Rhode Island Red profile

Rhode Island Red is the famous dual purpose chicken. The hen can lay up to 300 eggs a year. The egg color is brown. The cock weight is 4.5 kilogram. Meanwhile the hen is 3. 6 kilogram. It was originated at Massachusetts, Rhode Island, United States. The chicken is developed in 19th century. The parents of the chicken are Malay, Shanghai, Java, and Brown leghorn.

Both cook and hen look fat. The thick plumage covers the yellow skin. The legs and shanks are yellow.It has blood red single comb. Some Rhode Island Red has also the color is buff to red. The cock color is more colorific than the hen. It because the fickle feather shining when sun shine.

It is a descendant of gallus bankiva or red jungle fowl. The Rhode Island Red also has similar characteristics of gallus bankiva like single comb, and saddle feather color.

This is the most successful dual chicken breed. It is hardy chicken and can lay many eggs. The breeder always developed the chicken to get best chicken which has produce more meat and eggs.

How to raise broiler chicken?

To provide chicken meat, you can raise some chicken in your backyard. The broiler is the best choice for you. It can grow in eight weeks. The weight in eight week or two month could reach 2.5 kilos. In my country, the farmer just raise the chicken for 40 days which weight is 1.5 kg to 1.75 kg. In my country, people prefer young small chicken than the bigger chicken.

To produce the broiler, you can do like this:

1. Provide the brooder cage for the chick. Do not forget to facilitate it with light that is very important to keep the chick warm. Provide also the coop for the big broiler. When the chick grows bigger, you can remove to the pen.Read also "How to Care Baby Chicken"

2. Feed them with starter food up to two weeks. After two weeks, you can feed them with grower up to harvest.

3. Put also the waterer. You can mix vitamin and mineral into water.

4. Vaccine the chicken to protect form diseases.

5. Clean the cage periodically. Use disinfectant if necessary.

6. After 60 days, you can harvest to the chicken. You can harvest early, if you want small chicken. In my country, we can sell the chicken to wholesale or market or sell directly to other people. 

Notice:
Broiler farm is stinky. Therefore, you should put the cage far from your neighbor or your neighbor will complain. If you raise 3-5 chicken, it is not a big problem.

Kedu Chicken: The ancestor of Java Chicken

Some people relate Kedu Chicken with black magic. They think it can cure some diseases especially mystic disease. This chicken is originated in Kedu Municipal, Central Java, Indonesia. Most Kedu Chicken is black but they have other color variation like multi color and white. Only few chicken whose has multi color and white color. 

The cock height could reach to 60 cm. It is 2.5 kg weight. The hen is lighter. The black dominate the color of bird from beak to nail. The meat, blood, tongue, skin are black in color. The cock has long flowing tail. It has black single comb.

I have ever eaten a Kedu chicken whose has black meat and bone. The taste is not different with common chicken. My mother fried it with special spicy sauce.But most people do not like it because the color of meat is not disgusting.

More black, more expensive. In, my country people dare to buy the cock for hundreds dollar.Unfortunately, this chicken is not good for meat due to its meat color. Although the chicken is black but the eggs color is white. In Indonesia, This is the only strain that lay white eggs while most native Indonesian chicken laid light brown eggs. The chicken is prolific too. It can lay up to 251 eggs a year. Due to egg production, this chicken is suitable for layer chicken. 

To get the pure black color, the breeder breed the black chicken with black chicken or half-black chicken. The descendant will have the pure black color.

In United States, There is Java breed that is almost similar to Kedu Chicken. I guess US breeder has used Kedu Chicken as the parent. Java differs from the weight. Java is heavier than Kedu. Java is 4.3 kilogram weight. It is two times than Kedu Chicken.

The domesticated process increase the ancestor quality

For more than ten thousand year, people have risen the chicken. Today, we can find hundreds strain of chicken which have different characteristics. Some chicken has different character to their ancestors, Gallus gallus bankiva or red jungle fowl but some domesticated still has the ancestors character like its feather, performance, or size.

