Diane Jacky poultry Art Gallery

You are about to enter the largest
poultry breed art gallery on the web!

Tour selectively or sequentially all the
poultry images available for purchase as
prints and t-shirts.

This is a great site for unique poultry paintings. Get more here

OPEN RANGE VS CONFINED EGGS

Do you know the difference in open range eggs and confined eggs? Not many people do, it sounds good open range chickens running all over. Where do you think the chickens lay their eggs? How long do you think they lay out in the pasture before they are collected? I don’t much care for how they treat caged hens either, but most people have been buying caged eggs for years and they never complained about it. In confined layers they are not fertile eggs, in open range poultry they could be fertile. Open range eggs cost more because you have to hire twice the amount of people to collect the eggs. confined eggs roll down a line for a couple of people to collect.

All confined chicken are only confined to laying for one year. Open range poultry do have a better life to wonder and forage for bugs and grass but both confined and open range both get the same bagged feed. We confine our show poultry for one month prior to shows, they do lay inside. We do not like how confined poultry are treated but we do not think that open range eggs should be dollar or more than confined eggs.How do you now that they are truly open range poultry? We do not. We do know that either of the two are not as fresh as if you had your own egg layers. Their are too many people that want to make a profit from using words like open range or organic or lower cholesterol. Just something for you the people to think about. All we want is for you to think about things and ask yourself which is better for you and your family.

New Birds

We now have 3 new breeds called Dutch Bantams , Dark Cornish Bantams, Partridge Cochin and hope to have their eggs for sell in about 6 months “HOPE TO” anyway and hope to win at lest a couple of shows but if not we are happy with what ever we take home and at the end of the day we hope to learn something and carry it to the next show.

Call bantam duck 4 sale

I have two drakes chocolat bantam call ducks. Contact me on our web site if interested

New Chicken Photos - June 2007

This is Bandit. He loves to pose for the camera

This is Ozzy. He comes by his name honestly. He’s a real pistol!

And our new babies…

Common Poultry Diseases

Below are the most common poultry diseases listed in alphabetical order.

Less frequently observed diseases require consultation with a specialty disease manual.

Ascarid Worms
Aspergillosis
Blackhead
Botulism
Cage Layer Fatigue
Cannibalism
Capillaria
Cecal Worms
Chiggers
Coccidiosis
Erysipelas
E. coli
Fatty Liver Hemorrhagic Syndrome
Fowl Cholera
Fowl Pox
Fowl Typhoid
Gapeworms
Heximitiasis
Infectious Bronchitis
Infectious Bursal Disease
Infectious Coryza
Lice
Lymphoid Leucosis
Marek’s Disease
Mites
Moniliasis
Mycoplasmas
Mycotoxicosis
Necrotic Enteritis
Newcastle Disease
Omphalitis
Pullorum
Quail Bronchitis
Tapeworms
Ticks
Ulcerative Enteritis

You can find more information and discussion on these poultry diseases through the Extension Offices of Mississippi State University.

Tags: poultry disease

How to Know If An Egg Is Fresh

Put the egg in cold water. A fresh egg contains little air so it will sink. An older egg will float. Also, if you break open a fresh egg into a dish, the white is compact and firmly holds the yolk up. In an old egg the white is runny and the yolk will flatten out.

Tags: poultry farm, eggs, fresh eggs, poultry farm tips

Care of Baby Poultry

FEED: Use a chick starter for the first 8 wks. Sprinkle feed on a piece of cardboard in the area where the chicks will be. The chicks will find the feed more easily this way at the start. Do this for a few days. Then put the feed in troughs low enough so the chicks can see and reach the feed easily. Use a 2 foot feeder for each 50 chicks. Never let the chicks run out of feed. Adding chopped boiled egg yolk on top of the feed gets the chicks off to a good start and encourages them to start eating feed right away. Chicks should stay on a full feed ration of chick starter/grower until they are 4 1/2 - 5 months of age.

