The Nesting Box

Welcome to the Nesting Box. We've scratched around and have some fun things for you to read and learn about chickens. As a valued customer, your additional questions and comments are most welcome.

Cluck Ya!

Topics

• Fun Facts About Chickens
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Flock of Chicken Terms
• Re-Use & Re-cycle
• Wonderful Uses & Recipes for Eggs



Fun Facts About Chickens

Cluck, Cluck, Cluck


	A chickens' body temperature normally runs at 102-103 degrees F.
	A rooster takes 18-20 breaths a minute, a hen takes 30-35.
	There are over 150 varieties of domestic chickens.
	Chickens are not capable of sustained flight.
	It takes a hen 24-26 hours to lay an egg.
	Chickens come in an infinite variety of colors and patterns.
	Chickens lay colored eggs from white, brown, green, to pink, & blue.
	A chicken can have 4 or 5 toes on each foot.
	Grocery store chickens are 5-8 weeks old.
	A chicken takes 21 days to hatch.
	Americans consume 8 billion chickens a year.
	In 1979, the World Record was set by a White Leghorn who laid 371 eggs in 364 days!!!
	A hen lives an average of 5-7 years, but can live up to 20 years.
	"Alektorophobia" is the fear of chickens.




Frequently Asked Questions

How Many Eggs Will A Single Hen Lay?
Generally a hen will lay one egg per day in the Spring thru the Fall. In the winter months, egg production tapers off to one egg every day or two. Egg production can vary on climate and stress of the bird. For example, at 102 degrees outside, it's unlikely that you are going to get your regular ration of eggs. Your girls will have spent most of their day trying to stay cool and hydrated.

How Long Will it Take for my Chicks to Start Laying?
Chickens can begin laying eggs as early as four months of age. Please, don't hold your breath or run out to the nesting box on the very day your gal turns her ripe age of four months. More often than not you can expect you ladies to begin their season when they approximately six months of age.

Why Diatomaceous Earth?
Food Grade DE is a fossil shell flour that can be used as an internal wormer, to control insects and to aide in parasite removal in both animals and people. We have a client that adds a teaspoon of Food Grade DE to her yogurt every morning. She swears by it. With regard to DE and your chickens: DE can be scattered around the coop, mixed in with bedding material in nesting boxes and does wonders in your flocks favorite dusting holes and gullies. Flies don't like the powder and therefore it works wonders to reduce, if not eliminate, those pesky flies. Chickens can get lice and mites on their skin in and around their feather follicles, but these nasty little exo-skeleton bugs can't stand up to being "dusted" with DE and therefore perish. It helps to use a flour sifter when trying to cover a large area.

How Often do They Lay?
Nearly every day. The egg formation process takes approximately 24-26 hours. Once she lays that egg the process starts all over again. The regular occurrence of eggs also depends on the weather. More eggs are laid in the Spring, Summer and Fall.

For How Many Years Can I Expect Eggs?
Many books suggest that hens have a capacity to lay for up to five years. We have a client that reported her hen still laying at 12 years of age - not an egg every day, but that's some pretty good history.

How Much Feed do Hens Eat?
One chicken will eat about two pounds of feed per week. Bantams will eat slightly less due to their size. You will find that they eat more in the Winter to create energy for staying warm. To determine how much feed you need, multiply the number of your hens times two (i.e. 4 hens x 2 (lbs.)= 8lbs). That's at least eight pounds per week for four girls. Hens like to scratch around at the ground so they can dig up bugs, worms, snails, grass, etc. The more your hens are able to free-range in your yard the better. Always provide your girls with plenty of crumbles or pellets. As an added treat, in the evening give each hen about one cup of scratch (organic cracked corn). Keep in mind that scratch is like candy. They will love it, but it can add on unnecessary pounds to your flock.

Can I Have Chickens That Don't Lay Eggs?
You sure can. Prior to being one year old he would be referred to as a Cockerel. Beyond one year of age he's a Rooster.

Can You Tell Me About Roosters?
For starters, cockerels and roosters are generally not allowed in city limits. Roosters are the more decorative of the chicken species. Their flashy and bold plumage attract the attention of natural predators while also helping to protect the hens against those predators. Roosters are a masculine symbol that has been portrayed in weekend cartoons as only crowing when the sun begins to rise. This is a serious misconception for a rooster will crow at any and all hours of the day, guaranteed. When he begins to crow you may be horribly alarmed by his raspy attempt. Fear not, he will develop a tune you will come to love if you are located in an area where roosters are allowed.

Do I Need A Rooster in my Flock for my Hens to Lay Eggs?
No, roosters are not necessary for a hen to lay eggs. You need a rooster if you desire fertilized eggs or if you want to have chicks hatch from your hens eggs.

