Kristopher’s Pet Blog

Animal or bird feeding is a nice experience, one in which you provide food to the feathery and furry friends. A lot of individuals enjoy feeding birds especially. They’re un-alert to the truth behind some misconceptions surrounding it. Here is a view at a few of the myths associated to feeding birds and the true facts about them.

One of the most popular untruths is that bird feeding will make them be reliant upon food handouts. That is false, and as a bird may go back every day to a feeder, that food doesn’t make up it’s complete regular feeding. Current studies have proved that feeder food would make up for only about twenty-five percent of a bird’s food intake daily. So, even if you have fed a bird, he is probably going to look to a natural source to maintain itself all through the daytime.

There is a myth which says rice is hazardous for birds. Many people have the misperception that bird feeding some rice to the birds will cause them to swell and also cause their death. But, the fact is, rice is a very healthy source for the birds. So, if you choose to feed the bird leftover or raw rice, you shouldn’t be concerned about any harmful effects upon it’s health.

Peanut butter is additionally believed to be dangerous for birds. Several people think peanut butter might become stuck in the throat of the bird, making them choke. Peanut butter is really great for birds because its a fabulous source of fat and calories that birds love. Many birds like the woodpeckers, nuthanatches, jays and chickadees enjoy peanut butter. So, in the case that you feel the peanut butter is overly sticky; you might make it a bit flaky by putting cornmeal into it.

One more myth about bird feeders is that birdseed will never turn bad. Its important to know that birdseed is the same as all other types of food. It is just as at risk of damage as the other foods are. When you do not pay attention to the correct storage, there is a chance of it further turning bad. If birdseed is stored for a long period of time, the seeds dry out. This’ll mean a drop in the feed’s nutritional value. To avoid this, it is advised to store food in the suitable way. Ideally, it must be kept in a cool, dry place. When you do not pay attention to the correct storage, there’s a chance of it further turning bad. If birdseed is stored for a long period of time, the seeds dry out. This will mean a drop in the feed’s nutritional value. To avoid this, it’s advised to store food in the suitable way. Ideally, it should be kept in a cool, dry place.

A beautiful garden is an active place where stately trees and beautiful and fragrant flowers attract a wide variety of birds, butterflies and other creatures, as well as humans, to enjoy its ambience. Birds are busy searching for safety and food, and if a garden could provide these things they would be happy to move in.
Bird feeding could be done in many ways depending on the kind of birds in the locality, and it will even assist those which are passing by on their long migrations. Bird feeding in the garden would attract birds for generations, year after year. Seeds and fruit are the main foods, and it is best to offer both.

Several hungry birds like fruits like apples, melons, grapes and berries. Dried fruit can also be given if it is first softened with hot water then cooled. Fruit could be put on a platform that is many feet high to discourage squirrels. Cut the fruit into pieces and nail them to the platform or to a tree trunk. This way they can’t be carried off by rodents.

For bird feeders, it is better to put out seeds the birds will consume rather than the commercial birdseed mixtures. This usually just gets scattered while the birds are searching for the seeds they want. Black oil and striped sunflower seeds are popular as are safflower seeds, white proso millet, nyjer and milo.

There are many types of seed feeders including PVC plastic tubes, wire mesh and metal tubes with perches. A tray attached to the tube feeder will make it simple for a variety of species to consume. There are also thistle socks, which are oblong bags, perforated and prefilled with nyjer seed. Seed can also be added to a fruit platform to give a variety of alternatives for bird feeding.

Though it is great to have squirrels in the garden, they would usually compete for the food in the bird feeder. Either purchase a squirrel-proof bird feeder or make a bird feeder squirrel-proof by adding plastic bottles around the post or along the wire from which the bird feeder is hung. If this does not work, try giving the squirrels their own food like whole dried corn and other things that they like in their own feeding place.

The goal of bird feeding is to draw birds and help make it easy for them to get food. It is important to ensure bird feeders are cleaned regularly so that rotten fruit and moldy seeds aren’t provided to the birds. The goal of bird feeding is to attract birds and help make it simple for them to get food. It is important to ensure bird feeders are cleaned regularly so that rotten fruit and moldy seeds aren’t offered to the birds.

