Category Archives: chickens

RIP Greta, Rocky, and Golden Chicken

Posted on May 22, 2013 by jkmcintyre

This morning the hens were making an awful racket. Calamity Jane would not get down from the top roost of the coop. Later in the morning the hens and chicks were all up on the outdoor roosts and CJ would … Continue reading →

Posted in chickens, predators | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Keeping the Buzz Down

Posted on May 21, 2013 by jkmcintyre

I am talking about flies. Fat black flies that emerge from moist chicken poop. The first year we had chickens, they ranged freely throughout our yard. Their freely dropped pooplets bred flies. Flies are annoying. And in sufficient numbers, flies … Continue reading →

Posted in chickens, pest control | Tagged , | 4 Comments

How many legs does a momma hen have?

Posted on April 26, 2013 by jkmcintyre

Raising chicks sans hen, you keep them very warm with a heat lamp or incandescent bulb. Guidelines are 95 degF the first week and dropping 5 degrees per week until they are fully feathered or you reach nighttime temperatures. (In … Continue reading →

Posted in baby chickens, broody hen, chickens, nest boxes | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Mountains of Moo-Doo

Posted on April 1, 2013 by jkmcintyre

Flipping through my garden notes, I see that I last amended my soil in March 2010. Oops. The poor harvest of 2012 and the reading of 0 mg/L N (even on the notoriously unreliable home soil kits) corroborate this oversight. … Continue reading →

Posted in chickens, compost bins, harvest, soil test, spring, vegetable garden | Tagged , , | 2 Comments