We don't know much about ducks. Yet. But, as we learn, so will you!
Meet Tyrion, our happy quacker. He has a deformity which makes him very special. Twitter Question! Tag us with your response @DenOfCluck What do you like most about ducks? Nanners: I like their tails, especially when they wag! Mashers: I like their webbed feet.
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Chickens love to eat. This means that your garden may not be safe from free range or roaming cluckers! Just because you have a fence around your garden, doesn't mean it's safe. They can, and will, go over it to get to whatever you have planted. In this entry, we will talk about ways to keep your garden safe.
One thing you can do is to clip the flight feathers on only one of their wings. If you do both, they can still get off the ground a bit, but with only one wing clipped, they are unbalanced and can't get very high. So, a fence that is 3-4 feet high might do you well. Another way is to use netting over the top of your garden. With the netting on top, the chickens can't get in that way if they happen to get over the fence. You'll have to make sure to connect all pieces and all sides of the netting with something like cable/zip ties or twine. If you don't seal up all the pieces, the netting will have gaps that the chickens can enter through. You could use a greenhouse. However, you'll want to use a screen door or some sort of mesh-like fabric or wire if you have to leave it open on hot days. Make sure that any mesh or screen is secure so the chickens can't wander in and that all windows open are either screened or up out of reach. The best kind of garden you can have if you have chickens is a vertical garden. This means that your plants are up in the air and out of reach, not on the ground. This is a big advantage because chickens won't be able to get up into your plants. In another entry later, we'll post pictures of our garden and the plants growing. TWITTER QUESTION: Tag us with your response! @DenOfCluck What would you like in your garden? Nanners: Strawberries, peanuts, onions, and bananas! Mashers: Bananas, cherry tomatoes, mint plants, and jalapenos!
We were not expecting this to happen, yet. But, it did! We don't know exactly when these babies were born, but we know it was some time yesterday or during the night before.
Rabbits are not really doting mothers. This means that they don't stay over their babies all the time. In the wild, rabbits will leave their babies in a burrow for a couple days at a time. In a pen, this means that the mother will stay on the other side. It doesn't mean that she doesn't care about her babies. This is a way of protecting them from predators. If they were to stay over their babies all the time, predators would most likely know that there are babies. Rabbits are fairly defenseless, so baby bunnies are easy meals.
Here are a couple pictures of them. You should never touch a baby bunny. Cuddles doesn't mind because she knows us and we've handled her enough that she knows we're not a threat. But, she does try to push our hands away and nip at us if we do something she does not like. Normally, a mother rabbit would be tempted to kill her babies if they smell of humans.
When they're born, they look kind of like naked mole rats. They have no fur, and they are blind and deaf. At this age, they are very squirmy. They can't walk, but they still get around. When they're 8 days old, they'll have fur. A couple days later, their eyes open. Then, they will learn to walk. We don't have them in the best bedding right now because they were such a surprise. They should be in hay or straw, and it should be a little bit thicker than what we have, but we had to use what was already on hand. We brought Cuddles and the babies inside the house because male rabbits sometimes kill babies. They're not the only animal that does this sort of thing. Twitter Question! Answer on Twitter using our handle @DenOfCluck If you were to have a bunny, or do have one, what would you name it? Nanners: I named mine Bugsy, but we call him Bug-Bug. Mashers: I named mine Cuddles!
We hope you enjoyed our first video! It's not much, but there will be more. We promise.
Twitter Question: Out of all the entries we've had, which has been your favorite? Head to Twitter to let us know! @DenOfCluck Nanners: When we talked about Lucifer and Whiny. Mashers: I liked the same one as Nanners. Sorry for this being a day late. But, we had babies hatching! This is Tub-Tub. It's kind of obvious how this one got its name. Though, it probably won't keep this name. Tub-Tub is half silkie! We know this because of the feet. One of the feet has an extra toe (which looks like a strange growth). Pure silkies have this on both feet. Since it's on only one, we know Tub-Tub is only half. These are the Sumatra twins. We know they're half sumatra because of the coloration of their heads, but their feet are not black. They don't look happy, but they were pretty content. There is a third baby that looks like them, but is different. This baby is part cochin! It has the same face as the twins above, but this one has feathered feet. If you remember, cochins have feathered feet. Silkies have feathered feet, too, but we know this one isn't silkie because it doesn't have an extra toe and its skin is not black. This is another set of twins. They are at least half phoenix. We are not sure if they are pure breed. We will find out by their coloration when they reach maturity if they are pure or mixed. It is difficult sometimes to tell with babies if they are pure because they're different looking when they're older and some breeds looks the same as chicks. These are the same twins from the previous picture. The one with its head down is darker than the other. Just because they are at least half the same doesn't mean they will be the same color.
Twitter question of the week! Which of these babies would you like to cuddle with the most? Nanners: "Little Tub-Tub!" Mashers: "The sumatra twins." Chicken poop is often called "chicken manure" by farmers. Manure is poop from animals that is used as a fertilizer. Chicken manure is perfect for organic farmers!
