing about any poultry show is the time that you get to spend with other chicken people. You will see old friends and make some new ones. You will get the chance to talk chicken to your hearts content with other like minded people. Plans will be made to meet next year again at the show.

Victoria J. Peterson

Worming Your Silkies in the Fall and Spring

October 14, 2017May 31, 2020 by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

You may not believe it but a normal silkie is probably harboring some worms in their body at all times. A healthy chicken can tolerate a small amount of worms in their system, but it is when a bird is sick or stressed that this can become a problem. If the bird’s immune system is down this can lead to an over population of worms.

Chickens should be wormed regularly to prevent this buildup of worms in the digestive system and elsewhere in their bodies. If you keep your birds in an enclosed run or in a fixed grazing area this can lead to an increased number of worms. The poo from the chicken will contain worms and worm eggs will then be on the ground as well.

Infected silkies can shed thousands of eggs in the feces onto the ground. Worm eggs are so tiny that you will not be able to see them.

Symptoms to look for if you think that your bird has worms would be : worms in the chicken’s egg, abnormal droppings, diarrhea, foamy looking poo, weight loss, pale comb and wattles, listlessness, dirty vent feathers, worms in droppings, gasping and head stretching, head shaking, reduced egg production and sudden death of the bird.

Worming can be hard on the chicken’s body and should not be done without some thought. If you choose to worm, avoid worming during the winter in freezing temperatures. Do not worm if your bird is molting or under six weeks of age. Most people that worm do it in the spring and in the fall.

There are several different types of worms that may be found in poultry. Hairworms/threadworms are found in the crop, esophagus and intestine. Round worms are common and found in the digestive tract. Tapeworms are found in the intestine. Gapeworms can be found in the trachea and lungs. Cecal worms live in the ceca where poo is made. These different worms enter a chicken when the bird eats worm infected droppings or if it eats a slug or insect carrying worm eggs.

When choosing a wormer, be sure that the wormer you select is recommended for the type of worms you are treating. Not all de-worming medications are capable of treating all kinds of worms.

You may want to order an at-home Fecal Worm Test Kit which is available on-line. This will let you know whether or not your chicken has any worms.

Even if you suspect that one chicken has worms, you should treat the entire flock. It is best to do it twice a year, in the fall and in the spring. You will need to treat the birds twice. Once to get rid of the adult worms and the second time to get rid of the worms that have hatched from eggs since the first treatment.

Wazine ( piperazine) is used to worm round worms. Check the directions on the bottle for treatment and egg withdrawal time. That would be the amount of time you will not be able to eat eggs that are laid. Wazine is added to the birds drinking water.

Safe-guard or Panacur (Fenbendazile) treats threadworms, roundworms, cecal worms and gapeworms.

Invermectin pour-on treats roundworms, threadworms, gapeworms as well as mites and lice.

These three done in a rotation (one in the spring, a different one in the fall, and the third one the following spring) will cover all worm infestations.

Durvet Strike III Type B medicatied feed is used as an aid in the control of infections caused by intestinal parasites (worms). It has an antibiotic in it. It helps to heal but not to get rid of worms.

Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade is a more natural type of dewormer. You mix it into your feed. 1/4 cup of DE to 35 oz of feed.

Pumpkin seeds in kernel form or pumpkin seeds in the shell help to make the environment inside the chicken less attractive for the parasite. The seeds are more suited to preventing worms than removing them.

The best worm preventative is to keep your chickens healthy. Give them proper food without too many treats. Do not feed them on the ground but in bowls or feeders. Clean and sanitize feeders and waters every week. Add vitamins to the water to improve their immune system.

Do not crowd birds. Keep the coop clean and change the litter to beak the eggs cycle. Rotate the runs and pasture. Chicken tractors are a great way to move your chickens from one grazing site to another. Keep the grass cut short. Sunlight helps to kill the worm eggs.

In between wormings use Verm-X and Apple cider vinegar to help keep worm numbers down.

Victoria J. Peterson