Keeping Chickens - A Death In The Family

Keeping chickens is great fun, but it can be hard. Tell anyone that your cat has died, or your guinea pig or even your budgie, and chances are they’ll respond with a modicum of tact and sympathy.

Not so when it comes to saying goodbye to a chicken.

“Well that’s dinner sorted out, then.” is the common response or “Curried or casserole?”

But our chickens are pets – and you wouldn’t eat your pet, would you? Also, to be pragmatic about it, they’re laying hens, which means they’re pretty stringy and, by the time they go to the great chicken coop in the sky, are also rather old and tough.

Even if we weren’t vegetarian, there would be precious little to do with them apart from making stock. But it does prompt the question of what do you do with chickens when it’s the end.

Although hens can live to a relative old age – I’ve heard of them living up to 10 years – a shorter lifespan is much more common. The little brown hybrid laying machines, which have been bred over the years to pop out an egg on a daily basis, have correspondingly short lives. They’re lucky to make it to three or four years, although some miraculous birds last a while longer than that. Pure breeds, which take a break from laying for a few months each winter, and which only lay every couple of days, can expect to live longer.

All of this means it’s inevitable that the chicken-keeper will face a death in the flock sooner rather than later, so it’s as well to have a plan. I’m relatively unusual in the rural area where I live in that I don’t treat my little flock as livestock. That means that I even take them to the vet when they are ill. This, I might add, is greeted with some incredulity among the local farming community (and sometimes at the vet’s, too).

In particular, people seem to think it very odd that I’ve taken hens to the vet to be put to sleep – that’s really not the done thing in the country. But what are the alternatives? In the three years that I’ve been keeping chickens, I’ve lost four – and, as I write, one of the current 11 is looking a bit wobbly on her feet.

The first casualty when I started keeping chickens was Agatha, one of the three ex-battery hens which arrived in November 2009. She didn’t quite manage it to a year out of prison, but it’s actually amazing she lasted as long as she did. From the start she was always a bit hopeless, really. Her bottom – rather than being fluffy and clean like the others, and despite regular worming – tended to be matted with poo, which we regularly had to cut off with scissors so that she wasn’t dragging round this great faecal weight. That meant we also used to spray her bare bum with gentian violet spray to stop her being attacked by the others, for whom a bright red bottom is like a rag to a bull.

Agatha was also too slow to get any of the treats which we threw into their run, which inevitably meant she was hand fed corn and other titbits so that she wasn’t left out – I told you they’re pets. Despite all that, she seemed to have a happy enough life, although she rarely laid an egg. Around nine months after we got her, however, she started to look miserable and unhappy and hunched up. She was probably aged less than two and a half at this point. A trip to the vet confirmed she had a blockage from which she wouldn’t get better, so we said goodbye.

The next two had the consideration to fall off the perch (not literally) while we were away, leaving my lovely chicken-sitting neighbour to cope. The first death was expected – Wonky had been looking a bit, well, wonky, for a while, with a recurring limp for which she was under veterinary attention (don’t even ask about the bills); and the second wasn’t a huge surprise. The most recent also involved a trip to the vet and another fatal injection.

So why do I go the pricy vet route? I personally don't want to wring their neck or chop off their head as they are my pets and deserve more respect than that. If you think I'm being soppy, then try and kill a chicken yourself. It's not a pleasant experience and if don't wrong, can result in a lot of stress for the chicken and the executioner. I think they deserve better than that.

Of course sometimes death isn’t intentional. One friend lost a chicken to her lurcher dog (who was well and truly walloped with a Wellington boot and is now the hens’ best friend). The dog had left the chicken half-dead, so my friend had to finish her off with a meat cleaver and was traumatised for days. I admire another friend along the road who, having decided to breed chickens for the table as well as for eggs, has taken on the responsibility of killing them herself. My feeling, largely, is that if you eat meat you should be prepared to kill it – or at least not try to pretend that the killing part doesn’t happen. (And I know that’s easy for me to say as a vegetarian).

Given that my little flock isn’t intended for that route, however, I’m happy to outsource the task to ensure that there’s as little suffering as possible – yes, for me as well as for the chicken. But what to do with the little chicken corpses? Would you be surprised if I confessed to having a little hen graveyard, with individual headstones lovingly carved, for each of my girls who have gone to the great coop in the sky? No, don’t be silly – they’re double-bagged and put in the bin. They might be pets, but I’m keeping chickens and I'm not that soppy....although it might be different when my favourite hen Ena goes ;)

Keeping Chickens For Dummies

Practical how-to advice for keeping chickens. Versions available below for both USA & UK residents.
Raising chickens on a small scale is a popular–and growing–pastime. And Raising Chickens For Dummies provides an up-to-date, thorough introduction to all aspects of caring for chickens, including choosing and purchasing chickens, constructing housing, and proper feeding. Raising Chickens For Dummies provides authoritative, detailed information to make raising chickens for eggs, meat, or backyard entertainment that much easier.