In my country, people care Sumatra native chicken. American breed association named it Sumatra Chicken. The performance is similar with red jungle fowl but the Sumatra is heavier than the ancestors. It cannot fly high as the ancestors. The native Sumatra can lay up to 16 eggs; on the other hand, the red jungle fowl lay only seven eggs.

Some domesticated is heavier than the ancestors. For example Rhode Island red that is 4.5 kg weight or  four to five times the ancestors weight. It is because they do not have to fly again. People also feed the chicken with high quality food.

The feather of domesticated bird is also more beautiful than the ancestor. There are various kind of feather shape i.e. frizzle, silky, featherless. and others. The color of feather is not only red partridge. The domesticated have many color variations such as, black, white, calico, green partridge, buff, black green, and others.

In people's hand, the chicken is more productive than the ancestors. A red jungle fowl can lay up to 50 eggs in a year in forest but a domesticated can lay up to 300 eggs in a year.

The increasing quality caused by selecting process for more than thousands year. People tend to care the best breed whose has beautiful feather, nice song, prolific, short body, weight, and other.

read also : Indonesia native chicken

How to feed quail

Feeding quail is not difficult. This bird is easy eater. My uncle just feed them with mixture of rice and bran. He was success to raise a group of  quail that contain one cock and three hen. If you want to raise quail, you should think about quail feed. It needs enough nutrition for its growth. 

A quail can eat 14-18 gram feed a day. You can feed them with Turkey starter, game bird starter or other starter. For the layer, you should provide calcium rich food like lime stone and grit. Calcium is very essential for layer because the hen lay egg which is contained calcium. The hen throws much calcium everyday.

You can buy the quail feed at poultry shop or pet shop. Alternatively, you can buy through online. There are so many website that provides it.

There are some steps to feed your quail:

1. Provide feeder and waterer. Both tools should be clean. Clean it permanently. Do not let the moss make your waterer green.

2. Put the quail food at the feeder only half full so the quail cannot spoil the food.  The spoil feed make the pen dirty and stinky.The dirty pen can invite the fowl diseases.

3. Put some water to waterer. You can add vitamin or supplement.
4. You can feed the quail twice a day: morning and afternoon.

Notice:
Buy the good quality food for your quail.
Storage the food at dry place.

Wyandotte Bantam Chickens

Wyandotte is meat purpose chicken. It is risen for its meat. There is also small Wyandotte that is called Wyandotte Bantam. The breeder has success to domesticated Wyandotte Bantam from its ancestor big Wyandotte. The Wyandotte Bantam have various color like silver penciled, golden laced, silver laced, white, columbian and buff columbian and buff. The tail is not short unlike common chicken that has long tail.



The chicken is very hard that suitable in cold climate region. The feather is so thick. Therefore it is good for hatching the eggs.  It is almost round shape body. This is a medium size chicken because it is 30 ounces weight. This chicken is originated in United States in 1870.

Due to docile and friendly personality, this bird is good for your backyard. Most Wyandotte cock is friendly to human so it may be good for your kids. It lay brown eggs. This egg production is 200 a year. This bird is the best mother. Sometimes, it brood other chick. 

Photo by: graibeard

read also : famous bantam heritage

Vulturine Guinea fowl (Acryllium Vulturinum)

The bird is horrible performance. It is supported with its red iris eye and the sharp bill. I thought this bird was predator, considering the sharp beak which is strong. The head is featherless like vulture bird. It is 61-71 cm tall and is 1.5 kg weight. It is the biggest guinea fowl. It is white spot black color.It has wonderful blue cobalt color feather in breast.
Unlike helmet guinea fowl, the vulture has not comb. It lives at African savanna. The origin of this bird is Eastern Africa. The vulture guinea fowl find food at savanna. In the night, they sleep at high tree to avoid the predator. Their diet is grain, seed, small insect, and others.It uses the sharp claw to find root, small insect, small reptile, rodent, at the land. It also eat fruit. People use to give chicken food to this bird.

