Archive for the ‘Koerner Farms’ Category
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26
Mar
2009
Banning the Bockers
Eggs like no other
When I purchased my chicks in 2007, I knew next to nothing about chicken raising in real life. All of my knowledge was derived from books, MyPetChicken.com, and BackyardChickens.com. Of course, all of these are ‘pro-chicken’ resources, but they also told me about diseases, care, costs and housing requirements. I learned a lot in my first year and now I’m not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but experience and knowledge are key in making valid arguments.
Some good tips for keeping your chickens, the neighbors, and city officials, at bay:
Building Design
Design something that is multipurpose. Consider if chicken raising isn’t for you, can the building make a good shed or potting house? Build something that is asthetically pleasing. Choose paint colors that match the house, or follow the trends in English gardens recently and paint all the outbuildings one color (i.e. coop and shed match). I built my coop out of some recycled materials, but I decided to choose wisely. The exterior of the building shouldn’t be ramshackle.
Decide on a good size. How many chickens do you want to keep? What will provide them with good ventilation? As chicken droppings break down, they form ammonia. Litter that stays moist can also harbor illness (coccidia for one) and cause respiratory aggravation. Recommended space, design and other tips can be found here from Virginia Tech.
Work in easy numbers – like 8′ ceiling, or 4′ if you’re doing a small chicken hut – this way you can maximize use of purchased 2x4s and not have a lot of falloff. See here for some good designs – some are more suburban friendly than others. Le Poulet Chalet was even featured on HGTV for its design. Here is even a chicken ark plan from our beloved Marley & Me author, John Grogan.
Pen Design
Pens should be secure, durable and attractive. Chicken wire with staples to wooden beams can easily be rammed by a stray dog or other chicken chasing wild animal. I chose a 10x10x6 chainlink dog kennel kit and bought an additional 12′ panel for a little under $200 at the farm supply. My coop is 12′ long, so I put two 10′ panels on each side with a 12′ panel on the end being sure to attach the panels to the coop with bolts! I also had to use something to accommodate the slope of the land, so I chose attractive landscape blocks to level the ground for each panel to step down.
Landscaping around the pen will help cut noise and block them from neighbors’ sight, if that is an issue. It also could help cut the wind and provide shade for the chickens during the various seasons. Pampas grasses are great natural shields. They grow 8 – 10′ high, are perennial, but they must be divided annually to avoid taking over your lawn.
Many of you may choose to free range your flock, which is great, but consider several pros to having a pen:
Less flock loss
They won’t get in the street
Some birds roost in trees if let out
They don’t eat your garden, or your neighbors’
You will have less chicken ‘do’ on your yard, deck, driveway, etc.
The Bockers
Choosing the right birds is key. You want birds that are friendly, bare confinement well and aren’t flighty. I haven’t had many birds go broody (want to hatch eggs), even if they were listed to be broody. Try MyPetChicken.com’s breed selector tool. Want both standard breeds and bantams? Stick with either one or the other, I have found. The bantams get picked on by bigger birds, lay smaller eggs and are easier for hawks and other aerial predators to carry away.
Do not get guineas, peafowl or roosters for your flock. Those are all very noisy birds. Roosters don’t just crow in the morning, they crow at 2 a.m., 12 p.m., 7:14 p.m. and so forth. Chris and I have often woken up to Joe’s crowing at 3 a.m. Roosters can also be aggressive. My rooster of 2007 spurred me and cut me through my jeans. If that had been my daughter, it would have been her face. I got rid of him promptly that evening.
Against Arguments
They smell – sure, anything can though if you don’t pick up properly after it. I change the litter every few months.
They’re noisy – much less than a dog or some playing children.
They carry diseases – not many that are zootonic. And no, the avian flu isn’t in any backyard flocks I know of.
They’re undesirable – to whom? I loathe yappy dogs, but it isn’t my property nor my choice regarding the neighbor’s pooch.
