๐ Chicken ๐
Sept 14, 2018 18:13:25 GMT 1
Post by Kevo on Sept 14, 2018 18:13:25 GMT 1
Chickens
#chicken, #chickens, #animals, #nature
Chickens are important birds for our planet. They are often bred for eggs and meat. Do you like fried eggs or chicken cuttings? They are also food for many animals, we can't live without. In this article, we will take a closer look at those adorable birds.
There are many breeds of chicken, like Booted Bantam and Leghorn Chicken. They have different look but some of them look very similar. In this article, we will talk about Booted Bantam. Bantams are small chickens, as their name says. Some of them can have feathers on their legs, to stay warm through winter. Every year, they lay approximately 160 eggs and their main use is for eggs, as they are small and they don't have much meat. We talk about Bantams now, but those chicken are very similar to other ones.
Taking care of them
Taking care of chicken can be sometimes easy, but sometimes they need more care.
Let's start with the food.
Chickens are herbalist but nothing happens if you give them kitchen waste. They are surely good at raiding your garden, so don't let them raid your tomatoes or grapes. Chicken like to scrabble through dirt to find larvas and insects and I can tell you that they don't really care where they scrabble - well, where they want. Chickens don't eat meat and things containing sugar, preservatives and similar trash. It's not good giving them sweet things, because it can cause them problems. Best is to give them what they need: grains (from barley, for example) are a good choice. They also like to eat berries, grapes and grape leaves. If you have some kitchen waste, you might give it to them if it contains proper food for them.
Don't forget about the water: It's important for them, especially during hot summer days. Water should be put in a clean can, for example. It should be replaced by a fresh one every day, or 1-3 times a day. If you put the water in a small can, there is a chance that some chicken can pour it out while scrabbling or walking over it, so it is important to put rocks around the can. If you put the water in a bigger bowl, it will be heavier so they can't pour the water out again. If you have chicks, you should put water for them in a smaller clean can, so they can reach the water, as they are small. Don't forget to put a heavy object, like a rock around the can, so their mom can't flip over the can and pour out water.
If you want some eggs, you should have a rooster first. Roosters are important if you want your hen to have chicks. Roosters are more aggressive than hens (if the hen isn't sitting on her eggs, else she can be really hostile because she'll be protecting her eggs/chicks). Some kinds of roosters can just panic and run away from you or your dog, etc. but some of them can become hostile and attack someone/something. If you are
If rooster gets old enough, he will start to mate hens so that she can lay eggs. Hens choose a rooster by their look and skills, but if there is only one rooster, they have no choice. Mating behavior is similar to other birds
Okay so if you want to have some chicks (and eggs) you will need a rooster(s). 1 is enough for entire flock, as they can mate fast and many times a day. Roosters are similar to hens but are bigger, taller and tougher. If you have "tamed" rooster, he will be quite friendly (we will talk about this later). They don't need some different special care from their hens.
A hen needs some nutrition or food so she can make eggs out of something. Light, green grass should result in light, tasty eggs (yes, their food depends on their eggs too). Don't expect that they will lay eggs in your hands, on the contrary: First, they need to find a safe and hidden place for a nest where they will lay eggs. One hen will lay approx. 7-11 eggs to the nest (depends on their breed). If you have bigger coop or yard, you will need to keep an eye open for secret "hideouts" where eggs could be located. Only hens sit on their eggs until a chick hatches. While sitting on their eggs, hens will carefully guard their eggs and they will leave them only for a while when they need to eat or drink water. If you want, you can put some food and water near their nest (if you got lucky and found it). You can spy on them and follow them to their nest if they go consume something. The fact, that some chicken is missing can help you. Some chicken can even fly out of a yard and lay eggs next to a road into tall grass and bushes (once happened me, but luckily someone noticed the chicken and alerted me. This can be quite dangerous to the chicken, but I must say her nest was really well hidden and almost unseeable. I admit if the chicken would have other colors than white, it would be undetectable).
Now that you found a den with eggs, or chicken started to lay some already, you should protect them from "unwanted guests".
Animals like rats can consume/destory eggs and that chicks can't hatch. It is important to know, that chickens which lay on eggs sometimes go eat and drink something, else they would starve, obviously. You can leave water and food near hen's den, but be careful with the water - hen can spill it on the eggs.
When a chick is born, it won't have feathers yet - they will appear on it later. For now, they are kinda blind and sleepy. Another important thing is to not leave them in a cold place. Of course, hen will "snuggle" chicks under her wing to keep them in warm, but sometimes it's not enough for them, especially during the winter. Water and food is important for them. Water is fine for them, but don't forget to put a small rock inside the can of water maybe, else a chick might drown down there. But maybe you noticed that small chicks can't quite eat bigger seeds - this food is just too big for them. Things like mixed corn with barley is good for them, but I would recommend to buy some food for baby chicks at the shop - I think it's the better way, since you never know, what breed can eat what food.