Oh No, Some of our Chickens are Roosters - We Live in City Limits...What do we Do???
Please contact your local Humane Society (be certain to make a donation to their cause), send an e-mail to everyone in your contact list and list your noisy little guy on Craigslist.org. If you really get yourself in a bind, send us an e-mail and we'll see if we have any suggestions. DO NOT ABANDON YOUR ROOSTER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!

Should I Trim our Chickens Wings?
Chickens don't have the capacity for sustained flight like many familiar birds that we see out flying in the sky. However, you may have a girl that likes to go up into trees or high places. If you are concerned, you can curb her from doing so by carefully clipping her wing feathers. Please be mindful that wing clipping upsets the bird's natural balance, and she then becomes more vulnerable to predators. You will need to weigh out the pros and cons of her behavior and her environment.

Why is my Chicken Panting Like a Dog?
If they are standing/laying around with their beaks wide open, partially open and their wings lifted up and away from their bodies, she's hot and likely overheated. Chickens don't perspire so they'll need plenty of fresh drinking water to help cool them down. Some birds enjoy a cool mist, while others don't find it refreshing.

It's Raining, Can my Chickens be out in the Rain?
Seasonal rain brings out bugs and softens the soil for scratching. Let them out to play like kids in a rain puddle. Be sure you are providing them with a dry sheltered place with no drafts though. You don't want them to catch a cold. If you find that you have a bird that gets soaked you might find it beneficial to bring her inside and dry her with a hair dryer on low and medium heat. Use common sense, please.

How Can we Tell if an Egg is Fresh?
A fresh egg when placed in a jar of water will not float. It will sink. If you drop an egg in water and it floats, toss it out. Do not eat it. It's not fresh. A fresh laid egg has very little air inside.

What is the Best Bedding Material?
There are a variety of bedding materials to choose from. Straw, wood shavings, bark, paper wood chips, rice hulls, etc. It's trial and error. We use straw in our nesting boxes, rice hulls in some of the coops and wood shavings to absorb moisture with the baby chicks. We also compost all these materials out in the pasture.




Flock of Chicken Terms

Bantam
A smaller variety of chicken - like a mini version.

Bloom
The protective coating on an egg that helps keep bacteria out of the porous shell of the egg.

Broiler
A young meat chicken used for food.

Breed
A group of chickens that share various characteristics including comb and plumage style.

Brood
A batch of chicks.

Broody
A hen sitting on a clutch of eggs until they hatch is the behavior 'broody'. A hen is 'broody' when she has the overwhelming desire to sit and hatch eggs.

Candeling
To view the contents of an egg by shining a light through it. Used to determine fertility.

Cannibalism
Chickens under stress pecking at each other.

Chicken
A domesticated fowl. Human Caution: tendency to cause addiction to their presence.

Clutch
A group of eggs accumulated by a hen for incubation.

Cock
A male chicken or rooster a year or more old.

Cockerel
A male chicken less than one year old.

Comb
The fleshy red spiked material on a chicken's head.

Coop
A safe place for your chickens to roost, lay eggs and to be protected from weather.

Crest
Crest The bunch of wild looking feathers on the head of some breeds.

Crop
The pouch in a chicken's esophagus, at the base of its neck, that bulges with feed. Can feel like a golf ball.

Debeak
To remove part of the top beak to prevent cannibalism. NOT RECOMMENDED. This is a very cruel method to prevent overcrowding incidents due to improper care!

Droppings
Manure. Poop. Compost....good stuff.

Embryo
The developing chicken inside a fertile egg.

Fluff
The soft feathering on a chicken's butt.

Fryer
A young meat bird used for food.

Gizzard
An organ in the digestive system of a chicken that grinds food with grit swallowed by the chicken.

Grit
Sand and pebbles eaten by chickens to grind food in its gizzard. Birds allowed to free range don't need to be offered grit -- they find their own ideal sizes and types to suit themselves.

Hen
A female chicken a year or more old.

Hock
The joint in the chicken's leg between the thigh and the shank.

Keel
The breast bone of the chicken.

Litter
Biodegradable material such as pine shavings used on the floor and in nesting boxes to absorb moisture and keep housing clean. Straw and rice hulls can also be efficient. Cedar is toxic to chickens, please do not use cedar shavings.

Mash
A mixture of (wet or dry) coarse ground feed.

Mite
A type of external crawling parasite.

Moult
The annual normal dropping out and regrowing of a chicken's feathers. Your birds may look rather unsightly during this time, and the barnyard can resemble the aftermath of a big pillowfight! Lasts approximately 6-8 weeks.

Nesting Box
The private area where chickens lay their eggs.

