A tractor maintenance checklist for spring is crucial to be sure your tractor is ready when you need it. To prepare your tractor for spring, we’ve compiled a handy list of nine maintenance steps to follow.
1. Remove winter-specific attachments and accessories
Has your tractor been working hard all winter plowing or blowing snow? Assuming winter is past and you don’t expect any more snowstorms, remove any winter-specific attachments (like a snow blower or snow plow), as well as tire chains and ballast weights.
2. Thoroughly clean your tractor
You know how people talk about “spring cleaning?” Well, spring is a perfect time to clean your tractor. Wipe off dust, dirt, and grime. Consider using degreasers and cleaning solvents to remove buildup around the engine. You can even apply a coat of wax to the exterior if you want to get fancy and make your tractor shine.
3. Install nonwinter attachments and accessories
If you removed the mowing deck from your garden tractor to attach a snow blower or improve winter maneuverability, now is the time to reinstall the mower deck and any other nonwinter attachments or accessories you’ll be using in spring. The specifics will obviously vary depending on the type of tractor you have and the projects you tackle.
4. Change the oil, if needed
Perhaps your tractor is due for an oil change after a busy winter. Or maybe you need to drain winter-grade oil and replace it with oil suitable for summer heat. In any case, if an oil change is necessary, make it one of your top priorities.
5. Check and replenish other fluids
Does your tractor have other fluids that require attention? Hydraulic fluid? Transmission fluid? Coolant? Check all the fluid levels and top them off as needed.
6. Clean and/or replace air and fuel filters
Air filters and fuel filters shouldn’t be overlooked during spring tractor maintenance. The air filter should be cleaned and even replaced if it’s due; consult your tractor’s manual for guidance. Replace the fuel filter as well if it’s time.
7. Check tire air pressure
If you’ve been using your tractor throughout winter, you’ve ideally been keeping an eye on the tire air pressure, which can shift with changes in temperatures. Regardless, as part of your tractor maintenance, check the pressure again as part of spring maintenance and inflate the tires to the suitable PSI range if they’re low. From greater performance to decreased tire wear, keeping tires properly inflated comes with a lot of benefits.
8. Charge or replace the battery, if needed
It’s possible your tractor’s battery will need to be charged after winter. If it’s weak and struggles to start your tractor, give it a charge and see if that restores normal performance. However, if your battery is several years old and seems to be struggling even after a charge, it may be time to move beyond your tractor maintenance checklist and replace the battery.
9. Replace the spark plugs, if needed
If the battery is strong, but your tractor still won’t start, the spark plugs (if your tractor has a gasoline engine) could be at fault. You won’t have to replace spark plugs every year (or even every few years; they can last a long time), but if your tractor engine runs rough or has difficulty starting, it may be time for new spark plugs.
Congratulations! Your tractor maintenance has made you ready for a productive spring of farm work.
Knowing how to protect chickens from predators is important if you want to keep a productive flock. On the list of predators are oftenrodents, skunks and snakes, but they are rarely a danger to adult chickens.
Do Snakes Kill Chickens?
If snakes are allowed access to a chicken coop, they will happily dine on young birds and eggs, but they pose little threat to grown birds. While it’s possible for some large, exotic snakes to kill and consume whole adult chickens, it would be rather rare. In fact, it’s more likely that an adult hen will make a meal out of a snake than the other way around.
Signs of Snakes in the Chicken Coop
Unless you’re able to catch a glimpse of snakes entering the coop, there will be only a few mysterious signs of their presence:
Missing Chicks: No other clues
Whole, Missing Eggs: No other clues
Dead Chickens: Dead, adult chickens with a wet head (where the snake attempted to swallow it)
How to Keep Snakes Out of the Chicken Coop
Snakes prefer to feast on rodents, such as mice and rats, and will take up residence where and when there are ample food sources. That means if you have a resident snake, you likely have a rodent problem as well.
Knowing how to protect chickens from predators means following all the precautions for securing the coop. Like rodents, snakes can fit through very small openings in the coop. Eliminate the food source and the snake will move on.
Do Opossums Kill Chickens?
Several other common critters may pose a threat to your flock, though many of these scavengers are more of an issue for keepers with young birds or lots of eggs.
Opossums are rather common and live in nearly every corner of the country, in some cities and most rural areas. Opossums prefer to scavenge for food rather than hunt for it. If she finds a way into a chicken coop, she’ll go for eggs first, eating them on the spot. Young chicks make easy pickings as well, and if in the mood to hunt, an opossum will target grown chickens as well.
Mice in the Chicken Coop – Friend or Foe?
Know that mice and rats are more of a nuisance when you’re wondering how to protect chickens from predators than a true threat to adult chickens. While they are certainly capable of killing baby chicks, only a very large, very hungry and very motivated rodent will attempt to kill an adult chicken. Rats and mice tend to view the coop as a warm, dry shelter in which to make a nest, particularly if there is chicken feed to feast on nearby.
Do Skunks Kill Chickens?
Unlike the mammals in the weasel family, skunks rarely hunt grown birds. They tend to go for young chicks or eggs almost exclusively. The skunk’s smell is much stronger than that of the mustelid mammals, so if you are aware of its smell, you can be fairly certain it has paid your flock a visit.
How to Protect Chickens from Predators
Chicken predators come in all shapes, sizes and species. They fly, crawl, walk, stalk and slither.