FOR USA RESIDENTS

 
Keeping Chickens For Dummies provides you with an introduction to all aspects of keeping chickens, from constructing a hutch to the correct feeding regime. It offers expert advice straight from the River Cottage 'Chicken Whisperer′, so whether you′re looking to raise chickens for eggs, meat, or just the entertainment value and fun -- Keeping Chickens For Dummies is the perfect place to start.




FOR UK RESIDENTS

Chicken Man Commits Suicide

53 year old poultry lover Andrew Wordes, known as the 'Chicken Man', is believed to have committed suicide and set his suburban Atlanta home ablaze in a final defiant message to authorities attempting to evict him and his beloved chickens.

Wordes began keeping chickens on the property in 2005. He gained notoriety in 2009, when city officials cited him for raising poultry in his backyard after a neighbour filed a complaint. Wordes fought the city and later that year won the right to raise dozens of chickens on the property.

The case attracted widespread attention, with former Governor Roy Barnes representing Wordes in court.
Supporters wearing yellow T-shirts and 'I Love Keeping Chickens' buttons attended his hearing.

He was sentenced to serve jail time late last year after authorities accused him of property code violations. According to AJC, he began falling behind on his mortgage payments during his sentence.

It is believed Wordes poured gasoline throughout the house and set it alight while he was inside. Emergency officials confirmed a body was found in the home but have not yet made a positive ID for Wordes. No one else was reported injured in the blast.

Fulton County marshal's officers had been at Wordes' property for about two hours when the house blew to pieces and a fire erupted at around 12:45pm. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Wordes was given an eviction notice three weeks prior to the standoff. He is said to have refused to come out or allow anyone entry. Minutes before the explosion, Wordes told officers to leave the .97-acre property. According to the AJC, investigators discovered an additional device in the home believed to be another explosive.

Keeping chickens

Hatching The Best Laid Plan For Keeping Chickens

If you’re thinking of keeping chickens at home and joining the backyard chicken movement, now is the time to spring into action.

Spring brings more light and warmth as well as longer days, which equates to more egg production than in winter. Warmer weather is a good time to get chickens acclimated to your yard and their coop, and this is the best time of year to get your new 16 week old layers.

The main benefit is fresh eggs of course, but raising chickens is a fun family hobby and a way to teach children about the food chain and responsibility. The chickens will also provide hours of entertainment, as they all have their own quirks and characters.

"It’s really created a nice sense of community in our neighbourhood," said Barry Roth, who raises chickens with his wife, Barbara, and children, Tilley, 10, and Jake, 8, at their home in Devon, UK, "Our neighbours love them and all want to get involved. They fight over who looks after them when we go away for holidays."

Here are four things you need to know about keeping chickens:

-- Make sure chickens are permitted.

Regulations in some counties, cities and neighbourhoods may keep you from raising chickens in your backyard, so always check. In the US, call your local zoning office. Regulations related to the coop’s distance from the property boundary also may apply, so you need to check them out. In the UK, raising chickens is permitted as long as they are not a nuisance to your neighbours (Giving free fresh eggs normally keeps even the most disgruntled neighbour happy).

-- Determine how you want the chickens to live.

One decision is whether you want them to be “free range,” stay in the coop, or both. We let our chickens free range, being let out first thing in the morning and lock them up again at night, but we have a large garden and accept the risk involved with predators. They will keep your garden clear of bugs, but they can make a mess of your flower beds, so be warned!

Most backyard hens are kept in a hen house or coop with a covered run, which should ideally be moved around the garden every day to avoid a build up of poultry poop and the problems that come with that. If you do let your chickens run free in your garden, make sure they cannot get into your neighbours garden and cause damage, as you will be liable if they do. It is your legal responsibility to keep them in your garden and not your neighbours responsibility to keep them out.

Buying chickens varies a lot depending on whether you rescue a older battery-farmed bird (which are normally free) to a rare-breed organic bird that can cost up to £100 each. A regular layer will cost you about £6. Feed costs also vary depending on whether you go organic or not. Find your nearest animal feed supplier to check current prices for Layers Pellets.

-- Don’t count your chickens before ... getting a coop or hen house.

