Raising Chickens in Alberta
This is the warm space baby chicks need for their first few weeks of life.
What is a brooder?
100: This root vegetable with edible tops is red on the outside and grows well in cool weather.
→ What is a beet?
100: Mushrooms belong to this kingdom of organisms.
→ What is fungi?
100: These raised garden structures warm up earlier in spring.
→ What are raised beds?
100: This is the term for young cows that have not had a calf.
→ What is a heifer?
Alberta’s winters mean backyard chicken coops need this to protect birds from drafts.
→ What is insulation?
200: These two garden fruits need staking or cages to grow upright.
→ What are tomatoes and peas?
200: This common indoor mushroom is grown on manure-based compost.
→ What is the button mushroom?
200: Covering plants with cloth or plastic to protect from frost is called this.
→ What is row covering or frost protection?
200: Alberta ranchers move cattle to these large open areas for summer grazing.
→ What are pastures or range?
These two chicken breeds are common egg layers in Alberta: one brown-egg, one white-egg layer.
→ What are Rhode Island Reds and Leghorns?
300: This leafy green can survive light frost and thrives in zone 3b spring gardens.
→ What is kale?
300: Outdoor mushroom logs are usually inoculated with this material, containing mushroom cells.
→ What is spawn?
300: This method of watering places water at the soil level, reducing evaporation.
→ What is drip irrigation?
300: This identification method uses a tag in the animal’s ear.
→ What is ear tagging?
400: Chickens need this substance (tiny stones) to help them grind their food.
→ What is grit?
400: Known for its strong smell, this herb returns each year (perennial) even in cold zones.
→ What is chives?
400: These two mushrooms are commonly grown on logs in cool Canadian climates.
→ What are shiitake and oyster mushrooms?
400: Mixing compost into the soil adds this important nutrient category.
→ What are organic nutrients (or matter)?
400: Cows need this mineral, often provided in a loose form or block, for healthy bones.
→ What is salt or mineral supplement?
500: This predator, common to rural Alberta, often digs under coops to get chickens.
→ What is a fox or coyote?
500: This hardy berry shrub grows well in Alberta and produces tart, red fruit.
→ What is a currant or raspberry?
500: This word refers to the thread-like body of a mushroom that grows through the substrate.
→ What is mycelium?
500: This technique stretches the gardening season by starting seedlings indoors.
→ What is seed starting or indoor germination?
500: Alberta’s beef industry often finishes cattle on this type of farm with grain-based feed.
→ What is a feedlot?