Some gain access to your birds by climbing walls, others by slipping through fences, some by digging under enclosure perimeters and a few by simply charging in the light of day. Some are big. Some are small. Some are so crafty they can pass undetected until they strike.
Chickens are rarely safe, and they know it. By nature, chickens tend to be standoffish, skittish, flighty and a tad bit paranoid. Chicken fanciers often find their behavior quirky and endearing, but what we see as “just being weird” is really a well-honed defense mechanism. It’s no wonder chickens are constantly on the alert. Nearly every predatory creature, domestic or feral, finds them to be easy, tasty prey. On top of that, chickens have very few natural defenses. They have poor eyesight in low light and no teeth or strength with which to defend themselves. Between the natural fight-or-flight response, flight is the only viable option—and they can’t even do that very well.
So, as their keeper, it’s your duty to use your wits, tools and resources to ensure the flock’s safety. Here’s how…
1. Maintain a Secure Coop
The first defense, of course, is by building and maintaining a secure coop. Lock up behind your birds each evening, making sure they’re safe at the most vulnerable time of day.
2. Think Like a Predator
This is the best way to stay one step ahead of the marauders and to truly keep your birds safe. What are your local predators’ strengths? How do they gain access to chickens? How would they maim or kill, and what time of day do they tend to strike? These are all important questions any chicken keeper must ask about the predators that hunt nearby.
3. Be Diligent
Chickens are so easy to care for and have so few needs compared to other pets and livestock that it’s sometimes easy to forget that they are one of the most vulnerable. It’s easy to become complacent in the daily routine and let your guard down, even just once. That one slip-up—the one, tiny gap in fencing or the one time you forget to lock them up at night—could be a predator’s way in and spell disaster for your flock.
It’s critically important to take the necessary precautions and establish a good defense from the get-go. Don’t wait until a predator has already visited your flock.
What To Do If a Predator Attacks
If and when an attack happens, be prepared to don your detective’s cap. Unless you catch the marauder in the act, you’ll be relying on clues at the crime scene to determine which species made the attack. It can be surprisingly hard to figure out who was responsible.
1. Check for Obvious Points of Entry
What do you see as you scan the chicken coop and run’s perimeter? Are there gaps or torn holes in the fencing? Signs of digging? A window or door left ajar or pried open?
Check for obvious animal tracks around the enclosure. If you have muddy or snowy conditions, you may get lucky and find some.
2. Take Inventory
How many birds were killed? What time of day did the attack happen? Were any birds eaten? If so, which body parts? Are there any missing birds? If there are surviving birds, what is the nature of their wounds?
How to Protect Chickens from Predators – Key Takeaways
Chickens are easy prey for so many predators that it’s difficult to keep track. From feral cats to foxes, hawks and snakes, each predator has its own distinctive modus operandi that serves as a calling card, providing clues to what you and your chickens are dealing with. So use preventative measures, where possible, and keep a safe and secure coop.
This article about how to protect chickens from predators originally appeared in the Nov./Dec. 2023 issue of Chickens magazine. Click here to subscribe.
Do hens need a rooster to lay eggs? It’s a reasonable question to ask. If fresh backyard eggs are your goal, you need to know how to make that happen. Plus, if you live in an area that doesn’t allow roosters, then you need to cover all your bases before you start a backyard flock. The simple answer to this question is no, hens do not need a rooster to lay eggs. Here’s why…
No Roosters Allowed
In addition to strict home-owner association by-laws, many town and city ordinances prohibit the ownership of roosters. The most common reasoning behind this is that roosters will disturb the peace with their round-the-clock crowing.
Another consideration is that roosters are instinctively aggressive. Not all, but many will attack anybody that comes too close to them.
Regardless of whether these beliefs are fact or fiction, it’s understandable that this prohibition can cause concern. Why go to the trouble of building or buying a coop, equipping it, and raising chicks if the pullets won’t ever be able to lay an egg without a rooster’s help?
Fortunately, when it comes to a hen’s production cycle, a rooster is only required if you wish to hatch chicks. A rooster will mate with a hen, inseminating her with his sperm. The sperm will penetrate the germinal disk or germ spot on the yolk, fertilizing it, as it begins to travel down the hen’s oviduct.
A rooster’s sperm can last up to one month inside the oviduct. So a strong probability exists that more than one egg will be fertilized.
How Eggs Are Made
Whether roosters are present or not, hens will produce eggs on their own. A bird will start laying once she reaches a certain age (usually 16 to 18 weeks, depending on the breed) and if specific conditions are met.
A hen requires a minimum of 14 hours of daylight (natural or artificial) to stimulate ovulation and start laying. She also needs a daily supply of fresh water as well as nutritious layer feed, preferably one fortified with calcium to help with the production of egg shells.
If all these conditions are met, a hen will lay an egg approximately every 26 hours. A new yolk is typically released once the previous egg is laid. Eventually, she will lay too late in the day to trigger the next yolk’s release. This results in one or more days of rest before she begins to lay again.
Different breeds of chicken have different rates of lay. Breeds such as White Leghorns, Australorps, Ameraucanas and Polish are excellent layers. They will produce four or more eggs per week.
Breeds such as Naked Necks, Jersey Giants and New Hampshires were developed for their meat. As a result, these birds feature rapid growth but poor egg production.
Dual-purpose birds such as Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds and Wyandottes lay about three to four eggs per week but can also be raised for meat.
