By Larry A Jordan

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approximately 54 million residents of the United States feed wild birds at backyard feeders. This is important due to the fact that our environment has changed drastically over the last fifty years. Not only do wild birds have to deal with loss of habitat, they must also compete with birds like starlings and house sparrows that are not native to North America.

Feeders provide a supplement to natural food supplies for wild birds. Rarely do they comprise the bulk of their diet. In general, wild birds depend on foods they find away from bird feeders and they find them with incredible efficiency. If all supplemental feeding stopped overnight, there would probably not even be a noticeable decline in bird populations and the joy of introducing children and adults to bird watching is reason enough to attract wild birds to backyard feeders. There are several good reasons to feed wild birds year round.

Early spring is an important season to feed wild birds because most of their preferred natural foods have been consumed during the winter. Backyard food supplies along with fresh water are especially attractive to migrating birds because of the incredible amount of energy needed for their migration. Your supplemental feeding station will provide useful refueling stations for these birds. If other requirements exist in your backyard, the availability of a constant supply of food and water may entice nesting birds to breed on your property. An ample food supply is necessary for birds to attain breeding condition.

Summer is the season of greatest natural food supply for wild birds but it is also the time of their greatest need. With a nest of rapidly growing young, the parent birds must feed themselves and their offspring. During this rapid growth phase of young birds they need high protein diets. This is why most birds feed their young a diet of mostly insects. A suet feeder containing a mixture of one part peanut butter, four parts corn meal, one part flour and one part vegetable shortening will help supply the parent birds and their young the protein they need. Mealworms are also an excellent source of protein during this time.

Summer feeding can also attract fruit eating birds as well as seed and insect eating species. Overripe fruits and bananas are favorites. You can cut fruit open showing the inside and put them on trays or feeding spikes. This is also the season for feeding nectar eating birds. According to the Audubon Society, at least 53 bird species in North America are known to visit sugar water feeders. They consume the same sugar solution as the hummingbirds do.

Even though natural foods such as fruits and insects are abundant in the fall, this is also a season of great food demand. Bird populations are at high levels due to their new crop of fledglings. A protein rich diet of insects is important as most birds replace all of their feathers before migrating. These migratory birds must also put on ample fat to power their long migrations. Sunflower seed and Nyjer seed are both oil-rich seeds that will help birds increase their body fat. Also by feeding birds in early fall you may have a better chance of seeing fall migrants.

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Winter is the most difficult season for birds living in the north. The cold weather and short days mean they need more food and have less time to forage for it. At the same time natural food sources are scarce. During this time of year supplemental feeding is most useful to wild bird populations. Both seed and suet should be provided during the winter months along with fresh water.

My strong advice is to keep your bird feeders full all year. You will be helping many wild birds on their migratory flights and supporting the resident birds in your area as well.

Larry Jordan has been bird watching for many years and building birdhouses for over 26 years. For more helpful information on wild birds, bird feeding and bird houses go to Build Your Own Birdhouse Plans and sign up for our newsletter and check out my blog here My Blog

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Chickenauctions.com

Now that you have decided to raise some chickens, how do you know what to look for and which ones to purchase? It is imperative that you know at least the basics when it comes to choosing the best birds for your coop whether they are laying hens or broilers and fryers. buying baby chicks is one way of getting a head start on giving your flock the best diet and raising possible for the best possible egg production or meat consumption. With so many different breeds and types to choose from, knowing a little bit about them is necessary to make the best decisions possible.

There are numerous websites that are excellent sources of information on many of the different breeds of chickens and which ones are the best for the purposes you are raising them. Depending on your intentions you may need to purchase one specific breed over another to best suit your plans. Finding information about the main types of chickens and what breed is good for either egg laying or meal production will benefit you when the time comes to actually purchase your chickens.

If gathering eggs for your personal use or for selling is your main goal for raising chickens, you will need to consider the best breeds for that type of production. Leghorns and Rhode Island Reds are most often preferred for excellent egg production, and the laying hens do their job well. Acquiring a rooster is not imperative to the egg laying production unless you desire fertilized eggs for hatching. If not, opting to forego purchasing a rooster will save you time, money and hassle. When choosing a good laying hen, watch for signs of bad health. The eyes should be bright, and alert with the chickens moving around frequently. Their feathers should be in reasonably good condition with good color and definition. Do not buy laying hens that sit still often, or do not walk in the peppy manner known to chickens.