Like helmet Guinea fowl, this fowl is prolific to. It can lay up to 20 eggs in a clutch. The egg color is creamy white. Sometimes two hens lay at one clutch. I think the bad mother board out to hatch her eggs. The hen will hatch the eggs for 28 days same like goose. The hen broody the chick.

Photo by: putneymark

read also : Guinea fowl and how to care it

How to sex quail

Unlike domestic fowl, quail is very different. It has no clear sexual dimorphism sign. That is why common people are difficult to sex a quail. Sexing the chick is more difficult than the mature quail.

Sexing is important for quail breeder because it can fail the breeder. Some breeder cannot breed the quail because they cannot sex the quail.

There are some guidance to sex the bird. Here the sign:
1. The hen is bigger than the cock.
2. Sometimes the cock squawk "Ko-turn-neex". The hen sound is not loud as the cock
3. There is a"ball" or glandular inside cloaca quail.You can see by opening the cloaca gently. 
4. The color of the cock is more beautiful than the female. The throat and breast color of mature cock is cinnamon or rusty brown. Off course, we cannot sex if the cock is albino.
5. The cock is actively move but the hen is calm.

Dutch Bantam Profile

Dutch Bantam is the most famous Bantam in the world. This bird is risen for ornamental bird. Hence with its name, it is originated or domesticated in Dutch or Holland. The height is only 20 cm. The cock is only 500 grams and the hen is only 400 grams weight. The cock has long wide curve tail. The comb is red blood single.  The cock has bigger comb than the hen. Dutch bantam has many color variation such as red partridge, green partridge, gray, black, and others.

The bantam is different with common bantam because in its tail and wing. Common bantam has vertical tail and near-vertical wing. On the other hand, the tail and wing of dutch bantam is similar like domesticated chicken.

Some story said that the Dutch trader imported the bantam from South East Asia. I believe it is  Java Island origin bird because Java was under Dutch East India company or VOC occupation. It is descendant of Gallus Bankiva or red jungle fowl which is from Java and Sumatra.

A Dutch bantam hen is a prolific layer that can lay up to 160 eggs per year. The eggs is light brown or cream color which size is smaller than common chicken.The hen will hatch its egg. The dutch hen is also the best mother so you can entrust them to keep their chick. Due, the prolific and the size, this bird is suitable for backyard pet. You do not need to use large backyard for raising this bird.

Photo by steve p 2008

Read also : famous bantam heritage breed

How to raise quail for meat

In six week rising, we can slaughter the quail. This bird provides delicious and fully nutrient meat fast. I think it is good for backyard pet. You can make money through this activity. Sell the quail meat to neighbors, store or you can sell it through Amazon or eBay.

Raise the bird is not difficult too. The bird is strong and immune from some fowl diseases.

1. Provide pen the brooder cage for the quail chick. You can buy the day old quail in eBay. Provide light for the quail too. 

2. If you cannot buy baby quail, you can hatch it. Buy the incubator machine and the fertile eggs. The hatch process takes 15-17 days. Let the chick stay for one day in the incubator.

3. Feed them with starter quail food (0-4 weeks). Then feed them with grower quail food (4-6 weeks)

4 Clean the cage periodically. Disinfectant the pen if necessary.

Notices:
1. Choose the right breed. Japanese quail can grow fast in six week; meanwhile the Bob white need eight week.
2. The light should be hot enough so the quail can growth. The lack of heat can bar the quail growth.
3. Separates the sick chick from other chick.

read also : Japanese quail

How to Raise free range chicken

Free range chicken is a term for a chicken that live at outside cage. The owner let the chicken life and find the feed. Sometimes the owners feed with cereal food like rice, corn, oat and others. It is better than throw the food to trash can.

