10 things you wanted to know about chickens but were afraid to ask – 5#

FEATHER SEXING

It’s quite a common term thats banded around, often by inexperienced breeders who are attempting to provide a level of confidence to unsuspecting, inexperienced buyers….

It’s also a case of a little knowledge can be dangerous, or in the case of those looking to make a quick profit, it’s a tool to confidently con a buyer by selling them chicks that are claimed to be females.

So what is feather sexing and how does it work?

It is a method of being able to tell the difference between male and female chicks based on the growth rate of their primary wing feathers. The wing feathers of the male birds grow slower than the females however this is only evident when the chicks are between one and three days old after which point the feathers of the male birds will catch up in size.

It is also only really possible to reliably do on hybrid chicks where a fast feathering cockerel such as a Leghorn is crossed with slow-feathering hens such as a Rhode Island Red.

Not all breeds or crossings will produce opportunities to feather sex
successfully nor will those that should provide variable feather growth rates work unless the male parent stock is carry the fast feathering genes.

Points worth noting if you buy young birds where the seller claims they know the gender of the chick as they have feather sexed the brood. A couple of well placed questions will soon expose the bluffer. As for those who claim to be able to vent sex with 100% accuracy… well thats a blog post for another day

 

Time will tell who is who

 

“If you like chickens….”

“If you like chickens, are interested in chickens, have chickens, want chickens,
live near chickens, or are a chicken – you should get this book.”

….and so the review concluded on Amazon. I felt rather proud to have been involved in the writing of that book even if the comment brought a chuckle to my face.

I have a lot of poultry books and obviously as a co-author of the above you’d expect me to say it’s a good book…. but it is! And whilst you might think this is just some PR to boost sales…. it isn’t, I’ve had my pay cheque already. Instead I’ll leave to another poultry keeper to share his review…

“I have a large collection of poultry books from the 1930′s through to the present day and I am always eager to open the cover of a new release to see what else I can learn about chickens which have become part of my working life as well as my passion.
There are so many very basic ‘how to keep chickens’ books out there and once you’ve seen one… it gets a little, well, boring reading another and lets face it there are some good websites out there these days with a lot of this kind of information available.
“The Chicken. A Natural History” is different. It is not a ‘how to’ book but is aimed at pretty much anyone interested in chickens, beginner or not. The first 4 chapters covers what science can tell us about chickens. From evolution and domestication to anatomy, biology, behaviour, intelligence and learning, all fascinating chapters that are well presented with no shortage of amazing photos.
From wattles and combs to hatching, flock formation to chicks imprinting on their mother, it really is all covered in this book!
The fifth and final chapter covers an introduction to the breeds which covers many of the different breeds you will come across. From layers to table birds, Game to ornamental breeds, each with their own photograph and breed profile covering their origins, some history and information about their behaviour and upkeep. This chapter is very well written and could make a small book of its own!
Overall, an excellent book. I think this could well be in my top 3 best books on chickens. If you want to learn about chickens and their breeds, don’t look any further, this is definitely the book for you.”

….and on that note, best I press on with writing the next book….. well maybe later, I feel the urge to go sit in the sunshine in the middle of the field surrounded by Brahma’s and read a book  :-)

The Edible Garden Show 2013

It was my first time at the Edible Garden Show this weekend gone (15^th-17^th March) and I was along there with NFU Countryside Magazine offering Chicken Surgeries, in the ‘Potting Shed’ interviewing Genevieve Taylor about her excellent new book “A Good Egg”, hanging out with Victoria Roberts in the Smallholder marquee and sitting on the “Ask the Expert” desk answering questions on chickens and gardening (although I was probably asked if I knew where the toilets were more often than any other question)

It’s the third year the show has run and the size of the crowds on all three days (despite Friday being Red Nose Day and Saturday being the crunch match in this years Six Nations Rugby) were testament to the huge numbers of people who are electing to grow more of their own food.

For many years I’ve understood and appreciated the value of poultry as part of a productive garden and a self supporting lifestyle, and I’ve long being saying that the large increase in backyard keepers is not some fad but simply the fact it’s a natural step to take when you are a grow your veg sort of person. The amount of floor space & talk time at the show dedicated to poultry was a reflection of that, and the fact the planned surgeries dissolved into a full on, flat out Q&A session seemed to prove the point too. People are hungry for knowledge and are keen to get the best out of their birds and ensure the birds get the best out of their land.