It’s very easy to get carried away by these really cute fluffy chicks, but they get really big fast. Always make sure you build the hen house or coop first before getting any feathered friends. I don't recommend getting chicks, as you may end up with boys, and then you're in a dilemma as to what to do with them when they get older (No one wants Cockerells and putting them in the pot may be your only solution, and that may be a step too far for you). Get 16 week old hens that are just starting laying.

Hen houses or coops can range from old sheds, dog kennels or hutches to very elaborate custom-built structures and prefabricated poultry palaces. Making your own hen house is a lot of fun and one of the best things about keeping chickens. See the ad on the right for some of the best hen house or coop plans available.

We adapted a have 8-foot-square shed into a hen house and houses 12 chickens. It's 3 feet off the ground to keep out predators and vermin (And under the hen house is also a great place to create dust baths for the hens).

You can buy a hen house or coop from most garden centres these days for around £150 or you can go all trendy and get an Eglu. But it not's cheap at £415 for the house, run, two chickens and some feed. I prefer to make my own.

-- Consider the coop’s location.

You don’t need a lot of space, but you must be able to move the hen house or coop around to avoid a build up of poop and bugs. Just make sure you clean out the house every week and smells won't ever be an issue. Also make sure you store the chicken feed in a secure metal container as that is what attracts vermin. Having water nearby is also a big bonus when keeping chickens, but that shouldn't be a problem for most back yards.

Raising Chickens - Jennifer Aniston's New Friends Are Chickens

We all know that former Friends star Jennifer Aniston is a dog lover, but now it seems she has discovered the joys of raising chickens.

Jen found she had inherited a chicken coop on the new property she recently purchased, and it included a flock of chickens!

The former “Friends” actress seems to be taking their care very seriously, and commented that she's really enjoying the company of her new feathered friends. She said, “They’re very social animals, and they like it when you visit them with a cup of coffee in your hand. They also love pasta.”

More than a few people have quit eating meat once they get to know their chickens up close and personal, so I wonder if Jen will soon be announcing that she is a vegetarian now she has started raising chickens of her own and getting to know their individual characters?

Build Your Own Chicken Coop or Hen House

One of the greatest pleasures of keeping chickens is building your own chicken coop or hen house. Not only does it save you a lot of money, but it is a lot of fun and will give you an enormous sense of achievement once it is finished - You also get to customize your coop just the way you want it!

There are many chicken coop plans available to buy online, but the ONLY one I recommend is Bill's excellent ebook, which provides you with no only the best chicken house plans, but really great advice on every aspect of building and maintaining it.

But don't take my word for it. Read the genuine testimonials from a couple of very happy customers below...

"...If you are considering keeping chickens in your back yard, you MUST read this book. Whether you have a tiny courtyard or acres to play with, Keene’s advice will stand you in good stead and help you build the right chicken coop. The focus of the book is on being well-prepared for your flock before they even arrive. Keene ensures that you consider every issue before you spend a cent on birds, feed or equipment. He discusses which species is appropriate for your garden, what they should eat and, as the title suggests, how you should house them. Anyone with basic do-it-yourself tools and a patch of land could follow his instructions. The drawings and diagrams are easy to interpret and the lists of materials and tools needed are very helpful. Keene also appreciates that the value of using recycled materials in your chicken coop – cheap and environmentally friendly. Keene encourages responsible husbandry – his reminder of tasks to be completed weekly, monthly and sixth monthly should be replicated onto the calendar of any careful poultry keeper. The level of detail is just right, from a list of the color of the egg you might expect from you hen to a description of healthy hen’s poop! If you follow his tips, your happy hens will be very productive. Next we need a cookbook for ideas to use up all the spare eggs…" Tracy Ann - Amateur Chicken Farmer from Devon, UK

"Have you been planning to make a cozy, comfortable and tidy coop for your chickens? Well, follow the guidelines in this wonderful resource! My chickens are happy with their new home! Bill's book helped me make a well-planned, easy-to-clean-and-maintain coop for my chickens. I got practical tips on locating, positioning, protecting and maintaining the climate in the coop. Like me, it will help you too to choose the appropriate size, building design and materials for construction. This book not only helps you save while you build, but also enjoy the freedom to customize the coop to your individual specifications and needs. With valuable inputs on light and ventilation, I was able to ensure that the coop position was such that it allowed enough light in, but did not make the coop draughty. I particularly enjoyed the creative and innovative ideas thrown in about building low cost nesting boxes with material lying around the house. It set me exploring my own creativity and resourcefulness! An informative and easy to follow read, this book will guide you in building your own coop at a fraction of the cost of purchasing one! " Rachana Misra - Go Green Farms™ Owner

Raising Chickens From Eggs Is Child's Play

Raising Chickens - It's baby chick season, and thousands of newbie chicken owners will bring home days-old chicks for the first time.