WATER: Have a 1 gallon chick waterer for each 50 chicks. Do not medicate first water. For the first 2 days add 3 tablespoons of table sugar to each quart of lukewarm water for extra energy. Use plain water after that. DIP THE BEAK OF EACH CHICK IN THE WATER BEFORE YOU TURN IT LOOSE. Your chicks will be thirsty when you get them. A taste of water right away helps them to find more water soon. Most baby chick loss is caused because the chick doesn’t start to eat or drink. Never let your chicks run out of water.

HEAT: We have found that using a drop light with reflector shield is a great source of heat. Use a 75 - 100 watt bulb and use as many lights as you need to keep the birds comfortable. Hang the light no closer than 18″-24″ from the floor. If too warm raise light higher. The temperature should be 90-95 degrees for the first week. The temperature may need to be slightly higher for Bantams and other small bodied birds. A thermometer will help a lot to ensure that you have the proper comfort for the birds. Reduce the temperature 5 degrees per week until you reach 70 degrees. they shouldn’t need much heat after that. Start with 1 bulb per 50 chicks in cold weather. Then watch how the birds act - see diagram. The birds need a small light at night to keep them from piling up even when they don’t need it for warmth. Be sure to watch the CORNISH CROSS as they grow faster than other birds and will overheat more quickly.

SPACE: Try to provide 1/2 square foot per chick at the start. For starting 50 chicks use a draft shield (see above) and make a circle about 5 to 6 foot across. For 100 chicks make a circle 7 to 8 feet across.

DUCKS AND GEESE SHOULD BE RAISED SEPARATE FROM THE CHICKS AND TURKEYS

Other Important Considerations:

DRAFT SHIELD: Cardboard put in a circle about 12 inches high around the chicks helps cut down drafts on the floor. Be sure the circle is large enough to allow the chick to get away from the heat if it wants to.

LITTER: Sawdust, shavings or rice hulls make a good litter. Straw or hay will also work but not as good as the others. Put the litter all over the floor at least 1 to 2 inches thick. On concrete floors use 3″ - 5″ of bedding.

PICKING: Baby chicks will often pick each other if they are too hot, too crowded, with fresh air, or short of room. Occasionally bright light also causes them to pick. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to picking. Sometimes, however, they pick for no apparent reason. To stop it try putting in fresh green grass clippings several times a day and darken the room. Chunks of grass sod can also be set around for the chicks to pick at. As a last resort, try cutting off about one-third of the top beak with a very sharp knife or razor blade. Cut from top to bottom, straight down. Be careful to not crush the beak by pushing too hard on the knife or razor blade. Do NOT cut the lower beak, just the top one. For chicks that have been picked, smear pine tar or menthol based ointment on the area injured and keep up the treatment until healed.

AFTER FOUR WEEKS

1. Increase floor area to 3/4 square foot per chick.
2. Increase feeders to provide 2 1/2 to 3″ of space per chick.
3. Increase waterers’ to one 5 gallon fount for per 100 chicks.
4. Install roosts at back of brooder area. Allow four inches per bird with roost poles six inches apart.
5. Open windows in day time. Leave only partly open at night.
6. Prevent water puddles around founts. Place founts on low wire platform.
7. Chicks can range outside on warm sunny days, but only if clean range is available.

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SPECIAL SITUATIONS AFTER THE CHICKS ARRIVE FROM HATCHERIES

IF THE CHICKS HAD A HARD TRIP. Instead of using the standard feed and water suggestions listed, try this: Put 5 tablespoons of sugar in each quart of water. then mix some of this extra sweet water with some of your feed to make a soupy mix. Give your chicks this special feed and water mix for 3 to 4 days to get them over the effects of shipping.

REAR END “PASTING UP“. Sometimes the stress of shipping causes the manure to stick to the back of the chick. It is important to remove this daily. Pull off gently or, better yet, wash off with a cloth and warm water. it will disappear in a few days as the chick starts to grow. If chicks appear droopy add a sulfa type drug to their drinking water as directed on package.

Tags: baby poultry care, poultry farm, chicks

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Gayla & Rusty