Some of us are even dreaming of more land and more chickens (my apologies to Alys Fowler, it was a momentary lapse in concentration)

 

10 things you wanted to know about chickens but were afraid to ask – 4#

ASSISTING IN A HATCH

Hatching season is now upon us and if you decide to try your hand at hatching this year for the first time then the first rule of thumb is ‘sit on your hands’ during the process. Many folks find their first venture into incubator hatching doesn’t quite turn out as it should. Even if the eggs are fertile and candle well, the hatch rate is not quite the bundle of fluff that was expected. More often than not it’s the fault of the operator and not that of the eggs or the chicks.

Artificial incubation isn’t a dark art but it equally it isn’t an exact science. The bottom line is you are trying to get the incubator to the right conditions to enable the embryo to develop fully and the egg to lose 15% of its mass over the designated incubation period (21 days in chickens). Slight fluctuations in those conditions can result in earlier or later hatches and this is where as a first timer you can start to get anxious. It starts with checking the incubator, initially this is looking through the window, next its opening the machine itself (bang goes the optimum conditions when you do this and it will take time for those conditions to return). Next might be to add more water because you don’t think it’s humid enough and then finally it will picking at the shells of the eggs that look like they might have started to pip and its day 21 and thats what the instruction book says is the day the chicks hatch.

Don’t. Sit on your hands or better still go away and do something less destructive because destructive is what you are likely to be if you start to assist in a hatch. You might well break out a chick which goes on to live healthily but by the same measure you can cause leg problems (the chick needs to push itself from the egg to stretch its leg tendons) or worse still kill it by either causing excessive membrane bleed or extracting the youngster from its shell before it’s absorbed all the yolk.

Let nature take its course, some chicks hatch quickly, others slowly, and ducks are down right lazy, rarely though does your intervention in the process result in useful assistance.

This gosling died in shell however you can see the unabsorbed egg sac quite clearly

 

‘Bootifully’ Easy Boot Projects

The wet winter months usually mean a return to more sturdy footwear for gardening, and quite often a return to not-so-stylish muddy platform heels!

I wouldn’t describe ourselves as being particularly house proud, in fact with the number of children, chickens and a messy collie dog, its like shovelling snow in a snowstorm trying to keep the place tidy. We do however try to avoid traipsing in half the garden on the bottom of wellies and the like and this is where these two for the projects come into play.

Both are very simple, very easy to make and cost pratically nothing! The boot scraper is a pleasantly rustic design built of a log from the wood pile and a roof slate, both appearing for free in the garden following the recent high winds blasting in from the Berwyns. The boot pull, or boot jack is an age old idea yet one that is seldom seen in a average porchway, surprising considering its efficiency in not only removing a wellie boot but the fact its completely hands free.

Both the projects can be completed in a spare hour at the weekend, and need very little in the way of DIY skills. The simplicity of the build also means you can go to town decorating them if that’s your thing, alternatively you leave them with the rough rustic look.

What you will need

Boot Scraper
• Saw or chainsaw
• Chisel and mallet
• Glue
Boot pull
• Power drill
• Jigsaw
• Countersink drill bit
• Screwdriver
• Sandpaper or electric sander

Materials
Boot Scraper
• A reasonable sized log
• A old roof slate
Boot pull
• A short length of board or plywood
• A couple of screws

Boot Scraper
Step 1
Using the saw or a chainsaw remove one third of the diameter of the log in order to create a flat surface

Step 2
Using a saw make two cuts a couple of millimetres apart along the length of the log and chisel out the waste. Alternative make a single cut with a chainsaw.

Step 3
Slot the roof slate into the gap leaving about 10cm to stand out from the log. Use small chips of wood to pad the gap if the slate wobbles at all.

Boot Pull
Step 2-1
Using the cutting template, mark out the design and cut it out using a jigsaw. Cut the rest section out also, allowing for the slight angle.

Step 2-2
Using sandpaper or an electric sander smooth the edges down, pay particular attention to the mouth of the pull.

Step 2-3
Drill and counter sink the main pull just below the mouth. Attach the rest using a couple of 40mm wood screws

 

Job done. No need for mud or muddy hands thanks to a couple of chunks of wood and a bit of roof slate

10 things you wanted to know about chickens but were afraid to ask – 3#

SOFT SHELLED EGGS.

As your chickens come back into lay then there is always a chance you might stumble across a soft shelled egg but what precisely are these, why do they occur and how can you prevent them?