Decrease property value – my nice little coop actually raised my property value. Keeping it nice is the key though.
Why is this such an issue? Is it right for someone else to tell someone what they can do with their property? If someone doesn’t like my chickens, what keeps me from saying I don’t like their shed or deck? Or their obnoxious barking dog? Their fence that needs painting? If chickens are kept clean in neat housing, they are not a problem to anyone. I cannot even hear my hens bocking (the “I laid an egg” community celebration) with my windows closed. I can barely hear them if I have my windows open and theirs closed. Besides, my neighbors love my chickens. They enjoy watching them put around the yard, and theirs too (although I discourage them from such). One neighbor even tosses out scraps for them.
Recent Articles about Chickens in St. Louis County
Chickens vs. property values (By the way, Merryl, quoted in the article, hosts wonderful cheese making classes!)
Council amends “chicken law” to smooth ruffled feathers (Previous article about Chesterfield chickens, and another)
If you have more questions, please feel free to leave comments.
19
Mar
2009
The Simple Things in Life
Chris' photo of my asiatic lilies
Chris said I should blog more about what I’m doing, so here I am. Blogging about what I am doing.
Raking in the Green
Something that is very dear to me is gardening. It is something my mom did and I grew up enjoying. But it is not just about the hobby. I enjoy creating something meaningful for my family – something that is better than the grocery store, not just in quality, but in flavor as well.
Last summer, our garden began. We had unseasonably cold weather last spring, but I started plants indoors to circumvent late crops. I also bought some fruit trees: an apple, a peach, a nectarine, a plum and a cherry. I later bought some goji seeds. And then my mom bought some dwarf banana seeds and gave me some gooseberry bushes. And I then bought 5 grapes, 4 blueberries, 2 blackberries and some much needed fencing. My intention with all these permanent additions to the landscape is to create a useful landscape.
Now, this year, I have my plants started – and after only starting them on the 8th of March, they are nearly all sprouted and some are ready to transplant already – and my plant order placed. I started cucumbers, kale, lettuce, spinach, celery, melons (Amish muskmelon, Moon & Stars, Sugar Baby and Yellow Doll watermelons), squash (acorn, butternut, and sunshine, zucchini), ground cherry, cauliflower, eggplant, okra, peppers (bell, banana and jalepeno), and tomatoes (cherry, pear, beefsteak, roma). I still have my 6 raspberry plants, 75 strawberry plants, 2 pawpaw trees and 4 liberty apple trees on order. To some of you, I know you are thinking, “That’s all so expensive!” It’s not really. I only used 2 – 4 seeds out of most packets and the fruit plants, bushes and trees will be staples in our landscape for years to come! I can refridgerate or freeze the seeds I have to make them last a little bit longer. The final thought – it is much cheaper to produce your own organic foods than it is to purchase the foods from the market. You can’t purchase this quality this cheaply at any store. Besides, this meal does not travel 1500 miles from farm to table. This one only travels 100 feet from the furthest point.
Another thing to note above. I provided links to the seeds I bought, if they were available online. Buying heirloom varieties is one way to ensure you can get the quality and reuse seed from the fruits you grow – dry the seeds on a paper towel and you may never put a seed order in again! Go to the Seed Savers Exchange for more heirloom seeds. Also, look for plants that perform well in your area. Consider what the plant wants – soil pH, sun, soil consistency, nutrients, sensitivity to wind, frost, water requirements, etc.
Even do what I am trying this year and plant in groups. This works because your garden plants can be tiered (corn in the middle with a tomato at the base and a pepper in the front and some pansies at the bottom), pairing certain plants can ward off diseases or help with pollination, and your garden looks more interesting. Something to consider as well is cycling the plants to different locations in the garden to make sure soil nutrients are not depleted and diseases do not build up in the soil. Only plant the same type of plant in the same location every three years – no less!
