Raising Chickens at Home

Raising chickens at home is so easy and so much fun!

With a simple plan and some basic poultry supplies such as a guide book, a coop of some sort, a heat lamp, automatic watering can and automatic chicken feeders, and starter feed, you can get started just about any time that you could buy chicks.

First do your homework.  Read, ask questions, join a forum, hang out at the local farm store ~ wherever you can gather helpful information.  Then set your plan into motion by setting up a chicken coop or chicken house / “hen” house (barn, outbuilding or whatever you have to work with).

If fencing is used, note that the heavier chicken varieties won’t be able to fly over as easily at the smaller birds. You’ll feel like a mother hen yourself trying to find the ones who do manage to fly over!

Stop in at your local farm store or hatchery, pick up a pamphlet for selecting chicks and you’ll have all the information about each breed. Their coloring, sizes, egg production numbers, egg colors and even the adult weights of each. Also note that some varieties are just for eating and not eggs. They grow really fast and are ready for butchering in just a few months.

I didn’t know all of this when I started raising chickens at home, so my first order of chicks was called a “straight run” which means you get what you get. I learned fast that what I got, I didn’t want!  Some of the fast growers also known as broilers and/or heavies which are for butchering, some regular layers of any and all different  and unknown breeds and even some roosters.

Roosters are needed for protecting the hens and fertilizing the eggs, however, they typically are mean and I wasn’t into chickens for breeding. One of those dummies made the mistake of attacking my 280 pound husband. Soon we were both walking around the yard with brooms for our own protection!!!

This is Frank. He watched over “the girls”  so he would chase anything, including us, that came near!

The second season, I chose all egg  laying  chickens and several different varieties so  I could have all different colored eggs.

And NO roosters!

Fool me once…

But,  I do think that if you allow your flock to ‘free range’ or they aren’t well protected, a rooster may be your only warning and defense against lurking varmint attacks.  I may even do some more research on their personalities and reconsider for my next batch of chicks.

Although the free range choice of raising chickens seems to be what some call organic, it still depends on what you feed them. Also, remember that free range means they can eat anything they choose within their reach and that predators have easy access to a  chicken dinner !

The first few years I started raising chickens at home I had a dog. Not a hunting dog, just a loving pet.  She had no interest in the chickens so there was no fear of letting them wander around the homestead. And because of this dog, we had no predators. After she “left” us, the chicken loving killing varmints slowly started making their way closer and closer.

Finally I started loosing my chickens one by one even though they were in a closed up building/chicken house at night. About the 4th year with no dog some kind of varmint found a way into the chicken house and massacred every single chicken I had. What a sad and ugly scene that was to walk into. Of course I cried and cried. What to do? Get another dog and another batch of chicks?  …I’m still working on that!

That sad little story was just a warning to let you know what could happen if you’re not fully prepared for the whole raising chickens at home experience thing.

If that didn’t kick you off of the idea – go for it!

For some really helpful information and guidelines to start your chicken coop or hen house, click on this link!

Some pictures and reading materials for thought…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one works well if you’re thinking of only a couple of hens.

 

 

 

Order and buy your chicks from any chicken hatchery or farm store and they will help you with all of your poultry products and poultry questions.

There are so many kinds or breeds of chickens to choose from but if you want to just get a beginner’s start and have a great time watching, collecting and/or hatching eggs, laughing at all of the different personalities, etc. ~ go with basic laying chickens. They are relatively inexpensive, usually around $1.00 each and there are so many different varieties, colors and sizes.

Some will lay greenish blue eggs, some will lay light or dark brown eggs, some speckled and, of course, white. Some of my favorite chickens are the Silver Laced Wyandotts (black and white speckled), the Americanas (resemble the coloring of a hawk), Black Australorp (black with a greenish sheen) and the Buff Orpington (solid caramel color). The poultry hatcheries and farm stores that sell chicks will have a brochure with information on each breed, pictures and pricing.

If you have neighbors close by you should check with them to make sure there are no objections to your new hobby.

Also, some cities, towns and/or counties do have specific ordinances which must be followed. Have all of your ducks in a row before ordering your chickens !!!