When choosing to raise chickens, be sure to take into account the rate of lay for each breed you are considering. This will help you calculate approximately how many hens you will need to produce the quantity of eggs your family will need. Conversely, you can determine how many birds you’ll need if you plan to sell farm-fresh eggs as a homegrown business.
This article about do hens need a rooster to lay eggs was written for Chickens magazine online. Click here to subscribe.
The Araucana chicken is popular as a dual-purpose chicken breed prized for its medium-sized, blue eggs and plump carcass. This breed is relatively new as it was recognized by the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection in 1976. There are nearly 400 recognized breeds and varieties of poultry existing, including large fowl and bantam chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and guinea fowl.
Araucana Chicken Facts
Chicken & Egg Colors
Araucanas come in a variety of colors — white, black, black-breasted red, golden duckwing and silver duckwing.
Blue chicken eggs are popular and the Araucana is considered the original layer of blue eggs. This breed gave way to other blue-egg-laying chickens such as Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers. Its unique blue-green eggs are a result of the breed’s genetics.
Araucana Chicken Origins
Araucanas are native to Chile and were first discovered by Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century.
According to The Araucana Club of America, the Araucana originated in an area of Chile controlled by Araucana Indians. The breed was first imported to the U.S. in the 1930s.
Araucana Features
This unusual breed is rumpless (aka having no tail) and lacks a tailbone and oil (or preen) gland.
One of the most striking features of this breed is its ear tufts, which are a feather or group of feathers coming out of the sides of the bird’s face around the ear area. They can be one-sided or bilateral (which is preferred).
This chicken breed feature about the Araucana chicken originally appeared in the Sept./Oct. 2023 issue of Chickens magazine as a mystery chicken breed. It was brought to you by Murray McMurray Hatchery, which provides the highest quality poultry and auxiliary products to its customers and has been a trusted, knowledgeable industry resource for more than 100 years. Whether you are an experienced or novice enthusiast, Murray McMurray is sure you’ll enjoy its wide selection of breeds and supplies to assist you with raising your flock!
Can chickens eat sunflower seeds is a common question. A proper diet is vital to your chickens’ health and development. Providing your birds the right scientifically formulated feed for their stage of life ensures that they receive all the essential nutrients and minerals they need to grow and thrive. While treats and kitchen scraps given regularly can undermine a flock’s absorption of necessary nutrients, an occasional snack offered in moderation will not only not derail your chickens’ diet but can also help develop a better bond between you and your birds.
Feed Sunflower Seeds for Added Energy
A favorite tidbit—and one easily found at feed shops, farm-supply stores and even supermarkets—is black oil sunflower seeds. Commonly used in wild-bird feeders, black oil sunflower seeds contain approximately 50 percent fat and 20 percent protein, making them a great source of energy.
These seeds also feature thin shells, making them easy for chickens (and other birds) to eat. Because of their fat and protein content, black oil sunflower seeds should be fed in very small amounts, approximately a tablespoon for a flock of three to six birds.
To offer the seeds, scatter them around your chicken run or yard to not only treat your hens but also provide them with exercise. If your birds are docile, you can also offer black oil sunflower seeds from your palm. Be sure to hold your palm open and flat rather than cupped to prevent beaks from accidentally grabbing your skin instead of seeds.
Sunflower seeds sold in the snack section of supermarkets should never be offered to chickens. Processed for human consumption, these types of sunflower seeds typically contain sodium, flavorings and preservatives, which are unhealthy for birds to consume.
Farm-supply and wild-bird stores usually sell sunflower hearts, which are the shelled sunflower kernel. You can offer sunflower hearts to your flock if you are averse to sunflower shells strewed throughout your yard or run. Sunflower hearts run a bit more expensive than unshelled seed, but they are better for your garden, as sunflower seed shells contain allelopathic toxins , which prevent other seeds—including grass seed—from germinating.
Another option your chickens and you may both enjoy would be to plant a black oil sunflower garden. Black oil sunflowers grow to a height of 8 to 10 feet and feature golden yellow petals around a large brown center. These tall plants will provide shade for your flock and beautiful blooms for you to admire.
The flowers’ centers will be chock full of seeds at harvest time, provided wild birds don’t get to them first. Wild birds adore black oil sunflower seeds, so be aware that offering these seeds to your chickens may mean you’ll have some freeloaders hanging about.
This article about can chickens eat sunflower seeds was written for Chickens magazine online. Click here to subscribe.
A chicken tractor can provide your chickens with the benefits of free-ranging while keeping them safe from predators. Here’s our guide to an enclosed and movable run to get your flock up and out of the coop.
Chicken Tractor Musts
Faux free-ranging uses a chicken tractor or another moveable run to give chickens and other poultry daily access to fresh greens and bugs while keeping them safe from predators. You can purchase a chicken tractor from a manufacturer or go online to find some neat plans and build your own.
Whether you construct your own or buy an already-assembled chicken tractor, there are several things you should include.
10 to 15 square feet of room for each chicken (if you can allow it, more space is better)
Nesting boxes for laying hens
Protection from aerial predators, ground-dwelling predators and digging predators
Easily moveable (Preferably, your chicken tractor should have wheels and a handle to push or pull your run to the next pasture.)
An attached predator-proof coop if you are housing chickens in a chicken tractor overnight.
