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Chickens, for Beginners

Raising chickens, from the viewpoint of novices and an old hand. Nancy and Karen share their learning curve with Cliff, who has raised chickens and turkeys with success on his farm. How a novice starts a flock, by ordering baby chicks in the Spring, and their care and feeding while young and tender. Baby chicks the natural way under a brooding mothers wing vs incubation techniques in a brooder. Why chickens prefer all the eggs in one nest. Egg production factors. The terrors of territorial roosters and how to deal with them or hand raise a tame rooster. The benefits of aggressive roosters when predators are about. Chickens as natural home bodies and coop management. Roosting behavior and how to accommodate. Chicken language, and their various sounds. The pecking order and why and when hens become homicidal or consume their own eggs. What to feed these omnivorous flocks.