The Bockers
Two years ago on Memorial Day, I bought my first chicks. Six young pullets were then housed in the brooder cage my mom, dad and I built over the weekend with recycled materials and 1/4″ hardware cloth. There they stayed until the coop deluxe was completed the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Sure, we lost a few – more like a lot. The winter of 2007 we lost eleven to various predators. We only had 3 hens left come springtime. The summer of 2008, we replenished our hens with chicks and finally started getting eggs in October.
Now we have 5 hens, including 2 Buff Orpingtons, a White Plymoth Rock, a Rhode Island Red, and 1 grouchy Wheaton Ameraucana. We also have 5 pullets just about to lay, including 2 Black Stars (Sex Links), 2 Barred Plymouth Rocks and 1 Rhode Island Red. And, with the chicks bringing up the rear, I have some Welsummers incubating in the basement that should hatch a week from tomorrow! I will only keep a few of the Welsummers though, as I do not want to have more than 15 chickens, otherwise, I will have to expand my run.
The recommended minimum square feet per bird is 2 in the coop and 8 of outdoor space. My 7′x10′ coop and 12′x20′ run, could accomodate 30 chickens, but they’re much happier with larger accomodations! I am even thinking about buying another kennel panel kit to expand the run from 240 square feet to 640 square feet. With so many predators and stray dogs around, I just cannot stomach letting my flock free range any longer.
Doggone Dogs
Speaking of strays, several friends, Chris and I are forming a rescue group. We will focus on kill shelters in St. Louis and in surrounding counties. Any donations are greatly appreciated. Our wishlist includes pet food, crates, old blankets and towels, collars, leashes and volunteers! Chris is doing the website, but it is not ready to yet be unveiled. It’s still in the Frankenstein stages, mostly because I need to add content, but, nevertheless I will post when it is ALIVE!
26
Feb
2009
Where are the Welsummers?!
One of srjm's beautiful Welsummers
It is day 22 at the Koerner house for the Welsummer hatch. Only 2 chicks have popped out. One I am gradually helping throughout the night. My hatch rate is 80% with eggs from my friend Kelly (if you would like hatching eggs, let me know – I’ll send you to Kelly!). This is horrible! My hatch rate for these guys is only 18%. Fertility was only 24%, so hatch of fertile eggs was 75%. Mind you, if we’re going that route, my hatches from Kelly have been in the 90% counting out the infertile eggs.
I was so excited for these chicks, not as excited hatching barnyard mixes as one never knows what is inside, but still excited nonetheless. I bought these from a breeder and anticipated great results. This happened last time as well when I bought from a breeder. Perhaps it is just that things shouldn’t be pure. Genetic differences in the gene pool are wonderful, biologically speaking. I think from now on I will stick with the barnyard mixes from Kelly or the standard chickens from the feed store.
9
Dec
2008
Update to: Heating Small Outbuildings
Photo by Chris Koerner.
A few weeks ago I went down to the coop to find a 250 watt heat bulb melted through the 5 gallon bucket bottom. The plastic was fused to the heat bulb. I promptly unplugged the two heat lamps and opened the windows to the coop. Luckily, plastic only smolders. Don’t fumigate your livestock. Nix the plastic buckets.
I made a trip to Lowe’s a few days later on a Monday evening. As a cold snap was coming the following day, I had to rig up something, and quickly. So, here is the new supply list:
1 outdoor extension cord with three outlets long enough to go from the outlet to the rafters (run along the walls neatly would be nice, and safer too!)