Now that you know what your chicken tractor should include, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of predator-proofing.
faux free-ranging free-range chickens
Safety First
There is no point in faux free-ranging if predators can still gain access to your flock. If a predator enters the chicken tractor, there is no way for your trapped chickens to escape their deadly fate. Take all necessary precautions to protect your flock from all predator attacks to ensure your and your flock’s peace of mind.
There are several ways to prevent predators from attacking your flock. Overhead protection, heavy-gauge wire and predator skirts are some of the best ways to protect your chickens.
Aerial Protection
A 16-gauge half-inch hardware cloth is one of the best ways to deter climbing and aerial predators from accessing your chicken tractor through the roof.
Securing the top of the run with a weatherproof, heavy-duty tarp provides an out-of-sight, out-of-mind barrier so aerial predators can’t see the chickens. It will also offer protection from the hot summer sun.
Heavy Gauge Wiring
Even though chicken wire is known as the all-purpose wire to keep chickens in and predators out, the truth is chicken wire does little to protect your flock. Chicken wire is so flimsy that foxes and raccoons have no problems chewing right through it.
To completely keep predators out, use a PVC-coated 16-gauge half-inch hardware cloth.
Predator Skirts
Attaching predator skirts to the bottom outside the perimeter of your chicken tractor will prevent digging predators from accessing your run. To do this, you will need three tools.
PVC-coated 16-gauge 3/4-inch hardware cloth
Heavy-duty zip ties
Metal stakes
Attach 18 inches of hardware cloth to the bottom outside the perimeter of the run. Secure in place by driving the stakes through the hardware cloth into the ground.
Healthy Flock
Daily access to pasture is crucial to keeping your flock healthy by providing chickens access to the fresh greens and bugs they need.
Faux-free-ranging reduces stress and anxiety while lessening your flock’s chances of contracting coccidiosis, internal parasites and other poultry-related diseases.
A Chicken Tractor = Better Eggs
Have you ever checked out the comparison between pasture-raised or free-range eggs and meat versus non-free-range? Free-range eggs contain a quarter less saturated fat, three times more vitamin E, twice the amount of omega-3 fatty acids, a quarter less cholesterol, seven times more beta carotene, and two-thirds more vitamin A.
Free-ranging chickens also produce higher-quality meat containing more iron, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants than non-pastured chickens. To learn more about the benefits of consuming pastured-raised chickens, click here.
Throw in how much better your eggs and meat will taste, and it’s a win-win.
So yes, with faux-free-ranging, it is possible to keep your chickens safe from predators and provide your flock with the health benefits of a free-range diet while providing you with healthier eggs and meat.
This article about using a chicken tractor to free-range a flock was written for Chickens magazine online. Click here to subscribe.
Can chickens and goats live together? It’s a common question as many hobby farmers are looking for increased self-sufficiency and decreased reliance on traditional food sources like grocery stores. One popular method of achieving this is to add productive livestock such as goats and chickens for their milk, eggs and meat.
Space limitations, however, sometimes restrict the types of animals that can be supported on a farm.
Fortunately, goats and chickens are two species that can successfully pasture together to conserve space, so long as you take the proper precautions. Things to consider when planning to jointly pasture goats and chickens include the benefits, disease transmission, pasture size and plants, housing and fencing.
Pasturing Together Benefits
Can chickens and goats live together in a single pasture does take some additional planning, work and effort. So, you need to decide whether the benefits are worthwhile.
The potential advantages of pasturing chickens and goats jointly include the following.
It’s generally less costly to fence one pasture area as opposed to two.
Pasture access should reduce the amount of hay and grain concentrate needed for feeding.
The exercise that livestock get foraging is good for them and helps keep them healthy.
Pasturing chickens improves the flavor and nutritional content of chicken meat and eggs.
Pastured chickens help control flies, ticks and goat parasites on the farm.
Goldilock Project/Adobe Stock
Disease Transmission
A common concern about can chickens and goats live together is disease transmission. But, in reality, it’s seldom an issue.
Goats and chickens are susceptible to coccidiosis, a disease of the intestinal tract caused by the parasite coccidia. But coccidia are species-specific and aren’t transmitted between goats and chickens.
However, Melissa Holahan, a veterinarian as well as the creator of Goat Melk Soap Co. and owner of Chubb E. Acres Farm, does caution that chickens may shed the bacteria salmonella in their droppings.
“Although rare, they could transfer to the goats—mostly from the goats laying in soiled bedding,” she says. “This could have the potential to get on the udder, causing transfer to the goat kids or milk for human consumption.”
Adult goats or chickens usually have sufficiently robust immune systems to resist serious sickness from coccidia or salmonella. But young or sick chickens and goats are susceptible to developing parasite or bacteria overload and disease. The main indicator is diarrhea, which is followed by dehydration, weakness and death in serious cases.
To avoid these diseases, prevent overcrowding and keep your livestock areas clean. If your chickens or goats show signs of diarrhea or illness, immediately quarantine them and call a veterinarian.
The faster they get treatment, the more likely they are to survive.
Pasture Size
The number of chickens and goats that can successfully pasture together in a given area depends primarily on the breed sizes that you intend to keep. If larger breeds are kept, then fewer livestock can be accommodated.
Also, you should always plan on at least two goats because they are herd creatures and need a goat companion to be happy. The examples below assume 5-pound hens, 75-pound Nigerian Dwarf does and 135-pound Nubian does.
Stocking Rates
The general rule of thumb for pasturing chickens is no more than 50 to 80 chickens per acre. At any higher stocking densities, the chickens eventually completely denude the pasture and add too much manure for the pasture to regrow.