Oviduct
The tube through which an egg travels over the course of its formation until it is laid.

Pasting or Pasty Butt
Manure sticking to the rear end of a young chick. Can be fatal if not treated properly! Remove manure with a cotton ball dipped in warm water. Be gentle.

Pecking Order
The order and social ranking of a group of chickens.

Pellet
Pellets are feed that is formed from a fine mash bonded together.

Point of Lay
A young pullet about 18 weeks old, the age at which the bird could start laying.

Predators
Raccoons are clever and ravenous. Skunks, dogs, cats, and even hawks may also harm chickens.

Primary Feathers
The first ten feathers on the wing starting at the tip.

Perch
A pole or dowel which a chicken sleeps on at night, also called a roost. A sturdy tree branch works great too.

Plumage
The feathering of a chicken as a whole. You would say..."wow, she has beautiful plumage".

Pubic Bones
The two bones sticking out from either side of the vent.

Pullett
A female chicken less than one year old and not laying eggs yet.

Roaster - not to be confused with Rooster
A bird for cooking whole, larger than a fryer or broiler.

Roost
A pole or sturdy branch a chicken sleeps on at night.

Rooster
A male chicken a year or more old. Also referred to as a Cock or Cockerel. Known for having the fancier plumage and to be the noisiest buggers.

Run
A chicken's outdoor area. It should be fenced to keep chickens in and predators out. If you let the flock run during the day (and we know that you will), always close the coop door before nightfall.

Scales
The horny tissue covering the toes and legs.

Scratch
Whole or cracked grain fed to chickens. Given as treats and can be fattening.

Setting
The incubation of eggs in the nest by a sitting hen.

Sexed
Chicks that have been professionally sorted by sex.

Shank
The lower leg of a chicken.

Spur
The sharp bony points on the back of a rooster's shanks. Used for fighting and protection.

Straight Run
Chicks that have not been professionally sexed. Bantams are commonly sold Straight Run due to the difficulty of sexing the tiny chicks.

Vent
The opening at the rear of a chicken where the digestive, urinary and reproductive tracts end.

Wattles
The fleshy colored appendages hanging from either side of the lower beak.




Re-Use & Re-cycle

Re-Use your cardboard Shipping Box
Sort, organize and store any number of items from your household, garage, barn, etc, etc, etc.

Create a solar oven by lining with foil.

Use for sheet mulching. Worms LOVE to hide underneath and inside cardboard.

Toy box for a puppy.

Have any suggestions you want to share? Please send us an e-mail at treatsforchickens@treatsforchickens.com

Keep Recycling
Soda bottles are getting their second chance at worthiness - recycled PET fibers are used to make fleece jackets, vests and blankets. Amazing!

Reduce Pesticides in Your Environment
Choose organic cotton when you can. It takes 13 pounds of herbicides, pesticides and defoliants to produce one single acre of cotton. When choosing organic cotton you eliminate this ghastly process.




Wonderful Uses & Recipes for Eggs

✯ Donate extra eggs to a local food pantry.

✯Blend up a facial. Dry Skin: Yolk only. Oily Skin: Egg whites with a splash of Meyer Lemon and dollop of honey. Normal Skin: Scramble the whole egg up. Apply for 20 minutes and rinse. Feels good, eh?

✯ Devil up three or four dozen and bring to the next pot luck, garden party or holiday event.

✯ Decorate Easter Eggs - regardless of the Season.

✯Plant Seeds in Egg Shells. Place broken shells in egg carton, add soil, seeds and water. Transplant in several weeks.

✯Compost Egg Shells. The calcium in the shells is great for the ground and plants. Crush um up and work into the soil.

✯Eggnog - Who can resist homemade eggnog.

✯Crush and feed eggshells to your chickens. Mmmmhh, delicious.

✯Boiled & Pickled. Boil three parts red wine vinegar to one part water. Add garlic, cloves, peppercorns and a hot chili. Stuff de-shelled eggs in a jar, cover and seal. Refrigerate and enjoy.

✯Bake up a Quiche. A personal favorite. Clean out the fridge and toss it all in: cheese, mushrooms, onions, sausage, bacon, etc, etc. Be creative.

✯Souffle - Cheese, Asparagus, Ham.

✯Create Hundred Year Old Eggs - Also known as century eggs and thousand year eggs. We learned of these in 2009. What a mouthful. Tastes like salty chocolate pudding. Hundred-year eggs are sold individually and can be found in Chinese markets. They will keep at standard room temperature (under 70̊F) for up to 2 weeks or in the refrigerator up to a month. These preserved eggs are usually eaten uncooked, either for breakfast or served as an appetizer, often with accompaniments such as soy sauce or minced ginger.