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Farm & Garden

Herbal Bath Blends: Recipes & Uses

lavendar herbal bath blend salts pouring from wooden spoon with lavendar springs next to it
Adobe Stock/Nitr

Herbal bath blends can be perfect if you’re feeling achy, stressed, sick or if you’re simply just chilled to the bone, sometimes a nice warm bath is the answer.

Baths can offer much more than a soak; by adding some herbal blends to the water, you can actually work toward healing yourself. The skin is the largest organ we have, whatever we put on our skin absorbs into us. That’s why it’s important to be conscious about the ingredients found in our commercially purchased products.

There are a couple of ways to make your next bath much more than just a dip in the tub. I learned of these methods in one of my favorite books, Healing Herbs, written by Dede Cummings and Alyssa Holmes.

Method 1: Bath tea. In a large soup pot on the stove, heat 1 or 2 gallons of water to a boil. Add 3 handfuls of herbs, dried or fresh. Remove from heat and allow them to steep for ten minutes, up to an hour. Strain out the herbs and add this tea to your bath water.

Method 2: Sachet “tea bag”. Using a muslin bag with a tie, fill with herbs and tie shut. Tie the sachet to the faucet, as you run the hot water for the bath. The water will run through the bag and make tea as it fills the tub. Or you can just add the bag to a filled tub and then use the bag to massage your body.

The authors go on to explain that by making a bath blend with healing herbs, you are essentially drinking the herb infusion through our skin. The hotter the water, the more open your pores will be. Cooler baths are more toning and strengthening to the body and are for bringing down fevers slightly and benefit the body by toning and strengthening the skin and organs.

Here are two bath blends that are shared in the book.

Cold and Flu Bath Blend

1 cup equal parts Epsom and sea salt
1 cup baking soda
1 cup yarrow
1 cup elder flowers
1 cup chamomile

30 drops of eucalyptus essential oil

Yarrow is very well known for “sweating out” a fever. Elder eases colds, flus and fevers. Chamomile can be used to reduce inflammation, stress and insomnia.

Lavender Oatmeal Bath Blend for Itchy Skin

2 cups ground dry rolled oats
1 cup salts of choice
30 drops lavender essential oil

Bath Blends: Herb Options

Other herbs that are beneficial for adding to your bath blends over the cold and flu season include:

Boneset: Benefits colds, fevers, flus and aids in liver detoxification.

Calendula: Helps to heal cuts, scrapes, rashes and eases abdominal cramps and constipation.

Comfrey: Rapidly promotes healing of wounds, sprains, bruises, broken bones, sores, and ulcers.

Feverfew: Used to equalize blood flow, effective in treating headaches and migraines, arthritis, colds and flu.

Lemon Balm: Eases digestive problems, nervousness, insomnia, depression, migraines, stress, hypertension, restlessness, hypertension fevers.

Plantain: It helps stop bleeding and promotes healing of wounds.

Red Raspberry: Reduces fevers.

Sage: Benefits sore throats, diarrhea, gas and helps reduce hot flashes/excessive perspiration.

This article about herbal bath blends was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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Poultry

4 Off-Season Uses For Your Egg-Collecting Basket

egg collection basket
Shutterstock

Your empty egg-collecting basket may signify “closed for the season,”  but even though its chief role is on hiatus, it is perfect for a profusion of other purposes during the cold-weather months. Try one of these four seasonal suggestions for your egg-collecting basket to brighten your home. Note: make sure to thoroughly sanitize your basket before use.

1. Make a Greeting-Card Organizer

Hanukkah. Christmas. Kwanzaa. New Year’s. Whatever you celebrate, an influx of greeting cards will soon populate your side tables, fireplace mantel and other household surfaces. Keep your cards tidy by tucking them into your collection basket. I grew tired of moving our Halloween cards when I needed to clean and also of standing them back up every time one of my sons ran by and blew them down. Fed up, I gathered the cards up, tucked them into my collection basket and loved the result. Keeping the greeting cards contained lets me display them anywhere I wish—and it makes dusting much easier.

2. Make a Table Centerpiece with an Egg-Collecting Basket

egg collection basket
Shutterstock

A collection basket makes a fantastic focal point for any holiday table. Line it with crepe paper, thread it with ribbons or use it as is, then fill it according to the occasion. Miniature pumpkins and gourds are great for Thanksgiving, while glass-ball ornaments and pine cones create a cheery Christmas mood. Champagne corks, meanwhile, help ring in the New Year. Blend blue, white and natural-wood dreidels with gleaming gelt for Hanukkah; for Kwanzaa, combine lemons, kumquats and filberts to reflect the harvest. Harness your holiday spirit and be creative when creating your centerpiece. No one will ever guess your basket is anything but a decorative item.

3. Use an Egg-Collecting Basket as a Service Gift Caddy

egg collection basket
Shutterstock

‘Tis the season to remember those hard-working individuals who make your everyday life a little better. I buy a variety of little gifts—handcrafted soaps, movie passes, car-wash certificates, locally made sweets gift cards—and wrap each of these in festive foil. These mini presents go into my collection basket, which I keep on the hall table near the front door. Whenever a service worker comes to our house, I offer them their pick of the basket. Give it a try: Your mail carrier, FedEx courier, UPS driver, pizza-delivery guy, utilities worker—each one will appreciate and remember your kind holiday gesture.

4. Gather & Tote Snowballs

This one is definitely not an indoor use! About eight inches of snow had fallen overnight, and I had chased the kids out of the house, haranguing them about how I used to build igloos, make snow sculptures and go sledding in weather like this. I had started making hot cocoa for their return when I noticed that the collection basket was no longer on top of the fridge. Sure enough, one of the boys had taken it outside and was using it to cart snowballs around so he could pelt his brothers. He got extra marshmallows on his cocoa as a reward for his creativity.