Over the past few years, there has been a growing nationwide trend of urban residents choosing to keep backyard chickens. Even for inexperienced poultry people, raising chicks to egg-laying maturity (16 weeks) is fairly simple if you know what you're doing and follow a few simple rules.

Here are the basics to help you get started;

Which to buy first: the chick or the egg?

When buying chicks for the first time, there are some important things to note. Most communities have ordinances prohibiting roosters (Myth Buster - Hens DO NOT need a rooster to produce eggs), so many chicken owners prefer to buy only female chicks (Always check you are allowed to keep chickens in your area).

Unfortunately, determining the gender of baby chicks is virtually impossible, so when purchasing chicks, those labeled “straight run”will include both female and male chicks, so you need to have a plan of action if you have boys as they don't lay eggs and will make loud noises when they're older. One solution is to raise the cockerels for eating, but not everyone is comfortable doing this. If you do eat meat, then you should consider this option as you know the chicken has led a good life.

Pullets are supposed to be all females, but it has been known for an occasional chick to turn out to be a cockerel. Sex-linked chicks are cross-bred chickens that produce gender-specific color variations at birth, so purchasing black or red sex-link chicks ensures a flock of just hens.

Most farm stores also sell home incubators for people who want to hatch their own baby chicks, and a search of local online classified ads will produce several potential local sources for fertile hatching eggs. Those who go this route should know that success rates for home incubation is not 100%, so be prepared for this. Maintaining proper heat and humidity levels is critical, and the eggs need constant monitoring for 28 days.

Providing the basics for baby chicks

A baby chicks primary needs are the same as any living animal: shelter, food and water. Shelter for chicks is a warm, dry box called a brooder. A cardboard box will work just fine for "one-time use." A plastic storage tote or a wooden box is a more durable alternative.

The farm stores that sell chicks are good sources for inexpensive feeders and water containers specially designed for chicks, but a small plastic or glass container will also suffice. Chicks are messy, so food and water should be changed at least a couple times a day. Bedding made of wood shavings or several sheets of paper will help keep the brooder and the chicks clean. Replace it every two or three days or as needed.

Warmth is easy to provide with an inexpensive reflective heat lamp, available at any hardware or farm store. The lamp should be about a foot above the baby chicks and the temperature in the brooder should be between 90 and 95 degrees.

The best rule of thumb when raising chickens is to always watch your birds behaviour, and chicks are no different. They will tell you if they are too hot or cold. If they are cold, they will be huddling under the lamp, chirping loudly. If they are hot, they will be as far from the lamp as possible. Ideal temperature is reached when the birds appear to be acting normally, some eating, some drinking, some sleeping, etc.

Raise the heat lamp a little every week to help the chicks adjust to normal temperatures. After four or five weeks, they should be able to survive without supplemental heat as long as they are kept in an area that is dry and free of drafts.

At about four weeks, the chicks will have enough feathers that they can flutter up like a helicopter. At that point the brooder needs a screen or lid on top to keep the chicks contained. The chicks can be moved outside at about six weeks, but they still need shelter and possible supplemental warmth depending on weather conditions. They will also need a protected enclosure to keep them safe from predators like raccoons, foxes, and neighborhood cats and dogs.

Depending on the breed, chickens will start laying eggs between five and nine months. The combs and wattles of hens will be bright red and fully developed when they reach egg-laying maturity.

Health and safety tips for handling baby chicks

Baby chicks can carry salmonella germs on their bodies, feet and feathers. That's why it's so important to practice proper hygiene when handling chicks, especially for children.

Baby chicks are fluffy, cute and fun to hold, but when you handle a chick, the salmonella germs get on your hands. If you touch your hands to your mouth you can get sick, so always follow these tips for handling baby chicks:

[1] Wash your hands with soap and warm water after handling chicks.

[2] Make sure young children wash their hands after handling chicks.

[3] Never hold baby chicks while you're eating.

[4] Do not nuzzle or kiss baby chicks.

[5] Do not use the kitchen sink to clean a chick’s cage or feed or water containers.

[6] Keep chicks out of family living areas.

[7] Chicks and ducks are not good pets for children under 5 years old.

Follow these simple rules and raising chickens will be both fun and safe.

How Raising Chickens Changed Our Life For The Better

Raising Chickens - Keeping Chickens

A few years ago Donald Keller and his wife, Sarah Bailly said they wanted to live an agrarian lifestyle that was eco-friendly as well as self-sustaining. They maintained a garden and grew some of their own food while in New Orleans, but their new adventure really began three years ago when they started raising chickens in their backyard.

