The first class is Sunday, February 19th starting at 5:00 with subsequent classes each Sunday through mid-April.  Just pick which Sunday works best for you, then call or e-mail to reserve your space.

We stop selling baby chicks in mid September. This gives the chicks plenty of time to get feathered and plump enough to survive the winter. But we have a business partner who is raising chicks to the two-month stage. He has about 40 total pullets spread out over 5 different breeds. So if you lost a couple younger chickens recently and need to add a couple to your flock, this is a great opportunity. Or if you are getting a late start to urban farming but don’t want to wait until spring, this could be the last time you see chickens for sale.

The person raising these soon-to-be hens is doing so with care, skill and compassion. If you were at last year’s pullet sale, you will no doubt see a significant improvement in the overall condition of the birds. In addition to the pullets, he will have about eight ducks available.

This will be a cash only event, although our store can still take cards for all your other urban farming feeds. This event was very popular last year so you if you really want to add a few chickens, you might want to arrive early.

The last round we got just Red Broilers. The benefit of a this breed is they mature much more slowly then the Cornish Cross. At the store we raised six Red Broilers. The roosters were butchered at 14 weeks and the hens at 16 weeks. The roosters dressed out to five pounds and the hens were a bit smaller. They made exceptional meals!
The disadvantage to raising slow-growing broilers is the cost. We fed them an 18% protein GMO free grower as well as plenty of kitchen scraps. They eat a pound of feed per bird per week which works out to about $8 worth of feed. Our six Red Broilers ate a total of 100 pounds of feed. If you calculate feed plus the cost of the bird plus any scratch, it works out to be between $10 and $12 per bird as a total cost. They lived a very healthy life, were treated well and were butchered with dignity.

The Cornish Cross is bred specifically as a fast growing meat bird. The advantage is that they mature so quickly that they can be ready for butcher at six to eight weeks. This means that your feed costs could be half as much as the Red Broilers. The Cornish Cross’ biggest asset is also it’s biggest liability. They often grow so fast that their hearts and legs can’t keep up with the weight gain. They tend to be a bit more lethargic and sometimes do not forage well for food. They also do not do well in extreme heat (this is why we are bringing them in during August. By the time heat is an issue with them, it will be mid-September and probably much cooler.)
If you keep your feed to around 18% protein and give them plenty of ranging space, you should be able to grow a healthy Cornish Cross. The key to raising a healthy Cornish Cross is to avoid filling it up with high protein rations with lots of filler grains. Raise a Cornish Cross with the same respect as you would any other chicken, and you will be rewarded with a fine home-raised meal.

This will be the last meat bird order we do for the year, so call or e-mail the store to reserve yours.

Of course there are still gardens to water and chickens to feed but the scale is so small that it can be done by somebody else.  Ideally you would ask a neighbor to watch your hens.  But if you can not find someone to do this, we do provide chicken sitting services.

We come to your house in the morning and make sure they have plenty of food and water.  We let them out to their run or to free range (your choice) and do some light cleaning.  Then we come back in the evening, collect the eggs and tuck them safely in their coop.  Chicken sitting costs just $10 a day so feel free to contact us if you want to arrange chicken sitting.

So you are finally ready to raise some chickens.   Many of you have gone on a chicken coop tour and your have some great ideas for your coop.  The weather is finally warm and dry and you figure you can finish your  coop in the next couple weeks.  Or maybe you already have chickens but were paid a visit by a raccoon.  Or perhaps you have a broody hen and you want to give her a couple chicks to try to raise.  Traditional feed stores only carry chicks in early spring and stop around Easter.  The good news is we sell baby chicks throughout the summer.

There are a number of advantages to raising your chicks in the late spring or summer.  Since it is warmer outside, it will be warmer inside.  This means your chicks won’t need a heat lamp for as long.  Once they get to the three week old stage, they can go outside during the day and come back in at night.

Also most regional hatcheries are focused on the more standard breeds during the early spring.  Now that they don’t have to supply large feed stores, they can hatch more unusual or heritage breeds.  We have some fun breeds scheduled to arrive in the next few months.

The disadvantage is that you may or may not get eggs this year.  Most hens start laying between three and seven months but many don’t lay often in the late fall and winter.  So a chick that was hatched in August will be out in their coop in September.  They will have plenty time to feather out and go through their gangly stage before winter arrives.  These hens might lay occasionally in the winter but as soon as the sunlight returns you will get a jump start on next year’s eggs.

The trend toward urban farming is allowing us to approach things in more creative ways.  Raising baby chicks in the summer is a great example of adapting  a rural farming practice to meet the needs of a backyard homestead.

The guide book costs just $5.00 and proceeds go to Habitat for Hens.  In conjunction with The Chicken Gardener, The Eugene Backyard Farmer will be donating a chicken tractor, chickens, feeder, feed, waterer and bedding to an area family that could really benefit from a backyard flock but can not yet afford it.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

This year’s Eugene area Tour de Coop is set for Saturday, May 21st.  The tour will be self-guided and will be more city wide.  We hope to have between 18 and 24 coops on display.  Tour goers will buy a guide book for a small fee and then will decide how many coops to visit and in what order.

Proceeds from the Tour will go to Habitat for Hens.  Our friends from Salem’s CITY (Chickens in the Yard) came up with the idea helping out an area family.  We will find a Eugene area family, perhaps a foster family, who could really benefit from a backyard flock and we will make it happen.  Ben from The Chicken Gardener will donate the coop and The Eugene Backyard Farmer will supply the chicks, feed and supplies.