This stocking density assumes that the chickens have continuous access to a nutritionally complete chicken feed. That’s because you can’t rely on the pasture to supply balanced levels of nutrients for that many chickens year-round.
When you add goats, the number of chickens per acre needs to be reduced. For example, if two Nigerian Dwarf does were added, then about 30 fewer chickens could be accommodated.
Each goat would replace about 15 chickens (75 pounds/5 pounds = 15). So, using the more conservative 50 chickens per acre rule-of-thumb, a 1-acre pasture could sustainably accommodate about two Nigerian Dwarf goats and 20 chickens:
75/5 = 15; 15 x 2 = 30; 50-30 = 20
Alternately, using 80 chickens per acre as the starting point, four Nigerian Dwarf does and 20 chickens could be accommodated:
75/5 = 15; 15×4 = 60; 80-60 = 20
Or, if adding larger Nubian does, it would drop to two does and 26 chickens:
135/5 = 27; 27×2 = 54; 80-54 = 26
Again, this stocking density assumes that the goats have access to a nutritionally balanced diet in addition to pasture forage.
Conditions vary significantly from farm to farm. So does the optimum stocking density, but the previous examples provide a starting range. In general, it’s better to plan on lower densities because overcrowding increases the risk for disease and parasites.
On our farm, we found that around 12 to 15 Nigerian Dwarf goats and 20 to 25 chickens co-exist well on about 4 fenced acres.
Carola Schubbel/Adobe Stock
Pasture Plants
Chickens aren’t picky about pasture conditions. Even with continuous access to chicken feed, chickens do a lot of foraging. They’ll scratch and eat the nutritious vegetation down at ground level while avoiding questionable or poisonous plants. If you’re concerned about predators, a chicken tractor can be a good option to make sure your chickens have access to foraging.
Goats, however, prefer to reach up to browse rather than down to graze like sheep or cattle. That means areas with woody underbrush make excellent goat pastures.
Making goats reach down to graze on a grassy pasture isn’t ideal. This forces the goats to eat where intestinal parasites (spread via manure) thrive and increases the likelihood of internal parasite problems.
Goats are happy to eat things that we consider weeds such as poison ivy and multiflora rose. There are, however, plants that are extremely toxic to goats. These plants should be eradicated from pastures before allowing goats to browse.
Azalea, hemlock, mountain laurel, rhododendron, rhubarb and wild cherry are all plants that are highly poisonous to goats and should be removed from their pastures.
Cornell University maintains a reference list of plants toxic to goats. It would, however, be impractical to remove every plant on its list. Fortunately, if goats have access to sufficient quantities of nonpoisonous plants, they’ll usually avoid or only nibble those that are mildly toxic to them.
Can Chickens and Goats Live Together – Housing
Although it’s feasible to jointly pasture chickens and goats, it’s not a good idea to house them together. That’s because goats are finicky and chickens put droppings everywhere.
If a chicken puts droppings in a goat hay feeder, then the goats won’t eat it. You’ll have wasted hay. Or if the chicken puts droppings in the water bucket, the goats won’t drink it.
Because goats need plenty of water to produce milk, housing chickens with goats means frequently cleaning and refreshing water buckets.
In addition to the dropping problems, access to chicken feed is an issue for goats. Goats love chicken feed and will go to great lengths to get it. But once they start eating, they don’t know when to quit and will gorge on it. This leads to bloat, which can easily be fatal.
Finally, even if the chickens have nice, safe nest boxes, for some reason, they love to lay eggs in the goats’ hay.
Keep ‘Em Separated
To prevent these problems, it’s best to house, feed and water chickens in a separate coop and goats in the barn. It’s generally easy to keep goats out of a coop simply by making the chicken access door too small for the goats. Then you can provide the chickens with free-choice feed and water inside the coop without worrying about goats getting in.
Keeping goat kids out may be a bigger problem.
“It amazes me that goat kids can squeeze through literally the smallest doors!” Holahan says. “The only chicken door design that seemed to defy the goat kids was making a pop hole just wide enough for one chicken at a time and elevating it.”
It can also be difficult to keep chickens out of the goats’ pens. Unless you turn your goats out to pasture and shut the barn doors, the chickens are likely to eventually get in. We minimized this problem by placing livestock access to the chicken coop and goat pens on opposite sides of the barn. That way, most of the chickens never found the goat pen entrance doors.
But, there’s always a rogue bird that figures it out and starts teaching other chickens. In that case, we isolated that bird for a few days and it would forget how to get to the goat pens. If a few birds do get into the goats’ quarters and eat a bit of hay or grain, it’s generally not detrimental to the birds. It’s just the issues with chicken droppings and eggs.
Pasture Fencing
Fencing a pasture is a long-term investment. It pays to make sure it’s done correctly.
Many predators think pastured animals look particularly tasty. So consider livestock fencing to keep predators out, as well as keeping in livestock. Several different materials can be used for fencing, but for goats and chickens, the fence should be at least four feet high.
Woven wire fencing and cattle panels are two popular options.
Cattle panels are 16 feet long and can be configured in many ways. They can also be cut into smaller sections.
Woven wire fencing is a common choice, but it should be supported with sturdy posts set relatively close together (10 feet or less) for stability and to prevent sagging. If using cattle panels or woven wire to create pastures intended for chickens or dwarf goats, it’s important to use a smaller 2-by-4-inch mesh size (at least near the bottom) rather than the standard 4-by-4-inch mesh to keep the chickens and goat kids from slipping out.
