About two weekends ago, it was really nice weather-wise at my farm.  We had beautiful, sunny days in the 50’s.   The horses were feeling good and in turn were starting to rub on every little corner and edge they could find to get rid of their winter coats.  The dogs were starting to do the same thing except inside our house (Dyson vacuum sweepers are wonderful).   But this weekend, we had 8 inches of snow on the ground so the blankets were back on the horses and the dogs tend not to spend as much time outside doing their business.

Where I live in Ohio, this is normal weather.  Like the old saying “if you don’t like the weather we are having, wait a little while and it will change”.  So what do you do with animals that cannot control their environments like chickens in their coop?  I have sliding windows high and low in my chicken coop.  As it becomes warmer, I can slide the upper window open to whatever I think is needed.  When it is cooler again in a few days, I can easily close them to help regulate the temperature.  When it becomes much warmer in the summer, I can open all the windows to help with temperature control (but I make sure that the wind never blows directly on the birds).  And when it is warm and dry enough to haul my horse and llama manure to all the neighbor’s gardens, I will remove all the old bedding in the chicken pen too.  But up until that time, I will keep adding fresh, dry bedding to the pen so I do not stir up all the dust and ammonia which without enough ventilation could hurt the birds.

My next door neighbor down the road is the local 4-H rabbit club advisor and basically follows the same procedure with their rabbit pens.   Even though the pens are above the ground and there are several rabbits under one roof with a pen for each rabbit, the same principles apply.

And remember all animals may be affected by the warmer weather too.   We watch the dogs as they go out the main door (to go to a 4-H meeting or a show) for we use salt to help keep the ice under control during the winter.  Until April showers wash away most of the salt, we keep a careful eye on the dog’s feet.   The Shelties have the hair between their toes trimmed for showing but we try to wipe their feet as they come in and out of that door to remove all the salt we can.  Or even the bigger animals like horses can be a concern.  As it becomes warmer, even though we clean the stall daily, some of the urine penetrates into the ground.  Warmer weather increases bacteria activity that will release more of the ammonia.  I use a product like Stall Dry or something similar that is not an ag lime to help control the smell when the stalls are heavily cleaned.  It helps control the quality of air at their level, but does not affect their feet.

So as it becomes warmer… then colder….then warmer again, we must remember to adjust our animal’s environment with actions that will help them.

Wow, time flies when you’re “talking turkey”…or chicken in this case.  We’re through the holidays and cold months of January and February.  So, now people are thinking Spring...and with Spring, comes baby chicks.

If you're getting ready to bring chicks home, you need to be prepared.

Just as you would in bringing a new baby home from the hospital, you need to plan ahead and prepare the space for the new baby chicks coming from the hatchery.  Our goal is to provide a warm, clean and safe area for the new birds to settle into.  Your success in getting your new chicks, turkeys and ducklings started will hinge on how you prepare their space.

The care you give your poultry early in their lives will determine how they cope with challenges later.  So, do what you can to give them a healthy start.

A clean facility is a good place to start.  Clean, disinfect and air-out your building.  Then let it sit empty for two weeks to dry out and help break any disease cycles.

If you will brood chicks on the floor, put down a three-inch base layer of clean, dry litter.  Avoid sawdust or other fine litter for the first few weeks to help chicks distinguish feed from litter.  If you have a small coop or brood box, one thing to try is putting down layers of newspaper (5-6 layers) over the litter.  Then cover the newspaper with a layer of paper towels to help with traction.  When the brooder gets dirty, you can just roll up the first 3 layers of newspaper and dispose.  This leaves more clean newspaper underneath that will get you through the next week or so and then you can remove it and then just go with the regular litter underneath.

Chicks will need to be kept warm and free from drafts.  Choose a building or area in the building that can be managed for draft and temperature.   Make sure you will have adequate electrical outlets to plug in electric heat lamps.  Plan on using one lamp per 75 birds, with a minimum of two lamps in case one burns out. 

It is a good practice to use a brooder guard that is 18 inches high to keep chicks enclosed in the area and close to their heat, feed and water for the first few days.  A brooder guard that is 6-10 feet across (from one side the other) will be sufficient for 100 chicks.  Place heat lamps 20 inches above the litter so the temperature is 90-95° F at chick level.  Turn on the lamps 24 hours before your chicks arrive to help warm up the environment.  Make sure the heat sources are secure so they do not drop and cause fire hazards. 

After a few days the birds will learn where to find the heat and you can expand the brooder guard to allow them to escape the heat if necessary and begin adjusting the temperature down.  You can drop the temperature 5° each week down to a minimum of 55° in the pen.  Watch the birds to determine if you are getting the heat right.  They will huddle together under the lamps if they are too cold and they will lie against the brooder guard if they are too hot.

Fill the waterers about 4 hours before the chicks arrive to allow it to warm to room temperature.  Some people like to add sugar to the water the first day to help the chicks (1/4 cup sugar per gallon of water).  Others use a vitamin/electrolyte packet to mix in the water.  Place the waterers away from the center of the brooder pen so they remain cleaner and cooler.  It will not go well to have the water right below the heat lamp.  Allow the new arrivals 3-4 hours of drinking before giving them access to feed.  You may want to individually dip the beaks in the waterer to give the chicks a little training lesson on finding their water.

Empty, clean (with a brush), and refill waterers daily.  If the litter gets wet near the waterer, remove it and add dry litter.  Remember, damp litter is an ideal breeding ground for disease and parasites.  These “visitors” are not welcome to come see your new chicks!  Good luck and enjoy the new little bundles.

Visit our website www.hubbardlife.com for more ideas.  And remember that Hubbard^® Life Homestead^® Poultry Feeds will provide the balanced, complete nutrition to get everyone off to a good start.

I know you’ve all heard the famous little song called the Twelve Days of Christmas. 

But do you know when it originated?  1780.  And where?  In England

And what for?  It is said that it possibly began as a Twelfth Night “memories-and-forfeits” game in which a leader recited a verse, each of the players repeated the verse, the leader added another verse, and so on until one of the players made a mistake.  The player who erred had to pay a penalty such as offering up a kiss or a sweet.

So, it’s an interesting concept.  Why don’t you try that little game with your family and friends this Christmas when everyone is done eating and napping?  However, let’s make it more interesting and challenging.  I’ve made up new lyrics which we will call the Twelve Days of Christmas…for Animal Lovers for the purposes of this Hubbard Life blog.

I’m just reciting the twelfth and final day in print here, but you know how it goes by starting out at the first day…and repeating it by adding one more verse each time until you get through the twelfth.

Here it goes: 

 On the Twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

12 Eggs to gather

11 Heifers grazing

10 Bags of sheep feed

9 Rabbits hopping

8 Horses neighing

7 Bales of Hay

6 Goats a kidding

5 Bags of kitty litter

4 Cats chasing mice

3 Squealing pigs

2 Barking dogs

And a Rooster crowing in the yard

How about that for a new twist?  Should test the memory a little…good luck and have fun with it!

And remember, if you have some of the critters mentioned in the lyrics then you can find Hubbard Life Quality Feed products for your animals at a Hubbard dealer near you or on our website:  www.hubbardlife.com. 

Happy singing and have a very Merry Christmas!