Well! It's official. We have decided to become glorified chicken farmers, defenders of clucking birds everywhere! It should be a new experience for all of us as hubby nor I grew up even remotely on or near a farm. We're thinking of taking on the glorified job of chicken farming. THINKING, mind you. And as with any new endeavor, I obsess just a little much. So here you will find all the links, info, blogs, companies, ideas and such I come up with while we make our decision for or against. enjoy our new found obsession! If you have a blog that talks about your chicken farming endeavors, especially a homeschooling one, holler at me and I'll add a link to it. Thanks for visiting!
Chicken Farming Blogs & Websites
McMurray Hatchery
ChickenBlog
Urban Chickens
Looks Like Chicken Scratch
Avian Aqua Miser
Life Goes On...
Bea's Chicken Blog
Tim's Blog
Success With Poultry
Deadly Nightshade
ChickenBlog
Urban Chickens
Looks Like Chicken Scratch
Avian Aqua Miser
Life Goes On...
Bea's Chicken Blog
Tim's Blog
Success With Poultry
Deadly Nightshade
Chicken Companies
Chicken Ideas
Kansas City Area Laws
Kansas City Urban Chickens 101
Handy Dandy Chicken Chart
Hatchability Problems
Kansas City Urban Chickens 101
Handy Dandy Chicken Chart
Hatchability Problems
Build Your Own Brooder (on the cheap!)
Chicken Coops & Chicken Tractors
Chicken Videos
Urban Backyard Chickens
The Chicken Whisperer (blog radio)
Chicken Chase
I bought this device for setting up a feeder. I can't wait to make it!
Keep Chickens! (love this one)
Chicken Coops, 45 Building Plans for Housing Your Flock
Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens (the reigning 'go-to' book if you ask most chicken farmers)
The Joy of Keeping Chickens
Your Chickens, A Kid's Guide to Raising and Showing
How to Build Animal Housing
Barnyard in Your Backyard
Choosing & Raising Chickens
Choosing & Keeping Chickens
*Note* - To see what your house is 'zoned' as, google 'Your City's Name, State Name', Zoning Map. Most chicken regulations in a city are based on how your house is zoned. As a rule, if you live among lots of close houses, you're in 'R-1, R-2 or R-3', all residential. If you're living out in the boonies with only fields for friends, you're most likely zoned agricultural. It doesn't hurt to check. I was surprised to find my house is Residential even though I do live among houses. When we bought our house, some of our paperwork said we were zoned 'agricultural'. They must have changed it. This limits the amount of birds we can legally have.
1 - Chickens/Hens can lay eggs, with or without a rooster. If you just want eggs to eat, no rooster. If you want to brood the eggs to make new chicks, rooster is required. Did you know that?
2 - If you don't have a rooster, one of the hens will eventually step up and be leader, effectively establishing a pecking order.
3 - Chickens take dirt baths. They dig shallow holes, lay in them, and kick dirt onto their entire bodies to cleanse away and kill mites or parasites. After a dirt bath, some chickens lie motionless and appear dead. They're just relaxing.
4 - The average life expectancy of a chicken is 8-10 years!
5 - Chickens do not have teeth and their beaks do not chew up food. The gizzards inside their bodies, with the help of grit (or little rocks they swallow) break up the food.
The Chicken Whisperer (blog radio)
Chicken Chase
I bought this device for setting up a feeder. I can't wait to make it!
Chicken Raising Books (I'll review them as I read them)
Keep Chickens! (love this one)
Chicken Coops, 45 Building Plans for Housing Your Flock
Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens (the reigning 'go-to' book if you ask most chicken farmers)
The Joy of Keeping Chickens
Your Chickens, A Kid's Guide to Raising and Showing
How to Build Animal Housing
Barnyard in Your Backyard
Choosing & Raising Chickens
Choosing & Keeping Chickens
Chicken Legalese
Look Up Your City's Municipal Code (search 'fowl', 'chicken' or 'poultry' once into the code)*Note* - To see what your house is 'zoned' as, google 'Your City's Name, State Name', Zoning Map. Most chicken regulations in a city are based on how your house is zoned. As a rule, if you live among lots of close houses, you're in 'R-1, R-2 or R-3', all residential. If you're living out in the boonies with only fields for friends, you're most likely zoned agricultural. It doesn't hurt to check. I was surprised to find my house is Residential even though I do live among houses. When we bought our house, some of our paperwork said we were zoned 'agricultural'. They must have changed it. This limits the amount of birds we can legally have.
Fascinating Chicken Fodder
(Note, in adding the word 'fodder', I had to look it up to make sure I was using it correctly. Amazingly it means 'something fed to domestic animals.' How fortuitous is that?! I meant 'ideas or thoughts' and actually it means food, or information. Cool!)1 - Chickens/Hens can lay eggs, with or without a rooster. If you just want eggs to eat, no rooster. If you want to brood the eggs to make new chicks, rooster is required. Did you know that?
2 - If you don't have a rooster, one of the hens will eventually step up and be leader, effectively establishing a pecking order.
3 - Chickens take dirt baths. They dig shallow holes, lay in them, and kick dirt onto their entire bodies to cleanse away and kill mites or parasites. After a dirt bath, some chickens lie motionless and appear dead. They're just relaxing.
4 - The average life expectancy of a chicken is 8-10 years!
5 - Chickens do not have teeth and their beaks do not chew up food. The gizzards inside their bodies, with the help of grit (or little rocks they swallow) break up the food.
