How to tame chicken

Some chicken is afraid to the owner. We are difficult to hand the chicken. When we need to cure them, we should catch it hardly. They will run when we try close them.

1. Raise the chicken since young. The chicken will recognize you well and it will not afraid to you. Hand the chicken when it is young.

2. Feed them with your hand. You can put some grain in your hand. The chicken will approach you. They will eat the seed from your hand. They will recognize you.

3. Do not release the chicken at free range. The chicken are easy to wild like their ancestor.

NB: Some chicken is difficult to tame such as sicilian buttercup, jungle fowl and other. You should hard work to do it.

Brahma Chicken Profile

Brahma Chicken is a Asiatic Chicken Breed from India. As guess its name, the Bird origin is in the Brahmaputra region, India. This is the biggest breed among Asiatic breed. The rooster weighs up to 12 pounds; while the hen weighs 9 pounds. The cockerel weighs 10 pounds and the pullet weighs 8 pounds.

The chicken has pea comb, double witted, and red earlobes. It has thick feather so it is good to hatch the eggs. This chicken has good reputation as good setters and good mother. You can trust them to raise their chick. It has feather in shanks, The tail feather is short. Most tail the feather is black in color. rooster has imperfect feather tail. Some chicken has no tail (rumpless).

Beside the weighs, the bird can lay many eggs too. It can lay three eggs a week. The chicken also tolerate with winter.

This breed has been imported 1846 in America. The breed has been recognized by American Poultry Association (APA). Brahma Chicken have color variation; light, dark, and buff.

This bird is very tame and docile. The roosters is very tame and not aggressive to human. The bird is not easy to scared. That is why people raise this bird as pet. There are bantam version of this chicken.

Photo By : Ripperda

How to hatch chicken eggs in incubator

Some hen has no ability to hatch their own eggs such Sebright Bantam or Polish. Therefore, you can hatch the eggs with incubator. This tool can hatch many eggs.
Most farm use this tool because it is very efficient. The hen doe not need to hatch and broody the chick. The hen can lay again and produce more eggs.

If you want use machine for hatching chicken eggs, you can do like this.

1. Provide the incubator. There are two kids of incubator machine such as still-air incubator and forced-air incubator. Forced-air incubator can hatch many eggs; on the other hen, the still-air just hatch fewer eggs. Most chicken farm use forced air incubator. Be sure the incubator is clean. You can clean the incubator after it has been used.
2. Turn on the incubator for 24 hours. You can check the temperature and the humidity. Set the temperature 102 degree Fahrenheit if you use still-air incubator. For forced-air incubator, set the temperature 100 degree Fahrenheit.
3. Put the eggs in incubator. Be sure you put fertile eggs in the incubator. It is better to put mid size eggs. You can get the eggs at poultry farming. Alternatively, you can buy it through Amazon. There are some
4. Turn about a half the eggs. You can do this for four or six times a day. Turning the eggs is important so all of chicken eggs can get the heat. You can sign the egg shields with pencil so you will not forget to turn the eggs. Some modern incubator can turn the eggs especially the huge incubator. If the hen hatches the egg, they often turn the eggs warm.
5. Set the humidity to 45%-55%. Increase when the chicken starts to hatch or nearly hatch. The humidity is important for the chicken. The lower or higher humidity can cause the eggs fail to hatch.
6. When the egg shield broken, you should wait the chicken to hatch. Do not assist them by opening the shield.
7. Let the chicken stay one day in incubator. After 24 hours, you can remove the chicks to brooder cage.

How to select the right pen for your fowl

To raise fowl, you need a good pen. It is a place that protects the fowl from bad weather, bad predator or even bad people. Some people can build a pen because it is cheaper than buying at poultry store or order through online.



There is some condition for a good pen:

1. The construction should be strong so the predator cannot enter the pen easily. 
2. The pen should be safe for the fowl. Some pen can harm to the fowl. For example, there is some nail inside the pen. It can injure the fowl.
3. If the fowl need stand. It should soft so it will no harm the fowl toes.
4. The pen is wide enough. Do not put the fowl at small pen because it will torture the fowl.The fowl may hit the head to the pen. It can be a seriously injured.
5. The pen has feeder and waterer.
6. The pen is easy to clean. The good pen has a base below the cage. We can pull it and clean it.
7. The roof should be able to cover from heat and rain.Be Sure there is no hole in the roof.