Do you want to help inspire new backyard farmers by displaying your coop?  We already have about 6 volunteers and need at least a dozen more.  We are looking for a wide variety of coops and backyard settings.  We would like to show super fancy coops, very simple coops and everything in between.  You may have a highly active urban farm or you may just have a small coop by the hot tub.  Coop diversity is the key here.  The goal is to take away the intimidation factor of raising chickens by showing people how easy and fun it can be.

If you are interested in participating, please e-mail the store and we will start the planning stage.  If you are not sure, feel free to e-mail or call and we can talk about the particulars.  Regardless, this is a great way of growing an already impressive movement of backyard food sustainability.

www.salemchickens.com

www.chickengardener.com

Ready to learn how to raise chickens in your backyard but don’t know where to start?  We will be conducting classes on how to raise urban chickens.  Classes start Sunday, February 20th and will run each Sunday through March 27th.  These 2 hour classes will take you through the entire process of raising chickens from the chick stage through the laying stage.

This class is designed for the beginning urban farmer and will be interactive (we will have baby chicks to play with).  The cost is just $12 and space is limited.  Pick which date you want and then call or e-mail for reservations.

It is a perfectly reasonable question and it is easy to understand our concerns.  Our hens give us great eggs and great compost and in many cases they give us great entertainment.  And despite the emotional hazards, we sometimes even name them and pamper them and treat them like family.

It is important to remember that chickens are essentially live-stock.  Sure they are cute and funny but they are also tough birds and can handle some harsh conditions. Many of the breeds that we sold originated in the Northeast, upper mid-west, and in England.  Oregon winters are temperate compared to some of those places.  Set your alarm for 4:00 some morning and go out to the coop and pick up a hen.  You will see them huddled together and you can feel the heat radiating off them.

But there are a few things you can do to make things more comfortable during the winter.  Change their water more often so it doesn’t freeze.  You can even paint your water container black or cover it with some sort of sweater.  We will even sell water heaters for the dead of winter.

You can also give them some cracked corn about an hour before they go to bed.  The extra corn increases their metabolism and will give them something to burn during the night.  You can even put the scratch in that chick feeder that you haven’t used since they were 2 months old.

Some backyard farmers do add a light in the coop during extremely cold nights.  If doing so, use caution as you do run the risk of a fire hazard.  One trick is to shine a light bulb into a ceramic pot.  This will create a long-term radiant heat and will also keep it dark enough for the hens to sleep.

Another popular heat source is the deep bedding method.  With this method, you do not clean out the droppings but rather add a thin layer of pine shavings.  As the droppings compost, they create a natural heat that can add ten degrees to the inside of the coop.  If you do this method, be certain that your coop has plenty of ventilation (there is a difference between ventilation and draft.  You want the air to circulate but you do not want gusts of cold air).  A lack of proper ventilation can cause respiratory health problems in your flock.  The composting process can also wear on your coop floor and you will have a bit of an odor issue.  The deep bedding method is popular and effective but it does come with a few drawbacks.

Some breeds have combs and waddles that are susceptible to frostbite.  In extreme cold conditions you can treat a comb with bag balm or petroleum jelly.

If you are still concerned you can always knit them a sweater.  But putting them in front of the fire with a cup of cocoa or a snifter of brandy is unnecessary.

Do you have any tricks to keep your hens warm all winter?  Feel free to add a comment.

The chicken nipple is a home made waterer and the choice of reservoir you choose is up to you.  Some people use a food grade bucket.  Other options are galvanized pails or PVC pipe.  I use a re-used plastic juice bottle.  I have found that Trader Joe’s Green Plant bottles are great but you are encouraged to be creative.

First drill a 11/32 inch hole in the cap. (see photo 1).  It must be an 11/32 hole.  If you do not have a 11/32 inch drill bit, bring your container to the store and we are happy to install your chicken nipple.

Remove gasket from the nipple and push it through the hole in the cap.  Be sure it is pushed in until        the bottom of the gasket rim is flush with the surface.  (see photo 2).

Push the narrow part of the nipple through the gasket and hole until it is all the way in.  It should be hard to push it through which will ensure a strong seal.  If you put a little spit on the nipple, it will slide through a little easier.

Drill a large hole in the bottom of the container (the reservoir hangs upside down so the top hangs down and the nipple suspends above the chicken’s head).

The hanging mechanism is a 3/16 inch eye-bolt threaded through a 3/16 inch toggle bolt (also known as a ceiling anchor).  Both can be purchased at your local hardware store.  Once you screw in the eye-bolt, use a pair of pliers and strip the end of the bolt.  As the chickens drink through the nipple, they will spin the waterer around.  Stripping the bolt will keep it from becoming unattached.

Push the hanging mechanism through the hole.  Your chicken nipple is ready to use.  I recommend you hang it with a section of chain.  Chickens like to reach their necks up to drink so hang it so that it is just above chicken head level.     Using the chain will allow you to raise and lower the waterer to the ideal height.  If you replenish your flock with new pullets, add a second (or more) chicken nipple to accommodate the different size birds.

A few tips for chicken nipple success.  Younger chickens learn this device faster then older hens (all baby chicks sold at EBYF have been trained on the chicken nipple).  Chickens are attracted to the shinny steel and should naturally peck at it out of curiosity.  Once one hen learns it, the rest generally follow.  If you want to encourage slow learners, impale a grape on the nipple or slather it with fruit preserves.

During the summer you can add ice cubes to the water to help them keep cool in the hot weather.  During the winter you can add warm water to keep it from freezing. You also can paint the waterer black to help avoid freezing.  You can even knit a waterer sweater to keep it warm.

Feel free to experiment and be creative.  If you have any suggestions or stories, please add a comment.