Whether raising chickens at home for fun or for eggs for your family or for sale, chickens are easy, interesting, fun and funny pets.

Now that you’re excited to get started raising chickens at home, here are some important things to ponder on:

* Shelter:  There are so many variables- from where you live to how many chickens you will have in the shelter, chicken coop, or chicken house. I personally live on a hobby farm, way out in the country in Minnesota. We have many varmints and quite often we have much radical weather. I have one end of a small old barn enclosed. The front door goes out into a fenced yard and the back door goes into the rest of the old barn. This makes raising chickens at home truly convenient and easy. During the day all of the chickens can play, hunt bugs or sleep inside or out. But at night I have to do a ‘head count’ and close both doors of the chicken shelter/barn tight.

Over the years, I have lost many of my chickens to minks, hawks, weasels and have been told racoons, however, it was always my understanding that racoons wanted the eggs rather than the chickens.  I did manage to live trap a mink once after he had his chicken dinner, but that was the only varmint I actually ever caught while raising chickens at home.

If you live in a more populated area and want to raise chickens at home, there are several shelters (or poultry coops /chicken coops) available. You could get a do it yourself book, building plans, “wing it” with some old lumber you may have, hire a professional or just order one! Depending on how many chickens you want to raise will determine which chicken coop would be the best for you.

Take note as to how easy it will be to collect the eggs, clean out the shelter, and get at the watering and feeding cans.

Also, depending on your weather, keep in mind that your chickens should have protection from wind, snow and/or blazing hot sun. Some are portable allowing you to move them around at your convenience. Different seasons bring different weather conditions. Another variable would be if you will allow your chickens out into the yard. This will give them more exercise which is important especially if you have too many birds in your coop. Do not over crowd them.

You’ve heard of a “Pecking Order” ? Well, it is a fact. There will be a couple of dominant hens who will peck at others and, at times,  fairly aggressively! So if your coop and/or yard are small keep this important fact in mind. These attacks have been known to rip out feathers and actually draw blood.

* Food:  Although chickens will eat just about anything, their main diet should be followed as instructed by your local farm store people. Most farm stores sell everything you’ll need to raise your chickens at home along with getting all of your questions and concerns answered. Also, the feed depends on what kind of chickens you’ll have, such as “heavies” (fast growers, used for meat) or “layers” (primarily for eggs). All poultry requires grit for digestion, vitamins and electrolytes for health and crushed oyster shells for calcium. Automatic food feeders and automatic water cans are available at your farm store and are good to use as the chickens can’t tip them over or use them for pooping!

* Water:  As with people, all animals and poultry require water and lots of it. An automatic waterer or automatic watering can is the best. I use a three gallon and that will last about 3 or 4 days for 15 chickens. This is where you mix in the vitamins and electrolytes. Be sure to follow the package carefully as a very small amount is all that is needed per fresh watering can. And anyone who lives in an area where water will freeze, you’ll probably need a heated base to set the watering can on. These are safe but should be plugged into a GFI outlet and set up on some sort of a platform off of any dry materials such as shavings or hay. I use a small pallet with a piece of tin under the can just for extra safety.

I also have the bags of feed stored in new, galvanized garbage cans with tight fitting lids. The cans keep the feed fresh, clean and free of bugs and mice looking for an easy meal!

* Clean up: No matter what pets you have there is always some sort of clean up. The tools you will need for raising chickens at home are fairly basic. A scoop shovel, pitch fork, maybe a broom and a yard cart, wheelbarrow or yard caddy of some sort. If you keep your chicken house clean it’s less likely that your birds will get sick or contract mites or lice. I use hay or baled field grasses for bedding. This is easy to fork or shovel up. Just load up the yard cart and dump into a compost pile and use it in your gardens. Chicken poop is said to be one of the best fertilizers and because it decomposes so rapidly there’s not much worry about burning plant roots as with cow manure which should be at least a year old.

For some other ideas on yard clean up and manicuring tools such as the Black and Decker Lawn Care Center, cordless hedge trimmers and edgers, power brooms and blowers, etc.,  see them at http://www.yardtoolreviews.org.

Again, remember that you can always ask the folks at your local farm store if you have questions. So, now you should be ready to start raising chickens at home!