Channel Title: Chickens in my garden Channel Description: Sharing fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for chickens, and the sheer pleasure and fun of chickens! Hi! I’m Sheryl, and I have chickens in my garden. If that sounds like an introduction to Chickens Anonymous, that is appropriate, because chickens are addictive! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! When I first got chickens, over seven years ago, I worked out how many eggs we ate in a week, did the maths, and decided we needed two-and-a-half chickens. Well, I didn’t get two-and-a-half chickens, I got five. And over the years I have never had as few as five chickens again. Right now I have fifteen - there always seems to be a good excuse to get another chicken. Over the years I've learned a lot about chickens, what works for me, and the sheer joy of watching baby chicks develop, hatch and grow into happy healthy hens. I hope you enjoy the videos I share, and find them useful. I share videos when I have something to say, so Subscribe to my channel so you find out when there's something new. <video> What do feathers do? Do you know how amazing feathers are? Description: Feathers are pretty amazing! The filaments on each side of a feather shaft can be loose and fluffy for insulation, or hooked together with barbs and barbules to make a smooth, aerodynamic surface that repels rain and dirt. And the colours and patterns of feathers can hide the hen from predators as she sits still on her eggs, or can be dramatically colourful to attract a mate. And Silkie and Frizzle chickens have particularly special feathers! For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden Catch up with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chickensinmygarden/ Or if you are more interested in gardens than chickens, you can follow my garden page https://www.facebook.com/MyPlentifulGarden </video> <video> Keep baby chicks cool in a tent Description: It's important to keep baby chicks warm enough, but perhaps even more important not to get them too hot. How do you know if they are at the right temperature? It depends on how old they are, but you can tell by observing them - look at where they are, what they are doing, and listen to them. And if their indoor accommodation is at risk of being too hot for them, you can consider putting them outside in a tent! That's what I did on a really hot day, and it worked out so well I wanted to share it with you. I'll show you exactly how I did it. For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden Catch up with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chickensinmygarden/ Or if you are more interested in gardens than chickens, you can follow my garden page https://www.facebook.com/MyPlentifulGarden </video> <video> You can't free range chickens in a small area. But you can do this! Description: When we moved from our 2-acre lifestyle block to a small suburban property near the middle of town, I knew there was a no way I could let my chickens free-range there – not only is it against the town bylaws, in no time at all they would be squished on the road, attacked by a roaming dog, or end up in someone’s dinner pot. But I still wanted my chickens to enjoy scratching for bugs, eating fresh greenery, and having the choice of leafy shade when they wanted it. I’ve tried various ways of providing my chickens with a substitute for free range. My initial idea was that I could use their 60 square metre "range" area like ‘break-feeding’ stock – giving the chickens access to one part of it for a while, then closing that area off and allowing the vegetation to regrow before circling the chickens back there again. But I found that even though the greenery had been well-established before the chickens got access, within days of letting chickens into a lushly planted area they had munched the lot, while it takes weeks or months to regenerate the plants. The chickens pecked and scratched and completely cleared the ground much faster than anything could re-grow. What I found successful was fencing off the edges of the chickens' open-air area and planting those edges with leafy greens and edible flowers. The chickens can peck the leaves without scratching up the roots. It's kind of like a variation of my first small pecking garden as described here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JrR2_x0-DI&t=261s But the fences do need to be strong, or a heavy chicken will push them over. And also vertical rather than sloped, or the chickens will use the fence like a ladder. For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden Catch up with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chickensinmygarden/ Or if you are more interested in gardens than chickens, you can follow my garden page https://www.facebook.com/MyPlentifulGarden </video> <video> Most chicken keepers overlook Phosphorus, but it's important for strong egg shells Description: Most chicken keepers know that calcium is important for making strong egg shells. But they overlook the importance of Phosphorus. A perfect balance of Calcium AND Phosphorus is needed for strong egg shells - a lack or an excess of either one can cause soft-shelled eggs. • So, don’t force-feed calcium to your chickens by sprinkling it into their feed or dissolving it in their water supply. If you offer shell grit