All About Silkies, Nigerian Dwarf Goats & More
Bantam chicken breeds are, essentially, chickens that are significantly smaller than regular or large breed chickens. Some might call them miniature chickens.
Bantam chickens are usually about half the size of regular, large breed chickens. However, they can range up to 1/3 the size of a large breed chicken. So, if you get them, you will want to be cautious while introducing new chickens to the flock.
…
So, you got a few pullets for eggs. They have grown up and are outside living happy, cute chicken lives. And now, chicken math has set in and you have another bundle of chicks inside brooding that you either hatched or bought.
Now comes the hard (sorta) part; introducing new chickens to the flock.
…
Frizzle Chicken. The very first time I heard this bit of chicken terminology, I thought what the heck is that??
To explain what a frizzled chicken is in a simple way, they are a curly feathered chicken. A frizzle itself is not a specific chicken breed though.
There are several breeds that can be a frizzled. Frizzle cochin, polish frizzle and frizzle silkie (also known as a sizzle) are just a few examples.
So, if a frizzle is not a specific breed, what exactly causes a chicken to be a frizzle? A frizzle is a chicken which does not have “standard” or “normal” feathers. Instead of it’s feathers laying flat, they curl up and out from their body.
This frizzling, so to speak, is caused by an incomplete dominate gene. This means that a chicken only needs to carry one copy of the frizzle gene in order to show frizzling.
Some birds will show more frizzling than others. This is due to the fact that the frizzle gene also has a modifying factor to the gene which can control the extent to which their feathers will appear frizzled (source).
A frizzle chicken will tend to have most of the same characteristics of the actual breed that it is. For example a frizzle silkie will tend to have the same black skin, 5 toes and friendly personality of a typical silkie chicken.
The main difference or defining characteristic of a frizzle chicken is, of course, its curly or frizzled feathers. These feathers a less insulated than regular feathers so you will want them to have a nice warm coop, as well as access to plenty of food and water.
Many chicken breeds already have a frizzle version of their breed. As already mentioned, some of the most common breeds where frizzled feathering is possible are: Frizzle cochin, Polish frizzle chicken and frizzle silkie.
Cochin and Polish come in frizzle standard and frizzle bantam. Silkies are a bantam breed and do not have a standard size in general. Bantam breeds are basically “mini” size chickens.
Taking care of these curly feathered chickens is pretty similar to taking care of a “regular” chicken. However, there are some important points to consider.
Due to the fact that they do not have “normal” feathers, it can make them a little different to care for.
First, due to being a frizzle, they cannot really fly. Their feathers are not made the same and therefore, do not have the same characteristics allowing them flight. This means that they may need a shorter perch. Also, they may not be as well equipped to get away from predators – so they may do better in a predator proof run than being free ranged.
Second, since their feathers are curled and not “standard”, they do not have quite the same insulation as normal feathered chickens. We have frizzled chickens in our flocks here in Virginia and they seem to do just fine in the cold and snow of winter.
However, we do make sure that they have a very cozy, draft free chicken coop with lots of buddies to pile up with and stay warm. Our frizzles (like our silkies) will tend to all pile up together for warmth, especially when it is cold out.
Breeding frizzled chickens is really quite fun. They are such a unique looking chicken with their curly feathers.
When you breed frizzled chickens, you never want to breed two frizzle chickens together. The result of breeding frizzle to frizzle can result in a double frizzle chicken – meaning they have two copies of the frizzling gene. We call these frazzles.
Frazzles do not often live very long or healthy lives. Having two copies of the frizzle gene makes their curled feathers very brittle. They tend to break off. They are often times bald in places. And their overall health tends to suffer.
Due to this, we recommend setting up breeding pens where you either have a frizzle rooster over normal/standard feather hens. Or, you can set up your breeding pens to have a normal/standard feather rooster over frizzled hens.
If you breed Frizzle to Normal/standard it will result in 50% frizzled and 50% normal/standard feathered chicks.
Whereas, if you breed Frizzle to Frizzle will result in 50% frizzle, 25% normal/standard, 25% frazzled feathered chicks.
When frizzle chicks hatch, you cannot really tell that they have a different feather type. It is not until they are a few weeks old and have started blowing their chick fluff that you will start to see if they have feathers that have a curl.
Overall, if you are looking for a fun, unique addition to your flock, these can be a great choice. Most frizzled chickens make great pets as most of the frizzled breeds are also friendly.
If you want to hatch your own chicks, then you will need to know whether or not your chicken egg is fertile.
 When we first decided to hatch our own eggs, we wanted to make sure that our eggs would be good. So, how do you know if your egg is fertile?We got a trio of Jubilee Orpingtons as our first breeding chickens. So, once we figured out how often our chickens would lay, we decided to try it out. We also ordered an incubator and all the chicken hatching supplies we needed. So then all we needed was fertilized eggs! We were waiting (impatiently) for our first eggs from the Orpingtons and we finally got one.  Then we thought, great, now how do we know if this chicken’s eggs are fertile? You can always just take the chance and plug them into the incubator, wait a few days and then try candling. But, who wants to wait?!
How to tell if a chicken egg is fertileYou will have to sacrifice at least one potentially fertile egg for this experiment. But, the payoff is you will know that your rooster is doing his rooster thing (does your rooster lay eggs?) properly and your eggs should produce chicks. The best way to tell is to crack the egg open and look for a “bullseye”. The bullseye is actually called a blastoderm. Even an unfertilized egg will have a white spot in it (which is actually a blastodisc). In the unfertilized egg, the white area is more of an irregular shaped area whereas in the fertilized egg it is a more circular defined area with a bullseye around it.
