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EmailSo, you'd like to get started raising chickens? Be sure you're ready to commit! Here's the first post of a beginner's guide. Let's "start from scratch," so to speak.
There’s a lot to like about raising your own chickens.The eggs are a real temptation—tastier and fresher than any store eggs and better for baking, too.The shells, along with the chicken poop, can be tossed right into the compost pile. Much of the day, the birds entertain themselves, picking at grass, worms, beetles, and all of the good things that go into making those yummy farm eggs.
Remember, though: Nothing good comes easy.
- You'll need a coop. It has to hold a feeder and water containers and a nest box for every three hens. It should be large enough that you can stand in it to gather eggs and shovel manure.
- Chickens need food (and water) daily. Feed is about $20 per 50-pound bag at my co-op; how long a bag lasts depends on the number of chickens that you have.
- Hens will lay through spring and summer and into the fall, as long as they have 12 to 14 hours of daylight. Expect to collect eggs daily, or even twice a day.
- All year ‘round, you’ll have to shovel manure.
- If you go away, you need a reliable chicken-sitter, and they are scarcer than hens’ teeth.
Still interested?
Chickens are sociable, so plan to keep four to six birds. They’ll need space—at least 2 square feet of coop floor per bird. The more space, the happier and healthier the chickens will be; overcrowding contributes to disease and feather picking.
The birds will need a place to spread their wings, so to speak: a 20x5-foot chicken run, for example, or a whole backyard. (My hens had lots of outdoor time. They had places to take a dust bath and catch a few rays.) Either way, the space must be fenced to keep the chickens in and predators out. (Did you know? Predators include your own Fido and Fluffy.) Add chicken-wire fencing and posts or T-bars to support it to your list of equipment.
All of this costs money. The materials to build and furnish a coop and a 20x5-foot run are going to set you back $300 to $400. If you can’t do this work yourself, you'll also be buying skilled labor. Want to increase your flock? Young chicks need a brooder lamp for warmth, but don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.
In my next post, we'll talk about choosing the right chicken breed.
Elizabeth Creith has fifteen years of experience keeping chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys on her farm in Northern Ontario. She currently dreams of a new flock of fancy chickens. Elizabeth and her husband also have six and a half years experience running a pet store. On top of that, she's kept more animals than you can imagine from cats to cockatoos!
Comments
Loving My Chickens
I would highly recommend getting chickens! Once you get the coop built and critter-proof, it's not that much work. If you have enough hens you can pay for the food with the eggs that you sell...and they taste soooo much better than the store eggs.
Loving my chickens
I agree - chickens are pretty low maintenance once you get the predator-proofing in place. I really enjoyed mine!
I got creative for my coop
I got creative for my coop and used an extra large dog crate for my coop. I removed the pan from the bottom and zip tied 1/2 inch mechanics mesh on the bottom. I used a dowel for the perch. I bungied a Real Lemon bottle with a watering attachment upside down in the coop. I made a 3 sided concrete block frame to set the crate upon (and painted and planted pentas all around it and in the open front part I slid the pan. Now when it's time to clean out the coop all I have to do is hose out the bottom of the coop and spray down the pan. To keep them safe from rain and cold I fashioned a tarp that rolls down the back and sides of the coop and use an infra red lamp for the cold. My girls lay almost every day! I only have two, but they have a 15 x 15 run that they happily dig up every day. All I have to do is spray out the coop and rake out the yard. For the nest box I used a plastic round planter that is nestled in an iron frame (used to be a foot stool, very ornate and looks like a little throne with a nest on top).
Love 'em!
Just this morning as my wife and I ate breakfast, I mentioned how blessed we are to have these eggs. We have had chickens for a lot of years. I would like to offer a few pointers: 1) I put a timer in my coop so the light comes on every morning at 6:00 and off every night at 8:00. I get eggs all year long. 2) When the hens get old, it's hard to cull them because you feel endeared to them for all the many breakfasts they have provided. Do the hard thing and thin your herd. Your production will be better for it.
We don't use lights on our
We don't use lights on our hens. The hens need that rest in the low laying season. I would never force or fool my hens into laying by adding the additional hours of light just to get a few extra eggs from them.
You don't eat them? They can
You don't eat them? They can add a nice supper to the list of provided meals.
I'm excited to follow this as
I'm excited to follow this as I'm debating having my own chickens on my farm!
Chickens are awesome little
Chickens are awesome little creatures! We have 9 bantams (smaller versions). 7 hens and 2 roosters. We hatched out some eggs and got another rooster. Thought there would be problems w/2 roosters, but it's not. Maybe it's because they are related. i love my chickens! You wouldn't think it but they have such personality. Keep them safe, dry and clean and it's a joy.
I have had 3 roosters at one
I have had 3 roosters at one time and didn't even know it because 1 becomes dominant, the "alpha".... when I gave away my rooster, all of a sudden, one of the other two became dominant! The same thing happened with the third when I found a home for my second rooster! It was a really neat evolution to watch!
It is great you are covering this
Hi
Chickens are great even without the eggs. My kids moved me to town. I was so sad without my chickens. My son in law finally built me a chicken tractor and brought in my Silkies. I am content here now. They have such funny personalities. I will very much enjoy this. We did a frame run. The "T" posts are not strong enough for a determined big dog.
That's one determined dog if
That's one determined dog if it's damaging metal T-posts! A frame run is a great idea. Did you have to go to hardware cloth instead of chicken wire?
