How to raise friendly chickens

When I first started raising chickens I raised the friendliest flock you could ever dream of meeting. They absolutely loved being around us and came running as soon as we walked out of the house! The entire flock would hang around me waiting for treats and even the shy ones would beg for treats by sneaking up behind me and pulling on my clothes! I could pet and pick up each hen and they would jump up on my lap the second I sat down.

Even the roosters were super friendly.

Honestly, sometimes it was too much! Especially if we tried to eat outside because of the constant begging. If we had people over that didn't happen to like birds (I didn't know that was a thing till it happened!) they would be freaked out by the chickens walking up to them.

In contrast the first set of chicks that I let a hen raise were flighty and scared of us. They ran if we tried to pick them up and would fuss if I pet them when on the roost at night. So, what happened?

Make an easy feather necklace

Since we're getting close to Christmas I thought I would bring you another feather craft tutorial. Do you collect discarded feathers too? If you're anything like me you probably have a vase or box of feathers that your chickens have dropped and you picked up. These are great for making feathers crafts and today I want to show you how I make feather necklaces. 

These would make a super quick Christmas gift!

I've already written a bunch of tutorials for feather décor that I've posted. I started with feather filled ornaments... many years ago. Those became pretty common so I  also made a more elegant beaded feather ornament. These are nice to make because you can use them year round, depending on what types of beads you use. I have one hanging from the rearview mirror of my truck.

I also did a few other decorations using feathers. First I applied feathers to a candle holder. Those were really easy to make in different sizes and shapes, so they match all décor styles. I also wrote a tutorial on making feather trees. Those went over really well, especially with my cat! lol You'll have to click over to the post to read the cat vs feather story.

I wanted to make something that can be gifted and worn this year so I settled on feather necklaces. 

Cooped up chickens. Do they have to come out?

Every chicken owner I know has had at least one day when they just couldn't let the chickens out for some reason. Life happens. Is it a problem if the chickens are in their coop all day? Or will something bad happen to them? Well, that answer depends on the coop.

I'm sure you've noticed that in bad weather your chickens choose to stay in their coop all day anyway. Of course making a choice and not giving an option are two different things completely, right? Especially if the feed or water are outside! 

So the question is, is it safe to not let the chickens out? The answer is: if your coop has light, space and food/water then you're good to go.

How to quarantine new chickens

I'm sure by now you've heard to quarantine new chickens before adding them to your existing flock, but what does that mean? How do you quarantine a chicken? Well, it's not unlike the stuff we've been doing with ourselves lately! lol You need to keep them away from the other chickens for a few weeks to make sure they don't have anything contagious.

Why quarantine chickens?

There are many diseases and parasites that chickens can have that aren't always visible immediately. Plus if you bought your new chickens at a poultry swap or farmers auction you have no way of knowing what they were exposed to at their previous home, or while out in public!

Because of the uncertainty of them being infected with anything, they'll need quarantined to protect your flock...and to give you time to get them healthy before moving them into the chicken coop.

Luckily the quarantine area doesn't have to be anything elaborate. A simple dog crate or large pet carrier will often do, or even a small bathroom that's rarely used. If you use a cage make sure it is somewhere the other chickens can't get to...like inside a garage or shed. 

You'll can use a small coop if it's far enough away from your current flock of chickens.

What does Freezer Camp mean?

I was discussing chickens with a friend other day and I made a comment about a few extra roosters that need to go to freezer camp. Well, even though this person has been around chickens quite a while, she was baffled by what I had said and she asked me...

What is freezer camp?

That's a legitimate question. I mean, I hadn't heard of it for most of my life! I think we sometimes use certain phrases to either be funny or to soften the blow of what they really mean. In this case freezer camp sounds a whole lot better than what I had to tell her I was going to do with these chickens.