Raising Chickens - Backyard Chicken Farming - 3 Tips to Get You Started

If you're interested in raising chickens backyard chicken farming might be for you. Backyard chicken farming is becoming more and more popular all over the world, and is taking off in major cities around North America. You no longer need a ranch to raise your own chickens and reap the benefits of the fresh, delicious eggs they produce. Here are three tips to help you get started raising your own chickens.

1) Hens are easier to deal with than roosters.

Hens are the egg producers, so they're obviously what you want to focus on. Hens are quieter, smaller, much less aggressive, and generally easier to deal with than roosters. If you do keep roosters on your property, keep it to an absolute minimum. Check with your municipal laws, as some areas don't even allow you to keep roosters.

2) Keep your chickens fenced in to one area.

If you keep chickens in your yard, it's very important that you designate a specific area for the chickens to reside in. You don't want the chickens having the run of your yard, or worse, somehow getting into your neighbours' yards. In the house is even worse, as chickens can do serious damage just through their natural behaviour.

3) Build your chickens a good quality coop.

If you want your chickens to product high quality, delicious eggs, you'll need to ensure that they're safe and healthy. Chickens living in a stressful environment simply won't lay good eggs so protecting your chickens from harsh elements and keeping them safe from hungry predators like foxes and racoons is absolutely essential. You can buy a pre-made coop, or a coop kit, but it'll be notably more expensive than building a coop yourself. There are multiple guides available on the net that will provide you with high quality plans and instructions, and you can build most coops without the need for special tools and previous building experience isn't necessary.

So if you think raising chickens might be something for you, remember to follow these simple tips. Raising chickens and harvesting fresh eggs is a joy that many people have embraced recently, and whether you love the idea of raising animals, or just love fresh eggs, it might be just what you're looking for.

How to Find a Selection of Plans For a Chicken Coop

The local library is a good resource for any information for everyone. In fact it is easy to get caught up in all the information, books and magazines available, so best to go in prepared with a list of exactly what you want.

Information resources are out there everywhere, so making a simple check off list of things to do and address in a given order, can really save a lot of time.

Tips - Check Off List:

1. Library - You can select these sections to narrow down your search for plans, as follows -

    Farming-Chicken Care
    Animals-Chickens
    Farm Animals- Roosters
    Ranch animals-Hens
    Agriculture

2. Bookstore: This may give you more exposure to magazines, small how to books, good pictures for design ideas. Other topic areas to check-

    Farming news
    Agriculture magazines
    Popular Mechanics- they cover a lot of home projects
    Home project magazines
    Landscape- Many coop designs are made to blend into your landscape, shrubs, trees, shaded areas

3. Internet Search - Now this is an endless research area, so lets just look at this for a moment, dig a bit, and narrow a search down, into the area you are seeking for information.You can burn up a lot of time looking at overwhelming information to no end, and no results, if you are not careful.

    Portable chicken coop plans
    Small chicken coop plans
    Chicken coop design plans on a budget
    Find at least one large site, with many options within

One thing that can help you sort through the internet, is finding one large helpful site, with a wide variety of pictures and designs. Easier to view in one location.

This is enough to get you started, how to find a selection of plans for a chicken coop I found quiet an overload of information everywhere, but the most difficult thing was finding exactly the design I had in mind.

Alpaca Farming - Tax Advantages of Alpaca Ownership

There are many advantages of alpaca ownership for a person filing a tax return. The tax laws change every year, and you may consult a qualified accountant specializing in farming and ranching.

Fortunately for you, the herd's value will increase gradually, as female alpacas only deliver one cria a year. This implies that you don't have to pay exorbitant tax on the rising value of your capital.

For instance, suppose you buy a pregnant dam for $20,000. After a year she will give birth to a cria, which may be a female. In another 3 years, this cria could give birth to another female cria. Meanwhile, the original dam mother would have had another 2 deliveries. So totally you would have 3 crias, valued at $45,000. And the original dam, now a proven female, will be valued at $25,000, or $5,000 more. The total profits would thus be $50,000.

