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Chickens are GREAT pets! They are so much fun!
And, they are easy to take care of! Learn how to take care of them here!
Goldie and Reddie are chilling on my lap! What adorable HOT CHICKS!!!
I will go through several aspects of caring for your HOT CHICKS.- Caring for your HOT CHICKS in their new SIMPLE CHICKEN HOME. (Don't know what the SIMPLE CHICKEN HOME is? Click here to see!)
- Taming your HOT CHICKS.. It's easy, really!
- What to feed them.
- General facts--things to know!
Now, starting on our first point--Caring for your new HOT CHICKS in their new SIMPLE CHICKEN HOME!!
The SIMPLE CHICKEN HOME is a home for two. And, yes, you should always have two or more chickens. Most people don't realize it but chickens are very loving animals who get very attached to their fellow friends around them. If you have more than two, perhaps you can build two SIMPLE CHICKEN HOMES. I've had five chickens before, and that's when I had two SIMPLE CHICKEN HOMES.
[Hello! I'm Reddie! Look at my cute face!]
The NEW SIMPLE CHICKEN HOME needs to be rotated around your yard every week or so, and it needs to be in grass. Chickens shouldn't have to step in their own poop all the time, and feathers accumulate, which then they can be ingested, and that's not a good thing. So, if it's before a week, and you see feathers or poop accumulated, go ahead and move your SIMPLE CHICKEN HOME to another spot.You can let your chickens out to free range (as long as your yard is secure... you wouldn't want them getting out) but you must be outside with them, as long as they're young. A falcon would hesitate, usually, on picking up a full grown chicken. But, if dogs can get into your yard, you should only let them out whenever you'll be outside...even if they're full grown. (Especially if you clip one of their wings.. they couldn't even fly in a tree to get away from the stupid dog!) Cats generally don't care to mess with a full grown chicken.
You'll need water bowls in your SIMPLE CHICKEN HOME. I have two in mine, just in case one runs out or gets knocked over. It should be the kind that comes from an upside down bottle, that pours into a dish. If you just have a flat bowl, they'll accidentally tip it over. (Chickens have a natural desire, being birds, to sit on the corners or edges of things--this includes the water bowl!)
To put food in your SIMPLE CHICKEN HOME is easy. Just lift up the cage with one arm and put the feed in with your other arm. If you want to let them run, however, just stand the cage up on its side and let the HOT CHICKS run! And, then set the feed down.
Goldie was still camera shy in this video! (The lens probably looks like a big, scary eyeball!) You can hear Reddie's lightning fast little pecks, which is what I was trying to accomplish!
Now, I'll go in to taming your HOT CHICKS.It's easy taming your HOT CHICKS if you got them at a day old or so. You just have to hand feed them, and hold them. (Just be careful, because they're so tiny, you could accidentally hurt them!)
If you talk to your HOT CHICKS frequently, they'll know your voice. My HOT CHICKS recognize my voice immediately.
If they're older, don't worry, you can still tame them. Just use the same tactics!
Shaking the food bag when you come to them, and when you're about to feed them gets them used to you more as well. People might say they come to you just because you're their source of food, and they care nothing about you. This is not true, however, because babies come to their mothers. This develops a special bond between parent and baby. By feeding your HOT CHICKS they'll see you as their parent. Also, try shaking the food bag (before you feed them, of course) when they're free ranging. It's always fun to see your cute chickens running to your call! It's one of the cutest sights ever!
Hold your chickens often. Pet them and speak to them. Have them lie down on your lap, and stroke their back with your hands. Hand feed them and pet them while you're holding them.Also, let them stand on your arm. It's like a perch! (Yes, if their claws are sharp, be careful.) My chickens have sharp claws but they are nice and careful, and I handle them carefully. But, if you still don't like the points poking your arm, you can get a sleeve for them to stand on.
The chicken on the right is my gorgeous girl Blondie. I had to give her to a good friend. She's a Buff Orpington hen.
My friend loves her, just like I do. Her feathers were so soft, and her shine was the brightest gold I've ever seen.
And, did I say... it looks very impressive to hold chickens on your arm. It makes you look like a professional handler. And, if you have accomplished this special bond, go ahead and consider yourself a professional!
Now, what shall you feed your cute HOT CHICKS? You can buy chicken feed from your local pet store. (Petco does not carry it! My rating of petco has seriously gone down!)
Any feed is fine, but I suggest egg builder feed. That way your chickens don't have mush for their first eggs. (If you have roosters you don't have to worry about this!)
But, feed alone isn't good enough. If you give them scratch it gives them something to do. (Scratch is random seeds, and cracked up corn, I think.)