in a separate container, your hens will help themselves to it if and when they need it. • Don’t assume that every thin-shelled egg you see means she needs more calcium. There are lots of other reasons for thin shelled eggs, including not enough phosphorus and even including too MUCH calcium in her diet. • And keep your feed fresh. Don’t store it for months or in poor storage conditions. Old or badly stored feed deteriorates in several ways, including loss of activity of the enzyme phytase that makes plant-based Phosphorus available for chickens' digestion. It requires a complicated biological interaction between calcium and phosphorus to make healthy chickens and strong egg shells. And your hen does it every day. Aren’t chickens amazing! For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden </video> <video> Keep EXCEL-LENT chicken records! And know the true cost of eggs! Description: I often advise people to keep excellent records about their chickens. I use Excel to record many details about my chickens, including daily and annual number of eggs laid by each hen, and all expenses, including both running expenses and one-off costs such as capital set-up, and buying and selling chickens and fertile eggs. So it's easy to see how many eggs each breed of hen is really laying, and how much it really costs me for those yummy eggs. Here are links to the videos I mentioned: How I can tell which hen laid which egg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTcKUVCRE7A&t=162s The first in my series of building my ultimate hen house (the description for each video in the series has a link to the next video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VeMh2b-Sos&t=44s And my video about using chickens to build garden soil for you, cheaply and with very little effort by you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0eifAwyR8w Plus the music: Here's the link for the music I used in the background, music created using Excel, by Dylan Tallchief. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFdCM2kHL64 Thanks for watching. For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden Catch up with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chickensinmygarden/ Or if you are more interested in gardens than chickens, you can follow my garden page https://www.facebook.com/MyPlentifulGarden </video> <video> A stroll through my summer food garden - what's growing in December? Description: Let's see what's growing in my suburban food garden in early summer, in New Zealand. If you want to grow fresh vegetables in your backyard, I hope this will show you some inspiration. For fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden Catch up with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chickensinmygarden/ Or if you are more interested in gardens than chickens, you can follow my garden page https://www.facebook.com/MyPlentifulGarden </video> <video> The BEST thing for lining the nest box - according to the chickens Description: What do you put inside your nest box? And why? There are lots of options but what you choose will depend on your motivation as well as what's available and affordable for you. Ideal for you will be something that provides a soft landing for the egg and is removable so it's easy to clean or replace when it gets dirty. But if you want to really please your hens, you should line their nest boxes with something that can be molded by their feet into a bowl-shaped nest, and has loose bits that she can peck at, pick up and rearrange. For details about other aspects of nest box design that will please your hens, this is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1M0bCu5Uo8 And that video that tell you all about why hens lay their eggs WIDE END FIRST (yes they really do), is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUimZlidmxE Thanks for watching. If you like my videos, do Subscribe to my channel. Above all, enjoy those chickens! For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden Catch up with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chickensinmygarden/ Or if you are more interested in gardens than chickens, you can follow my garden page https://www.facebook.com/MyPlentifulGarden </video> <video> Don't waste a crumb of chicken feed nutrition - feed it to your mealworms Description: A complete and balanced chicken feed is complete and balanced only if your chickens eat ALL of it. If you feed MASH, the chickens can pick out their favourite bits and leave valuable nutrition behind. When your chickens eat PELLETS, every mouthful (beak-full?) is complete and balanced. But some bags of pellets have crumbs or dust, which your chickens probably won't eat. Don't waste that! If you feed it to your mealworms, the nutritive value of the mealworms will be enhanced, and so you will be assured that your chickens will ultimately get all the vitamins and minerals they need for top egg laying and good health. For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden Catch up with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chickensinmygarden/ Or if you are more interested in gardens than chickens, you can follow my garden page https://www.facebook.com/MyPlentifulGarden </video> <video> Let chickens build fertile garden soil for you! Description: Apart from laying eggs, chickens can be very valuable to the