Poultry Management

WHILE PLANNING your sustainable lifestyle, you will find that Poultry will likely play a large role in developing that llifestyle. Each type of bird will benefit your farm in different ways. Chickens and Quail are great for eggs. Quail eggs being some of the best and most nutritious eggs available. Chickens and ducks make great insect control, and guinea make great burglar alarms.

THE BASIC needs of all Poultry are relatively simple: Food, water, and a clean evironment.

IF YOU CLICK the breed specific pages below, you'll find information and product links that are more specific to that particular breed.

WHEN USING a heat lamp, the brooder is optional. The general rule of thumb, when using a heat lamp," if the chicks are huddled tigthtly together under the heat lamp, the heat lamp may be hung to high. If the chicks are laying away from the heat lamp and away from each other, the lamp may be hung to low." In a larger enclosure, the brooder should be located as far from the heat lamp as possible. The chicks can then get under the brooder if they are cold, but will be able to roam freely about the enclosure if the heat lamp is efficiently heating the enclosure.

A CHICKEN COOP heater may also be a safer alternative to the heat lamp.

MOST YOUNG poultry varieties will require the same basic care initially. The care guidelines will change as the chicks grow and mature.

SEE BELOW for many of the products I recommend for your new poultry chicks or poultry.

Metal Chick water Base - fits A mason Jar	Metal Chick Feeder Base - fits a Mason Jar	Woods Clamping Heat Lamp
Hanging Poultry Feeder 15 lbs	Poultry Waterer 2 Gallon	250 Watt Heat Lamp Bulb - Red
Nesting Pads	Plastic Poultry Water/Feeder Set	Poultry Waterer Heated Base
Nesting Box	Premier Chick Brooder Heating Plate	Radiant Chicken Coop Heater
VetRX Respiratory Supplement	Plastic Poultry Waterer	Egg Candler - Rechargable
Incubator	Chick Probiotic - 3 Packets ONLY!!!	Heated Chicken Perch

ONCE THE POULTRY matures, there will be some differences in the way they should be cared for. Most Poultry young can be transitioned from the brooder to a coop when they are 6 weeks old. Relocating them to a small enclosure outdoors is usually ideal. Click this link to see a video on making a mobile chicken coop (chicken tractor) which can make putting young chickens out easier.

INITIALLY, animal husbandry will play a role in poultry care. Quail for instance, do not have the same territorial disputes as chickens. On average, there is 1-2 quail hens for every 1 quail rooster. In a covey of 50, our little quail paired up nicely and have laid hundreds of eggs. Chickens on the other hand, one rooster is plenty, or no rooster at all if you are in it just for the eggs.

Chicken Management

CHICKENS are relatively low maintenance and easy to care for. During WWII the government

encouraged all households with yards, to acquire 2 chickens per household member to produce food to feed their families in times of food shortages. The concept also would enable people to sell their unused eggs to those who lived in apartments or didnt have the space available to raise chickens. Here are a couple images from that timeframe: Baby Chicks can easily be acquired at the local feed store, especially in early spring. Read about the different types of chickens so you can determine the breeds most suited for your needs. Different breeds lay different types of eggs. Some breeds lay eggs more often than others. These breeds are referred to as more "Prolific". Our favorite, is called the Isa Brown, is very prolific. They lay big brown eggs up to 312 days of the year. Here is an article about them with more specifics. That website is very informative about many breeds of chickens.

SOME OF YOUR chicks might not be feeling well when you get them home from the store. VetRX works ...

Quail Care and Management

QUAIL CAN be very low maintenance and very beneficial additions to your homestead. They are very sweet little birds and love to chatter away with a myriad of lovely little sounds. I can sit and listen to them for hours and they will sit and tell me quail info for hours too. Quail eggs, ounce for ounce are nutrient powerhouses. Here is an informative article from WebMD about the nutritional benefits of Quail Eggs. Important note: Rather than laying every day like chickens, quail lay during 2 seasons, spring and late summer/autumn. That's it, NO Mas!!! You will want to review egg preservation options with quail egg production.

MOST PEOPLE acquire quail as baby chicks. The products below will be very adequate for raising quail. These products are relatively inexpensive and available from any farm supply store or click the images below for links to purchase them online.

NOTE: Depending on the enclosure size, a brooder is optional if you are using a heatlamp. The General rule of thumb for using the heat lamp is as follows:

if the chicks are huddled...

Turkey Care and Management

TURKEYS CAN be a fun addition to your poultry family on your sustainable farm They offer similar benefits that chickens offer. Turkey eggs are bigger than chicken and richer. It is said they are better in baked products and were eaten by American settlers for centuries, since the turkeys grow wild and their nests were easily found. It can be entertaining watching the Toms walk around all puffed up while the hen ignores them and never even looks up from her meal. Turkey manure is as useful as chicken manure, so maintaining a diverse poultry herd can be beneficial and a lot more fun than only keeping

Duck Care and Management

DUCKS CAN be a fun addition to your poultry family on your sustainable farm According to this article, raising ducks can be easier and more beneficial than raising chickens. They offer similar benefits that chickens offer. Duck eggs are slightly bigger than chicken eggs and richer. It is said they are better in baked products and were eaten by American settlers for centuries, since ducks grow in the wild and their nests were easily found. Duck manure is as useful as chicken manure, so maintaining a diverse poultry herd can be beneficial and a lot more fun than only keeping one species. As with Chickens, most people acquire ducks while they are still very young ducklings, available at most feed stores during the early spring. Some of your ducklings might not be feeling well when you get them home from the store. VetRX works