3 heat lamps with metal heat shields (buy them for $6 each at the farm supply, instead of the $12 at Lowe’s)
3 250 watt red heat lamp bulbs (spring for the name brand here – I use Phillips bulbs for around $9 each)
15 feet of chain (buy it in a pack and ask someone to cut it into pieces long enough to span between 2 rafters – it’s cheaper than getting chain by the foot) $4
6 pack of S hooks (make sure they are large enough to accommodate the links of the chain) $2
So, continuing from the old article, the power is run from the house to the outbuilding. The outlet on the wall is first controlled by a hot water heater thermostat. This you can set to whatever temperature you like – mine is at 45 degrees, but it is less than that as the heat lights have stayed on – the outlet will be turned “off” by the thermostat once the desired temperature is reached, then on again as needed. I had a 15 foot chain cut into 3 5 foot pieces. I ran my outdoor grade extension cable neatly up the wall and wrapped three times around the far rafter. I decided to place my heat lamps about 2.5 feet apart, as the coop is 10 feet wide. Remember, don’t put the heat lamps close to a wall or rafter! These things get hot and will catch anything on fire if in contact! Take one length of chain, and one S hook. Loop the chain over the far rafter and secure the end of the chain to the rest of the chain under the rafter so that the S hook is fully extended. With slack, the chain might fall if bumped by a chicken. Lace the lamp onto the chain through the loop above the porcelain socket. As a precaution, I wrapped the heat lamp cord around the rafter, without leaving slack, and plugged it into the extension cord on the end of the rafter. I did this in case a chicken bumped the chain. The lamp would simply hang by the cord – and the worst that could happen in that situation would be a wire coming off of the contact in the lamp – easy fix. Just make sure when you wrap your cord, you imagine the chain falling – where is your lamp going to fall? Next to a wall? Touching a rafter? A straw bale? Repeat this for all the lamps.
Keeping the coop at 40 – 50 degrees will keep chickens laying through the winter, but remember to turn the lights down to allow them to go into moult. This is important in the chicken life cycle. With heat lights, both the heat and the light created by the lamps alters the laying cycle. I, personally, don’t heat the coop specifically for winter eggs. Chickens’ combs and waddles are susceptible to frost bite. To prevent this, simply rub petroleum jelly on the combs and wattles every few days. I simply don’t see that as a practical, long term solution, so I’d suggest springing for the heat.
Also, if you are handy enough, these bulbs as well as an outside coop light and an automated hen door can be powered by solar energy. Too worried about losing power with solar? Don’t! If the heat lamps go off in the night, as long as the coop is draft free and you leave the doors and windows shut, it should maintain the temperature until the next daylight.
10
Oct
2008
The Honey-Do that you Do
Tonight I started thinking. There are people who go on vacation and work on ranches or farms. I perhaps should consider hosting vacationers. My fall list is quite daunting…
4
Sep
2008
Why Fossils ROCK!
Diatomaceous earth is absolutely fascinating. Diatomaceous earth is a compound created from fossilized diatoms.
The many uses of diatomaceous earth:
Insecticide – the powder sucks the lipids off of the exterior of the insects and causes them to dehydrate. Can lightly be sprinkled around the base of plants, inside coops, barns, garages or where ever bugs congregate outside.
Wormer – Dosage is 1 teaspoon of food grade diatomaceous earth for dogs under 35 pounds (1 tablespoon for dogs over 35 pounds, 2 tablespoons for dogs over 100 pounds) for seven days. Affected worms include Ascardis, Hookworm, and Whipworm. Dosage for other animals: Kittens 1/2 teaspoon, Cats 1 teaspoon, Puppies 1/2 teaspoon, Cattle, Cows and Hogs 2% of feed ration, Chickens 5% of feed ration, Goats and Sheep 2% in feed ration, horses 1/2 to 1 cup in feed.
Drying agent – great for drying up wet areas in coops, barns and garages. Extremely helpful in out bulidings during the rainy season. Even used for toxic spill clean up. Certainly keeps the coop dry and keeps flies away.
Digestive supplement – some people stir 1 tablespoon in water daily before bed. It contains 15 trace minerals.
Mite, flea and tick repellant for animals – lightly dust animals outdoors, avoid eyes as this is a drying agent.
Upholstery dust – lightly dust carpet or affected area. Allow to sit for 3 days, then vacuum.