When we brought in our first Orpington egg and we eagerly cracked it open into a bowl. We couldn’t see anything at first in the yolk, so we had to carefully turn the yolk over with a spoon. Luckily, we did find a bullseye! If you look closely at the yolk above (toward the middle right) you can see a light bullseye. (It is difficult to get a good picture). This technique is standard across all of your chickens, no matter if they are Frizzle chickens, Silkie chickens, Bantam chickens, or anything else. Next step is incubating and then hatching!After you know your chicken eggs are fertilize, you can spend the next few days collecting eggs and then set them in an incubator (We recommend the Brinsea Eco 20 or the GQF Digital Sportsman Cabinet Incubator 1502). Now that you know how to tell if your chicken eggs are fertile, make sure you know how to use your incubator and how to raise baby chicks.
We can’t wait to have little fluffy baby chicks running around. Do you check to see if your egg is fertile before starting to set eggs? For more on Raising Chickens |
Whenever I hear a new term I want to learn as much about it as I can. I was talking with a friend recently and the term chicken tractor came up. I used the word so naturally and my friend had no idea what I was talking about. So, I thought I wonder who else needs to know?
If you have never heard of the term before, you may be wondering what exactly does it mean? Although, in your mind you may be picturing a big tractor in the shape of a chicken, this is not the case.
A chicken tractor is simply a movable chicken coop (I know, less interesting). Unlike a heavier, fixed in place chicken coop. Most of these DIY chicken tractors are just an A-frame that is lightly built. It can be moved about the yard, usually by one person. You’ll notice these pens can be moved around your yard and don’t need a floor.
Think of chicken tractors as the RV of the poultry world. The tractor is moved around the yard to help the chickens get fresh food.
This term also comes from the fact that the chickens work like a tractor. Using their feet, the scratching movement loosens the top layer of the earth. This is a really great way to make the ground garden ready.
So, if you already have a flock or if you’re thinking of some of your own backyard chickens, these plans could save you some money (money you can spend on more chickens, of course).
Your chickens will have access to grass and soil and all of the little bugs that come along with them. Park them in your garden area over winter and get started tilling early.
If the tractor is moved every 24 hours, you get the benefit of natural fertilizer. That means you have chicken manure exactly where you may need it.
You chickens will also get protection against potential predators. You’ll have less with rodents or snakes getting to your eggs.
All of these plans are great too because you can customize them for average sized chickens, large breeds, and even smaller breeds like Frizzle silkies or Bantam chickens.
And while this is not exactly a chicken tractor, you can use these plans as the run section if you are building a larger living space for your chickens. And finish off your whole setup with these DIY chicken feeders.
This chicken tractor is a DIY plan with materials that are super inexpensive!
If you want a single structure, you will love this simple A-frame plan.
These simple, step-by-step plans will have your chickens in their new chicken tractor in no time!
Here’s a quick afternoon project that is really easy to put together. Your chickens will love their new home.
DIY chicken tractor plans are available and I love this resource for doing it all yourself. You’ll love this A-frame coop with a larger grazing area combo chicken tractor.
This chicken tractor can probably be built with supplies you already have lying around your homestead.
You can learn how to build a chicken tractor all on your own, no fancy materials needed.
Just got backyard chickens and need a place to keep them in? Check out these free chicken coop plans ranging from specialty coops to simple small coops.
We love these simple chicken coop plans. The details are there, so you can simply build the coop and have a little space for your chickens.
This backyard chicken coop idea may be perfect for you! We love that this one is so affordable.
Go back to the basics with chicken coop building with this free tutorial.
Is your flock more of the backyard variety? Then you need these backyard chicken coop plans in your life.
Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, use these DIY chicken plans to get the ball rolling.
Sometimes you need an urban style chicken coop and these plans are perfect for that!
If your chickens are a little extra and like it nice and cozy, then check out this cozy chicken coop option.
For the chickens living the suburban lifestyle, they may need a specialty chicken coop like this one.
Are you wanting to build a custom chicken coop for your chickens? You may want to look into this tutorial.
Who can say no to free? These free chicken coop plans may be just what you need to build that awesome chicken pen in your backyard.
Planning on building a chicken coop? If you don’t know where to get started, then these free building plans may work great for you.
When you need a larger coop this 8 x 8 wooden chicken coop is exactly what you’re looking for.
Not all chicken plans need to be big and fancy. These chicken coop plans will help you build a chicken coop that’s just the right size.
Keep all your chicken feed safe from rodents. This feed storage bin is easy to make and super sturdy.
Baby chicks need a safe space to live and grow for the first few months of their lives. This free chicken brooder is durable and can be put together in an afternoon.
Give your chickens a little extra room to stretch their legs. This chicken run can be added to just about any coop.
Depending on where you get your supplies the cost can range from free to super expensive. You can definitely make one for cheap but most will be in the mid price range depending on where you source your materials.
You can change any one of the above mentioned coops to accommodate a flock of any size. You will just need to determine how much space you need and then make the appropriate adjustments.
The recommended space for a coop is 2-3 square feet per chicken for inside the coop and 8-10 square feet of outside run space. So for a 12 chicken flock you would need 24-36 feet of inside coop space which would equate to 6×4 – 6×6.
