http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2008/12/01/my_chickens Comments On: My Chickens by Eli Sanders en-us Copyright 2009 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:01 -0800 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:45:00 -0800 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by Aislinn]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:08:04 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Aislinn]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:06:31 -0800 The Stranger Posted by go chickenhawks]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:55:17 -0800 The Stranger Posted by elswinger]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:13:25 -0800 The Stranger
I agree about fresh eggs. There is nothing like them. I especially like double-yolkers!
Posted by elswinger]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:12:46 -0800 The Stranger Posted by ROAG]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:48:47 -0800 The Stranger
food goes from the crop to the gizzard which with the help of small hard bits, rock, glass, stone, et. grinds it to liquid and then into total digestion

you can buy gizzards to eat

the egg sack and tract is also delicious

the feet give woup a bright yellow color, all gelatin
Posted by Chick Smith]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:25:41 -0800 The Stranger
I know, I know. Plenty of full-grown chickens need homes. But if I were you, I'd get at least one chick...
Posted by Aislinn]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:23:29 -0800 The Stranger
But they are OK as pets, and funny to be around in some ways.

Baby chicks are adorable. Fresh eggs are really the best. Yes to the smashed into small bits oyster shell ... do it yourself. The calcium will help their health and produce strong shells in the eggs. Roosters don't lay eggs ... and hens are sometimes not prolific, younger are better.Good layers produce daily, most produce three a week, they do eat anything, don't be shy, if they don't eat it - it composts with the shit and is good garden stuff.

There is no better eating than home grown and home butchered and home cooked fried chicken ... the BEST.

(get Vantress Cross chicks. grow fast, large bodied, great flavored meat)
Posted by Chick Smith]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:22:06 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Julie in Chicago]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:33:55 -0800 The Stranger Posted by michael strangeways]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:30:56 -0800 The Stranger
As for general care, never, ever, ever flip a chicken upside down. If you need to hold them, hold them with their wings pressed tightly against your body and turn them on their side if you need to (like if you have to give them pills).

Another note about holding them, if you pick them up, be sure to grab them as close to their shoulders as possible. Never grab them further down the wing because if they try and flap to get away from you they can break their wing easily.

Don't worry about their water getting messy. They will get shit and blood and everything else in there and still drink it. Clean it twice a day and they'll be fine.

Things to look out for:
Gurgliness. This time of year, it's very easy for chickens to develop upper respiratory problems which you will notice because their breath will literally gurgle. It's very treatable, but only if you watch out for it and get antibiotics.

Eggs: I can't really tell from the photo but if any of them lay eggs, it would probably be best to collect them. Chickens will sometimes eat their own eggs (seriously, smash it on the ground and see what happens) and unlike eating their own feces, eating a raw egg can actually be harmful for them. Bring it in, hardboil it, mash it up and feed it back to them. They will heart you.

Treats: Chickens don't chew (duh) so if you're giving them treats, you want to give them really small pieces of things. Lettuce is a big one because if they get a long piece of lettuce, they will just keep cramming it down their throat until it's gone and it's likely that they could choke or it could cause crop damage (the crop is a big sack on their breast that pre-digests all their food and releases it to the stomach when it's ready).

JULIE IN CHICAGO:
Please, please, please don't buy any chicks. There are millions of chickens out there who need rescuing. There are so many sanctuaries near you that would be happy to bring you some chickens.
Posted by The Chicken Lady]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:25:17 -0800 The Stranger
Keep an eye on them when you let them into the yard, we've lost a few to dogs...
Posted by Amnt]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:24:44 -0800 The Stranger Posted by schweighsr]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:23:18 -0800 The Stranger Posted by eliza]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:13:33 -0800 The Stranger
But, they are pretty inexpensive online (http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com is one site I've looked at), and I think it's completely doable. I was in 4-H when I was a kid (though the only animal I showed was my pet cat)... how hard can it be?
Posted by Julie in Chicago]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:35:56 -0800 The Stranger Posted by snakes]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:34:48 -0800 The Stranger
Fnarf, that video is great.
Posted by EmilyP]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:24:46 -0800 The Stranger
On a medical note, probably not an issue, but if you start seeing weird-colored crap then it means that something's wrong with them - hit the internet at that point.

Oh, and corn makes the yolks yellower. =)
Posted by wench]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:24:40 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Jessica]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:21:32 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:19:50 -0800 The Stranger
feed them table scraps, and greens, green anything, meat scraps, steak bones, and a pan of gravel for the gizzard
Posted by Real Farm Boy]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:19:39 -0800 The Stranger

Posted by dod]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:18:26 -0800 The Stranger http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dPlkFPow…
Posted by Fnarf]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:13:06 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Floobly]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:08:05 -0800 The Stranger