gardener, by eating bugs, scratching and turning soil over, and by adding manure. On the floor of my chicken run I put cheap wood mulch and ramial wood chip. Ramial wood chip is great for soil enrichment because its relatively high ratio of cambium to cellulose is high in minerals and other soil nutrients and therefore it promotes the growth of beneficial soil fungi and builds a spongy, fertile soil. But ramial wood chip will not release its nitrogen for months, until it has completely decomposed. The chickens add their poop. Chicken manure is exceptionally rich compared to other animal manures, with lots of phosphorus and potassium and a huge amount of Nitrogen and Calcium. Nitrogen and magnesium together are needed to produce chlorophyll which makes leaves green and transforms energy from the sun into energy for the plant to grow. Phosphorus is needed for healthy roots, and Potassium to form flowers and fruits. Calcium is needed to make strong cell walls and it protects the plant from attacks by insects, fungus and rot. Plants use Sulphur to make amino acids and vitamins. The high levels of nitrogen in chicken poop are too strong to put directly onto a garden bed but it’s just the thing to encourage composting of the wood chips, while the break-down of the mulch and ramial wood chip consumes the excess nitrogen in the chook poo. Over time, it all turns into compost-rich soil, without me ever having to do any measuring or balancing or turning a compost heap. And although it hasn't been hot composted, there's no chance of it growing any weeds because the chickens have done a great job of removing any stray seeds that might have been there. So in a nearly circular system - cheap wood mulch and ramial wood chips make a soft, well-draining base for the chicken run, and the chickens turn it over and add their poop, so it all rots down to a fine tilth of fertile garden soil, which I use to top up my garden beds as I harvest vegetables, some of which go back to the chickens. And all of this with almost no effort from me. For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden Catch up with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chickensinmygarden/ Or if you are more interested in gardens than chickens, you can follow my garden page https://www.facebook.com/MyPlentifulGarden </video> <video> How to use Lighting in your chicken coop to get eggs in winter Description: One key to getting eggs in winter is to use artificial lighting in your chicken coop. But it's not as simple as just grabbing the nearest light and turning it on. If you decide to use supplemental light in your chicken coop, here are the practicalities to take into account, including - what kind of bulb (and why NOT to use Teflon-coated, or fluorescent) - what colour light - how bright it should be - where to put them - when they should come on and go off, each day and throughout the year. And of course I'll explain why this is so, and how light affects your chickens. In an upcoming video I'll outline some of your considerations when deciding whether or not you think it's a good idea to use additional lighting in your chicken coop. Meanwhile, you might like to check out this video about how chickens see difefrent from what we see: https://youtu.be/ayEdjMYAZ60?si=OhSOmr0saZYa5JTR For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden Catch up with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chickensinmygarden/ </video> <video> Training chickens to use a Treadle feeder Description: How do you train your chickens to use a treadle / step-on feeder? So many people say their chickens just can't or won't use them! I've trained dozens of chickens to use a treadle feeder with no problems but along the way I've learned a few tricks that make training more successful. It helps to understand what the chickens need to learn to overcome in order to use the treadle feeder. It helps if the design of your feeder has side-walls and the footplate is big enough. Make sure the feeder lid is opening wide enough so that the chickens don't have to duck under it to eat. The footplate must not be inhibited by any obstruction on the ground. Take the training slowly - more slowly than the 1-week-at-each-step usually mentioned. If you start when your chickens are still young, this helps you be patient and allow plenty of time between each step. Wrap something soft around the screws to muffle the sound when the feeder opens and closes. Remove the scatter shield until after the chickens are trained. If you want to feed treats, do it near the feeder and waggle the feeder lid during treat time. Or just let your mama hen train her chicks for you! My favourite brand of feeder is the Grandpa's Feeder, originally made in New Zealand. Mine are some of the originals, now over 15 years old. Here's why I prefer them: https://youtu.be/je5xmWhQj_s For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden Catch up with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chickensinmygarden/ Or if you are more interested in gardens than chickens, you can follow my garden page https://www.facebook.com/MyPlentifulGarden </video> <video> How to hold a chicken Description: Your chicken will be comfortable and secure and you will feel more confident if you hold her the right way: - secure her legs with some of your fingers around each leg, with a