Getting started in Chickens | Page 4 | Animals | Forums

nice, one of our new members posted this on our facebook page

The one thing to remember is, chickens die, most of the times there's no rhyme or reason, different breeds live longer than others. If you suddenly find you're having chickens die from illness, then consult with your local AG rep., they'll know if there's some poultry illness floating around and what to look for on the carcass. If you have Polk Salat on your property and you allow your chickens to free range, they WILL go to the poke salat and push the plant over to eat the berries and leaves. This will not kill them or make them sick, but it will stop them from laying for a couple of months. I started out with Rhode Island Reds, they are very hearty, great layers, and meaty for eating. I had more double yolks from them than any other bird. You can teach your birds to come to the coop at night to roost, make sure that there's not any low branch trees near your coop, call the chickens in, (yes they will come running if they think they're going to get fed) put some corn in a coffee can and rattle it as you call, they will learn your voice and eventually come to just it. Feed them the corn close to the door of the roost an hour or so before sunset, chickens will find a roosting spot at twilight. This is just a few things I can think of on the first cup of coffee. Hope it helps someone.