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Backyard Chickens – Then and Now

Mr. Quackers — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 22:00:32 +0000

In her book, Iva Wells writes about her regular experience with mail order chickens through the decades.

On a recent visit to our family farm, I encountered an autobiography written by Iva Wells, a neighbor and family friend. She is a woman has lived in northern Minnesota and North Dakota of her life and has chosen to recollect some of her farming lifestyle memories throughout her years. Of her many trials and triumphs living the agrarian ideal, Iva writes about purchasing, receiving, and raising chickens. Here is an excerpt from her book Family Life on a Reservation Farm: The Autobiography of Iva Wells.

Chickens and Eggs

To supplement the income from the cattle, most farm women had a flock of chickens to raise and tend. Every spring, one could walk into most rural post offices and hear the peeping of baby chicks, which had arrived through the mail. The chicks were usually in groups of 25 within each of 4 compartments in a cardboard box with small holes for ventilation. The chicks were a common spring sound in the post office as they waited to be picked up by the farmer. They had probably been on the road from the hatchery for two days. They would be in good condition with very few fatalities because they lived those first few days from the yolk of the egg, from which they were hatched.

Jim built a very nice “brooder house” for my baby chicks which would be their until fall. This brooder house was kept warm by an oil stove with a metal skirt called a “hover” around it. I always ordered 400 chickens every March. As soon as I would get them home, I would take them into the warm brooder house and one at a time, I would dip their beaks in warm water and then let them run to a feeder where they would immediately begin to pick and eat food.

The chicks would gather and lay under the hover to keep warm. The temperature had to be kept at a warm, even heat to prevent the chicks from crowding together in a pile and suffocating the ones on the bottom. Since it was only March, we could and often did have some vicious snowstorms that had me worrying all night about those little baby chicks! I would wonder if the stove was heating properly or if the strong winds had blown out the flame!

Some March storms were worse than others. One year, I had many sleepless nights and I would get up, dress, and walk in knee-deep snow every 2 hours to check on the chicks!

A backyard chicken flock from some time ago

It is interesting to see the decades old tradition of mail-order chicks from a historical perspective. The logistics and concerns of receiving chicks remains largely the same – chicks are hatched and shipped the through the postal service, their two-day journey is supported by the nutritious yolk, and warmth is the key for young poultry. However, much of the technology has changed in the process – mail order catalogs are being replaced with eCommerce poultry websites, planes now fly many young birds to their destinations, and electric heat systems now take the place of coops heated by an oil stove.

The practice of raising chickens and other poultry has been a source of income, food, and fulfillment for countless generations. As Americans look for ways to be more environmentally friendly, economically self-sufficient, and nutritionally more in-touch, examples such as these prove that we often need not look any further than the agrarian practices of the past to find guidance for the future.

How Do I Safely and Humanely Get Rid of Unwanted Ducks or Chickens?

Mr. Quackers — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:40:37 +0000

There are several ways to help me find a good home! Don't just leave me!

We occasionally read or hear about tragic stories of people dumping ducks, chickens, and other birds in dumpsters or outside. There is absolutely no reason to ever dump birds in an environment where they cannot survive. All birds, especially domesticated ducks and chickens, have value and can be given a good and purposeful home.

Many people do not realize that most ducks and chickens one comes into contact with are domesticated breeds. Thus, they had their wild instincts bred out over time in order to achieve the most desirable farming traits. They will not adapt to a wild environment in most situations, and certainly should not be killed or dumped simply because they are unwanted.

If you have ducks or chickens which you cannot care for or do not want, please do not destroy them. These are several key options which you can pursue to find them an adequate home, all of which require little effort.

How to find a good home for unwanted ducks or chickens -

Post an ad for free ducklings or chicks on Craigslist.org . People all over the country raise ducks and chickens for a variety of beneficial purposes including egg production, pets, and as meat. If you simply advertise on Craigslist that you have some free birds available to be picked up, you will receive plenty of interest. Often time times, a good home can be found within a few hours.
Look for people seeking ducks and birds in your area on farming message boards, such as BestFarmBuys.com or AgriSeek.com . If you find the right person, you may even be able to sell you birds and make some money.
Contact a local farm or hatchery and ask them to take the birds. There are countless places which raise birds for a variety of purposes all around the country.
Contact a local wildlife rehabilitater or waterfowl rescuer. While this a great option and a valuable resource, these valuable people are very busy. Thus, it may be better if you attempt one of the options above prior to contacting a rescuer.
Contact your local Fish and Game department. Again, this option should be used only when you’ve attempted the first three options.