Their personal passion simply for “good food” was the initial motivation for taking on raising their own poultry. There are many published studies indicating that farm-raised chicken not only tastes better and is healthier than poultry mass produced in a plant, Keller said.

Initially, raising each clutch or “batch” became a matter of trial and error, he said.

“We did a lot of research about keeping chickens, but no amount of research could have helped us to really know what we were up against,” he said. “It may have been a good idea to work on someone else’s farm first.”

But their laborious operation is starting to bear fruit. Less than a year ago Keller and Bailly moved to rural Iberia Parish to create Bayou Farm.

They began the poultry business on property of owned by a family friend who had relocated to Iberia Parish from New Orleans for business.

Keller calls it a modest operation, but the small business now has nearly 1,000 farm-raised laying hens on the Darnell Road property, and the couple are beginning to eye other business endeavors such as cultivating farm-raised eggs and raising sheep, as well as continuing to keep chickens.

The operation is touted as “considerate animal husbandry and wise land maintenance in South Louisiana.”

The farm requires non-stop maintenance, Keller said, but the way of life has become just as fulfilling as it is tedious.

“It’s about being outside first and foremost and working for yourself,” he said. “Connecting with the earth and being hand in hand with nature instead of trying to force nature or trying to bend nature. We thought, ‘Let’s instead try to cooperate with it.’ ”

Bailly was working on her master’s degree in English and teaching while they were living in New Orleans. But, she said, she is better off a “writer than a teacher” and has taken on the Iberia Parish farm full time with her husband.

The two sell their homegrown products in farmers’ markets in Lafayette and in New Orleans and the newcomers are still tapping into the Teche Area.

“We really love raising chickens here,” Keller said. “Acadiana overall just has good culture, food and good people with character. Everyone is willing to help out.”

Why We Love Raising Chickens :)

Today I want to explain a little about how easy it is to raise chickens, how chickens provide food security in an unstable world, how fun chickens are to keep, and why we keep chickens for eggs.

We think it’s a very important step in homesteading, and was one of the earliest ones we made.

Here are six of the main reasons we love raising chickens;

1. Nutrition – This is probably the most obvious reason we raise chickens. Our eggs are fresh and from well-treated, healthy chickens allowed to free range during the day, with supplemental grain in the evening. Our chickens are eating lots of good, natural things (like insects and plants) that make the eggs much healthier than the caged, solely grain-fed chickens that store-bought eggs come from. (Although during the months we have snow on the ground, they’re eating mostly grain, with food scraps as a supplement to vary their diet. That’s the best we can do in our northern climate!).

2. Keeping chickens saves money (well, sort of) – If you buy the expensive cage-free, organic eggs in the store, then raising your own chickens will definitely save you money. We used to buy the cheapest eggs in the grocery store, but that was before I learned so much about where those eggs come from! If I were to buy eggs now, I would spend the extra money on healthier, cage-free eggs (from a local farmer, if possible!). So in that respect, keeping chickens saves us money. We also keep enough chickens that we can sell some of our eggs, helping to off-set the cost of keeping them.

3. The coop was all set up for us, making it an easy first step – Most people don’t have this blessing. When we moved in, the people who lived here before us had kept chickens. They had a stall in the barn already set up as a coop, with nesting boxes, roosts, and all the feeding/watering equipment we would need. I fully recognize that most people starting out homesteading don’t have this luxury! But it made getting chickens an easy step for us to take, with minimal investment.

Here are a few more of the reasons we love keeping chickens.

4. Raising chickens really is easy! – People are always surprised when I tell them how EASY it is to raise chickens! Our daily routine is simple. We collect eggs and check water and food supply twice a day. We don’t spend more than 15-20 minutes total on an average day caring for the chickens. Once a month (more or less depending on need), we spend a little extra time to clean out the coop well, change the bedding, etc. It’s really that easy!

5. Food security – We live in a very unstable world these days. If you pay attention to the news, even a little, you know that our economy is shaky (at best), there are threats and violence throughout the world, and it’s debatable whether our government has our best interest in mind. Add to these concerns that the majority of our food supply is shipped in from far-away places, rather than produced locally, and one interruption in the supply chain could devastate us. Given these worries, and others that I don’t have the space to detail in this one post, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. There are lots of ways to be prepared for an emergency situation, and one of those ways is to raise chickens. Yes, in chickens you have a continual food supply (both eggs and meat). Not to mention, eggs provide nutrients like omega-3’s that can be difficult to find elsewhere if a crisis strikes.