This article about off-season uses for an egg-collecting basket was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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Poultry

Safe Chicken Coop Decorating Ideas For Christmas

chicken coop Christmas decorations
Arina P Habich/Shutterstock

Need some chicken coop decorating ideas? Giving backyard coops some Christmas flair has become increasingly popular among flock owners in recent years. Search for variations of the hashtag #christmascoop on your favorite social media platform. You’ll find images from around the country of chicken coops bearing evergreen boughs, beautiful wreathes, and, of course, twinkling Christmas lights.

Now’s the time to get in on this new tradition. But before you deck your hens’ halls, review these four tips to keep your coop and chickens safe.

Outdoor Illumination

Even if your coop is equipped with interior electricity, your decorative lights should stay strictly outdoors.

Chicken coops are notorious for dust, from shed skin and feathers, feed, droppings and litter. Dust can quickly coat light fixtures. With dozens of individual lights on each string, the potential for clogging and burning out bulbs—or worse, sparking and igniting the dust and bedding—is high.

Beyond the fire hazard, light strands also provide your chickens with yet another place to perch … and unstable ones at that. If you plan to hang lights, hang them securely on your henhouse’s exterior at a height where curious chooks can’t reach them.

Breakable Baubles

One thing many of us have learned the hard way is that even “shatterproof” ornaments can shatter. Whether they are traditional balls, whimsical figurines or modern icicles, these decorations can pose a health risk to your flock should they shatter.

The jagged edges of broken ornaments can slice poultry toes. Worse, with their inquisitive attraction to all things shiny, chickens might find smaller shards irresistible and ingest them. This could severely damage a bird’s digestive tract.

Reserve these holiday adornments for your tree and your home’s interior.

All Natural Chicken Coop Decorating Ideas

Beautifully draped boughs and wreaths of holly, pine and other evergreens are a hallmark of the winter holidays, evocative of Old World forests and symbolic of the season’s many beliefs and traditions.

While the leaves and berries of these and other ornamental plants have varying levels of toxicity for humans and household pets, they are not dangerous to chickens … unless the needles and leaves have been chemically treated.

Fake snow and preservatives can adversely—or lethally—affect your birds if ingested. And their chemicals can irritate delicate eye tissues and respiratory tracts. If using decorative greenery on your coop’s exterior, make certain that these are natural and untreated to keep your birds safe.

Read more: Are holiday plants toxic to chickens? Turns out, not so much.

Snowy Delights

Sometimes the best winter decorations are the ones right in front of us. If you live in a snowy region, consider adding a festive touch to your coop with snow.

The roofs of chicken coops dusted with a fine blanket of snow and windows frosted with a touch of ice already look like they belong in a Currier and Ives Christmas village. Enhance this winter wonderland by adding a few festive snowmen and snow sculptures around your flock’s run.

For an additional holiday treat, roll parts of your snowman in birdseed before assembling it. As the snowman dissipates, your chickens will enjoy its departing gift.

This article about chicken coop decorating ideas was written for Chickens magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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Farm & Garden

Crimson Clover Cover Crop: Plant in Fall to Protect Soil

crimson clover cover crop blooming in a field
Adobe Stock/Eva

A crimson clover cover crop is great to add to boost your soil and prepare for spring and summer gardening since it is a legume that adds loads of nitrogen to your beds.

Fall and winter weather can wreak havoc on garden beds. The wind can cause erosion and deplete nutrients from the soil. Bacteria and fungi can still be present and grow in soil during the winter. If garden beds are left empty in the winter, they can become host to pests, diseases and weeds. Cover crops aid in suppressing all of that negative activity.

All cover crops fill garden beds to protect soil from erosion, keep healthy nutrients and microbes flourishing and prevent weeds. When planted around November, crimson clover will dormant in the winter but awaken in spring as a productive workhorse in your garden.

How Does it Work?

Clover works as a nutrient scavenger and brings nutrients up from deep in the soil, preferring sandy, loamy soil. In the spring, if there are not enough significant freezes, the clover can be terminated and added back into the soil via a weed eater. If it was a harsh winter, crimson clover will simply winterkill. Either way, the cover crop will have done its job and be easy to turn back into the soil in time to start planting for spring.

Where Should I Plant Crimson Clover?

According to Sow Right Seeds, crimson clover can be planted in raised beds and in-ground gardens. It is a popular cover crop in fruit and nut orchards as well as blueberry fields. When crimson clover is grown between trees and bushes, it is often referred to as a “green” or “living” mulch.

Crimson clover can be planted in all types of soil as long as it can drain. It won’t grow well in soils that stay waterlogged.

How to Grow a Crimson Clover Cover Crop

Spread crimson clover seeds over the garden soil like sowing grass seed. Cover the seeds to a depth of ¼ to ⅕-inch deep. Crimson clover seeds need to be covered with enough soil to stay moist and have good soil contact. If they are too deeply planted, they will not be able to sprout.

Water the seeds and keep the soil moist. Crimson clover seeds should germinate in 7 to 21 days.

Crimson clover can also be mixed with other cover crop seeds such as winter oats and hairy vetch.

How Do I Terminate My Crimson Clover Cover Crop?

As with most cover crops, you can simply till the clover back into the soil in the spring. The crop can grow 1 to 3 feet so if it is too tall to till you can cut it down and add the cuttings to your compost pile.

Give your fresh garden bed 2 to 3 weeks to continue decomposing before planting your next crop.

Is a Crimson Clover Cover Crop a Good Fit for your Area?

Johnny’s Seed Company explains crimson clover grows to 1 to 3 feet tall and sports striking crimson blossoms in abundance. Where winter lows fall above -10°F (-23.3°C), it is sown in late summer, lies dormant in winter, resumes growth in spring, and flowers in May

The USDA also suggests, “This plant may become weedy or invasive in some regions or habitats and may displace desirable vegetation if not properly managed. Please consult with your local NRCS Field Office, Cooperative Extension Service office, or state natural resource or agriculture department regarding its status and use. Weed information is also available from the PLANTS website at plants.usda.gov”

This article about a crimson clover cover crop was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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Farm & Garden

Perennial Plant Care: 7 Tips For Late Fall

variety of perennial plants in garden
Pink coneflower, Echinacea purpurea 'Rubinstern' and purple garden phlox in flower. Adobe Stock/Alexandra

Perennial plant care is important as we enter late fall. It is time to give perennials the care they need to make a successful return in the spring. It is natural to watch these plants die each year, but dying too soon can mean they won’t be strong enough to go dormant and come back next year. Below are seven perennial plant care tips to ensure your perennials are dormant and not dead.

