A good method of getting baby chicks to learn to eat, is to spread a couple handfuls of chick mash on a small piece of cardboard box, so that it can attract the attention of the youngsters as they run across it. By seeing the mash down there, it can make them try and peck some of it.
Also, dipping the beak of an occasional chick into your water fountain helps to teach them to drink.
Just some quick ideas for you!
Kelson
Chicken pecking… also known as cannibalism, can be a big source of future problems for your chicken flock.
So, don’t delay when one of your birds becomes injured, or picked, and begins to bleed. Treat her at once with a good anti-pick remedy.
If at all possible, keep her away from the flock until her wounds have healed.
You definitely don’t want to give your birds a chance to become cannibals.
Kelson
This just happens to be one of the questions we get asked every once in a while.
Tame chickens can make very good family pets. They are relatively low maintenance, and people generally enjoy spending a few minutes with their hens during their day.
However, smaller chickens (such as bantams) are recommended for small children because they are usually gentler and more docile. There’s quite a bit more that I can say about this, but I don’t want to bore you too much.
Leading from our above discussion … another question a new chicken owner might ask is …
How do you tame a chicken?
Again, a great question. In general, most chickens are “tamed” by regular human contact from the moment they are hatched.
It is possible to tame a “wild” chicken, but it does take a lot of time and effort. For example, gradually get closer to them while feeding, and during the coming days / weeks, gradually move to hand feeding them, and then patting them during feeding, and so on.
All the best,
Kelson
That’s a question I get often:
It does get chilly here in the winter a couple days out of the year. should I bring them in? And if so, at what temperature? If it goes below 45 or what?
And I thought it was great to read this article, after getting this question earlier this week …
The worst part about having chickens is the winter. “Going outside at minus 30 degrees, managing food and water, it sucks,” says Brazelton. “The chickens handle it well, but I don’t.”
Check out this great article, that talks about LOTS of different aspects of raising chickens … cold weather, feed, health, kids and poultry, etc. The photo is from the article: (Paul Brazelton’s Bantam rooster Stripes)
And so, the answer to this question is this …
Honestly, chickens are probably pretty good down to 20*F, and maybe even lower. It mostly depends on how their coop shelters them from the elements - not so much the coldness. You may also want to add a pretty good layer of bedding material on the floor (more than an inch of bedding), it will help with keeping some of the heat in.
Also, some chickens won’t even want to go outside when it’s that cold outside. They’ll just hang out inside, which could make for cramped conditions, so try and make the inside of the chicken house as big and spacious as possible. However, chickens have feathers, which are excellent at insulating their bodies - almost like down on a goose (not quite, but I think you get the idea that they stay warmer than us).
I hope that helps?
Kelson
P.S. Check this links For 5 Great Tips on Getting More Eggs from Your Hens in the Winter.