Fresh eggs are wonderful but there are a few things you will need to do and buy before introducing you feathered friends to their new home. Bringing home chickens is a lot like bringing home a new pet. You’ll need to consider where they are going to eat, sleep, play, poop and how you are going to take care of them.
Check Your City Municipal Code
This is the most important step. If you don’t live in area that is zoned for farmland, you need to make sure that you are allowed to have backyard chickens. You don’t want to go through all the trouble of getting your chickens and everything they need only to turn around and have to get rid of them. Also, check to see if there is a limit to the number of chickens you are allowed to have in your area.
Give Your Neighbors a Heads Up
It’s always nice to let your neighbors know that you will be getting chickens if you live in a more urban setting. Don’t forget to offer them some of your extra fresh eggs, if you feel like sharing!
Breed Selection
Chickens come in standard breeds, heritage breeds, exotic breeds and bantam breeds. There are several factors you’ll want to consider when selecting the appropriate breed. These factors include:
- egg-laying capacity
- temperament
- size
- looks (if you prefer more of a show bird than a production bird)
Know that some breeds are more friendly than others, some do well in smaller spaces while others need more room to run. Consider your situation carefully before selecting your breeds.
Raising Chicks or Pullets
- Chicks range from 1 day to 6 weeks old and require special care from attentive owners. They cannot survive without heat so they must be raised in a brooder, an enclosed safe space with a heat lamp (250 watt), until they develop feathers. It can be a gratifying experience to raise a chick, but not for someone who has an office job outside the home all day. Make sure to use pine shavings in a brooder for bedding. Do not use old newspaper as this is too slippery for chicks and it can cause the development of straddle legs. The temperature for newly hatched chicks should be 95 degrees Fahrenheit and decreased by 5 degrees each week until the chicks are fully feathered. Keep the lamp off to one side of the brooder so that the chicks can move closer or further away, depending on how cold they are feeling. If all your chicks are huddled together on the warmest side of the brooder, it is safe to say that the heat lamp should be lowered a bit, or vice versa.
- Pullets range from 7 to 20 weeks old and can live outside in a coop. These chickens are usually only a few weeks away from laying (chickens mature at 20 weeks) so they are more expensive but a better option for someone who is not home all day to take care of chicks.
Space and Coop Requirements
Each breed has different space requirements but a good rule of thumb is to figure 4 square feet of space per bird for the coop and 8 square feet of running room per bird. More is always better–your flock will quickly grow into that space.
- If possible check out a coop in person. If purchasing online, make sure to read reviews. A coop that is advertised to hold 5 chickens may actually only hold 3 or 4.
- Unless your chickens are lucky enough to be free range and have full reign over your backyard, provide an enclosed area called a run for your chickens to peck, scratch and just be a chicken. Some coops come with runs attached to them while others only function as a coop.
- If you have a large yard, consider housing your hens in a chicken tractor. This is a portable coop that you can move from place to place, allowing your ladies to scratch and fertilize different areas of your yard and garden. Or use a portable run to move them to various areas of your yard and garden.
- Ventilation is also needed to eliminate moisture (caused by their breath and poop!) in the winter that can cause frostbite and also to reduce heat in the summer. In the ideal coop, chickens stay dry and sheltered but moisture is rapidly removed. Ventilation options include screened windows and doors as well as louvers that can be opened and closed.
- Pressure treated wood used to contain arsenic, though it is no longer allowed. If building your own cook, make sure to stay away from older, repurposed wood that may have been pressure treated in areas that your chicken can peck or perch on.
If you plan to build your own coop, look online for inspiration. Some even provide blueprints and step-by-step instructions.
Security
Predators exist both in the country and the city.
- You’ll need to make sure that your hens are locked up securely at night in their coop. You can either do this manually, or install automatic “pop doors” that open and close on a timer.
- During the day you will want to keep an eye on your flock to make sure hawks, cats, coyotes and other critters don’t mess with them. If your neighborhood is known for these natural predators, be sure to keep your hens in a fully enclosed run with a cover over the top.
- Make sure that all window openings are covered with hardware cloth (not chicken wire as raccoons can twist this open) and screwed down onto the structure.
- Also, any gaps should be minimal to keep mice and predators like measles out.
Cleaning and Coop Maintenance
When purchasing or building a coop, not only do you want to consider space, the other important items to consider is having adequate access to clean the coop. That A-frame coop may be cute and a space saver, but a few times having to clean it out on your hands and knees and you’ll be over it. Chose or build a coop that has large access doors and enough height for you to stand tall in. The design should allow you to hose or wipe down the interior easily and quickly.