Fall Perennial Plant Care Tips

#1 Water

If your perennials are dead, stop watering them. We may think they need help with water even after their natural cycle of living has passed, however, continuing to water a plant that is dead will promote rot or fungal growth in the soil.

However, if your perennials are still alive, continue to water them until the temps drop below 40 degrees. The amount of water you need to apply will depend on the type of soil you have, but you need to water until the top six to nine inches of soil under your plants feels wet. This will help your plants avoid winter kill. The only true way to know how moist the ground is after watering or rain is just to dig out around and feel the soil.

#2 Weeding

The amount and regularity of weeding will certainly decrease in fall, however, it is still important to enter winter weed-free. Allowing the weed seeds to go dormant in your beds will wreak havoc for your spring beds.

#3 Cutting Back Plants

This technique depends on what the plant is. Some plants will need to be cut back right now, and some will need to wait until spring.

Always prune back ANY perennial plants with disease and insect infestations. These conditions don’t clear up over the winter, they worsen. Take the time to properly eliminate them from your garden and throw them away in the trash. Never risk keeping them on your property through compost or any other means.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, technically, very few plants MUST be cut down in the fall. And never rush to cut things down; hold off until after several hard frosts. Even if the flowers or leaves are dead, the roots reclaim energy from the dying plant for healthy growth in the spring. This list includes:

  • Evergreen perennials such as epimediums, hellebores, heucheras, hardy geraniums, dianthus, moss phlox, and euphorbias
  • Candytuft, primulas, hens & chicks, heaths, and heathers (considered evergreen), pulmonaria and Penstemons just need tidying in the Spring.
  • Garden mums, Anise Hyssop, Red-Hot Poker, Montauk Daisy-

Leave the foliage. It’s important to protect the root crowns over winter. Cutting back the plants severely will simulate late new growth, which will be very susceptible to winter kill.

Perennials to cut include:

*** Specifically recommended to cut in fall. Others can be, but not necessary.

#4 Divide & Replant

If the plant is older than three years, it is considered mature. Mature perennials need to be divided to keep them healthy so they don’t outgrow the space you’ve given them and start to die off. Cut back foliage before moving so the plant can focus its energy on root growth, not maintaining green growth. Make sure the new place you are moving the plants to follows the correct light and soil requirements.

#5 Move Plants

If you have plants that have been in the same location and don’t flower or live up to their true potential, move them to a spot that will serve them well. Lighting is so important for their conditions and if they are underperforming, they most likely don’t have the correct lighting. Try a new place and see what happens. If they are mature enough and you move them with care they will recover and grow in the spring.

#6 Collect Seeds

Now that your flowering perennials have developed seed heads, cut them and let them dry out. Once dry, you can pull the seeds and store them to plant next year. If your perennial is thriving in your soil and conditions keep that energy going by planting new ones in new spaces.

#7 Boost Nutrients

Topdress with compost and Add 1-2 layers of loose organic mulch to your plants to give them the energy they need to overwinter. Barley straw or spruce branches are great options to blanket the plants. Loose organic mulch is necessary to not trap water in and cause rot. Use whatever organic mulch you have on hand, as long as it can be easily removed in spring when the soil warms.

Don’t let fall pass by without perennial plant care and proper preparation for spring. Now is also a great time to add those bulbs you will see emerge first in your gardens. Take the time to follow this chore list to have an amazing spring.

This article about perennial plant care was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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Poultry

What Can Chickens Eat: Holiday Edition

chickens poultry leftovers safe
Kitreel/Adobe Stock

What can chickens eat and what can chickens not eat after the holidays is good information to know ahead of time to avoid any problems.

With a fridge full of delicious side dishes your loved ones raved over but now receive looks of disdain, your chickens are about to get yet another fabulous meal. But not every extra is appropriate or healthful for your birds. Here’s our helpful list so you know what’s what.

Also read – Feed Chickens Food Scraps To Reduce Waste

Chocolate

While we humans might consider chocolate heavenly, our chickens don’t. Chocolate toxicosis can occur in birds, dogs and other companion and livestock animals.  The specific culprits are the methylxanthines theobromine and caffeine, two substances found in everything from cocoa-bean hulls and dry cocoa powder to milk and dark chocolate.

Depending on the amount and type of chocolate consumed, an animal can experience excess urination (diuresis), excessive thirst (polydipsia), vomiting, diarrhea, restlessness, seizures and tachycardia. Coma and death may soon follow.

While chocolate toxicosis typically stems from an animal ingesting excessive amounts of chocolate, lesser amounts of chocolate can be deadly to a smaller, lightweight animal such as a chicken. Just three ounces of semi-sweet chocolate can prove lethal to a 10-pound animal. If you are overloaded with holiday chocolate, consider sharing it with neighbors and colleagues versus your birds.

Read more: Avoid giving these toxic treats to your chickens!

Avocado

Avocado may not be a part of many holiday traditions, but in many Latino households, it’s a staple of the festivities. Because it oxidizes swiftly, avocado is one of the first things to spoil.

If your avocado dish—or your fresh or sliced avocado—starts to turn, don’t give it to your chickens! Avocado is one of the most toxic plants … and not just its flesh but its skin, seed and leaves. These are known to cause myocardial necrosis, cardiac failure and death to mammals and birds.

According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, parakeets fed 0.31 ounces of avocado flesh died within 48 hours. If you have a surplus of avocado-containing food, your best bet is to throw it away. Do not add it to your compost pile, as wild birds and animals—and foraging chickens—may come across it and succumb to toxicosis.