You would be able to get a lot of info about bird feeding if you’re new to the community of bird feeding. There are lots of varieties of bird feeders to pick from and three most popular are: tube feeders, platform feeders and hummingbird feeders.

A Hummingbird Feeder
Hummingbird feeders come in lots of different varieties of sizes and shapes. The feeders are enclosed, usually designed of plastic or glass, and oftentimes possess three to five ports for bird feeding. The ports are normally surrounded with bee guards and red plastic flowers. Nectar mix could be made from the house, utilizing a ratio of four parts of water to one part of white cane sugar. A hummingbird feeder ought to be washed at least one time per week and all remaining nectar must be discarded.

A Platform Feeder
A platform feeder, additionally referred to as a tabletop feeder and tray feeder, consists of an open tray where the seed is placed. The bird feeders offer just a bit of protection against the weather or squirrels, yet can come with a top in order to protect the seed from the elements. A few tube feeders would be fitted to fix tray feeders to them. You could attach platform feeders to a few hook stands and hang them from poles which are away from telephone lines and trees (in an effort to keep squirrels away). A great mix for a platform bird feeders consists of lots of black oil sunflower seeds and shelled peanuts. A few birds that are attracted to platform bird feeders are: blackbirds, starlings, woodpeckers, pipe siskin, finches, redpolls, titmouse, buntings, nuthatches, jays, chickadees, cardinals and several birds which are seed eating.

A Tube Feeder
A tube feeder is designed with a cylinder that is hollow which is usually made out of a type of plastic. This bird feeding comes with several perches and feeding ports. A tube feeder keeps the seed dry. It is ideal to possess one type of bird seed which is wild and not have any mixed seed. The kinds of wild birds which feed at this sort of feeder will usually just eat the seed that is their favorite. The types of birds which are attracted to the tube feeders are: the cardinal, red bellied woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, lesser goldfinch, purple finch, pine siskin, titmice, nuthatch, American goldfinch, house finch, and the chickadees. The varieties of wild birds which feed at this sort of feeder will usually just eat the seed that is their favorite. The types of birds which are attracted to the tube feeders are: the cardinal, red bellied woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, lesser goldfinch, purple finch, pine siskin, titmice, nuthatch, American goldfinch, house finch, and the chickadees.

Bird experts believe more than fifty million people in the United States have bird feeders in their yards. Bird feeding is a national pastime for many individuals. For others bird feeding is an educational process and a means to feel and appreciate another aspect of life which is usually ignored. It’s the ultimate twittering experience.
Bird feeding creates a “gateway effect” to protect the environment according to a source at the Audubon Society. Several people want to increase their awareness of the beauty which surrounds them by performing small tasks which have an enormous impact on the well being of all life. Bird feeding is one of those simple tasks that lead to an eco-friendly life style. Bird lovers plant a lot more shrubs with seeds which birds consume and they support stronger environmental laws which protect all wildlife. Bird feeders become bird lovers that share something in order to experience the unique gift of bond with some other form of consciousness

Studies show that feeding birds is a learning experience not just for the kids that know the name of every bird that visits the feeder, but for the adults who ignore the world of birds that exists and flourishes around them. The amazing diversity of the bird population and their sometime strange behavior demonstrates without words how we live our lives. Birds are continually doing something that enriches the experience of life and all any person needs to do is watch birds gather around a feeder to see how similar we’re to them. Bird watchers discover that their strange behavior is not a mystery at all. Birds in their own way choose to experience their reality and that choice mimics how some people choose to experience the reality they live every day.