Electric fencing can also be used to contain goats and chickens, but the strands need to be spaced fairly close together to keep them in. Alternatively, electric fencing can be used in conjunction with other fencing types to prevent predators from getting in and discourage any goats or chickens from getting out.
This is generally accomplished by installing electric fencing along the top and near the bottom on the outside of cattle panel or woven wire fencing. Welded wire fencing is not recommended for goats because they rub and stand on the fence. This will break the welds and eventually destroy the fence. Some keepers use chain-link fencing, but it’s expensive—especially when fencing large areas.
Farmers have pastured livestock species together for centuries. With a proper setup, it’s fairly easy to successfully pasture chickens and goats together. As long as you prepare for a few special needs, they happily co-exist and provide delicious eggs, milk and meat for your farm.
This article about can chickens and goats live together originally appeared in the July/August 2023 issue of Chickens magazine. Click here to subscribe.
The chicken perch is a vital part of a chicken coop. Learn from one chicken keeper’s experience why having the right chicken perch can make a big difference to your flock’s health and happiness.
Meet Joseph…
Joseph recently reached out to me about an issue with his flock. He lives a few miles north of us, in a rural-zoned area in the next county. As such, he can keep an unlimited number of chickens on his property. He specifically chose to keep just laying hens and has about two dozen Orpingtons, Easter Eggers and Welsummers for a variety of egg colors.
He’d kept them in a small garden shed, allowing them to roost overnight wherever they pleased. But he invested in an actual coop earlier this spring.
That’s when the problem started. He noticed that his hens were acting jumpy and stressed out in the morning, as though they’d stayed up all night or had drunk a lot of strong coffee. Egg production then decreased.
Finally, injuries started cropping up on many of his girls. He spied bloodied combs, bleeding heads, missing back feathers and injured toes.
Joseph was stumped. “These look like rooster-mating injuries,” he told me. But there are no roosters in his flock.
No Obvious Reason
He inspected the entire coop to see if there was any way that a small predator had gotten in and was gnawing at, scratching up and stressing out his hens. Nothing. Everything was securely covered in fine hardware mesh and well-caulked.
He checked the fence around his yard to see if anything had dug under or broken through. It was also completely intact.
Joseph even spent an entire day working on his laptop from a vantage point where he could observe the coop and his flock and still pick up his home’s WiFi signal. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, other than the anxious, injured hens.
At a complete loss, he asked for my advice. I was just as perplexed by what he had described. I didn’t know how much I could really help him, but I figured I’d at least try.
The Chicken Coop
Joseph took me back to see his new coop. It is a real stunner that matches his colonial-style home. Lidded nest boxes were located on the south side of the structure, with a storage area on the north side and a pop door and ramp leading from the front of the coop down to his yard. The coop is elevated, allowing the girls to retreat beneath it for some cool shade on hot, sunny days.
There were even window boxes on the front windows. (Joseph hadn’t decided what to plant there yet.)
Everything looked perfect. Frankly, I was green with envy. But then I opened up the back access doors and discovered the cause of the problem.
The Chicken Perch
Inside the main section of the coop was a feeding and watering alcove large enough to allow multiple birds to drink and eat simultaneously. Both the feeder and waterer were easily accessible for quick refilling. No problem there.
The other part of the coop featured three perches, still relatively new and clean, extending from the alcove wall to the south wall, just above the entrances to the nest boxes. The perches were approximately 10 or so inches away from each other—a little close, but the chickens could still squeeze up between the roosts to perch.
The problem, from what I could tell, was the chicken perch. He didn’t have a laddered perch for his chickens. The chicken perch was all on the same level.
Chickens are extremely social animals, with a well-developed hierarchy within a flock. There is an alpha female (and male, if roosters are kept). That alpha female rules the chicken perch.
She will usually have a few trusted hen friends who serve as her lieutenants. Together, this oligarchy sets the pecking order within the flock.
The younger hens and pullets are usually amongst the lowest ranks, along with any new additions to the flock. Every bird knows her place and understands that the queen bee and her court of chickens get the prime perch, the best nesting box, the choicest dustbathing area and first dibs at the feeder.
This is the way of the chicken. A happy, well-adjusted flock tends to have a well-maintained pecking order.
Chicken Perch Position
By having the three chicken perches in his coop on the same plane, Joseph inadvertently interfered with his flock’s social hierarchy. All of his hens were now sleeping at the same level. The alpha hen and her court were now on par with every other girl in the coop.
Regardless of which roost the flock leaders chose for themselves, there would always be other birds at their level. This undoubtedly caused confusion for the flock when they first moved in and caused the birds to feel stressed.
As the hens adapted to their new home, the perch positions continued to cause trouble. Lower-rank chickens could inadvertently roost on the alpha hen’s chosen perch. Hens wishing to rise in rank or challenge the alpha could purposely position themselves on her roost.
The alpha hen and her lieutenants not only had to defend their pole position but also had to continually remind the rest of the flock about who was in charge. And with the perches being so close to each other, the leaders could easily reach other girls to deliver a peck or other physical blow.
All this occurred in the name of maintaining social hierarchy.
