Poultry Nutrition: What is in Poultry Feed?
Have you ever wondered what all of those different ingredients were in commercial poultry feeds? Poultry nutrition is a complex topic, so I asked Dr. Deepa, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Poultry Science to give us a run down of the possible ingredients that could be found in poultry rations. Poultry nutrition […]
Keeping Chickens In Cold Weather
How cold can chickens tolerate? What should you feed chickens in winter? How do you stop water freezing? Here are my tips for the cold, winter weather.
December is the Time for Pairing Geese
December is a busy time for most of us. With short days and colder weather, the last thing on my mind is my spring incubation and hatching plans but it is mid December (in Northern Latitudes) that you should start thinking about pairing geese: selecting the right geese for mating next spring. Photo: Flock of […]
Hatching Goslings with a Broody Goose
One of the easiest ways to incubate and hatch goose eggs can be to leave it up to a broody goose. Not all breeds are good mothers. Heavier breeds can be quite clumsy and better at breaking eggs than sitting on them, but many lighter breeds will sit the term, hatching and raising their young.
The Lavender Gene
The lavender variety of poultry is very beautiful. The effect is born from the lavender gene being present in a black fowl and reducing the quantity of pigment allowed to express on each feather; instead of black, the feathers appear a much softer shade of pastel blue. This shouldn’t be confused with the blue gene, however, […]
National Poultry Show 2014
The Poultry Club of Great Britain’s National Poultry Show was moved this year from it’s traditional home at Stoneleigh park in Warwickshire to a larger venue with better facilities – the International Center in Telford. Show bird entries were up by 300 at 6719 and it was clear to see from the many people enjoying […]
Beginners Guide to Keeping Guinea Fowl
Charming, fascinating birds – or noisy and disruptive? Guinea fowl often generate mixed emotions. There are a few notable differences to other poultry, so this beginners guide to keeping guinea fowl should help you get started.
The B.W.A. National 2014
On Sunday, I packed my photography gear and a pair of my best ducks and headed off to the British Waterfowl Association’s 27th National Championship Waterfowl Exhibition held at Moreton Morrrel near Warwick.
Feeding Ducklings: What to Feed Baby Ducks
This guide is about feeding ducklings, hatched at home in an incubator or under a broody hen. If you arrived here looking for information about feeding wild ducklings, please see How to Care For Wild Baby Ducks. Before discussing what to feed ducklings, we need to take a step backwards to the day before a […]
Beginners Guide to Keeping Quail
Quail can be very productive, so they are ideal for people with small back gardens, unsuitable for chickens. This guide answers questions you may have about starting to keep quail.
Breeding Quail
Quail are becoming more popular to keep for their delicious eggs but if you would like to increase your stock levels or sell hatching eggs, there are a few tricks to ensure you are getting good levels of fertility. The optimum temperature to keep a breeding pen is around 21°C. Males tend to lose interest […]
Quail Eggs
Quail eggs weigh in on average at just 12 grams (compared to around 60g for a hens egg). They are enjoyed by most hard-boiled in salads and are eaten in a small mouthful. If you enjoy quail’s eggs then you might be tempted to keep a few quail to be able to produce your own […]
A Family Guide to Keeping Chickens Book Review
This practical, full colour book, is ideal for the complete beginner. Even someone who has never kept animals before should be able to follow the clear, detailed guidance that is given at every stage.
Northampton Egg Show 2014
The Northampton and District Poultry Club Egg Show was held on 17th May at Crick Village Hall. The show was moved from the Old School Hall to this larger venue, which proved a great success. 123 entries were received in 24 classes.
Histomoniasis ‘Blackhead’ in Turkeys
Blackhead is an ancient poultry disease caused by a tiny single-celled parasite called Histomonas meleagridis. It is usually carried by the harmless caecal worm ‘Heterakis gallinarum’, which chickens sometimes have. Occasionally it can be transmitted directly between birds. Turkeys are particularly susceptible to Blackhead, and it usually caught if they have access to the same […]
Chickens and Holidays: How to Get Away
Anne asks the question we should have all asked before buying our chickens: What do you do with chickens when you go on holiday? Chickens and holidays don’t always go together, so here are some tips to help you get away. It’s not the chickens that need a holiday but their hard-pressed owners. The only […]
Free Range for Omega-3 Eggs
There is a lot of marketing, promoting eggs that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, but do you know how to get your hens producing rich omega-3 eggs?
Infectious LaryngioTracheitis (ILT)
When we think of respiratory disease in poultry we often think of infectious bronchitis virus or Mycoplasma, however there is another rather harmful virus that belongs to the herpes virus family that causes ILT. The virus is spread though birds inhaling or ingesting the virus. It goes on to replicate in the trachea (the windpipe) of the chicken leading […]
Bumblefoot
Bumblefoot is the common name for a form of pododermatitis, which means inflammation of the foot. It can occur in any poultry or waterfowl and is usually only noticed on the underside of the foot when they go lame.
A Goose Keepers Frustration Hatching Their First Goslings
Those last few days were so exciting: would we get goslings? I was driving my Belgian friend mad with my phone calls and questions, he said “You’re in joyful anticipation” and he was right. It was so wonderful to see how our Carmen took care of her eggs, how she covered them with straw and […]