Be sure to plan regular cleanings to keep your chickens and eggs healthy. The amount of time cleaning depends on the size of your flock.
Watering and Feeding
There are several options to chose from when it comes to watering your chickens. Some hang from the ceiling while others sit on the ground. Some are automated and other need manual refilling. There are also water nipples, plastic fountains, homemade feeders and metal troughs.
When it comes to feeding there are many options available for chick starter, crumbles, layer pellets, whole grains or even custom-made feed. Conventional feed tends to be more common, but if you do the legwork, organic and soy-free blends also exist. You can even mix your own feed at home. Chicks, pullets and laying hens all have specific protein requirements, so be sure to provide feed that is age appropriate.
Just be sure to take your time to explore all the different options so that you chose what works best for your chickens.
Other Needs
- Grit: Also known as dirt and rocks. Grit is an important part of chicken digestions. Chickens will eat small rocks and pebbles to aid their gizzards in breaking down their food. If they don’t have grit, your chickens may start having digestive disorders. You don’t need to purchase special grit, you just need to provide access to some sort of small rocks for them to peck at now and then.
- Calcium: This nutrient is especially important for laying hens. As a chicken gets older, she will lose much of the calcium in her body as she lays her eggs. There are two ways to provide a source of calcium for your hens. 1) You can rinse off the egg shells laid by your chickens and grind them up in a blender then add it to their feed or place in a separate container. 2) You can purchase oyster shells from the feed store for the hens to peck at. Having this available may also prevent egg pecking.
- Vitamins: Chicken vitamins can come in handy if you have a bird that seems under the weather or if your flock seems to be struggling a bit with something lacing in their diet.
- Diatomaceous Earth or Poultry Powder: Use only food grade diatomaceous earth for your chickens. Wear a face mask and eye protection when applying it in a way that it could become airborne, as it is bad for the lungs and irritating to the eyes. It can be sprinkled on chicken food to help ward off or treat parasites. It can also be used on adult chickens by sprinkling it around the coop to kill mites.
- Heater for winter water: If your chicken’s water will freeze over the winter, consider purchasing a heated waterer. Or, if you have the time, to simply switch water more often during the cold months.
Chicken Manure Composting
Chickens poop a lot. Most of their droppings occur at night while roosting. You’ll want to spread a layer of pine shavings on the floor to absorb the moisture. As the droppings decompose in the shavings, they turn into compost.
Chicken manure is rich in nitrogen and highly beneficial for your garden, making composting one of the best parts of raising chickens! The manure will need to age for about 6 months before it can be used, so you’ll need a system for storing it, much like a mulch pile. Some chicken-keepers use the deep litter method in their coops or runs, which allows droppings to decompose in place without the need to continuously clean out the shavings.
Healthcare and Home Remedies
If you don’t live near an avian vet, it’s even more important to have a chicken first aid kit in your home. Chickens can suffer from a number of injuries large and small, so you’ll need to prepare yourself as best you can to keep them comfortable and calm.
Common ailments include chipped beaks, broken feathers, bumble foot, prolapsed vents and egg-bound hens. All of these can be remedied at home, even if you are by yourself, as long as you have the appropriate tools at hand. Many of these tools are available at your local drugstore, while others are sold at pet or feed stores.
Golden Years
On average, chickens lay productively for the first five years or so then gradually taper off, perhaps only laying one time a year in their old age. This means that within a relatively short period of time, you’ll have chickens that aren’t laying but still eating and pooping to their little heart’s content. Chickens can live on average of 10 years, depending on the breed and the environment.
Though it seems far off, you will need to decide what you might want to do with them once their egg production drops. Will you continue to care for them and keep them as companions or garden helpers? Even though they are without eggs, these chickens are still great pest control and fertilizers. Will you send them to a farm or animal sanctuary where they can live out their years? Or, and this can be difficult for some, especially if you think of your chickens as pets, slaughter them for meat?
Other Resources
- Breed information:
- My Pet Chicken has an extensive list of breeds by egg color and production
- Dare 2 Dream Farms breaks down that list even further with personality, popularity and noise level
- Coops:
- BackYard Chickens offers inspiration for building your own coop and some even have blueprints and step-by-step photos.
- Composting:
- Mother Earth News has a great article on the Deep Litter Method
- Healthcare:
- Both Grit and BackYard Chickens have helpful information on assembling and using a chicken first aid kit.
- General Resources:
- BackYard Chickens is an extensive online community with forums, photo galleries and an FAQ center.
- Backyard Poultry is a bi-monthly magazine with feature articles and personal stories on chickens, ducks, guineas and other small-flock fowl.