Raising your own chickens for food or as a hobby can be a rewarding experience. Here are a few things to consider when starting a new flock of chicks.

Prepare a safe location for your “brooder”, which will be your chicks’ home for several weeks. The brooder should be indoors, to ensure protection from predators, and kept away from drafts. Once the chicks are between 8 to 12 weeks old you can begin getting them used to their outdoor coop home. Chicks make a mess, so be sure to line the brooder to absorb the mess.

In addition to avoiding drafts, the brooder needs to be kept warm. Chicks need a constant temperature between 90 – 95 degrees for the first week. You may wish to include a climate thermometer on the floor of the brooder to keep track of the temperature. Pay attention to the behavior of your chicks as well. If they clump together under the heat lamp, you may need to add another lamp, or if they avoid that area completely, you may need to lower the temperature by raising the lamp.

Use feeders and waterers made for baby chicks. These are designed to keep the food and water at a level the chicks can reach, but without allowing the chicks to spill or get droppings in their food or water. Also, be certain to choose the proper feed for your chicks. Feeding them the same food as your hens may cause digestive or kidney issues, as that feed is too high in calcium for the chicks to handle. Ask us about the right feed for your chicks.

Dogs and cats, especially those kept indoors, shed some all year long. But longer days and warmer temperatures will trigger increased shedding in your pets.

Stay ahead of the shedding by setting aside time to brush your pet. Be sure to purchase the best brush or comb for the kind of coat your pet has. Frequent brushing not only reduces shedding, but also reduces the occurrence of hairballs for cats.  We recommend FURminator deShedding tools.  

Check that your pet’s diet contains omega-3 fatty acids, or include a supplement that contains them. This helps to keep your pet’s coat healthy and shiny.  Dr. Gary’s Best Breed Dog & Cat Food provides the proper balance of omega fatty acids to keep your pet’s coat healthy.  As a supplement,  ask us about Coco Therapy.  

Shedding is a normal, healthy process in your pets. With a little bit of care, it doesn’t have to inconvenience you.

Every garden requires pollinators, and bees are among the finest. Without them there would be limited flowers and far fewer fruits and vegetables. Did you know that about 30% of the food we eat depends on the pollination of bees?

Although there are many bees that are great pollinators, like carpenter, mining, sweat and cellophane bees, some of the most well know and easily identified bees are the honey and bumble bee. Both of these bees live in social colonies and are cavity nesters. Because these bees are active all summer long, they require a constant supply of floral nectar close to their hive. Some of the biggest threats to the continued and healthy existence of these two bees are habitat loss, which causes inadequate nesting and scarce food supplies, and pesticide drift.

Bring more bees to your garden by planting a variety of native flowers that will bloom throughout the entire summer. Keep the bees in your garden by eliminating chemical use, especially while plants are in flower. Be kind to bees in your garden by providing a safe place for shelter and to lay their eggs. Make sure that there is an available water source for your bees. A birdbath works just fine.

NATIVE PLANTS THAT ATTRACT BEES
Apple Malus
Aster Aster
Blackberry & Raspberry Rubis
Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia
Blueberries Vaccinium
Currant Ribes
Elder Sambucus
Goldenrod Solidago
Highbush Cranberry Viburnum
Joe-pye weed Eupatorium
Lupine Lupinus
Penstemon Penstemon
Purple coneflower Echinacea
Redbud Cercis
Rhododendron Rhododendron
Sage Salvia
Stonecrop Sedum
Sunflower Helianthus
Willow Salix