Even then, though, feed and scratch is not good enough. You need bugs. Since your chickens are in a coop, or in a SIMPLE CHICKEN HOME, they don't free range as much. And, there are only so many bugs in a yard. So, I suggest MEALWORMS. My HOT CHICKS' favorite food is MEALWORMS. This is what I shake to get them to come to me. They LOVE mealworms!
Now, if you happen to be low in cash, and you can't buy feed, you can give them table scraps. Or, if you want to fluctuate their diet and give them something special they'll really like, give them table scraps. Here's a list of table scraps I give my HOT CHICKS.
Noodles. (Lots of times the portions are really big and I can't eat it all. So rather than waste it, I bring it out to the cuties!)
Potatoes. (Mashed or baked) Chickens LOVE potatoes!
Cheerios. It's a good snack! They love it!
Rice. Chickens like rice! Sometimes they can't see it very well, I think. If you put it on top of bread, they can see it better.
Corn. They love corn, too! It's a yummy meal that's easy for them to eat, whether it's on the cob or not. (Shaved corn in a bowl or on the ground is easy for them to peck fast, and a corn cob gives them nice stability to peck off of.)
Bread. Bread is one of the all time favorites for HOT CHICKS! And, it's very filling. It's a great solution when you run out of feed and mealworms. They LOVE bread!
Beans. Chickens like beans, too! I don't know if they make them smart or they make them fart! I have heard a chicken fart before!
Grapes. Grapes are a juicy meal for chickens that they really like. It's a good relief for them when it's hot. It also looks really cute to see them peck it, to break it and eat it. (They have great tactics with food, if you observe them you'll notice!)
Peaches, or any kind of fruit. Same relief from hot weather as grapes. They like juicy things, and it's cute to see them flick their tongue, when they're savoring the flavor.
Cooked meat. I usually don't, but they really like ham slices and such. And, it has good protein. (When you think about it, they are plant eaters[herbivores] and meat eaters[carnivores], which makes them "omnivores". They prey on bugs, snakes, and small animals such as lizards or geckos, when given the chance.)
A HOT CHICK'S specialty dish.....
the MEALWORM CAKE
ENJOY, CHICKENS!
Now that I've covered food to give them, I'll go over a list of things not to give them.Chicken. I know they'll eat it, but it's just not right making your animals cannibals! Plus, if one of your chickens is wounded, they might start to eat it. (I know this sounds gruesome, but it can happen. There's sometimes a bad chicken in the bunch, and if you haven't fed them, it might turn cannibal... so please don't feed your chickens chicken, and don't forget to feed them either. You wouldn't want to hate your animal forever.)
Un-cooked Meat. (Such as turkey, ham, bacon, etc.) Just like we can catch things... so can they.
Fat scraps. If it's not good for you, it's not good for them! They might really enjoy it, but it isn't healthy! (Come to think about it, I enjoyed fried chicken skin, too, until I became aware of the horrible unhealthy aspects of it, and stopped eating it!)
Overly expired food. I give my HOT CHICKS expired food all the time (usually expired within the range of one day to a week) but if it is longer than that I would be careful. It kind of depends on what kind of food it is that expired. Just take the time to think about it.
Rotten fruits or vegetables. Need I say more? I would feel terrible giving my HOT CHICKS something gross like that!
Cold foods. No matter what it is, if it's cold it might upset their stomach. Reddie ate cold peaches and loved them, but puked them out right after he swallowed them. He's eaten peaches before, so it's not the peaches that bothered him, but the coldness.
Now, here's some general facts about chickens.
Chickens are sociable animals, and create close bonds with one another. If they are separated they become distressed, and worried about one another!Chickens go through "teenager" or "adolescence" stages. In these stages, they will usually run away from you, even if they are tame and like being around you, and, even when they like being held! The best way to pick them up is to swoop your hand around the front of them. (You don't have to be too fast.) It's easy to put your hand under their chest, and hold their side with your other hand when you're holding them. And, when you're experienced, you can hold them with one hand!
Note: Chickens get easier and easier to hold as they get older and more mature. You will notice the difference!
Of course, be careful not to squeeze them. I've never done it, but take caution. You wouldn't want to hurt your beloved HOT CHICK!
These two pictures (above right, and to the left) are of my gorgeous girl Blondie. She now lives with a good friend. I love her so much. She could have still lived with me if it weren't for my NEIGHBORS FROM HELL.
I had to give her away because of the RIDICULOUS LAW (mentioned above). Instead of 5 chickens it is limited to 3... Animals should not be limited at ALL...at least not to such low extents....
Yes, I could have kept her, and two others... but they were all attached to eachother, so I couldn't split them up. Remember what I said about chicken's bonds? Didn't want to worry them.
HOT CHICKS and free-ranging: It's good for your HOT CHICKS to get out (free range). Most chickens don't really care to leave a yard, but make sure your yard is secure anyway. Most of all, make sure they are free from dogs. NOTE: If there is a falcon in your area, only let them out when you're out there, next to them. I don't think that falcons will eat (or if they even can) a full grown chicken. Little Judy (pictured below, running with the big gals!) got eaten by a HUGE Perigrine Falcon in my area. I miss her!