Before you think about using a chemical for a certain job, think about what you could use instead – perhaps something natural and less invasive. If you buy diatomaceous earth, just make sure what you buy is food grade. All of the applications suggested above should only be done with food grade diatomaceous earth. Be careful when purchasing diatomaceous earth. When I went to my local nursery and asked for some, they handed me a bag of pesticide! I found a fifty pound bag of diatomaceous earth online with shipping included in the price.
14
May
2008
Here Chick, Chick!
Due to my apparent need to feed the wildlife last year, and my stray dog, my chicken population went from twenty down to 3 lonely hens. I am now in the long process of raising laying hens again. It is very hard to find healthy hens of laying age that are reasonably priced. Hens begin to lay around 20 weeks of age. They are at their peak laying during their first few years. Hens that are within this range typically cost anywhere from $20 – $50 each plus shipping. Since I am price conscious, and I do not want to bring an ill hen into the flock, I opted for chicks.
I hatched a few last month, but 6 of the 10 are boys, so only 4 hens came out of that hatch. I bought 2 cute chicks from the farm supply in Herculaneum (actually bought 6, but the 4 had an unfortunate circumstance with a huge water jug). I bought 6 from the feed store by me tonight and I have 42 eggs in the incubator. Am I keeping all of these chicks? No. I’m going to sell the hatch that I have coming up – spreading the wealth of chicken keeping! This will leave me with fifteen hens:
3 Rhode Island Reds
2 Australorps
1 White Rock
3 Buff Orpingtons
2 Barred Rocks
1 New Hampshire Red
3 Ameraucanas (which lay blue-green eggs)
I am expecting some Jersey Giant and some Appenzeller Spitzhauben hatching eggs at the beginning of June. I’ll probably keep some of each breed – maybe just a few more, then my max will be twenty. My new theory is that I should have extras, just in case of an occasional dog attack. I am considering building a pen just because of predators, but I think they’re much happier left to roam.
11
May
2008
A Little Bit Country
I recently hatched my first brood of chicks – 10 of fifteen hatched. I got an idea. Not only to get more return on the investment in the incubator ($40 with turner and digital hydrometer) , but to also bring chickens to a more urban environment, I have decided to continue to hatch chicks. To piggy-back off of my previous post, I am going to educate as many people as I am able about getting back to the basics. If the listeners would like to go as far as chickens, I have them covered.
In St. Louis City, up to 4 hens are allowed. In most parts of St. Louis County, farm animals are allowed. I am allowed to have chickens, even being in St. Louis County. To accommodate 4 hens, one would only need a 4 square foot coop and a sixteen square foot run. That’s not very large for fresh eggs out the back door! Plus, instead of $5 per dozen of free range eggs, they’ll only cost pennies (including feed and litter cost). And honestly, their care only takes a few minutes every few days. So, to anyone who wants chicks, let me know – I have over forty due to hatch at the end of May. I will even raise them to 8 weeks of age (when they can be without a heat lamp) if desired.
9
Apr
2008
All the Cool Chicks are Doing It.
I’m incubating my first set of chicks in my incubator. This is a pretty cool device as everything is preset. It even came with an automatic egg turner. All I have to do is monitor the humidity, which is very easy with the digital gauge – just add water.
In thinking about incubators, I thought about the incubator I saw on Thinkgeek about a year ago, pictured above. It was pretty awesome – again, just add water. I also found a helmet incubator, which just looked cool, much cooler than my ‘styrofoam box’. What interesting technology – farming may just be crossing into something a little bit geeky.
6
Apr
2008
Where the Wild Things Are – Season Two
Here at the Koerner house, it is our second spring here surrounded by nature. Piggybacking off of Chris’ original post, here are a few things we have already seen this season:
Bobcat
More centipedes, which the cat loves to bring me for dinner. Thanks, Kitt.
Deer, deer and more deer.
Morels