2. Countering Cannibalism
Aside from the pecking order issue, crowding on the chicken perches may also have caused problems for Joseph’s birds. While chickens do snuggle together at night while they sleep, they start moving about and spreading out in the pre-dawn hours. Because of this, each bird must have about six to 10 inches of perch space they can call their own.
Each of Joseph’s perches was 48 inches in length, which would accommodate eight birds per roost … if all of Joseph’s girls were small birds. With large-sized Orpingtons, however—and his flock leaders were indeed Buff Orpingtons—more room per bird was needed.
While eight Easter Eggers could fit on one perch comfortably, only four Orpington chickens could do the same. Joseph’s two dozen girls were overcrowded. Overcrowding is one of the main causes of cannibalism in chickens.
The stress and injuries his flock suffered not only matched a pecking-order issue but were also signs of chicken cannibalism.
While Joseph’s flock was only a couple of years old and not yet at this point, eventually his chickens will reach an age where jumping up to a high perch will no longer be possible. This will also be true should he decide to add breeds that become very large, such as Jersey Giants and Brahmas.
A lower perch will allow larger girls and older chickens to still roost off the ground without the risk of injuring themselves hopping up or down from a higher chicken perch.
Joseph seemed surprised by my conclusions. He’d watched videos online of coops that had a similar arrangement for their roosts. Still, he was willing to try anything to bring some peace to his flock.
He removed the front two perches and reinstalled them with new wall supports at one and two feet down from the third perch … and at 16 inches apart. When he checked on his girls that very first night, he was once again surprised.
His alpha hen and her buddies were on the high perch, all by themselves. The rest of the flock cozied up on the bottom two rungs, his younger hens on the bottom.
The next morning, he reported back that his chickens emerged from his coop looking content and well-rested for the first time since they moved in. I’m sure that, should I drive up to visit, I’d find a happy group of girls, injuries healed, and one relieved flock owner.
This article about chicken perches was written for Chickens magazine online. Click here to subscribe.
Presidents were also the nation’s founding farmers as the young nation’s political and thought leaders knew the importance of agriculture and—more importantly, sustainable agriculture—to America’s success. They wrote about how to grow enough food to feed a booming population and how to boost soil health. Our presidents also learned how to farm in a way that prevents soil erosion.
From Mount Vernon to Monticello, many of the key conservation practices that USDA recommends producers use on their farms have roots with our founding farmers. These presidents include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, as well as innovators such as Ben Franklin.
A Farmer First
“Farming technique was Washington’s principal intellectual discipline, his favorite topic of conversation and the focus of his private correspondence,” says historian Garry Wills.
When British troops closed in on New York City in 1776, then-Gen. Washington temporarily put aside his battle plans to pen a letter to the steward of Mount Vernon about his farm.
Mount Vernon (Wang Sing/Shutterstock
Presidents Had the “First” Crop Experiment Stations
Washington studied and implemented ways to improve his farming methods at Mount Vernon, his 8,000-acre homestead and network of farms in Virginia near what would later become Washington, D.C.
Washington took meticulous notes, and he experimented quite often. The same is true of Jefferson, the nation’s third president, known for hundreds of varieties of fruits, vegetables and herbs grown at Monticello near Charlottesville, Virginia.
With everything so unstudied—soils, weather, crops, pests, weeds and farming methods—the founding farmers ran unofficial demonstration farms.
Franklin, although known for his inventions, bought a New Jersey farm where he retired. He managed the land like a “miniature experiment station, carrying on projects in drainage, in crop rotation and especially in the utilization of the newer grasses and liming and fertilization,” wrote historian Earle D. Ross.
And of Washington, historian Albert Bushnell Hart wrote: “He established what I believe to have been the first agricultural experiment station in American history.”
Unknowingly, our early presidents were among the earliest proponents of soil health in America. They used crop rotations and organic fertilizers to boost soil health and production. Many of the farming methods implemented on their farms align with conservation practices that USDA recommends to farmers today.
Ten years after the republic was born, Washington began to reconfigure fields on his farms. He changed from a one-crop tobacco system to a seven-crop system growing wheat, corn and legumes. Wheat was the principal cash crop and corn fed his livestock. Legumes,in turn, fed the soil.
America’s fifth president, James Monroe, was also a farmer. He left tobacco for a multi-crop system of grains. Historian Harlow Giles Unger wrote: “To keep his fields fertile, he rotated his crops, setting some fields aside for a season of clover … to revitalize the soil.”
Montpelier Station (Andriy Blokhin/Shutterstock)
Not Going out of Style
Conservation crop rotation is among more than 100 conservation practices the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service helps farmers plan and implement because of its many benefits to soil and production. Similarly, contour farming and cover crops, which were found on farms on the early days of our republic, are still used today.
While visiting France, Jefferson saw farmers planting to the contour of the land rather than in straight lines. He wrote: “Our country is hilly, and we have been in the habit of ploughing in straight rows … and our soil was rapidly running into rivers.”
He also used contour farming at Monticello, putting him ahead of his contemporaries.
Washington’s cropping systems included cover crops to prevent erosion and improve soil. Mount Vernon researcher Jinny Fox wrote: “He rotates crops; first he tries buckwheat and later switches to clover.”
Lincoln was raised on farms in Indiana and Illinois. Who would know better than a farmer-turned-president about the importance of the government supporting agriculture? He advocated for the creation of the USDA and signed the law that created it.
More than 150 years later, the USDA offers a variety of risk management, disaster, loan and conservation programs to help agricultural producers build resiliency and endure the ups and downs of the market.
