livestock
Frizzle Chickens: Unusual Eye Candy in a Flock
One of the more unusual-looking chickens you may run across is the Frizzle chicken. Frizzle chickens are not so much a chicken breed, as a type of bird.
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All About Orpington Chickens
1886, Black Orpington, County Kent, England, from a Black Langshan-Black Minorca-Black Plymouth Rock cross.
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Keeping Turkeys Healthy in Winter
Turkeys are remarkably hardy birds. By the time turkeys reach maturity, they are very easy to care for, and are capable of surviving winter weather in great shape.
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12 Days of Christmas — Meaning Behind the Birds
Understanding the 12 Days of Christmas meaning adds something special to this favorite traditional carol.
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A Few Dos And Don’ts When Winter Sets
Before I go too far, let’s take a look at how nature has prepared our feathered friends to survive and basic poultry behavior.
Feathers are designed to resist wind, sun, and precipitation.
Raising Backyard Turkeys for Meat
Of all homestead poultry projects, raising backyard turkeys seems to appeal to the least number of people. Turkeys are amazingly stupid — from the newly hatched poults who can starve to death while trampling in their feed because they haven’t learned where to find it, to the hens who lay their eggs standing up.
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Broad-breasted Vs. Heritage Turkeys
Though frozen turkeys reside in your grocery store all year, they become the main attraction during the final two months. Many like the idea of heritage turkeys for Thanksgiving
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Toxins in the Environment
Poisoning is relatively unusual in backyard poultry, especially if you use common sense in keeping your flock away from pesticides, herbicides, rodenticides, fungicide-treated seed (intended for planting), wood preservatives, rock salt, and antifreeze.
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Rabbit and Chicken Frostbite Prevention Methods
Rabbit and chicken frostbite occurrences are preventable. Adopting good cold-weather management for your small livestock buildings will go a long way to preventing rabbit and chicken frostbite in the first place.
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Building a Solar Chicken Coop Heater
Do chickens need heat in winter? Is it worth the fire risk? A solar chicken coop heater could solve both problems to keep birds safe when temperatures plummet.
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