Raising the chicken is also not difficult and cheaper. You do not have to buy chicken food. Let the chicken find food like worm, snail, rotten fruit, green leaves, grass, insect and others.

1. Provide pen for the chicken. The Chicken may sleep at there at night. You can plant some tree. Some domestic chicken like to stand at there.

2. Provide shelter for them. It will protect from hot weather or rainy.

3. Fence the backyard so your chicken will not go to your neighbor. Some bad chicken might enter to your house.

4. Clean the cage periodically.  Even the chicken just stay at the pen at night, you still need to clean the cage.

Notice: Survey the location. Is the location provide food enough to the chicken?

Kent Feeds 3459 Laying Feed

Bird Pest Control at Your Backyard Pen

When you feed your chicken in backyard, some bird such as  house sparrow or pigeon maybe attracted with the chicken feed. The other bird may disturb your chicken feed. I have ever got disturbance from neighbor pigeon. I hit the bird with small stick, which diameter is not different with a pen. One bird died and a bird dying. I paid for the died bird and I forgiven to my neighbor.
Do not hit any bird especially your neighbor bird. If Animal lover see you hit the bird, you will be sentence on jail. You can control the pest bird by bird trap.
Feed your chicken in the pen and do not let the remain of chicken food outside the pen.
You should clean the cage from chicken food residue.
Some wild bird can infect our pet; Therefore, you need to expel the bird.
Here are some bird traps. Perhaps you need it.

Sparrow Trap 2 Compartment
Easy Bird™ Auto Feed Trap

Bring Cassowary to our backyard

When I was study in animal husbandry, my lecture was conducting discourse about Cassowary farm. He said Cassowary is good for farm too. It is 175 cm tall. The weight could reach 58.5 kg or ten times common domesticated chicken. He protested to a farm that import Ostrich from another country. Finally, the farm is closed because the bird died. Anthrax killed the bird.

I think we can care this bird too in our backyard as long we have large bakcyard. Fence the backyard with metal wire. The diet of the bird is insect, flower, fungi, frog, mice, rats and so on. In my friend hostel backyard, The owner feed them with rice. I think we can feed them with common poultry feed too.

I suggest Indonesia that has cassowary domesticated this bird. It can give two benefit : i.e. bird conservation and jobs for unemployment.



read also : three big bird

Why we often fail in chicken farm

To be honest, I was not good in chicken farm. I often fault to raise some chicken. Most chicken are died. My father said that I was not able to care any birds.
I did not believe my father opinion. I thought I had mistake in raising chicken. I listed some mistakes:

1. Buy sick chicken. When I was child I cannot differentiate the health chicken and sick chicken. I just bought it. The chicken finally died in three days.
2. Forget to feed them. It makes our chicken died. Sometimes
3. Lazy to clean the cage. The dirty cage cause chicken sick.
4. Not has large backyard. If you have no backyard, you should not care chicken.
5. The coop is not strong. Good coop can protect the chicken from bad weather and predator. Raccoon will eat your chicken if your coop is not strong.
6. The own does not love chicken. This is a big mistake. If you do not love chicken, you should not raise chicken.

Reason why we open backyard farm

In 1930, some people raise a chick in backyard as their food reserves. Today, we are on bad crisis when some firm fired the employee. We can raise some chicken if we like the meat.
There are some benefit raise chickens in your backyard. Here are some benefits:
1. Fresh meat. Undoubted chicken provide delicious meat. If you can care some chick, you will get some fresh meat later.
2. Delicious eggs. We can get fresh egg daily. You can fry it or sell to your neighbors.
3. The cock can wake you every day. It has beautiful sound.
4. Manure. Use the feces of the chicken as nature fertilizer. It will not harm your plant.
5. Plumage. You can use the plumage chicken as fish bait.
6. If you have leftovers of your breakfast, you can give to the chicken.
7. Save some buck. Since we have chicken, we do not have to buy chicken to supermarket.