Soft shell eggs are those which are laid with only the inner and outer membrane in place. In fact the term ‘soft shell’ is actually incorrect as the egg is laid with no shell at all. They can occur in two circumstances, firstly when the hen is rushed into laying her egg meaning it is laid before the shell is formed. This can occur due to a sudden stress or shock but also in a period of excitement. Secondly these sorts of eggs can be laid as a result of a deficiency in calcium or vitamin D within the diet. This can occur during warm weather when the hen is eating less and isn’t getting sufficient calcium in her diet to produce the egg shell so supplements of liquid calcium can help. It’s not unusual for a hen to lay one or two ‘softees’ in a season however if a hen consistently lays eggs like this there could be an underlying viral condition that will need checking.

One important thing to do if you have a ‘softee’ layer is to ensure you remove the ‘egg’ as soon as possible after laying. If not it may get broken under the feet of the other hens or possible eaten. If the former occurs then it could result in further ‘egg eating’ but that’s an issue for another post.

Are they safe to eat… well yes, just not all that appetising to look at or very easy to crack open on the edge of a pan.

A soft shelled egg, or more accurately, an egg without a shell!

An Intro to Poultry Genetics (and free books too!)

When it comes to the modern day understanding of poultry genetics there is one person who repeatedly crops up as being ‘the man in the know’ and that chap is Grant Brereton, editor of Fancy Fowl magazine, prolific writer and author and one
of the leading authorities on the genetics of the domestic fowl.

It gives me great pleasure to provide a guest blog spot for Grant as I have immense respect for his understanding, knowledge and experience in the world of poultry breeding and genetics. So over to Grant who has also kindly offered copies of his E-book “Making New Colours 2″ to 5 randomly selected readers who contact him.

Grant’s E-Book full of photos and explanations – a great read for the poultry breeder

And if that’s not enough, ALL people entering will receive a copy of one of his other E-books “The Newcomers Guide to Poultry Breeds.”

Grant’s E-book for the newcomer to Poultry – FREE with every competition entry

All entry details are at the bottom of the blog post and the deadline is midday Friday 15th Feb 2013…. Over to Grant to explain more

————————————————————————————————————-

Poultry Plumage

Most people think of hens as plain-old-brown in terms of colour, and don’t give much thought to anything else aside from their ability to lay eggs.

The ‘show world’ is so far removed from most poultry keepers, that they are unlikely to discover its existence by accident; that is unless they attend agricultural shows and have a chance encounter with the poultry tent.

My own awareness of the wonderful world of poultry plumage was brought about when I received the book ‘Bantams in Colour’ as a child back in 1984. I couldn’t believe how many  different colours and varieties of poultry were available.

I kept the odd pure breed over the years, but it wasn’t until I could drive myself to the Wernlas Collection of Rare Breeds in Shropshire (now closed), that I could truly observe all the different shapes, sizes and colour patterns in poultry; I was dumbfounded by the choice.

They were laid out in attractive breeding houses (with attached runs) consisting of a cockerel and 4 or more pullets. The sight of all these different pure breeds in their separate quarters had a wonderful impact on me; it really sold the idea of perpetuating a single ‘predictable’ type as opposed to breeding hybrids, which I had done most of my life.

Traditional Cockerels

Looking back, there were several things that prompted me to question the genetics behind the wonderful colours and patterns in pure poultry. However, the first real time was when I observed that the ‘traditionally-coloured’ Welsummer cockerel was very similar to the Partridge Wyandotte, but that the females of both varieties were very different…

A pair of Partridge Wyandotte bantams

A flock of Welsummers

I asked the late Geneticist, Dr Clive Carefoot: ‘What would happen if I crossed a male of one variety to a female of the other?’ ‘Some nice clockers (broody hens)’ was his reply, assuming that I wouldn’t understand any explanations.

He later came to respect me, and we would eventually converse on the same level. However, that initial doubt only made me more determined to understand what was at the route of the all the different plumage patterns as well as physical features.

Once I eventually understood how all the patterns were linked, and that crossing two varieties together has to result in ‘something.’ it was a great feeling – as if I’d entered a door to a new world. (The E-books I subsequently wrote, are to help people understand what that ‘something’ may be).

Back to Wernlas…

Only living just over an hour away, I was a regular visitor to the Wernlas Collection from the late 90s onwards, and it wasn’t long before owner, Shaun Hammon made me stand up and take notice.

I observed that he had created his own breeds – one of them being the ‘Cobar.’ I realised quickly that he had taken the barring gene from something else and added it to his Partridge Cochins. ‘Wow’ I thought – how creative! To see a pen of Cobars with a really attractive male and 4 females was a real treat. I knew that I wanted to be part of this wonderful creativity.