firm grip but not too tight, - rest her weight on your forearm, - and keep her close to your body. For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden Catch up with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chickensinmygarden/ Or if you are more interested in gardens than chickens, you can follow my garden page https://www.facebook.com/MyPlentifulGarden </video> <video> How chickens breathe will astound you! Not in then out like us - but continuously in one direction! Description: Chickens are not mammals, and they don't breathe like mammals! The air doesn't go into their lungs then out again, like us. The air flows through their lungs in one direction in a continuous flow! It's all because of their air sacs - flimsy, non-muscular sacs like a filmy plastic bag. And because of these air sacs: - birds can fly - ducks can float - you should never hold a chicken on her back or upside down - you can't do a Heimlich manoevre on a chicken. And if they pant a lot in hot weather, chickens can lay eggs with thin shells. If you liked this video, do check out some fo the others in my playlist about how amazing chickens are: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZkmuqBJd8WQgSeRlaczWLh45pKnL3cXF For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden Catch up with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chickensinmygarden/ </video> <video> Should you use lighting in your chicken coop? Is it worth it to YOU? Description: My previous video covered the practicalities of How To use artificial lighting in your chicken coop, to encourage your hens to lay in the winter. https://youtu.be/riZzCkf7XL8?si=TZy-CPtWVqy_htaJ But I didn't answer the question Should You? Like many questions about chickens, the answer is It Depends. You should make your own decision about what's best for you and your chickens based on: - Where you live and how long are your winters - Whether your chickens are confined inside for long periods, either because of the weather or perhaps because of the danger of bird flu. - Whether you have or can easily get electricity to your chicken coop, and can achieve the precise control of timing that is necessary, without fail. (See my previous video for the details.) - Which breeds of chicken you keep – some breeds have better reputations than others for being able to keep laying when the days are shorter. - How important is it to you to get eggs from your chickens all year round, or can you consider eggs as a seasonal food item, or learn to store eggs to eat when your hens are off the lay – See my video about storing eggs in the fridge. https://youtu.be/kWSmFvzYwbE?si=ZmWZigyT69eokvDF It doesn’t really have to be an all-or-nothing decision. You can use extra lighting for a few weeks in early Spring to create those longer days earlier in the year, then allow your chickens to finish the year naturally. That way you would have a few weeks without eggs but not four or five months of the year, and your chickens would be healthy and productive. And if like me you don’t have electrical light in your chicken coop, then at least make the most of the natural daylight that there is, by having big windows in your coop to let in the early morning light, and paint the inside of your coop a pale colour. I painted mine White! https://youtu.be/DIbBHP2EXKE?si=yMIVrIQsJ03g-Mdk For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden You can catch up with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chickensinmygarden/ </video> <video> Scaly leg mites in your chickens Description: Do you check your chickens' legs for scaly leg mites? Here's what you should look for and how to recognise when your chickens have scaly leg mites, and how to treat them. For my other videos about health problems in chickens, check out this playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZkmuqBJd8WSsl6XcMgfeak6Qxfzch2fZ For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand https://www.youtube.com/c/Chickensinmygarden Catch up with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chickensinmygarden/ Or if you are more interested in gardens than chickens, you can follow my garden page https://www.facebook.com/MyPlentifulGarden </video>

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Sharing fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for chickens, and the sheer pleasure and fun of chickens!
Hi! I’m Sheryl, and I have chickens in my garden. If that sounds like an introduction to Chickens Anonymous, that is appropriate, because chickens are addictive! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
When I first got chickens, over seven years ago, I worked out how many eggs we ate in a week, did the maths, and decided we needed two-and-a-half chickens. Well, I didn’t get two-and-a-half chickens, I got five. And over the years I have never had as few as five chickens again. Right now I have fifteen - there always seems to be a good excuse to get another chicken.
Over the years I've learned a lot about chickens, what works for me, and the sheer joy of watching baby chicks develop, hatch and grow into happy healthy hens.
I hope you enjoy the videos I share, and find them useful. I share videos when I have something to say, so Subscribe to my channel so you find out when there's something new.

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