Potatoes

Potatoes are plentiful during the holidays, gracing the dinner table mashed, roasted, fried, in pancake form and many other preparations. I have yet to have a Christmas in which my fridge wasn’t filled with tubs of mashed and roasted potatoes.

Are potatoes on the when can chickens eat list? Yes … and no.

Potato skins, especially green-tinged ones, contain a toxic alkaloid called solanine.  Solanine affects both the nervous and digestive systems, causing vomiting, diarrhea, disorientation, stupor and depression. Fortunately, we humans prefer our potatoes thoroughly cooked, so feel free to share your extras with your birds.

Poultry

The centerpiece of many of our holiday menus is a roast turkey, goose or chicken. While many intrepid home cooks serve leftover poultry in sandwiches and soups, there’s often still plenty left in the fridge as our taste buds grow tired.

Is chicken (and other roasted birds) on the what can chickens eat list?  The answer is yes. Chickens are not vegetarians.

Your hens are omnivores and will eat both plant- and animal-based foodstuffs. It may seem odd or wrong to offer your poultry remainders to your flock, but your birds do not know they are eating a fellow bird. So go ahead—feed your chickens your leftover poultry.

Ham

Ham is preferred by many for the holidays and it’s on the what can chickens eat list. Chickens adore ham leftovers.

The antics as one hen runs off with a chunk of ham, chased by the other birds, almost make the price of a honey ham worth it. If you plan to share your leftover ham with your flock, it can be best to dice it first, then offer it in small amounts. Ham is extremely salty, and excessive salt consumption by chickens can lead to salt intoxication.

Read more: Chickens aren’t vegetarians, so go ahead and give them meat.

Sugar

What are the holidays without sugar? Cakes, pies, cookies, tarts, trifles, you name it … sugar is everywhere!

Bear in mind that, just like with humans, too much sugar is not a good thing for our birds. Instead of dumping an entire tub of gingerbread in front of your flock, offer perhaps one or two cookies per day, broken up into pieces. And make sure there is no chocolate!

Chickens also love sweet leftovers such as pecan pie and fruitcake. The nuts and dried fruits are a special treat for them, especially if they are all-natural or organic.

Onions

While not usually served on their own, onions often add flavor to festive roasts and side dishes. Are onions on the what can chickens eat list? Like potatoes, the answer is yes and no.

Eaten in small amounts, the most damage onions will do is give eggs an odd flavor. Eaten in excessive amounts, onions can cause anemia.

Moderation

Whichever leftovers you offer your chickens, be they vegetables, starches or proteins, bear in mind that moderation is the key. You may want to empty your refrigerator, but your birds should not be given a giant smorgasbord. At the most, they should be given one or two handfuls of leftovers per day.

While they will happily gobble everything up, it is vital that they continue to draw their main nutrition from their formulated chicken feed. This ration provides the right percentage of nutrients for their health and development.

Chickens that have gorged on human leftovers will not touch their feed. Several days of feasting can be detrimental to their health. Your best bet—and theirs—is to start offering your chickens small amounts of leftovers well before you get tired of seeing them in your fridge.

This article about what can chickens eat and what can chickens not eat was written for Chickens magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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Poultry

8 Tips For Hosting Guests Who Don’t Like Chickens

guests don't like chickens
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Hosting guests who don’t keep chickens and look down on chicken keeping or who are repulsed or frightened by the birds can be stressful.

On a personal note, my mother is a Wall Street executive who lives in one of those New Jersey-based bedroom communities located steps away from the bus line. Her development is gated, with manicured lawns, fussily maintained landscaping, and a strong-armed homeowners’ association.

It’s a vast contrast to where I live, in rural Michigan, with plenty of backyard and natural grassland backing to state forests. Here, the closest neighbor is acres away. We mow maybe once per month, our driveway is gravel and dirt, our house can really use a thorough power wash to rid of years of insect residue. And, most importantly, our chickens roam free.

The last time my mother visited, she was so horrified by our comfy country home that she spent the entirety of her visit sweeping, vacuuming, dusting and scrubbing and now she is planning to come out to join us for the holidays.

Despite having been born and raised on a farm, my mother shook off her humble origin story long ago. One belief she has held for years is that animals do not belong in the home and that raising chickens is something only the destitute do.

Should you find yourself hosting guests who don’t prefer your chickens, here are a few tips that may reduce the stress for everyone involved: guest, host and anyone within a 100-yard radius of your house.

Hosting Guests: Clear the Air

Install plug-in air fresheners throughout the house, especially in the living room, dining room and guest room. These don’t have to be overpowering, especially if you have family members with breathing problems.

A clean scent, like cotton, ocean or rainstorm is enough to add a slight, fragrance to your home’s interior. Do not opt for rustic scents like apple, meadow or pumpkin. These will only compound the issue that your guests are staying at Old McDonald’s farm within spitting distance of chickens.

Keep Up with the Joneses

Now is not the time to allow your yard to revert to prairie. Mow your front, back and side yards a week before your guests arrive, then again a few days later. Be sure your chicken run is weed whacked, with the areas immediately around your coops neatly maintained.

If you’re hosting guests in autumn, rake up as much dead grass as possible and dispose of your piles of leaves. If this is a winter visit, have your driveway and walkway neatly plowed or shoveled and de-iced … and create a pathway between your house and your coops. The last thing you want is guests blabbing to everyone that you have to risk your life each day in the frigid winter just to feed and water your chickens. 

Handle with Care

Even if your girls are the most affectionate, friendly chickens on earth, avoid handling them for two weeks before the arrival time for your guests. It takes just one impatient hen, one suddenly startled bird, one unforeseen instant to decorate your arms and face (and bare legs, if you have them) with scratches.

Believe me, a scratched-up arm or even one slight mark on your face is enough to launch your guests into a tirade about infection, gangrene, health risks, filthy chickens and so on. It’s best to simply steer clear of this area by avoiding cuddles for a little while. 