In case there was any doubt, it really was all over for me when I saw Dr Carefoot’s Chocolate-Partridge Wyandottes. He had Partridge Wyandottes and Chocolate Orpingtons  (among other breeds), so it wasn’t rocket science to work out how the Chocolate-Partridge Wyandottes were created. I found this idea fascinating and so inspirational – all I could think was: ‘What can I create?’

Grant’s self-created Chocolate-Partridge Wyandottes, the ancestors of which are on the cover of his E-book: Making New Colours 2

To cut a very long story short, I created new colours of Wyandotte (as well as being an advocate for pure breeds), and continued to show both. In 2008, I wrote the paperback ‘21st Century Poultry Breeding.’

In 2011, I wrote the follow up to my original E-book, this time called ‘Making New Colours 2.’ It has been hugely popular with breeders and fanciers alike.

I am giving away 5 copies of this E-Book, so simply email me at grantbrereton@btinternet.com before midday Friday 15th Feb 2013 and head the email ‘Chickenstreet Comp’

All entrants will get a FREE copy of my E-book on pure breeds: ‘The Newcomers Guide to Poultry Breeds.’

Take care,

Grant Brereton

Poultry Journalist

Fancy Fowl Magazine Editor

Author of Making New Colours 1&2, The Newcomers Guide to Poultry Breeds (E-books)

21st Century Poultry Breeding, Breeding for Success – out May 2013 (Paperbacks)

www.gbpoultry.com

Blog Sponsors – The Chicken Vet

When I set off writing this blog my aim was try and remain as impartial as possible providing constructive commentary on chickens, ducks and a self-supporting lifestyle. I didn’t want to litter it with adverts that had click through URLs that paid me when a purchase was made.

I am however delighted to announce the Chicken Vet as blog sponsors. You will see their logo on the front page and if you click on it you will be taken to their website www.chickenvet.co.uk , there’s no kickback for me or tracking cookies involved, just a simple link to their website. Have a look around, sure there’s a shop where you can purchase products but there is also a mass of other useful information including articles on poultry diseases and husbandry along with a comprehensive list of poultry friendly vets.

The St Davids Poultry Team are a commercial poultry vets whose work covers the majority of commercial flocks here in the UK. They realised the increase in backyarders though meant scalable solutions were required for smaller flocks. So they established “The Chicken Vet”, an online resource that provides a service to those of us who can count the chickens in our flocks. This gets my vote and I’m very pleased for this blog to be associated with them.

Recognise these characters?

I get sent quite a few bits of poultry paraphernalia from kit, to houses, dietary supplements to books as I’m always more than happy to give things a field trial on my own flocks.

I’ll always give the stuff a good go and let the supplier know my thoughts, no matter how candid. Lets face it, there’s a lot of chickenailia hitting the market, some of it produced by people trying to make a quick buck but by equal measure a fair chunk is produced by people or firms genuinely trying to aid the backyard keeper and only when give some good honest constructive feedback will they be able to improve or enhance the product.

It’s nice though to be simply sent something that needs no testing, doesn’t need dragging through a field or pouring on a pile of red mite and that’s just what I got sent from Sarah McKenzie at Stopham Garden Poultry (@stophampoultry). Sarah is an illustrator who takes on commissions for pet portraits but also produces greetings cards which I have to say I rather like as they do capture the attitude of one or two chickens I know! Here’s a few of her pictures.

10 things you wanted to know about chickens but were afraid to ask – 2#

Culling chicks in a backyard or smallholding scenario is something you need to know how to do. You might need to do it because the bird is sick or perhaps as is the truth, it’s a male bird and you don’t need it and its unsuitable for the table (see part 1). Not many books provide instruction on how to do it and if you intend to breed chickens then its a skill you will require.

1. Find a table or work surface with a clear right angled edge
2. Hold the chick in the fist with your thumb up as if hitching a ride so the chicks head is just above the tip of your thumb
3. Place the thumb against the neck of the chick and put the other side of the chicks neck against the table edge
4. Press firmly and quickly with the thumb against the table edge
5. You will feel the neck of the chick dislocate. It is now dead.
6. The chick will be moving in your hand (as if struggling). This is involuntary muscle contractions and not actually struggling
7. Hold the chick in position until the movement subsides.

Brown Leghorn Bantams – the males have very poor table properties

Note:

Following a few queries about precisely how the chick is held heres an image to help (no stuffed animals were injured during the taking of this shot)