6. Chickens are fun! – I can’t write a post on raising chickens without mentioning how entertaining they are! It’s a blast (especially for our two-year-old) to watch them peck around the yard, scurrying from here to there. And I just LOVE that my son gets to see where his food comes from!

So there you have it! Six great reasons to raise chickens. Are you ready to take the plunge and get chickens yourself? I’d highly recommend it!

Leave a comment below and tell us why YOU love keeping chickens :)

What You Need To Know About Raising Chickens

Gone are the days when every family had a pair of chickens in their backyard and fresh eggs daily ... or are they? Find out how to start raising chickens and why your health could benefit.

You don't need to be a farmer to have chickens. Keeping chickens for eggs in an urban setting is fun and educational for kids (and adults), provides companionship and access to fresh, nutritious eggs, and can even be useful for gardening. So what are you waiting for?

Why do people do it?

It is now well-established that chickens allowed to free range and supplement their diets with grasses and bugs produce tastier and nutritionally superior eggs. For instance, a Mother Earth News study in 2007 revealed that, compared to commercial eggs, pastured eggs contain 2/3 more vitamin A, 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids, 3 times more vitamin E, and 7 times more beta carotene.

But besides the better quality eggs, there are other good reasons to keep chickens.

For instance, a teacher in New Haven, CT, spent over a decade as a vegetarian. He and his wife started keeping chickens as a way to provide ethically-raised, nutrient-dense animal protein (eggs) for their family and to educate their son about the proverbial circle of life.

Jacob explains, "I just believe that we've become entirely too disconnected from our food as a society. There was a time when every family had a few chickens (for both eggs and meat). It's not a big investment, and when compared to similar quality eggs and meat it's actually not any more expensive."

Only two of Jacob's chickens are currently laying and they produce about 10-12 eggs per week. The flock consumes about one $12 bag of feed per month (which he buys in bulk — 6-month quantities at a time to save money), which brings the cost of the eggs to about $0.72 per dozen (that was not a typo — but it does take into consideration that 3/5 of the feed goes to the non-laying hens).

Is it practical?

The flock of five chickens that lives in the Komisar yard, the size of which Jacob describes as "typical for the very urban New Haven area in which we live," reside in a 12'x12' chain link dog run and sleep in a re-purposed cedar dog house (which he snagged for $10 on Craigslist) to which Jacob added nesting boxes and a roosting pole.

He has never received a complaint from the neighbors: "The vegan-anarchists in an apartment on the other side think it's cool. There's an older lady who lives behind us who said that she grew up on a farm and liked seeing the chickens running around my yard."

As far as legal issues, in some cities like Long Beach, CA and Port Saint Lucie, FL the laws regarding chickens are a bit archaic, but in many cities across the country it is perfectly legal to keep chickens. But it doesn't hurt to check your municipal code before you start.

Where do I buy chickens? A coop? And food?

The internet is a wonderful resource for finding local chicken keeping supplies. These days, there are more and more specialized urban homesteading stores like the Biofuel Oasis in Oakland, CA and the Urban Farm Store in Portland, OR which provide supplies for chicken keeping and offer classes and can direct you where to buy chicks.

There are many breeds of chickens and it is worth it to get the breed that is right for you. For instance, some breeds are better scavengers and can thrive on a mostly scavenged diet, while others will fail to thrive without a full grain regimen. Some breeds lay more eggs than others, etc.

Check out the different chicken breeds recommended on this site. Just buying the cheapest chickens you can find on Craigslist is a sure recipe for disaster. I guarantee you will be disappointed.

It's all fun and eggs until...

Keeping a backyard flock is not always as bucolic and Rockwellian as it might seem. It can be treacherous at times. "My wife heard bizarre noises from the coop at 1AM and made me go out to see what was going on," Jacob relates. "I found myself face-to-face with what I can only imagine was a 350-pound raccoon. I figured I'd try to kill it, but I was inside our 12'x12' chain link dog run with it, and thought it would probably get really angry some time before I managed to dispatch it. I ended up just picking up a stick and poking it a lot until it left so I could figure out how it got in. But after many incarnations, my chicken run is now more secure than Fort Knox.”

Raising chickens

Keeping chickens

Keeping Chickens At Home - Choosing The Right Chicken Coop Or Hen House

Keeping Chickens At Home - Choosing The Right Chicken Coop Or Hen House

What to look for when buying a chicken coop or hen house

With the huge increase in poultry keeping there has been an equally big rise in the range of poultry paraphernalia on sale. Poultry housing is a case in point. It's also a classic example of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as various would-be poultry housing experts peddle an array of accommodation claiming to be the ideal solution to your chicken housing needs.