Eggcentuate the Positive

Ply your guests with the most sumptuous Sunday brunch omelets, the creamiest custards, utterly delicious deviled eggs and the heartiest of breakfast sandwiches. Invite them to help you make homemade pasta, and have them crack and whisk the eggs.

Never let on that the eggs they just handled come from your own chickens and not a sterile supermarket. Never let on that the only reason you are making pasta is to let them get up close and personal with farm-fresh eggs. Most importantly, let them deduce for themselves that the pasta, the omelets, the custards and breakfast sandwiches have one common denominator: your flock’s eggs.

Should your guests notice the food tastes richer—or even better, that the yolks of your eggs are much more golden orange in color—don’t use that as an opening for a three-hour lecture on the merits of keeping chickens. A friendly “yes, it’s because our birds have access to nutritious feed/fresh forage, so their eggs are packed with nutrients” will suffice.

Do not mention that your chickens also have access to an unlimited amount of outdoor bugs. That will open up a whole other can of worms. 

Hosting Guests: Tasteful Chicken Decor

Add a few subtle accents to the public areas of your home. Absolutely do not go overboard and get chicken wallpaper borders, chicken kitchen towels, chicken cookie jars, chicken tea kettles, chicken throw pillows, chicken … you name it. This will be taken like a slap in the face.

Believe me, my first married home had a whimsical chicken wallpaper border, a chicken wall clock and a chicken cookie jar. My mother was not amused. Subtlety is the name of the game here.

Have a hen-shaped egg timer on the kitchen counter. Place a framed photo of your smiling child hugging a hen on a living room side table. Integrate one or two small rooster garden sculptures into your front landscaping. Add just enough decor so that, if any of it catches your guest’s eye, they’ll register these artistic touches as just part of your personality rather than your family’s inescapable conversion into the cast of Hee Haw.

Hosting Guests: Provide Distraction

If your guests include an older relative whose favorite pastime is finding something to complain about, provide them with that necessary distraction.

Leave a basket of unfolded laundry somewhere easily visible. Let one or two living-room picture frames hang askew. Neglect to put away a bag of shelf-stable groceries. Your guests will be so focused on this irritant that they won’t even remember you have a coop of chickens nearby. 

Show Some Tender Loving Care

A display of concern for the creatures of this big blue marble is always in order. It shows that we are not self-centered humans who could care less about our environment. This philosophy is not so different from “I keep chickens, I love them, and they are absolutely wonderful,” which can come across as defensive.

It’s all a matter of application. Hold off on shows of affection for your chickens until a day or two before guests are due to depart. While they keep you company in the kitchen, prepare a bag or container of kitchen scraps (but don’t make a huge show of this). When your guest’s curiosity gets the better of them and they ask what you are doing, just respond, “Oh! I’m taking out these kitchen scraps/leftovers to our flock. It’s a special treat for them and it reduces the amount of biomass in our garbage can and in our landfill.”

That’s it. Don’t invite them to come out with you to feed the chickens, but accept if your guests ask to watch you feed them. If it’s the dead of winter, substitute a container of hot mash for the kitchen scraps and, if asked, inform guests it’s an easy and effective way to keep chickens warm and well-fed during the cold months.

Guests tend to love new tidbits of information, and you will also demonstrate your compassion for your chickens and the environment.

A Gentle Introduction

Should your guests ask if they can see your chickens, tread lightly. They are not asking to hold your favorite hen, nor are they asking to collect eggs or help you clean out your coop. They’ve simply mustered up the courage to look at these animals from a closer vantage point than from the safety of your home.

Should this happen, lead them out to your coop, making sure you don’t spend the entire walk talking about poultry. When you reach your coop, give your guest free rein. Let them just stand there, watching your birds interact. Allow them to walk around the run and pursue their own level of interactivity.

While your guests get accustomed to their viewing spot, get a little handful of scratch grains out. If your guests seem comfortable, ask if they’d like to feed the chickens. Demonstrate how to toss in a little of the scratch, then hand them the grains. Don’t correct them if they do it wrong.

The fact that they are doing it at all is momentous. Be ready to return their smile with one of your own. 

I have used these methods with friends visiting from the city who have never seen a live chicken before, always with success. Come Thanksgiving, I’ll try the same with my mom. The rooster cookie jar is already out on the kitchen counter, and the framed photos of favorite chickens stand in our foyer. With luck, my mom will forget the chickens outside and will instead focus on the turkey roasting in the oven.

This article about hosting guests who are not chicken enthusiasts or have never met live chickens was written for Chickens magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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Poultry

Thanksgiving Leftovers: What Chickens Can & Can’t Have

chickens leftovers leftover Thanksgiving
Zosia Korcz/Unsplash

Got Thanksgiving leftovers and thinking about sharing them with your chickens? Your chickens will be happy to take those leftovers off your hands.

But, before you turn out your food storage containers in your chicken run review these 12 traditional Thanksgiving foods to see if your Thanksgiving leftover feast is fit for your flock.

Can Chickens Eat Turkey?

It may seem a little twisted to offer your chickens leftover turkey. After all, they’re practically related! Chickens, however, are omnivores and food opportunists and will eat practically any of the leftovers you offer to them.

Leftover turkey is definitely something they’d happily devour.

Serve your leftover turkey by the slice and shred any meat that is on the bone. Avoid giving your flock the leftover turkey carcass or meat on the bone, such as wings and drumsticks. Turkey bones may splinter, potentially harming any bird that ingests the fragments.

Can Chickens Eat Stuffing?

Some family stuffing recipes include ingredients such as chestnuts, bacon and chopped nuts. But most stuffings consist of bread, onion, celery, seasonings and salt.

While chickens adore bread, you’ll want to avoid feeding them your stuffing leftovers.

Stuffing is typically highly salted, and chickens are particularly susceptible to salt poisoning. Even if your stuffing is low in sodium, it may still contain onions and seasonings, strong flavors that hens can pass along to the eggs they lay.

Can Chickens Eat Corn?

Corn is a huge favorite of chickens any time of the year. So of course, corn Thanksgiving leftovers will be a huge hit.

