Comments on: How to Care for Chickens

on 7/24/2007 i have a new chicken i keep fresh water in her cage and feed her chiken food, this is my first time with a chicken. what do i do next? shes in a small bird cage, i do not want eggs or to make food out of her, i just like her. is there anything i need to know 1st about this chicken or do i need to be doing anything else for her, i named her Julie:) cool name huh? lol anyways write me please if you think i should know anything that you may know regarding chikens? thanks you!! linda
vipage@aol.com

on 7/24/2007 i got a chicken, and i named her
Julie and i bought a small bird cage with a stick she can prop herself on at night, i feed her and make sure she has plenty of water, what do i do now? all iwant is her as a pet. any sugjestions out there? vipage@aol.com thanks Linda

on 8/8/2006 Instead of throwing away egg shells, feed them to a chicken. It will provide it with calcium and will make future egg shells thicker.

on 6/30/2006 It's true - I've had four enormous Orpington chickens for almost a year now, and I have managed to train them! One thing I have taught them (that is great for pleasing guests), is that we let them run free in the garden, then open the kitchen window and shout 'GIRLS?!', so all four of them come running up into the garden to get the food we have to offer them. It took a lot of patience to teach them this, although it has paid off as it is hilarious watching the big fat things sprinting up through the garden.
The first step is to be in sight of the chickens, and to make sure they aren't afraid of you. Get the grain/bread (whatever you are feeding them) and throw it for them - nice and high so they can see it. As they come running, call out the word you want them to respond to so that they are familiar with this word. It should be simple, so they remember it. Chickens are extremely stupid, y'know.
Practice this routine of calling your chickens frequently. They should get the hang of it soon enough!

on 6/30/2006 If you're stuck for a treat to give to your hens, boil up some spaghetti and feed it to them - chickens go crazy for it! You should see them gobbling it down. I'm no veterinarian, but it's probably not a good idea to feed them too much, as it probably isn't too good for them.

on 6/30/2006 My food tip is that you should always buy food pellets rather than mash. The powder and grit in mash gets into their nose and eyes and can cause infections.

on 8/29/2007 Got that annoying chicken which destroys your eggs by pecking holes in them? The solution: Empty an egg shell, and put a small amount of mustard inside. Nest time a hen goes in for a peck, they're in for a shock! They won't repeat that experience again!

on 6/30/2006 I'd like to say that if you're considering getting chickens, the Orpington is a great choice. They lay well, have thick, beautiful feathers and come in a variety of colors.
Orpingtons are an English breed, and are the biggest of the big. Our smallest Orpington is almost knee height!
Orpington hens are wonderfully docile and are great with kids, so if you're starting out with chickens, as I did, they make a brilliant choice.

on 6/30/2006 My chickens can not free range due to stray dogs in our area, so to bring bugs to my hens. I place an old small rug on the ground in my hens pen. I found if you keep the rug moist it works the best. And in just a few days, I move the rug and my hens feast on a number of bugs that crawl under the rug! Then just move the rug to a new spot and repeat the process.

on 2/15/2006 I had 6 hens and 6 roosters. I found one of my hens one day with big open wounds. I think the roosters mated her to a ragged, fleshy pulp! I can't be certain it was not a predator, but then again I had to stop them from ganging up on her a few times. Sorry about the content of this tip, but we had to put her out humanly. I found the roosters new homes in hopes that this would keep my hens safe. It's very unkind to have too many roosters.

on 1/31/2006 Make sure your chicken is protected from other animals that want to eat it. Make sure you cage has a roof because the predator might be able to jump inside.

on 1/19/2006 I was recently given several chickens from a man who had to keep them separated in individual A-frame hutches with a leg leash to keep them from fighting and killing each other. He was tired of the labor it took to care for them. I turned them all loose in my garden and they didn't fight at all! They enjoyed their freedom. Their descendants have gone back to the multi-colored primitive state and remain in my back yard unfenced. Bobcats have killed the originals, but these chickens now can fly and nest in trees. I collect the eggs and incubate them and turn them loose when they are old enough to fly.

on 1/16/2006 If you want to keep your chicken disease free, just add a splash of bleach to the water. This will kill any bacteria that could be in the water.

on 12/12/2005 I knew nothing at all about caring for chickens, but figured it could not be that hard to feed and lay out water for them. I filled the shallow water dish for the chickens about 3/4 to an inch deep and did not know this was too much. The next morning I went to feed them and I found 3 baby chicks dead in the water bowl; because the water was too deep and they had drowned. If there are chicks present, please only put enough water to barely fill the bottom of whatever dish you use.

on 11/22/2005 I have 18 hens and they are in a pen with lots of area to roam. I have found they they love green leaves, so if your hens can't roam around the yard, pull them some greenery to graze on. I find it also makes for a good cooking chicken when the times comes.