Birds don’t survive just by depending on feeders. Some birds never visit a feeder. All birds find a natural source of food or they move on, just as we do. Research indicates that bird feeders supply lower than a fifth of a bird’s nutritional needs, so they don’t go hungry when the feeder is empty. One behavior that is blatantly clear in life around the bird feeders is birds do not judge or discriminate. The squirrels and other creatures which share the food are just doing what we all do; they are eating to produce energy to experience more of our selected reality. It seems the only ones that care about who eats and who doesn’t are the humans who are still learning the lesson of unity.The squirrels and other creatures that share the food are just doing what we all do; they are eating to produce energy to experience more of our selected reality. It seems the only ones who care about who eats and who doesn’t are the humans who are still learning the lesson of unity.

Bird watching has become a extremely popular hobby. There are actually several clubs and organizations that you can join and one place where you’ll would like to set out to see some species is in Maine.

One of your first stops could possibly be by the great North Woods region where it would like possible to view the Boreal Chickadees, Gray Jays, Olive-sided Flycatchers as well as the Spruce Grouse.

Should you happen to travel by Maine’s Atlantic coast, you are able to see hundreds of puffins gathered around Machias Seal Island. Hopping tour guide, you can disembark out of your boat and get within 4 feet of these birds. Should you happen to go to this place throughout the migration season, it is possible for you to to view migrating Arctic Terns.

Another excellent spot is in Bangor that is thought to be one of the best bird watching spot in Maine. An example of this is the Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Here, it is possible to view the Eastern Phoebes, the Pine and Palm Warblers not to mention the Yellow bellied Sapsuckers. These are located in other parks along this area and across the riversides. Most of these bird varieties not only dwell in the in their natural habitat they can also be observed regularly in your back yard if you have the proper set of birdhouse kits.

There’s also the Scarborough Marsh that happens to be a 3100 acre estuary and used by many birds as a breeding, feeding and resting ground. You will surely get to see lots of shorebirds here nourishing the marsh.

Other birds that you’ll see in Maine include the Bald Eagle, Barn Swallows, Black Ducks, the Canadian geese, common loons, Flickers, Golden eye Ducks, Grosbeaks, Hummingbirds, Kingfishers, Mergansers, Ornomants, Seagulls and Woodpeckers.

Before you go off bird watching in Maine, be sure your equipment with you including a map to ensure you know how to find your way back If you get lost. If possible, take a few pictures so you can share this with others if you get back home.

You’re able to even report what birds you have seen and submit these photos online because although some species are common in these parts, you can find some rare finds that will surely be enjoyed by fellow hobbyists.

Acadia National Park is another place to go away bird watching. Consistent with the National Park Service, there have been 338 bird species which have been recorded. Through the years, this number has grown and you may just encounter one among 23 species of warblers that breed in this park.

As a result of their seclude location, other birds have also used this as their nesting habitat namely the herons, harlequin ducks and purple sandpipers.

If in case you have a chance, don’t forget to go to the Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary in Lewiston. It is a 357 acre wildlife preserve that overlooks the town surrounded on three sides by both suburban and urban development. This place is needed for schools and professionals for research which makes this open to anyone who wants to be close to nature.

For those that desire more information about bird watching in Maine, you can get in touch with the Audubon Chapters in Maine, the Mid Coast Audubon Society, the York County Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy or the Stanton Bird Club. They are always on the lookout for brand new members that share a similar fascination with our feathered friends and will do whatever it takes to protect those that are endangered.

If you would like to watch birds except you cant go away and go to one of these wonderful places listed above you may want to think about purchasing a simple birdhouse kit and setting it up in your very own back yard.

Building a chicken coop can become a daunting task, especially if you have never tried it before. What you need is reliable instructions to guide you. By using the following tips to employ into your design, you can build a chicken coop that is not just safe and appropriate for your chickens, but also looks great!

Here Are The Top 5 Tips on How to Build a Chicken Coop:

Tip #1 - Safety First

Your chickens require protection from predators. Just some minor changes in your design can keep your chickens safe from them.

Use quality materials in building the coop. Don’t skimp on this. It’s better to spend a little more than be sorry. Make sure the doors and windows are reasonably sturdy. Use moderately thick wire mesh. Thin wires and flimsy wood won’t be able to keep predators away.