As alpacas are your business capital, you can depreciate them, annually, using one of several depreciation methods. You can also depreciate fences, sheds used to house the animals, and alpaca transport vehicles, among other items.

A new rancher can usually qualify for a tax break, if the IRS is convinced that the farm is a for-profit enterprise. The question the IRS will ask is: has the farm made a profit in three years for every five years in business?

As this rule cannot be applied in the initial years, the IRS will look at the time spent by you on the farm, and whether you are making a living from the farm, the reasons for losses, whether you or your investing partners or employees know how to run the business profitably, and whether or not farming is merely your hobby.

You are also allowed to write off some expenses. These include amounts spent on building or repairs to a barn, the cost of building a fence, fees paid to an accountant, charges paid to hire labor, and insurance costs.

You can also deduct any amount spent for the care of your alpaca, such as vaccinations and other medical expenses, food and shearing expenses.

You are also allowed to deduct capital expenses up to $100,000, which should act as sufficient motivation for prospective ranchers in upper tax brackets.

The Farmer's Tax Guide is published by the IRS. This is intended to give ranchers sufficient information to be able to plan their tax returns with their accountants.

Tax laws in some states include exemptions for agriculture; land dedicated to farming is also entitled in some places for tax deductions. You don't have to pay sales tax, in some states, for expenses related to running your alpaca farm.

You could end up deducting a sizeable sum if you have invested in vehicles to transport your animals, and materials used for fencing and other improvements on your farm.

Brief description:

There are many advantages of alpaca ownership for a person filing a tax return. Virtually every expenses related to running an alpaca farm is deductible from your tax return. Some states even exempt you from having to pay sales tax on such expenses.
This article gives you the details.

There are lots of alpaca raisers who are in it for the money, because it's a good investment, with steady and sure returns. Also, if they have prior experience raising herd cattle, like sheep, they will already have the land and set-up required, making it easy for them, to embrace the alpaca lifestyle. In this article, I have highlighted some facts and figures about raising alpacas.

Highlands Ranch Homes for Sale - A Short Journey to the History of Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Highlands Ranch is an unincorporated community in Douglas County in the state of Colorado, US. It is considered one of the highly populated unincorporated communities in the US with a population reaching 70,931 based on the year 2000 census.

If you want to look into available Highlands Ranch homes for sale listed in quality Highlands Ranch real estate listings, it would be worthy to find out more about the place. In your task to learn more things about this community, it would be ideal to begin with its origin. This article will provide you with some excerpts on the history of this nice unincorporated community in Colorado.

The Roots of Highlands Ranch

The first residents of this community are nomadic tribes such as the Ute, Arapaho, and Cheyenne tribes who belong in the population of native Americans. After sometime, a French explorer named Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle claimed the entire Mississippi River basin for France and since the place now referred to as Highlands Ranch was part of it, naturally it was also claimed. It was named as part of Louisiana and was acquired by the United States from France's claim in 1803.

Stephen Harriman Long, a US engineer, military officer and explorer set off in this area in the early part of July 1820, which marks the first exploration in this area by explorers of the European and United States descent. No permanent settlers choose to move in this area until 1870 because there is no water in this part. It was Curtis H. Field who first legally settled here because he bought the land near the west side of Sta. Fe Drive on the 25th of February, 1870.

John Springer purchased approximately 23,000 acres of ranch land from different people who have settled in the area because he wants to turn the place into a cattle ranch. It was also him, who built the now very much recognized Highlands Ranch Mansion.

More and more people moved to Colorado in the later part of the 19th century until the early part of the 20th century. Although, the city of Denver blossomed at this point, but this place remained to be farms and ranches and most people go to Littleton to buy things that they need.