Leave corn on the cob as is. Your birds will love plucking out the juicy kernels. And it’s always fun watching the chickens run off with the cob, trying to keep it for themselves.

If your Thanksgiving leftovers consist of kernel corn, rinse the kernels with cold water to remove sodium before serving it up to your flock. Creamed corn can also be given to your chickens. But, as this is high in sodium, only offer these leftovers to chickens in small amounts.

Can Chickens Eat Potatoes?

Potatoes are a mainstay of many Thanksgiving meals. As much as Americans love potatoes, potatoes don’t necessarily love our poultry. A member of the nightshade family, potatoes contain solanine, a glycoalkaloid that can be toxic to poultry—and to humans, too.

Most of a potato’s solanine is found in the peel, so make sure raw potato peels are never fed to your flock. Green potatoes should also be avoided, as these can be high in solanine.

The vast majority of potatoes prepared for Thanksgiving are thoroughly cooked through. So as long as they are not highly salted (which can cause salt poisoning), you can feed your chickens small amounts of your potato Thanksgiving leftovers.

Can Chickens Eat Cranberries?

Chickens adore cranberries. Fresh cranberries, dried cranberries—it doesn’t matter. They greedily gobble them down.

As long as your cranberry relish or sauce does not include rhubarb—which contains anthraquinones and oxalic acid, two chemical compounds that are dangerous to chickens—feel free to share your leftover cranberry side dish with your birds.

Read more: Supplement your flock’s food with fresh garden grub grown especially for them!

Can Chickens Eat Sweet Potatoes?

Sweet potatoes are one of the safest tubers to feed your flock. Unlike potatoes, which are part of the nightshade family, sweet potatoes are part of the morning glory family. All parts of the plant can be safely ingested by your chickens.

While the sweet potatoes themselves are very nutritious and high in vitamins, the marshmallows that top sweet potato casseroles have no nutritional value at all.

Filling up on marshmallows prevents your birds from eating the nutrient-rich foods they need. Their sticky nature also makes marshmallows a choking hazard.

Because of this, remove the marshmallow topping from your sweet potato casserole leftovers before offering it to your chickens.

Can Chickens Eat Green Beans?

Raw and dried beans are one of the most toxic foods our chickens can ingest. Beans in this uncooked state are high in a type of protein called phytohaemagglutinin, which can disrupt red blood cells and cause severe gastrointestinal distress.

Thoroughly cooked green beans, however, can be safely ingested by chickens. But what about green bean casserole when the beans are coated with salty cream of mushroom soup?

If you plan on feeding your flock your leftover green bean casserole, consider rinsing the soup off the beans. You’ll also want to remove the traditional onion topping, which can cause your hens’s eggs to have a strong, unpleasant flavor.

Can Chickens Eat Carrots?

Like sweet potatoes, carrots are highly nutritious and can be fed to chickens either raw or cooked. Like other foods, make certain that the carrots are not highly salted or seasoned with such strong aromatics as garlic and onion.

Can Chickens Eat Avocado & Salad?

Salad greens are always a treat for chickens, who absolutely adore eating fresh greens. Not all salad ingredients are safe for our birds, however.

Avocado is frequently added to salads for texture and flavor, but it should never be offered to chickens or any avian species. All parts of the avocado—the fruit, the skin, and the pit—contain persin, which is highly toxic to birds.

The heart muscle can be damaged within 24 to 48 hours of eating avocado. Listlessness, difficulty breathing and death are all associated with ingesting the fruit.

Beans, onions, and croutons should also be removed from your salad prior to offering it to your flock.

Can Chickens Eat Brussels Sprouts?

Brussels sprouts are packed with nutrients, making them a very healthy snack for your chickens. As long as they are not swimming in sauce or overly salted or seasoned, Brussels sprout leftovers can be fed to your chickens.

However, since Brussels sprouts are strong in flavor, your hens’ ingesting them might result in strongly flavored eggs.

Can Chickens Eat Spinach?

Chickens are very fond of fresh spinach and will happily gobble up this dark leafy green. While spinach is highly nutritious, it also contains a chemical called oxalic acid. This can lead to soft eggshells when eaten regularly and in large amounts by hens.

A little spinach, however, is perfectly safe. Cooked spinach can also be offered, as long as it is not overly seasoned or salty.

Read more: Can chickens eat pumpkin? Yes! But be careful how you offer it.

Can Chickens Eat Pumpkin Pie?

Pumpkins have long been a flock favorite. Leave a wedge of pumpkin—or a Halloween jack-o’-lantern—in the run and, by nightfall, your birds will have gobbled up every last bit of pumpkin flesh.

Fresh pumpkin, however, is quite different from pumpkin pie, which contains eggs, milk, spices and sweetener as well as a crust. Since pumpkin pie is not overly sweet (compared to other traditional Thanksgiving pies such as pecan and custard), your chickens can enjoy a little holiday dessert in moderation … just like the rest of us!

This article about feeding Thanksgiving leftovers to chickens was written for Chickens magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Categories
Homesteading

How to Stock & Organize a Kitchen Pantry

well stocked kitchen pantry
Neatly organized and labeled baking ingredients in BPA-free plastic storage containers. Adobe Stock/Kristen

A kitchen pantry can serve as the heart of a hobby farm kitchen with a dash of thoughtful planning. More than just cabinets stuffed with random dry goods, a well-thought-out pantry can save two of your most precious resources: time and money.

Think of the kitchen pantry as your farm’s on-site convenience store, efficiently stocked with the basics to keep your daily meals and food duties humming along, from ample sugar for putting up strawberry jam to ingredients for a quick dessert for the neighbors’ impromptu visits.

A well-stocked and organized pantry also helps trim your grocery budget, not to mention the time and fuel costs of unplanned trips. By always having basic staples on hand, you can readily make homemade—and healthier—versions of pricey, processed foods like hot cocoa or even sweetened condensed milk.