Tip #2 - Fresh Air

Make sure your coop is well ventilated. This is especially important during the hot seasons. A well ventilated coop will have sufficient circulating fresh air to keep the chickens cool during the hot seasons and also to prevent diseases because of stagnant air. Sliding doors and windows would be a good idea.

Tip #3 - Keep Warm

During the colder season, install some insulation to ensure there’s adequate warm air inside the coop to keep your chickens warm. This also keeps the coop dry during wet seasons.

Also, install an electrical lighting system. This is to provide light not only for the chickens but also for you. Not to mention this also helps keep the coop warm.

Tip #4 - Cleanliness

You should clean your coop regularly to keep your chickens free from sickness and disease. Plan your design in such a way as to make cleaning as easy and as hassle-free as possible. Here are some tips.
The bottom floor of the coop should be slightly slanted downwards toward the door. So that when washing inside, the dirty water will flow out toward the door and outside. This keeps the water from accumulating on the floor.

As mentioned above, sliding doors and windows let you open and close them easily. This facilitates fresh air to help dry the coop after cleaning.

Position the coop in such a way as to allow sunshine to hit it as much as possible. This helps dry the coop, plus the added bonus of having healthier chickens.

Tip #5 - Collecting Eggs

When collecting eggs, make it as easy as possible to collect the eggs at the same time avoid disturbing the laying areas as much as you can. Depending on the style of the your hens’ nests, it’s ideal to have easy access to the laying areas. If it’s a box style nest with multiple nesting areas, a hinged roof that is accessible on both sides is ideal. If it’s a more open style nest with a single nesting area, collection from the front is ideal.

These were your important 5 tips on how to build a chicken coop for successful chicken house. These tips should help you easily build an attractive and affordable chicken coop that is easy to maintain and healthy for chickens to lay eggs consistently.

Keeping chickens is a fun and rewarding experience for the entire family. To learn about additional tips on how to build a chicken coop is nice articles to start with.

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Want to learn about how to build a chicken coop for the first time? It’s important to have a sound, solid plan. Two of the most vital things to consider when building a chicken coop are easy maintenance and protection of your chickens.

Simple Maintenance Is Important

One of the downside of owning a chicken coop is the requirement for it to be cleaned continually. Illness and diseases can spell disaster to coop bound chickens. Cleaning your chicken coop should be as simple as possible. This will save you time and cash in the long term. These are some design elements you can include into your coop to make it simple to maintain and clean. Slope the bottom floor downwards, toward the front door. When cleaning the floor, the water will quickly run out of the coop rather than puddling in the middle. Confirm doors and windows are straightforward to open and close, unpolluted air will help quicken the drying process - and allows for less complicated cleaning. You need to also position the coop so that it hits the sun constantly. This can not only help in the cold seasons, but help in the drying process as well.

Vital Locations

Depending on the dimensions of your property, the best location for building your chicken coop is away from your house. The most evident reason is smell, however other things like contamination of water, attraction of bugs and low stress areas are other points to consider. Keeping your flock away from water sources like outdoor taps and sprinkler heads serve a dual purpose. First keeping your chicken coop and pen free from moisture minimizes chances for illness. Diseases can happen where moisture and unsanitary living setup are present. Moisture increases these opportunities particularly in nesting areas where salmonella can form on eggs. Moisture may also be displaced from the local area of your pen to other areas of your property through seepage or draining.

This will expose other pets and even humans from waste from your flock. Excess moisture can also attract bugs and inspire breakouts of bugs like lice and mites. Reducing exposure to excess moisture offers a cleaner living space which ultimately will maintain continuous egg production.

Protection From Predators

Aside from diseases, your chickens also need protection from predators. These predators can be rats, raccoons, dogs, cats, wild birds, etc.. In choosing the materials in building the coop, only use quality and sturdy materials. Solid wood and thick wire mesh comes to mind. Make sure the door and windows are properly and securely installed to keep the predators away.

These are just some of the tips on how to build a chicken coop that is easy to maintain and safe for your chicks. To learn more about how to build a chicken coop, please visit at http://www.squidoo.com/howtobuildachickencoops.