Often the price looks attractive, the house looks attractive, heck even the clean-wellied family standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Surely they know a quality chicken house when they see one? There are many cheap and nasty coops flooding the market. I know this as I've tested a number of them in the field, and seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed bucket appeared. The result was nothing but an expensive pile of firewood and a small flock of bemused and now homeless bantams.

More often than not these mass produced models are constructed of fast grown timber - come the first drop of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that won't close, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking inhabitants. The first warm day means the timber dries and cracks, the felt roof bubbles and boils, and come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not due to their disappointment at the decline of their once attractive property but because the hovel is now a haven for, and probably crawling with, the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it said on the blurb that it would suit four large hens when that stocking density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and what are you left with? A couple of hinges and some kindling.

A decent coop for thee to four birds should cost you in the region of £300 though this can depend on whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run attached. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a large space and the pop hole door is big enough for the breed you keep, then the main requirements of housing boil down to three points which will define the number of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation.

Raising Chickens - Keeping Chickens

Most breeds of chicken will perch when they go to roost at night, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot sits comfortably on it. The perch should be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will also naturally look for the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they produce the most poo) leading to soiled eggs the following day. They shouldn't however be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries could occur when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is obviously less), plus if more than one perch is installed in the house they should be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbours but are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front.

Ideally the house should have a least one nest box for every three birds and these should be off the ground and in the darkest area of the house. The house should have adequate ventilation: without it then condensation will build up every night, even in the coldest of weather. Be aware, ventilation works on the principle of warm air leaving through a high gap drawing cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a set of holes on opposite walls of the house and at the same level, this is what's known as a draught.

If you have a house with a run attached then the points above are still true, but you should also consider the run size. The EU maximum legal stocking density for a free range bird is (and let's face it, one of the motivations for keeping some hens at home is possibly improved or better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m squared. Take a close look at some of the bargain houses - it could well be the house has the right perches, correct ventilation and ample nest boxes for a reasonable number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on?

And so as the saying goes, "you pays your money and makes your choice". You may think you've grabbed a bargain, but you and your flock could rue the day you did. Purchase the right house and it will last for a few decades, if not longer given the correct treatment. In the end your poultry and your poultry keeping experience will be much the better for it.

Raising Chickens - Keeping Chickens

Keeping Or Raising Chickens At Home - Q&A Session

Scratching about for answers about raising chickens at home?Here's a quick Q&A session if you're considering keeping chickens in your backyard;

Q: What’s the difference between a chicken and a rooster?

A: A chicken is a generic term used to refer to both sexes. A hen is female; a rooster is male.

Q: Do I need a rooster to get eggs from my hen?

A: No, a hen will lay eggs regardless of whether or not a rooster is present.

Q: Where do you get chicks?

A: Find a local person who raises chickens or check at your local animal feed store.

Q: How many chickens can I have?

A: Check your village or city’s ordinances. Laws vary from locale to locale.

Q: Do I have to have a coop?

A: Yes, absolutely. Chickens need to be protected from both aerial and ground predators.

Q: I have a cat. Will it kill my chickens?

A: A cat will probably not take on an adult chicken, but you might lose a chick or two. However, my cat when I was growing up she used to let the chicks ride around on her back. She never bothered them. Keep an eye on the cat and how it acts toward the birds.

Q: I have a dog, and I want chickens. Should I be concerned?

A: My opinion is that dogs are more of a threat than cats. It depends on the breed. My dog was a German shepherd/golden retriever mix. He grew up with the chickens, goats, sheep, and other animals. He knew they were his to protect and never harmed them. HOWEVER, keep an eye on the dog; behavioral cues can reveal a lot. Also if hens are around a dog that barks a lot, it will be upsetting to the birds and could interfere with laying.

Q: What do I do with the chickens in the winter?

A: Keep your coop in a place that is protected from the wind. Provide lots of straw or other bedding that will trap heat. Give the birds plenty of protein-rich food and fresh water.

Q: How often do I feed and water them?

A: Just keep their feeder topped up and change the water daily. Be sure to scrub out their food and water dishes thoroughly with hot water & detergent to prevent bacterial growth.

Q: Can chickens fly?

A: Not very well, but well enough to clear a fence. Get one wing clipped (Does not hurt them) and then they will always fly in a semi-circle.

Q: How do I catch a loose chicken?

A: Run fast! Try to corner it or wait until they roost for the evening. Chickens don’t see well at night. A good method is to use a large fishing landing net.

Q: How many eggs will a hen lay per year?

A: It depends on breed, time of year, the age of the bird, and environment. Good layer breeds will lay about 300 eggs per year. Hens lay less eggs in the winter. Feed hens on layer pellets for best results. A hen will lay best between 1 and 3 years of age.