In 1937, the land owned by Springer was purchased by Lawrence Philipps, Jr and was later on bought by Marvin Davis, when he died. The Mission Viejo Company bought Highlands Ranch in 1978 and due to the expansion of Denver, they wanted to build another planned suburb in the northern part of the Douglas County similar to how they planned Mission Viejo, California. This marked the start of laying plans beginning with a number of major streets, several schools, public library, and a number of recreation centers including a town center. Private housing developers started to avail large parcels of land and this marked the start of creating several homes for sale featured in segmented communities in 1981.

The first public school, Northridge Elementary opened in 1982 followed by the Highlands Ranch Jr/Sr High School in 1987, which was later on named as Highlands Ranch High School in 1991 simultaneous with the opening of the first public library and the building of the nearby Cresthil Middle School.

Highlands Ranch Homes for Sale - The Start of the Booming Community

In 1991, which marks the 10th year of this community, residents reached 17,000 and in the succeeding years, this part of Colorado continuously grew remarkably with the further development of primary establishments and the continued efforts of many housing developers to provide quality homes that helped sparked the Highlands Ranch real estate industry. Bit by bit different companies have started to set foot and establish their headquarters in this place as more and more families continue to move in this pleasant community until the population was recorded at 86, 000 in 2006. At present, this community is still steadily growing although it is still considered as a bedroom community of the city of Denver.

French Ideas For Contemporary House Plans

Architectural styles and tastes are as fickle as the breeze. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as the case may be) a home is not an item which can be changed as readily as a dress or suit of clothes. What may be considered stylish today may be viewed as passe or dated tomorrow. Some styles such as ranch house plans come and go in current architectural fashion, so what is considered stylish at one time may come to be viewed as tacky and then as quaint or in revival. Therefore, since your house is very much a reflection of who you are and how you are seen by your community, you should consider carefully the sturdiness of the architectural style you choose for your house as well as how convenient or appropriate that style is to your lifestyle. It might be well to take into consideration those architectural styles which have proven their durability over the years or centuries which never really go out of fashion. For example, the French country style has been continuously popular in America - particularly in the South - ever since the colonial period. The French concepts of design and beauty have always resonated with Americans, ever since the early American architects studied in France and returned with the French eye and French taste. Many early houses in North America were inspired directly by the buildings of Paris and the pastoral setting of the French countryside. Today, many contemporary architects look to France for its eye-catching details such as French doors which are made with many small glass panes. The French country style also features designs embossed or carved on banisters, sconces, and moldings.

The French country style originated in America with French settlers in Louisiana, who created contemporary house plans suitable for a wet, hot climate. These homes had tall porches sheltered by steep, hipped roofs. This French Creole style is still popular in the southern Mississippi Valley and along the Gulf coast. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of many French country homes is the tall second-story windows which are often arched at the top, and which rise above the eaves, breaking through the cornice. This rather unusual design for windows - quite popular on American French Provincial houses - was modeled after the stately, formal French provincial country manor houses.

These homes are usually built of brick or stucco, are symmetrical in shape with the windows balanced on either side of the entrance, and have steep, hipped roofs. The tall second-story windows contribute to the feeling of height. In Normandy and in the Loire Valley barns and farm silos were frequently attached to main living areas instead of separated. After the First World War, Americans created a romantic version of traditional French country house plans called the French Normandy style, which is distinguished by an attached round tower of stone topped with a cone shaped roof, which serves as the entrance to the house. These houses are sided with brick, stucco, or stone and usually decorated with half-timbering (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal wooden strips set in masonry).

The Reason Meat and Animal Products Can Negatively Impact Your Weight Loss and Diet Plan

In my previous articles I explained how we basically get our nutrition from 3 main "food" sources: plant (fruits and vegetables), animal (beef, cheese, chicken, eggs, etc.) and laboratory synthesized (high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, hydrogenated oils, etc). I then went on to explain how the fruit and vegetables of today are grossly lacking in the nutrition that they once possessed years ago.