These tips should help you easily build an attractive and affordable chicken coop that is easy to maintain and healthy for chickens to lay eggs consistently.

Keeping chickens is a fun and rewarding experience for the entire family. To learn about additional tips, please read the following article on how to build a chicken coop. This is a nice article to review and learn some of the basic items to consider in your building endeavor.

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Whilst always keeping chooks should be a wonderful activity for the household, and whilst I personally consider that chickens make wonderful pets, there are some disadvantages to keeping chickens as well as positives.

Lets take into consideration the positives first. Not surprisingly the largest plus to always keeping chooks has to be all those delectable roam around eggs just laying there waiting around that you simply pick up every morning or evening. There’s nothing like cooking your own wholesome, and appetizing free range eggs that have been laid on that day simply for you. No chickens needed to put up with living in a little crate to lay them for you, so you may feel good about getting a refrigerator crammed full of healthy food.

Secondly chooks make excellent domestic pets despite the fact that they’re birds. Children just adore them. Ours will happily pick them up and may carry them around for hours. It is rather a pleasure always keeping chooks, and if you permit them to free range all around your back garden it is fulfilling watching all of them out your kitchen windows as you make an evening meal.

In addition, if you permit them to free range at home they will clean up a whole host of bugs which, if left on their own, could possibly eat your garden. It is our chooks that helped save our backyard from two summers of grasshopper plague. You should see how many grasshoppers one chook can eat daily.

Moreover it’s fairly easy, unlike for most domestic pets, to provide for your hens so that you do not need to make arrangements for them each time you go on trips. As I have huge automatic storage containers for feeding and watering we are able to go on holidays leaving behind the chooks to their own devices and have never ever lost a single yet, whilst on holidays.

Now to the disadvantages. Like all pets hens can easily get ill and die. We have had instances when the children have discovered a deceased chook in the chook coop, and this is upsetting for them. While this obviously is applicable to all pets it is more prevalent when you keep your own hens. This of course is because you tend to have quite a number of chooks, whereas a lot of people will have one or at most two dogs or cats. In our case with fifteen hens it is more frequent. And of course chooks have a shorter lifespan than some pets such as puppies or cats.

Second of all despite the fact that chickens will pick up quite a few of the nasty bugs around your back garden they do so by scratching, and this can potentially scratch up the dirt of your yard beds. They will also peck at your vegetables and fruits if you grow your very own and they particularly love pecking tomatoes. You will need to protect your fruit and vegetables or some area of your garden.

And, like for many other pets, there can be some work required, including regular cleaning up of the chook house. Chickens poo everywhere and the coop, as well as feeding and water containers, must be cleaned. You must also learn more about pest avoidance as hens can easily be susceptible to such challenges as mites.

Fourthly while getting fresh new free range eggs is wonderful it doesn’t happen on a regular basis. Chooks can go off the lay during the chilly winter months, and more aged chooks lay less eggs than young ones. Because of this there might be times when you are having to pay for chicken feed but still purchasing eggs.

I think nevertheless that the advantages of keeping chickens far exceeds the negatives. They are one of the few family pets that are productive in addition to just being a pet, and for anybody thinking about managing chooks as pets my reply is always to go for it. Not many people have regretted getting hen chickenschooks.

Don’t forget to visit my website about chicken house to find out more about how to choose the best chook shed for keeping your chooks.

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Whilst pets are wonderful to have they do have their problems. Dogs will bark of the neighbours, some pets can be very expensive and veterinary bills can be very expensive and what do you do with your cat when you want to go away for a week’s holiday?

But chickens don’t bark at the neighbours, aren’t expensive to buy or to feed, don’t get sick often and can safely be left for a week or more on their own if you do it right.

Not only that but chickens are productive, a fridge full of fresh free range eggs is the mouthwatering result from keeping chickens. In many respects chickens make the perfect family pet.

Sadly you can’t quite put one of your chickens on your lap at night when you’re sitting on the couch, but even so adults and children love chickens. I know our children love theirs.