In order to use chicken manure, it has to be old. Farmers use old chicken poop on crops. If they were to use new manure, then it will kill the crops. It does this because there is too much nitrogen in fresh poop, and that super high amount burns plant roots. If you have chickens, you can dig 3-4 inches in their run (or area in their pen outside their coop) until you reach black looking soil. This is actually old poop. Inside the coop, you can scoop out the bedding and put that into a compost pile, wet and turn every few weeks for several months. This can take 6-9 months, sometimes longer, for it to be ready for use in a compost pile. If it's not black when you check it, wait another month or two before checking again. Once it's ready, you can take the manure and spread it all over your garden. Make sure to mix it with the soil. If you don't mix it in, it won't make as much of a difference on your garden. But, mixing it in lets the plants get the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the fertilizer. One chicken usually produces 8-11 pounds of poop every month. So, it doesn't take many chickens to make a lot of manure. But, keep in mind, IT SMELLS BAD! Don't worry if you don't have chickens of your own. Find a local chicken farmer and ask them for their poop. Most will be very, very glad to give it to you. If you use it correctly, your plants will thank you! Your flowers will be bigger and brighter; your veggies will be larger and healthier. Twitter Time! Find us on Twitter (@DenOfCluck) to answer this question: If you were a chicken, where do you think you would be in the pecking order? Nanners: I think I'd be at the bottom because I'm so laid back. Mashers: I think I'd be up by the top because I'm so energetic and bossy. Ginny is a Pearl Guinea. When grown, pearl guinea will be dark grey with white spots or bars. The babies are keets. They look like chicks when they're young, but smaller beaks and longer necks. On top of Ginny is a White Laced Red Cornish chick. There isn't much difference in the heads of these two, but Ginny's beak is shorter and pointier. Guineas hate being alone! When Ginny is grown, she or he will weigh between 3 and 5 pounds, which is about what this chick will weigh, too.
Guineas love eating ticks, hornets, wasps, bees, and weed seeds. They are known for their attitude and noise. Some farmers like to keep some around to scare off predators, such as foxes, hawks, rats, and snakes. They are called "watchdogs" because they're always alert and they are territorial. They know who does and who does not belong, so they call out at any strangers approaching. Their eggs are dark and spotted. They lay 60-100 eggs from March to August. Females hide their nests and will share them with other females until there are a large number of eggs to sit on. The eggs take longer to hatch than chicken eggs, but not by much. It takes 26-28 days for guinea eggs, and 20-22 days for chickens. It's hard to tell the males and females apart by how they look. The males usually have bigger wattles, but this isn't a reliable way of telling them apart. You can tell them apart by their sounds! Males have a one-syllable call and females have a two-syllable call. The females' calls will sound more like "Pot-rack" or "Buck-wheat". They can swim, if necessary, and are fast runners. But, unlike chickens, they don't scratch the ground. This means that they can roam through gardens, picking out all the bugs and weed seeds without harming any of the plants. They don't like being penned up and they prefer to roam, but at least you won't have to worry about your garden being damaged by them. Right now, we only have the one. But, we hope to get more one day. We would have to be careful about male guineas being penned up with our chickens. The male guineas might prevent the roosters from eating or accessing water. The females don't usually do this, but the males do as a way of protecting their ladies. They originated in Africa where food and water isn't as available as it is on a farm, so this is just an instinct that hasn't been bred out of them yet. Weebly has eaten two of our blog entry attempts this week, so thanks to that, there won't be one. We're tired of trying to get something to post here, but Weebly just wants to eat it without posting like it's supposed to.
So, instead, we're going to do something different. Head to Twitter and answer this question, making sure to tag us in your response (@DenofCluck): If you were a chicken, what kind would you be? Nanners: I'd be a Buff Orpington. Mashers: I would be a male Americana! Silkies are different from any other kind of chickens. They look like they have fur! Marco Polo saw these in China centuries ago and was baffled by the furry chickens. Their feathers don't have a solid core, so the feathers don't stick together, making them look like they have hair. Another difference can be found on their feet--they have an extra "thumb" toe! Their skin, bones, and meat is black! In China, they are a delicacy and it is believed they have medicinal powers (they don't have anything different than regular chickens, only their insides are black). Last Friday, we got black and white silkies. We got one rooster and two hens of each color. Here are a bunch of their feet. The bottom-most picture shows how they perch. Because they have two 'thumbs', they can't grip quite as tight--the muscles for both of these toes is really just one set that is divided between two, so it's not as strong. This is a collection of the roosters' and hens' heads. As you can see, the two roosters' combs are not very pretty. But, this is how they should be. The hens may not have a comb, or may have a small one, as you can see by these ladies. Did you notice anything different about their earlobes? They are blue! You can see how the neck feathers look like fur! Because the feathers don't stick together, silkies are not 'water resistant', meaning they will get soaked in the rain. If that happens, you'll have to dry them off to prevent hypothermia. Despite all the feathers that are like fur, they do have flight feathers, but they can't really fly.
Silkies are called 'the lapdogs of the chicken world' because they are so docile and loving. As you can see by the white rooster, he laid in my hand with no problems. Many people who have these chickens can go outside, sit down, and have a silkie in their lap! These make great mothers! They will hatch any egg and raise the baby, even if it's not a chicken. Some have raised turkey, ducks, and even geese! Chickens are effected by weather, just like us. Different kinds of weather can result in different things.
Rainy weather can result in cooler temperatures. Also, if chickens get too wet, they may get cold. It's important to make sure your chickens have a shelter to get out of the rain. Rain storms sometimes bring lightening. Lightening strikes trees and other tall objects. So, you need to make sure the shelter isn't attached to anything taller. Frosty weather can result in hypothermia, or lower body temperature, or frostbite. Frostbite is when a body part gets cold or frozen, loses blood flow, and the skin dies. To help prevent frostbite, some farmers will put petroleum jelly on exposed skin, such as combs, wattles, earlobes, and possibly legs and feet. At night, chickens need a shelter that protects them from the cold wind and helps keep them warmer. Hot weather may result in hyperthermia, or raised body temperatures. This may cause dehydration, organ damage, or death. Make sure you give your chickens plenty of water and shade to get out of the sun. If you give your chickens a pan of water, you can expect to see them stand in it to cool down. Chickens with more down will not do as well in hot places because they can't cool down as much. This is why some breeds do better in hotter climates--they don't have much down, or fluff. |
Just two brothers
Nanners & Mashers are brothers who just want to share their birds with the world. Archives
April 2016
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