Today, I want to talk about out meat based foods and explain that the problem with these is not with what they are lacking, but what is being added. You need to understand the reasons that meat and animal products can negatively impact your weight loss and diet plan.

Let's look at beef as an example. Personally, a good steak or a slice of prime rib is one of my favourite meals. But where does beef come from?

Well duh! It comes from cows.

And who raises cows?

Well the answer to that should be a "no brainer" as well. Farmers raise cows. And that is the way it should be.

I live in rural Quebec. My neighbours are all farmers and they all raise cows. I see these cows out in the fields every day in the spring, summer and fall happily grazing on grass. In the winter, they have a huge barn which they have access to which is full of fresh hay for them to eat. These are the cows that I eat.

But are these the cows that you purchase in your local grocery store?

Sadly they are not. My neighbours barely make enough money from their herds to cover the expenses of these animals. First the calf has to purchased, then it has veterinary expenses, then it needs nutritional supplements (farmers know that the soil is missing certain elements and thus compensate for that. In our region, our soil is completely lacking in selenium.), then there is the electricity the barn uses for lights and to keep the water from freezing, and lastly there are tons of fuel expenses for cutting and transporting the hay.

Most small rural farmers raise cattle as a side income only. "Farmers" can't make much money raising cattle because they have to compete with "industry" who are the primary cattle raisers in North America. Some of the largest cattle "ranches" in the USA are found in Arizona. In fact, they aren't even called ranches or farms. They are called Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO). 97% of all beef in the U.S. comes from CAFOs.

"So what is wrong with Arizona?" you may ask.

What do naturally eat? Grass.

What type of environment is Arizona? It's a desert. So... no grass.

Cows have 4 stomachs. They evolved in this manner as they are a grazing animals that are meant to eat grass at a leisurely pace and slowly digest it in their stomachs. But since raising cows in these feed lots is not about producing food, it's about producing money, CAFOs don't have the time to fatten their cows naturally.

So in these feed lots cows are primarily fed a mixture of grain and corn, and in some cases rendered protein and even concrete dust! Rendered protein is the ground up carcasses of dead pigs (this is a problem because cows are herbivores, not carnivores). Concrete dust was found to increase the weight of cows at auction (heavier cows sell for more money!).

In the CAFOs, living conditions are not quite the same as here on my neighbouring farms and the cows are stressed. Stressed animals have weakened immune systems. Cows with weak immune systems are at greater risk for illness. Living in such high density corrals means that if one cow gets sick, they likely all will. So to reduce the risk of losing a cow, most cattle are fed prophylactic antibiotics to keep them "healthy".

Don't think of CAFOs as farms, they are cattle factories just like a car factory. Do you think Ford wants to spend a full month getting a car through the assembly line? No they want that car to be built and out of there as quickly as possible. It's the same with the beef. The more cattle they can pump through in a year, the more money they make.

To encourage growth in these cows they are also administered growth hormones and steroids. So here you have cows that are taking regular injections of antibiotics, steroids and growth hormones, eating a diet that is completely unnatural to them, and packed into a super small living space. On top of that, the feed that they are fed is itself genetically modified and loaded with herbicides, pesticides and other chemicals.

These are the cows that are sent to slaughter and end up in your grocery stores! This is the beef you are eating. Pigs, chickens, lambs, and even fish are all raised in pretty much the same manner and experience the same outcome.

Just think about it. If your food is full of antibiotics, hormones, and chemicals, what makes you immune to them?

Have you noticed how big kids are these days? Have you noticed how early young girls start to physically mature? The kids today look a lot different now than when I went to public school just 30 short years ago. Do think this might have something to do with all the steroids and growth hormones they are getting second hand in their milk and meat products?

In the case of vegetables, your body is being placed under stress due to a lack of nutrition. In the case of meat, your body is being placed under stress due to the added chemicals and hormones. In an upcoming article, I'll discuss how it is these stressors on the body, and not the number of calories that are primarily responsible for weight gain and excess body and visceral fat.