But as is the case with other pets you need to research a little about keeping chickens before you buy your first one. The primary consideration is where you will keep them. They live in a chicken coop, which is occasionally called a henhouse or a chicken house. There are many chicken coops available for sale although the cheapest way to get your coop is to build it yourself.

Your choice of chicken house is all important.

The chickens will sleep in the coop at night but generally are allowed out of the coop during the day, in many cases to run free around your garden. If they do this they will clean up many of the nasty bugs in your garden, though they may scratch the soil and peck at your flowers as they do.

One of their great loves is to peck at ripe tomatoes.

Or else you can provide a dedicated chicken run around the hen house where they can roam during the day.

A chicken run around the henhouse is ideal.

You will need to learn about feeding your hens. There are certain minimum requirements for protein and calcium which are important to meet if you want to get eggs, and so you will need to source some high protein foods, some shell grit to add calcium to their food and you will need to find appropriate appliances to deliver food and water.

And if you want to go away on holidays leaving your chickens to their own devices, as we do, you will need to make sure that you can provide sufficient food and water for a week or 2 at a time.

So start learning about keeping chickens, and in particular about housing and feeding them and head out there and buy your first chicken. I absolutely guarantee that your children will love you for providing you with their chickens and you’ll probably love it yourself.

And then you’re on your way to a lifetime of healthy free range eggs delivered to you by some happy healthy hens.

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Poultry house designs provide a way to allow would-be chicken farmers to own a hen house without the added expense of purchasing a new coop. These plans can often be followed in steps to make a quality chicken house regardless of your woodworking skills. Before commencing a project, you should keep a few things in consideration to get the most out your chicken coop designs.

How Large

The size of your coop will be dependent upon how many chickens you plan to have. It would be beneficial to determine the number of chickens you plan to raise in the future, so you can create a coop roomy enough to house all your chickens. If you only have three hens now but plan to own 11, you should build a coop to fit this number.

Dangerous Predators

Having backyard chickens can be fun to have but can also invite unwanted predators. Hens can be easy prey to animals such as skunks, raccoons, cats, and other rodents. The best way to protect your hens is to post a wire mesh fence around the structure. The fence should run about a 12 inches deep into the ground to prevent rodents from digging under the fence.

Cleaning

Having a chicken coop requires upkeep and maintenance. Hens are known to messy by leaving chicken droppings and spreading nesting materials throughout the structure. Your building plans should allow you to access the structure for periodic upkeep. Having multiple access points can help make upkeep an easier job. An elevated coop with a slight slope can will help protect the coop from excessive water as a result of heavy rains.

Feeders and Roosts

Raising chickens involve more than just building a coop. The chickens need nesting boxes, feeders and roosts. Each chicken needs about 4 square feet of space. You also need space to accommodate the nesting boxes and feeders. You also need to be able to access the coop to collect the eggs, therefore the nesting boxes should be in an area that allows you to access the eggs.

Climate control

Depending upon where you live, you need to keep climate control in mind. Your chicken coop needs to be well ventilated to allow air flow throughout the coop during the hot summer months. Conversely, it needs to be well insulated to keep them warm in the winter and to prevent illnesses. A good way to control air flow is to build your coop with windows and doors that can be opened and shut.

Where Should You Build

If you plan to build a fixed structure, you need to find a place in your yard that won’t compromise too much space. It shouldn’t be near trees that can block the sunlight that your chickens need. Also, your local laws might dictate where your coop can be located therefore you should research your local ordinances before building.

Poultry house designs provide a less expensive alternative to purchasing a new chicken pen. If you plan to build a hen house, be sure to take the above into consideration before taking on this project.

As I was browsing online for a new chicken coop, I’ve seen various designs that range from $500 - $2500. I started thinking that there must be a cheaper alternative. That’s when I discovered there were chicken pen plans I could easily follow and build my own coop for the price of the building materials which I can find at my local hardware store. To learn where to access these blueprints, visit Chicken Pen Plans.

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