For more information on conservation practices—including conservation crop rotation, contour farming and cover crops—as well as other USDA programs and services, contact your nearest USDA service center.
This article about presidents that were farmers originally appeared in the May/June 2019 issue of Hobby Farmsmagazine. Click here to subscribe.
Presidential pets include the normal cats and dogs and also chickens. Here’s the scoop on six presidents who notably reared chickens…or kept them as pets.
Our first president made certain that his estate, Mount Vernon, functioned as a farm in addition to a manor house. At this 18th-century mansion, located just outside Alexandria, Virginia, George Washington raised hogs and chickens … but not always.
Back in the 1700s, it was the lady of the house who oversaw the plantation’s poultry. Thanks to a letter written by Washington to his servant, John Alton, one can assume that Washington did not keep any type of flock prior to his marriage to Martha.
Written just months after the marriage and just before the new family’s arrival at Mount Vernon, the letter instructs Alton to get the manor ready for its new mistress, including “get some Egg’s [sic] and Chickens.” The Washingtons eventually raised chickens and turkeys for their eggs and their meat.
2. Thomas Jefferson
The archives at Monticello feature many references to poultry made by our third president over more than 30 years. These historical documents seem to indicate that Thomas Jefferson has a fondness for fancier fowl.
“Thin the trees …. Keep in it deer, rabbits, Peacocks, Guinea poultry, pidgeons &c. Let it be an asylum for hares, squirrels, pheasants, partridges …. court them to it by laying food for them in proper places….” 1771
“how go on the Bantams? I rely on you for their care, as I do on Anne for the Algerine fowls, & on our arrangements at Monticello for the East Indians. these varieties are pleasant for the table & furnish an agreeable diversification in our domestic occupations.” June 29, 1807
“I expect a pair of wildgeese of a family which have been natives for several generations, but they will hardly be here in time for Davy. they are entirely domesticated, beautiful, have a very musical note, & are much superior to the tame for the table.” November 1, 1807
Most of Monticello’s everyday chickens were not raised by Jefferson but by his slaves. The archives note that, on September 29, 1805, the kitchen staff purchased 117 chickens and 564 eggs from Monticello’s slaves.
Jefferson, like many 1800s upper-class Americans, could not be bothered to breed your run-of-the-mill chicken. His pastime of choice was keeping ornamental birds and bantams, such as the critically endangered Pyncheon bantam that historians believe Jefferson bred.
3. Abraham Lincoln
Honest Abe was a softie when it came to his sons, Tad and Willie. He allowed the boys to keep as many presidential pets as they wished, undoubtedly to the horror of the White House housekeeping staff.
In addition to the children’s pet rabbits and goats, Jack the turkey held a special place in Tad Lincoln’s heart. Jack was originally destined for the Lincoln family’s dinner table, but Tad came across the bird and begged his father to spare his life. The indulgent papa agreed, and Jack became a household fixture. Jack could often be seen strutting outside on the White House grounds, even amongst Union soldiers who’d come to vote during the Civil War.
According to the Clinton White House archives, Lincoln and his personal secretary, Noah Brooks, once observed Jack promenading around the voting booth. “Why is your turkey at the polls?” Lincoln asked his son. “Does he vote?” Tad replied, “No, he’s not of age yet.”
4. Theodore Roosevelt
Ol’ Rough Rider Teddy was renowned for his hunting prowess, but he was also known for keeping quite a menagerie of living animals on the White House grounds. Among the Roosevelt presidential pets were a bear, a lizard, guinea pigs, a badger, a hyena, a barn owl and a pony.
The family animals also included a one-legged rooster (pictured above) that could frequently been seen hopping around the White House. There was a hen named Baron Sprackle who so befriended Roosevelt’s parrots, Loretta and Eli Yale, that Roosevelt once complained Baron Sprackle was starting to act more parrot than chicken.
5. Harry Truman
Give ‘Em Hell, Harry apparently gave a lot of poultry-care advice to his childhood friend Bess Wallace, whom he would eventually marry in 1919. Apparently Bess’ flock of chickens, which the young girl raised in her backyard, were infected with poultry lice. Harry promptly offered Bess his Mamma’s remedy for treating these parasites, which he informed Bess was “a dinger.”
“She takes twist tobacco and steeps it in hot water as if you were making tea. Put in cold water enough to cover the hen and make it the right temperature. Then she puts in a tablespoonful of melted grease. She says she puts her hand over the Chicken’s bill and eyes and then souses him good.”
Courtesy the National Park Service
Whether or not the future Mrs. Truman followed poultry-keeping advice from her future mother-in-law has never been noted. Mamma Truman’s chicken coop, however, can still be seen at the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site in Grandview, Missouri.
6. Jimmy Carter
Everybody around the country—and quite possibly the world—knows that Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer. This Georgia farm boy turned U.S. President did more than just grow peanuts, however.
In his 1975 autobiography, Why Not the Best?, Carter detailed spending his childhood running around his family farm’s yard, dodging the many chickens, guinea fowl and geese kept by his parents, Mr. Earl and Miss Lillian.
The chickens and the Carters may be gone now, but visitors to the Jimmy Carter National Historic Park can walk around the very same yard and envision little Jimmy dashing around the squawking hens and honking geese.
This story about presidential pets was written for Chickens magazine online and is regularly updated for accuracy. Click here to subscribe.