Despite all these glories, the kitchen pantry sometimes gets relegated to a low rank among kitchen priorities, often randomly stuffed with food until you can barely close the cabinet doors and don’t know what you have anymore.

Here are some easy tips to quickly and strategically organize and elevate your kitchen pantry to the master hub of your home.

Identify Your Kitchen Pantry’s Purpose

Name the key items you make all the time and structure your pantry around these core ingredients.

Pantry purposes may change seasonally, particularly during the summer peak when you’re constantly processing the abundant garden harvest.

For example, if you’re freezing loads of spinach and Swiss chard, this adds up to a need for a lot of olive oil for the blanching process.

Buy in Bulk

Bulk items typically are pantry staples that can be purchased in larger-volume bags. Buying core items in bulk helps both your pocketbook and the planet. Not only do you save money over individual units, you use a lot less packaging and contribute less to the landfill. By purchasing bulk organic ingredients, the price is reduced significantly.

Bulk-buying store chains provide plentiful locations and easy access with a membership fee.

Local buying clubs and food co-ops tap into the buying power of a group pooling their resources to purchase bulk foods at close to wholesale prices.

A buying club usually starts at about five or six people to meet minimum order requirements and works through a local natural foods distributor to place a group order. (Look for a listing of food cooperatives near you.)

Another option is to ask your local grocery store to special order a bulk item or case for you, on which they may also be willing to give you a discount.

Use Up Your Kitchen Pantry Contents

Sometimes along with squirreling instincts to pack away food, we need gentle reminders to use up what we stockpile.

This sounds like an obvious concept, but we’ve all accidentally bought something in duplicate or were forced to throw out expired food.

Despite today’s rising food costs, the average American still unfortunately throws out approximately 15 percent of food purchased annually. This adds up to over $500 in wasted food.

A suggestion is to make a family “game” to “eat through” the pantry each winter. After the December holidays, try to go cold turkey on buying food, focusing on eating the preserved garden bounty in combination with everything in the pantry.

On a personal note, one winter my family realized we had accumulated a big, plastic bag filled with red-and-white peppermint candies acquired from restaurants and leftover holiday candy canes, which resulted in one of our now-favorite cookie recipes: peppermint biscotti.

Peppermint Biscotti Recipe

  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp. peppermint extract
  • 3 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 1⁄2 cups crushed peppermint candy, divided
  • White chocolate bark for frosting

Preparation
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract.

Separately, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in 1 cup peppermint candy.

Gradually add flour/candy mixture to creamed mixture, beating until blended (dough will be stiff).

Divide dough in half. On an ungreased baking sheet, roll each portion into a 12- by 2 1⁄2-inch rectangle. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully remove and place on wire rack. Cool for 15 minutes. On the cutting board, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices.

Place cut side down on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until firm.

For frosting, melt chocolate. Dip one end in chocolate and roll in the remaining candy. Cool on wax paper.

Yield: Approximately 3 dozen biscotti.

Always keep in mind how much you actually use of something and buy accordingly. If a bulk bag is a great deal, but you know you won’t use 50 pounds of rice in a year, consider splitting it with a friend.

Dried herb and spice purchases may be one place where bulk buying is not helpful since they lose their flavor over time. It may be better to buy only what you can use in one year and replace it with fresh stock.

Invest in Proper Kitchen Pantry Storage

The challenge of purchasing in bulk is having a place to conveniently store the item once it comes out of the bulk bag.

Going back to identifying your pantry’s purpose, invest in accessible, quality storage containers for the bulk items you use most often. Look for containers made from high-grade, durable materials with tight-fitting lids.

While some of these containers may seem pricey, investing in something that makes your kitchen routines easier will quickly prove its worth.

Recycled glass containers work well as easy, frugal storage containers. Wide-mouth canning jars make it easy to access the ingredients and enable you to quickly identify what’s inside.

Glass and metal containers deter mice as they’re impossible to chew through.

Pack in the Nutrients

Think nutrition when stocking your kitchen pantry: How can you get the biggest healthy bang for your buck—and allocated space? Dried beans, for example, deliver high protein, vitamins and minerals at a significant cost savings from canned or processed bean foods.

“Dried fruits rank high as an economical and convenient source of flavor, nutrients and fiber, especially if you grow or buy fresh fruit in season and dehydrate it at home,” recommends Angie Tagtow, an environmental nutritionist based in Iowa and a leading advocate championing public access to fresh, affordable, sustainably raised food.

“Drying your own fruit in season eliminates the added sweeteners and preservatives often added to commercially dried fruit, so all you taste is the pure food flavor.”

Dried fruits such as blueberries and cranberries also offer lots of antioxidants and can be used as a snack, added to baked items or sprinkled on top of yogurt or oatmeal.

MacGyver Your Kitchen Pantry

Remember MacGyver, the lead character from the 1980s television show of the same name, who could make just about anything from whatever parts he had on hand? Apply the same principle to your kitchen pantry (minus MacGyver’s ever-present duct tape) and think outside the box when a recipe calls for a specific ingredient that you don’t have.

This substitution approach works particularly well for ingredients you wouldn’t commonly have on hand, like fresh buttermilk.

Easy Pantry Substitutions
  • 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate = 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil
  • 1 cup cake flour = 1 cup all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons of the flour and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
  • 1 cup buttermilk = A wee bit less than 1 cup fresh milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Let sit for 5 minutes (will curdle).

Stuck in the middle of a recipe when you realize you don’t have a can of sweetened condensed milk? Here’s an easy substitute for sweetened condensed milk that’s much less processed than the commercial variety. This can be used in recipes that call for one can of sweetened condensed milk:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dry milk powder
  • 1/3 cup hot water
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 3 T. butter (melted)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender, layering wet and dry ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Add a Dash of Exotic Flavor

For minimal space and cost, you can sprinkle some seasonings into your meals that bring a range of global flavors to your homestead.