When choosing chickens solely for food and meat consumption, the most common breeds that will provide good quality meat are Ross, Arbor Acres, and Peterson chickens. These three breeds are the most commonly preferred for their meatiness and provide proper amounts of nutrients as well. Purchasing these chickens requires a good eye for healthy specimens or good quality chicks from healthy laying hens that are able to be raised healthy to produce the best quality meat when the time arrives.

Saving money is a good notion, but buying the cheapest chicks, laying hens, broilers, or fryers is not always the best idea. Sometimes those cheap chickens are cheap for a reason and that reason could be an un-noticed disease or a sickly bird that could infect an entire coop, leaving you with dead or damaged chickens. If you find a good supplier that produces top quality specimens, sticking with them would be wise and perhaps working out variations of deals or payments can be made with consent to continue purchasing from them exclusively. Finding a supplier is not difficult, but finding a trustworthy and excellent one can be. Trust your gut instinct and for whatever else you don’t know — learning is the key.
Timothy A. Crane has an online auction site, where it is FREE to buy or sell anything from real estate to chickens. It was started by my daughter and I. Stop by and register for FREE http://www.chickenauctions.com

Awesome Rooster

Choosing to raise gamefowl can be an gigantic undertaking, but with the right research and information you will be able to handle it like a pro. Knowing your breeds is perhaps the first and most important step to beginning the process. Have you decided whether the gamefowl will be raised for food or game only? These are important questions and information you will need to be aware of before commencing onto the next steps involved to breeding or raising gamefowl.

If you have decided for certain you are going to raise them, the next step is educating yourself on the different breeds and types of wild fowl available for domestic raising. The main types that are available in the United States are literally thousands of types of quail, pheasant, partridge, ducks, and chickens. Far too many to name individually, but there are excellent sites online that give you specific information for any certain breed/type you are searching for. These gamefowl are mostly available through alot of means, whether trained or not and most of them at just about any age. If you are considering placing your gamefowl in competitions you may want to acquire younger fowl to allow for ample time for training and a healthy growth rate.

When it comes to feeding your gamefowl with the best nutrients and vitamins necessary to promote their health and well being, selecting good grains, corn, wheat and feed is important. Once again, knowing the exact information of your fowl (breed/type/main activity) is also necessary to this selection of food and is one of the determining factors in the fowls general health and success. Specific diets are available for research for different uses, such as cockfighting. Cockfighting requires a different diet to maintain the strength and stamina of the cocks being raised for this purpose as such, where as quail, pheasant, or ducks that are being raised for food will need a special diet to best prepare their carcass for eating. All forms of diets to best suit your purposes are available in books at your local library, or online using a specific title in a search engine.

Clean water is quite nearly the very essence of all fowl, whether gamefowl or not. This is a necessity for all fowl, that they have sufficient clean, fresh water daily. Just as with the nutrition, the hydration of your fowl is also dependant on the training or use you have planned for them. Strict training requires less water at one time, but offered several more times during the day. If you are merely raising your fowl for eating, the hydration practices will be different from training your fowl for cockfighting or otherwise. This can also be researched online or in the library.

All in all, it is important to be completely versed in the facts and information surrounding the raising of gamefowl for whatever purpose you choose to do so. Embarking on this mission can be fascinating, educational, and fun filled. Being prepared with the best information you are able to find is the right way to get started and an excellent step in the right direction to success in your chosen activity.

An online auction site, where it is FREE to buy or sell anything from real estate to chickens. It was started by my daughter and I, to give people a place to display their birds.
Stop by and register for free at my website, which is at http://www.chickenauctions.com

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To better understand the numerous types and kinds of bantam chickens, we need to understand the actual definition of the word. When used in relation to fowl or chickens, bantam is used for any extremely small fowl. The way most people have understood this rating is by understanding that for most of the regular breeds of chickens there are some bantam counterparts. These are most often one-fourth to one-fifth the size of the standard chickens, thus earning them the addition of miniature or bantam to their original name.

When considering the original namesake of bantam, this chicken or fowl has no regular counterpart. The most popular and commonly known bantam chickens are the Dutch bantam, the Sebright bantam, the Japanese bantam and the Dutch bantam. Due in part to their size and ease of care, bantams have rapidly risen to the top of the list as pets used primarily for shows or competitions. Because of their size, they require far less food, space, and maintenance resulting in their previously mentioned status as preferred pets.

Some of the most widely known breeds of bantam chickens are the Cochin, Japanese Bantams, common Bantam, Barnevelder, Old English Game, Polish chicken, D’Uccle, Pekin, Serama and the Sussex bantams. The following are brief descriptions of them:

The Cochin bantam is one of the largest breeds of bantams with the male known for weighing in at a surprising 5 Kg. (11 pounds). This particular bantam breed was introduced in China as the Chinese Shanghai and later exported to America and Britain. Another bantam breed closely related and developed from this breed is the Pekin bantam.