Q: How difficult is it to keep chickens?

A: It’s been compared to keeping a dog — except you don’t have to walk them. You need to open up their coop in the morning and close it at night (There are automatic devices that do this, but best done yourself), keep feed topped up, change water daily and clean coop every week.

Q: Can I hatch eggs?

A: Only if 1) you have a rooster 2) you have a breed of hen that goes broody (or you have an incubator). Keep in mind, though, that 50 percent of your hatch will be male. Figure out beforehand what happens to the boys!

Q: What's the best part about raising chickens?

A: Fresh eggs every day and interacting/watching them. They are the funniest animals with individual characters.

raising chickens at home

Raising Backyard Chickens

Raising Backyard Chickens

So you’ve decided to commit to a more sustainable lifestyle and are ready to stock it with a flock of happy, egg-laying chickens. Congratulations, you’ve reached the fun part :-)

Before you go out and buy chickens, you need to ask yourself a few questions: do you want hens only, or do you want a rooster for breeding? Do you want to raise them from chicks or buy adults ready to lay? How big a flock do you want?

But the most important question you need to ask is – Are backyard chickens legal in my area? Check you city, county, and state ordinances. You don’t want to invest time and energy into a flock that will be taken away from you. While your at it, talk to your neighbours. Make sure they’re OK with chickens. Promise them some eggs once they start laying. If you’re neighbours enjoy your flock, and the eggs you give them, they probably won’t call the police on your sustainable, educational, community enriching project.

If you want to raise chickens at home, four is the absolute maximum that can live comfortably in it, provided you don’t let the chickens range. If your yard is big enough that you can let the chickens out every day, and only lock them up at night, you can probably get away with a bigger flock. In general, a rooster needs at least 15 hens to keep him busy or he’ll harass the hens too much. So for small flocks, a rooster is out (you’re neighbours will be pleased). Despite common belief, you don’t need a rooster to make hens lay eggs.

What you really should do is spend a few hours browsing all the articles on this site, try and visit someone local with a backyard flock, and spend a few weeks deciding if raising backyard chickens is really something you want to do. In general, pets should never be an impulse decision.

I personally started my flock with day-old chicks, but before you buy chicks, make sure you have a nice, warm brooder set up somewhere inside and safe. Chicks need it very warm to survive. We used a utility light with a reptile heat bulb to keep everyone warm. You can tell if the chicks are too cold because they will become very loud and huddle together.

Once you’re ready to buy some chicks, there are many options. You can find chicks on Craiglists, but we got ours from a local breeder, and later, from our local farm store. You can also order them through the mail from several large scale breeders. Raising Backyard Chickens

Make sure they have plenty of water and food they’ll grow shockingly fast the first few weeks. Depending on how big your brooder is, they can stay there for a couple of months. Once they’re fully feathered, you can move them outside.

It will take them a few days to get used to their new home, and you’ll probably have to pick them up and put them in the coop each night until they get comfortable going up on their own. Once they’ve settled in to their new home, your only duties are to guarantee that they have food and water. Chickens will stop eating when they’re full, so you can leave them with multiple days worth of food. Water should be changed every few days.

Even if you’ve bought pullets, there’s still a chance that you’ve got a rooster in the mix. It will often be hard to tell when they’re young, but once they start crowing, you’ll know, and they’ll probably have to go. We tried to find someone to take our roosters (we ended up with three boys out of the first five chicks) but no one wanted them where we live. If you are going to get chickens, you either need to have someone ready and willing to take your roosters, or be prepared to take care of them yourself. I ended up slaughtering our three roosters, which is a very unpleasant option for many. If you have a small flock, a rooster may end up harassing your hens to death, so often keeping them is simply not an option.

Once your flock is happy and established, you’ll find that they require very little maintenance. You need to check on their food and water everyday, check for eggs once they’re laying, and clean out their coop every month or so. You’ll discover that they’re not nearly as noisy or smelly as many non-chicken owner claim. If you’re coop does start to smell, it means that you need to clean it more often and if they do get very noisy, than something is stressing them out.

You’ll also find that they’re far more entertaining than you originally expected. They have personalities, hierarchies, and strange quirks. I discovered that mine are absolutely terrified of logs. We put a big piece of willow in the run for them to play on and instead they huddled terrified in the far corner until it was removed.

Chickens are a great educational tool for teaching children about ecology, developmental biology, and food awareness and an even better tool for teaching adults about sustainable living. With the right set up, a small flock requires about as much effort to maintain as a house cat, but, of course, house cats don’t lay eggs ;-)

Raising Backyard Chickens