Free ranging is good for chickens! They'll eat bugs or flowers that they find. It also lets them socialize with each other. When they learn new things, it expands their knowledge. You can usually see who's the highest of the pecking order, too. When they're little you won't, but the leader will take his or her place when they get big! HOT CHICKS might find nuisance bugs like fire ants, too. The HOT CHICKS will find snakes in your yard, too! The valliant Reddie found, killed, and ate a snake that he discovered! (I will post videos of that amazing feat soon!) Below: free range HOT CHICKS
This fact is just common knowledge. Your HOT CHICKS need adequate water and food, at all times. Especially water. I know that animals can survive long periods without food and water, but don't put your HOT CHICK through that! If you're going to be gone for a day or more, even if someone else will come over to check on them (or, even if you don't have anyone to do that) put extra food in their cage and fill their water containers to the maximum.
Chickens drink in a cute fashion! They scoop up water into their beak, and then bend their head and neck almost straight up, and swallow the water in fast little gulps. If you're taking care of an ill chicken who's too tired to drink, scoop their beak in the water and lift their head up. Usually they'll realize the water and you'll see them swallowing. I know about taking care of ill chickens, because one of my young family members bought a hot chick who was "sleeping"... poor baby was actually ill.
Above: Mary (left) and Blondie (right) drinking at one of the tree's watering holes! Blondie had just finished swallowing in this picture. See how they glistened in the sun? They're SO beautiful!
Also, chickens go through what I call a "cape" or "coat" stage. This is when their baby feathers are almost fully off of them, and the only part of their body that still has baby feathers is their head. (This is most noticable in the Rhode Island Red, or similar breeds.) The bigger, darker feathers look like the little cutie is wearing a big coat! This stage doesn't stay around very long, so enjoy it while it lasts! The "coat" starts to grow up their neck, and then onto their head as the baby feathers shed off.
These CUTIES are Meanie and Half Pint when they were around two months old! They are SO CUTE! Here you can clearly see the "coat" on them! They still had baby feathers on their heads and neck. Although, you can see the bigger feathers starting to grow on the back of their necks, and by their ear lobes. Below is a picture of cutie Meanie, clearly showing the "cape"!
Chickens shed their feathers a lot. If you see a loose feather on your HOT CHICK, go ahead and pull it out. (If it isn't loose don't yank it out!) This relieves them of an extra itch. Not to mention, you can collect the feather! HOT CHICK feathers are gorgeous! I have a large collection from all of my HOT CHICKS! (Wing and tail feathers are especially the best ones to collect!)
Oh, this fact is interesting. Did you know that HOT CHICKS have an extra eyelid? You can see it usually when they are about to peck something. (They cover their eye with this extra membrane during the lightning fast peck) Observe your chickens close and you'll see it too.
Speaking of chicken's eyes, here's another fact. (This generally applies to all chickens.) They originally have blue-green eyes when they are little (see the picture above Blondie, of Meanie and Half Pint in the "coat" stage!) and their eyes turn more orange-ish-yellow as they get older. (See Blondie, above!) Blondie too, had green eyes when she was a little baby, and adolescent!
Typical Hen Lay: This is when you can tell that your HOT CHICK is a hen, for sure! When she does the "typical hen lay"! See the picture of the cutie Half Pint below!
Dirt Bathing: (Also called dust bathing) Chickens LOVE to dirt-bathe! It's also essential that they do. It keeps parasites from becoming a problem. I love watching my HOT CHICKS dirt bathe!
Gracie (left) and Meanie (right) dirt bathing! My chickens normally rendevou with eachother to bathe. It's like a little fun get-together. (A really messy one!) Did I also mention that they are usually calm after dirt bathing? If you want to pick them up really easy, just grab them when they're just about done! (You might want to wait until they shake all the dirt off, though!) I've gotten dirt all over me before, when I forgot about this! (Meanie was done dirt bathing, looking all cute. I came over and reached to pick her up, when all of a sudden, she SHOOK ALL OF THE DIRT ALL OVER ME!!! :) I was okay, and managed to close my eyes in time. I just rubbed all the dirt off, and took a bath of my own when I went inside later!)
If you're thinking about getting HOT CHICKS, go ahead! You will be happy! (Of course, just like any animal, you must take care of them!) They are A LOT of fun! Believe it or not, you can learn many things from chickens. They are funny and smart! (Only people who don't know anything about chickens honestly think they're dumb..) HOT CHICKS are cute... I can go on forever about them, but you get the gist!
I hope this CHICKEN HEALTH blog has helped you. I LOVE HOT CHICKS!!!