Excited
I am really excited about this blog. My fiance and his family have always had chickens. They are all gone now, but we are considering starting back up with them. I agree with everybody about the taste of fresh eggs as compared to store bought. I have fibromyalgia, and one of the best things I have done for myself is to study foods and keep a food diary. When I eat organic and fresh, non-processed foods, I do much better. I am looking forward to the next blog! Happy farming :)
Plus it tastes better! I was
Plus it tastes better! I was shocked to learn that grocery store eggs are at least ten days old when they hit the shelf.
Most eggs in cafes and stores
Most eggs in cafes and stores can be around 6 months old as told to me from a supplier to cafe chain.
Chicken blog
LOVE IT and thanks. I need this!!!
Aw, thanks! I'm glad you're
Aw, thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it, and I hope it goes on being useful to you.
Love my chickies!
I would recommend researching the predators in your area, as well as breeds of chickens that are best suited to where you live. We love having chickens and allow them free-range. However, if you are particular about your patio furniture, or anything for that matter, you need to know that they will perch wherever they can. We do close them up in a coop at night so they do have a safe place to go, but we do have a significant problem with black snakes in warmer weather. Also, our chickens seem to delight in hiding their eggs, so if you do free-range you will probably spend a lot of time looking for nests of eggs and/or chickens hiding and setting eggs to hatch. That being said, I would not trade our chickies for store-bought eggs, nor for the entertainment they provide with their antics. They are also very helpful in the compost pile by turning it over looking for food. Thanks for the blog, I look forward to additional entries.
Great advice, Jerri.
Great advice, Jerri.
re:chicken blog
come from a long line of chicken farmers, love 'em! And their daily offerings of food, fun and compost building donations are great too.....
Chicken Blog
So glad to see this...I've been contemplating starting a coop! Keep the advice rolling. Do you have any suggestions for breeds that are "especially heat hardy" I live in the southern most part of South Carolina and our summers can be nasty.
Heat is a problem, isn't it?
Heat is a problem, isn't it? Worse than cold. Check out the breed list on backyardchickens.com - it's not complete, but it's pretty good.
Chicken Poop and Rosters
Just so you know, chicken poop is very harsh so don't plan on using it in your garden which, by the way may be destroyed by your chickens--they scratch everywhere! And roosters can be mean and deadly to ones ankles. Mom had four hens and two roosters. They were all gorgeous but the roosters did not like my sister and I. We had to use a broom to keep them off our ankles if we went in her backyard. I build the coop and I loved the chickens. They are great fun to watch and they do have personalities. Don't know why only my sister and I weren't their favorites--they did not bother Mom or Dad or my brothers and their wives! Wish I could have chickens in my condo!
Chicky poo is great for the
Chicky poo is great for the garden after it has been composed for 90 days. We have 39 hens and 5 roosters and not one of my roosters have attacked a visitor or family member. In addition, we put up fencing to keep the chickens out of the gardens, they are trainable. If one gets in, they are immediately traumatized with the hose, yelling and clapping. I have yelled at them from the top floor out the window and was surprised that they got the message and got out!! They're smarter than you think.
Michelle, you're right about
Michelle, you're right about chicken manure being to harsh to put straight on the garden. Composting is the way to go. And PellyRdGirl, thanks for the chicken-training tips.
Lol traumatized with the
Lol traumatized with the hose!
So excited to see this
So excited to see this subject as I've been contemplating raising some chickens (no roosters.) Recently moved to a farm and I am in heaven and want to take advantage of the space and area to have some feathered friends - but want to do it RIGHT for the chickens sake. So, have been doing much research and was glad to come across this when I came to FA to see about seed starting. Am looking forward to reading future snippets as I can use all the info I can get.
I've always wondered, though; I see where chickens have personality - but can they be cuddly? In other words, do they enjoy human company and/or interaction?
And is it necessary to have a heat lamp for the cooler climes? We live in northern Ohio......
No heat lamp necessary. I
No heat lamp necessary. I live in Northern Ontario, and only used heat lamps for babies (chicks and lambs). Even in -40 weather, the chickens were fine as long as they were sheltered.
Do chickens have to have a
Do chickens have to have a rooster around to lay eggs? I say no, but my friend says yes. I don't want babies or meat, just the eggs. Thanks for the info. I really enjoyed reading it and everyone's input. Yes, chickens can be cuddly. I used to carry mine in the basket of my bicycle as a little girl. Also, my mother would hold her and pet her neck until she fell asleep. Happy Farming to You All.
Hens will lay eggs with or
Hens will lay eggs with or without a rooster around, but those eggs will be infertile.
No not at all only if you
No not at all only if you want them fertilized by the male...
So happy to hear about the
So happy to hear about the cold weather. I'm a country girl-city girl-finally going back to the country girl and can hardly wait for my chickens to raise. Thanks for all this great info!
This will be our second year
This will be our second year with our Chickens and we started out with four, on was killed by a crow so we knew we had to cover the top of their outside area, now we have 16 chickens and they have a large chicken coop, with a large free range to go in and out freely, and a nestling area that we can use to just lift up the hinged top to collect eggs from the ouside, the coop is full of hay and long three long perches that they perch and sleep on at night, we feed them lots of corn, they love old crusty bread, we get over a dozen eggs a day, and give to family and friends so its so worth to have chickens and the kids love to come feed them..
what is best to feed them for
what is best to feed them for winter??
are there any issues with
are there any issues with chickens carrying diseases that cause human illness?
I had chickens growing up and
I had chickens growing up and loved raising them for 4H. We will be moving back to the country very soon where we can garden and enjoy home canning. I insisted to my husband that we order chickens and begin raising them. It will give me a great deal of peace knowing that between the garden and the chickens my family will always be well fed no matter what the economy does.
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