How to cut nail bird

I had a hen that could not brood the chicken. In few weeks, her chicken must be died. I had seen the chicken suffered before died. The eye is infected. Finally, I know that the hen hurt the chicken. I tried cutting the nail but it was not enough. She still injured the chick. Finally we slaughter the chicken.
Nail is important for the bird. It helps bird to find diet in nature. In nature, a bird does not need to cut the nail because the nail cannot longer because they scratch to ground.
In the cage, a bird nail can increase. As I mention above, the long nail can hurt other chicken. It could hurt its chicken too. Therefore, you need to cut the nail. Here are some steps:
1. Catch the bird gently. Do not make the bird or chicken afraid. You can touch the head so the bird calm. You have better ask your friend to hold the bird.
2. Cut the nail with nail cut. Be careful. Do not cut the nail near the finger. It is harm to the bird.
3. After cutting, you can release the bird the cage.
4. Disinfectant the tools or nail scissors. 
You need to prepare cutting nail, antiseptic, and others. If the nail hurt you can give the chicken antiseptic

Orpington Chicken Profile

Orpington Chicken is a fat look chicken with thick plumage from Orpington, London. This chicken is more fat than New Hampshire or Rhode Island Red. This breed is viable as meat producer. Some source also said this breed is good for layer too. The chicken weighs around 7-10 pounds. The plumage is thick and cover the chicken shank and feet. The body is round. I think this chicken is similar to football.  The feather tail is short flowing. It has single red comb and double red witted.

Orpigton is a hybrid of various chicken breed such as Langshans, Minorca, and Plymouth rocks. Not surprising, this chicken almost similar to fat Langshans from China. I think the fat body is generated from Langshans. The body is similar to Langshans. William Cook, the breeder, cross bred Orpington in 1880. They have so may color variation like blue, black, buff white, porcelain, mottled, birchen, and red.

Due to its thick plumage, this chicken can stand with cold weather. The hen still lays the eggs in winter. The hen is also good for hatch the eggs.

This breed is good for layer too. The hen can lay 200 brown light eggs. The hen started laying at 6 month age like New Hampshire red. The hen will hatch the eggs with its tick plumage. An Orpington hen can broody four times in a year. This bird is friendly with other people so you can raise this chicken at backyard as meat producer and layer.

The Orpington has bantam breed too. Herman Kuhn, a Germany breeder, has succeeded to breed Orpington bantam whose have various coloru like birchen, buff, columbian, blue laced, buff black laced, white, black, barred, buff, and red. Photo by:Carly and Art

How to protect Chicken from Predator

Raising chicken in backyard is risky too. Some predator could kill the chicken especially the chick because it is weak. A chick cannot run out from the predator.



The examples of chicken predator are eagle, hawk, falcon, raccoon, fox, coyote, opossums, wolf, bad people, cat, and others. If you live at small town, you must often see the animal.



In my country, bad people often steal chicken. They bake the chicken or sell it to market. If they are caught, they will get in the neck by the citizen. For your information, a chicken thief sentence longer than a corrupter. It is because the thief cannot hire a good lawyer. To protect your chicken, you can do like this:


1. Construct a strong pen or buy a strong pen that can protect your pet from predator. Some rat can bite the wood and finally eat the chick.



2. Fence the free range is with strong enough wire. It can bar the predator enter to your pen.



3. Use the roof fence or canopy. Unfortunately, it must be expensive.



4. Build small a fan tower. In my country, it is useful to expel the hawk or eagle.People use it from plastic or bamboo.



5. Do not put the chicken food in anywhere because it will invite the rat. Finally they eat the chicken. Save the chicken feed at dirty place.



6. Use Broody chicken pen to raise the chick. If your house environment has so many predators, you need to make it.



7. Lock the pen so the bad people cannot steal your chicken. Be sure the pen is clocked in the night.


8. Trap the predator. It is easy to trap mouse. You can try other traps. I do not whether United States allows the chicken owner to trap coyote or fox. 

I am a chicken expert. I have write hundreds article about chicken and bird. Visit my blog http://backyardpen.blogspot.com and http://hubpages.com/profile/Chapter