    • Tamarind paste: Tart spice used in Latin American and Asian dishes such as Pad Thai.
    • Sesame oil: Vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds and used in Indian and Asian cooking.
    • Hoisin sauce: Chinese dipping sauce made with garlic, vinegar and chili peppers—an interesting alternative to soy sauce.
    • Fish sauce: Southeast Asian condiment used to flavor various dishes.

Keep Your Kitchen Pantry Organized

The key to kitchen pantry management is restocking before you run out of something.

A sticky note inside a kitchen cabinet can be a handy place to jot shopping list items.

Organization also applies to how you keep your items stored on the shelves. Grouping like items together aids in quickly finding things, such as canned goods, baking supplies, spices and rice.

Think of your kitchen pantry as the garden’s dance partner, working together with your harvest bounty to bring flavorful, healthy meals to your family’s table.

This article about how to stock and organize a kitchen pantry was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Categories
Poultry

Do Hawks Eat Chickens? Learn How to Protect Your Flock

coopers hawk on a branch
Adobe Stock/Ramon Cliff

Do hawks eat chickens? Learn how to recognize the Cooper’s Hawk and how you can protect your flock from one of the most common chicken hawks found in North America.

Chicken Hawks

Do hawks eat chickens? Yes. North America is home to two species of hawks commonly referred to as chicken hawks. The Red-Tailed Hawk and the Cooper’s Hawk. The Red Tail Hawk is larger than the Cooper’s Hawk, but don’t let the smaller stature fool you. Cooper’s Hawks are strong hunters and prey on bantam and standard-sized chickens.

Appearance

With their short wing span (wingspan averaging about two and a half feet) and long, rounded tail, the Cooper’s hawk is usually easy to recognize. Cooper’s Hawks are generally smaller than Red-Tailed Hawks, averaging fourteen to twenty inches tall. Their upright position makes this bird of prey easy to spot when sitting in a tree or on an electric pole.

Cooper’s Hawks sport a rust-colored chest and dark wing tips (visible only in flight). The back feathers are a solid slate gray. The long tail feathers are light in color and have several black bands (visible in flight). The beaks are slate gray with a bright yellow point.

Habitat

The Cooper’s Hawk is often thought of as a woodland hawk, but they are also commonly spotted on farms and residential areas. These graceful birds of prey are acrobatic and fast fliers, often flying through thickly wooded areas, twisting and turning to steer clear of undergrowth. Cooper’s hawks are extremely adaptable and stop at nothing to seize a hunting opportunity.

Hunting Behaviors

The Cooper’s Hawk’s excellent flying ability puts them at an advantage over backyard flocks.  Many times the hawk will fly low out of sight before rising up and over an obstacle such as a coop or small tree to ambush their prey by surprise.

Recognizing a Cooper’s Hawk in Flight

The Cooper’s Hawk is relatively easy to recognize even in flight. If you think a Cooper’s Hawk may be checking out your flock, here are some things to look for:

Size: Cooper’s Hawks are generally about the size of a Mallard or Crow.

Shape: Look for short, rounded wings and a long, rounded tail.

Flight Pattern: The Cooper’s Hawk’s flight pattern generally consists of a flap-flap-glide style.

Head Size: Large head in proportion to the body.

Cooper’s Hawk Visits

Do hawks eat chickens? Yes. Hawks are the most common bird of prey to kill and eat chickens. So, if you notice a Cooper’s Hawk or other birds of prey visiting your backyard, it’s time to take preventive measures.

The best way to prevent a hawk attack is by confining your flock to a covered chicken tractor or run, versus free-ranging. Chicken tractors are a great option if hawks are the biggest predatorial threat in your neighborhood, as they allow chickens the benefit of free-ranging, i.e., fresh grass and bugs, while still offering your flock protection from hawks.

Chicken tractors and runs should be covered with a heavy-duty, weather-proof tarp or half-inch, 16 gauge hardware cloth. Choosing sturdy hardware cloth is vital to protecting your chickens, as hawks are intelligent birds, with many having figured out if they bounce on flimsy wire (such as chicken wire), the wire will break or bend, allowing access to the hens below.

Hawk Attack Calling Cards

Do hawks eat chickens without leaving behind any calling cards? Hawks may kill a chicken without leaving any trace of the attack behind, but if the hawk decides to eat its prey on the spot, they often leave scattered feathers on the ground. If you suspect your flock has been attacked by a hawk, here are a few telltale signs:

  • Free-ranging hens disappearing without any trace of an attack
  • Disappearing chickens with only scattered feathers
  • Surviving victims with deep puncture marks from talons
  • Piles of feathers lying under a tree, bush, or fence post where the hawk consumed its prey.

All hawks, including the Cooper’s, usually only attack one chicken at a time but will come back to strike the flock again in the future if an opportunity arises.

Deterring Hawks From Visiting Your Backyard

Deterring hawks from visiting your backyard can be tricky, but here are a few pointers that many chicken keepers find to help reduce hawk attacks.

Keep a Rooster

If you can legally keep a rooster in your neighborhood, adding one to your flock may prevent hawks from wanting to visit your flock. Upon spotting a hawk, roosters sound an alarm cry, letting your flock and all the neighborhood birds know to seek cover. With nothing to hunt, most hawks will eventually take the hint and fly off somewhere else.

Note: Roosters should only be used to warn the flock of possible danger and should not be expected to protect the flock against predators.

Avoid Free-Ranging

Avoiding free-ranging is the best way to prevent Cooper’s hawks and other hawk attacks. Only allow chickens to free-range if you are outside right with the flock to deter hawk attacks.

Shiny Objects

Hanging shiny objects such as old CDs and DVDs may help to prevent hawks from visiting your coop and run.

Take Your Dog for a Walk

Yes, you read that right. Taking your dog for a walk around the yard several times a day discourages both land and aerial predators from wanting to visit your backyard. For best results, switch up the routine so predators never know when to expect you and your canine companion.

Do hawks eat chickens? Yes, hawks do eat chickens, but they don’t have to prey on your flock. Knowing how to protect your flock will help keep them safe from a hawk attack.

This article about do hawks eat chickens was written for Chickens magazine. Click here to subscribe.