Do Ducks Make Good House Pets?

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:21:43 +0000

Ducks are only good house pets as long as you can keep them comfortable in a large box or cage. As the ducklings mature to about 6-8 weeks of age, their care demands will change such that they need access to water, will become a bit messier, and will require more space.

Ducks are not meant to live in houses, despite some owner's best efforts.

Generally, we consider the 6-8 week old mark to be “pond ready”, when ducks can be released as primarily yard or pond ducks. Granted, they’ll still need some type of duck housing, but their domain should move to a more natural environment at this age.

Now there are certainly exceptions to these guidelines as there are for nearly any bit of pet waterfowl care knowledge. We receive many testimonials of pet duck owners who keep their friends primarily indoors, but most breeders and experts will agree that they need to be more of a yard pet.

Will My Pet Duck Fly Away?

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:05:14 +0000

Most domesticated duck breeds cannot fly. As breeders have created ducks with certain characteristics, they’ve bred out the ability to fly in many types of farm fowl.

Domesticated Mallards can still fly...most of the time

For example, breeders want to produce a better meat duck, and thus they selectively breed the birds to be larger, which in turn makes them too large to fly. This is the case for ducks like domesticated Pekins, pet Rouens, and even medium sized ducks like Cayugas. Other breeds of ducks, such as Runner ducks, are able to fly for short distances, but cannot achieve sustained flight. Thus for all these types of domesticated ducks, it isn’t necessary to clip their wings in order to keep them from flying away.

However, some of the smaller breeds of ducks can still fly, and wing clipping may be necessary if they are not explicitly trained to stay around their home. This is particularly true for domesticated Mallards and Call ducks.

The ability to fly is an important consideration when selecting a pet duck. Most people prefer flightless ducks, as clipping wings can be a difficult process. If you do select a duck breed that is capable of flight, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will fly away, it will just have the ability to. Often times when someone has a pet Mallard for example, the bird will bond with it’s owner and never leave, despite being able to. Clipping wings is usually a precaution people will take when dealing with larger flocks of birds, rather than just a few waterfowl as pet ducks.

Do ducks get along with other pets?

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:13:16 +0000

Do duck get along with other pets? To put it briefly…not really.

While there are countless people who do in fact keep a myriad of pets together, including ducks, the potential for catastrophe always remains and should be respected at all times.

Scenes such as this are uncommon, but possible. Photo by Dok1

Most dogs and cats, and many other wild animals, instinctively view ducks as a food source. In most cases, we do not recommend that you have both dogs/cats and pet ducks unless you are prepared to take the utmost care to ensure their harmony.

Many breeds of domestic duck lack the ability to fly. Thus, they do not have their primary defense mechanism available to them when they feel threatened. Furthermore, most pet ducks you will raise have been bred to be farm fowl (meat ducks, egg layers, etc.).

Also, ducklings must be protected from other ducks in many instances, specifically from males. If you’re breeding ducks, do not isolate ducklings from their mothers, but be vigilant around the older male ducks, including their father.

Here are a few pointers if you are ready to travel down the road of duck and dog/cat coexistance -

Always be vigilant around the animals. A careful and active owner is the key to success in all aspects of pet duck ownership.
Never simply allow your dogs and ducks to roam freely together, as animal instincts can surface at anytime resulting in serious injury or death.
If you feel confident that you can directly introduce you duck to a cat or dog, hold the duck in your hands and be prepared to defend your animals and yourself at all times.
Keep ducklings in a cage or fully enclosed box which will prevent access to any would be predators.
Never assume your dog/cat and ducks are trained and conditioned to live in harmony, predatorial instincts may surface at any moment.

If anyone else has any tips to share on this topic, please do. I am asked about ducks and other pets quite frequently, and I’m interested to hear what others are doing in regards to this endeavor. Thanks!