Japanese bantams which are commonly referred to as Chao, have spread world wide. These chickens are mostly used in shows and as pets.

Barnevelder bantam is one of the most popular breeds of bantam chickens for shows, carcass, and egg production. Producing rich brown eggs is their specialty and they are natural foragers on top of being a medium heavy breed which makes them excellent for either gaming or food.

Old English Game bantams also make excellent pets for children and are a source of special shows in the United Kingdom for this specific popular breed. This bantam breed is almost opposite to it’s standard counterpart, the Old English Game chicken in that it lacks an aggressive nature.

The Polish chicken is mainly bred for show abilities due to the fact that their appearance is beautiful. having many such colors as red, pink, purple, green and blue, these bantams do not sit on eggs, but produce white eggs.

Uccle is a town on the outskirts of Brussels, Belgium and is the namesake of the Barbu D’Uccle bantam with soft feathers. This chicken received it’s name from the French, translating as Bearded of Uccle.

The Pekin bantam, which has feathers on their legs and feet together with plumage that hangs to the ground, have been referred to as a “walking tea-cosy”. Noticeably smaller, measuring in at 20 - 30 centimeters and are well known for their mothering instincts.

The Serama bantam breed of chickens is basically still in production. Although they are currently ranked as the smallest chickens in the world, their breed has not been bred true as of yet, meaning breeding them could result in any color, shape, size, etc.

The Sussex bantam is one-quarter the size of it’s standard counterpart, better know as the most common of backyard chickens in different countries around the world.

An online auction site, where it is FREE to buy or sell anything from real estate to chickens. It was started by my daughter and I, to give people a place to display their birds.
Stop by and register for free at my website, which is at http://www.chickenauctions.com

Having bird feeders is a wonderful way to enjoy having birds frequent your garden, yard, or any place in which you may live.  The type of bird feeder that you choose depends on where you live.  There are some basic features to watch for when purchasing or building your bird feeders.  You also need to know how to maintain your bird feeder to keep your feathered friend coming back to spend time with you.

Types of Bird Feeders

The type of bird feeder that you purchase or build depends on the type of birds that you want to attract, the type of food needed to attract the birds and the area where the bird feeder will be placed.  Hummingbirds for example require a liquid food called nectar.  Hummingbird feeders are usually plastic or glass and bright red or have parts that are bright red.  Plastic and glass feeders are easy to clean.  Glass feeders usually have a tub that the hummingbirds can drink from.  These types of feeders are made to hang.  They can be hung from trees, overhangs, windows and other areas.  Suet feeders are wire mesh or plastic mesh feeders that hold suet. These feeders hang from a pole or trees. Examples of the type of birds attracted to these feeders are woodpeckers, jays and others. Thistle feeders for small birds such as goldfinch and redpolls have tiny holes that allow these birds to eat the seeds. Thistle feeders may be hung from a tree or a pole. Hopper feeders are great because they can hold a large amount of bird seed that is kept dry and protected.  It is recommended to place this type of feeder on a pole approximately five feet from the ground.  Hopper feeders provide you with a variety of different birds.  You may have large birds such as cardinals eating from the hopper and what is dropped to the ground is then eaten by smaller birds. Sunflower seed tube feeders are hung at least five feet from the ground.  This is the type that you see hung close to windows and are easy to see.  These maybe used by people who are not able to get out as often.  This is one feeder that easily allows them to enjoy watching birds.

Maintenance of Bird Feeders

It is essential that you maintain your bird feeder.  Bird feeders that are not kept clean may harbor diseases that can be passed on to other birds.  The best way to maintain your bird feeders and prevent the spread of infection is to “immerse the feeder in a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water” (Audubon Society). Cleaning up old seeds and hulls from under and around bird feeders can also help. One other item to consider with feeders is avoiding overcrowding. This will also make the maintenance of your bird feeders easier.  Hummingbird feeders should be cleaned with a solution of mild soap and water, rinse them thoroughly and dry.   Due to the use of nectar for feeding hummingbird feeders have to be cleaned more frequently

Placing several different types of bird feeders in the area that you have chosen will bring different types of birds. Enjoy hummingbirds, song birds, finches, chickadees, woodpeckers and many others. Finding out what types of birds there are in the region where you live makes the process of choosing the correct feeders easier.  Maintenance of your feeders is not hard when compared with the benefits and enjoyment. This is a fun and exciting project that the whole family can enjoy.  Have fun and make new feathered friends!