Obsessed.

Obsessed.

Here is a list of some of obsessive things that casual chicken owners do. Remember, do NOT take advice from some jerk on the internet just because he writes a blog about it! Research!

1)      A little vinegar (cap full) in their waterer will keep bacteria down and aid their digestion. Of course, only the finest organic apple cider vinegar for our girls! Note: A little vinegar in the waterer may be good for the chickens, but if you have a galvanized steel font, it will rust out in a quick season! Lesson learned!

 

2)      A spoonful of diatomaceous earth stirred into their feed will prevent intestinal parasites and also aid in digestion. Note: This is true, but only use FOOD GRADE d.e. Pool grade contains harmful artificial silicates.

3)      Hot oatmeal. Yes, I give my girls hot oatmeal each morning with vegetables stirred in on a bed of greens. Things like this are extra, the main stay of their diet should be their regular feed. In late fall, we’ll add spices to help them metabolize the cold weather better. In winter, I’ll add sardines once a week. Usually, a banana goes in the oatmeal as well. Our pig Ruby loves this, she always gets the peel (and a piece or two of the banana!) Note: best is to have their regular feed available at all times. Best addition to this is as much time foraging the property for bugs and wild greens as possible. After that come treats … they’ll eat almost anything, but DO read up on what NOT to give them!

4)      Frozen treats in summer. Into a muffin pan I ladle out vegetables (peas, beans, whatever) into a muffin tin, top off with water, and freeze. Heat waves can be tough on fully feathered birds, so I’ll pop out a couple of these and the frozen veggies help them cope. Note: Corn is a fine treat to give them, even if it is a little devoid of nutrition, but the act of grinding and digesting the husks generates heat. They get more corn in winter than summer.

5)      Heat lamp. This is its own topic. Do NOT use a heat lamp unless you are SURE it is properly secured! An unsecured heat lamp that falls and comes into contact with the coop’s bedding can cause a fire and kill your birds. In a bad, bad way. Also, your birds don’t need it (if you have an all weather or cold weather breed). Silkies, for instance, have a hard time staying warm in winter so they would probably need the heat lamp. If you ARE going to use a heat lamp, besides being secure, I recommend a ‘thermocube’. This is a simple set thermostat usually used for heater waterers in livestock situations. When the ambient temperature reaches 35 degrees, it turns on. When the temps rise to 45 degrees it turns off again. My heat lamp and heated font (yeah, my spoiled chickens have that too) are plugged into this, it isn’t running constantly. It is only running when the bitter cold sets in. With a number of birds inside the coop at night, all generating their own heat, it doesn’t turn on right away even if OUTSIDE temps have dropped into the 20’s.

 

6)      Chicken swing. This is a swing that some obsessed people (including us) install in a run so that when the chickens get bored they can perch on it and keep themselves occupied by gently rocking back and forth. Thus far, our chickens have tried it exactly twice and it is in the ‘nope’ category for them.

There are a thousand other ways folks will spoil their chickens. Most of them completely unnecessary, but we do it anyway. At any rate, healthy, happy birds make healthy, happy eggs. They also make healthy, happy company.