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So, you’ve decided that you want to raise chickens? Chickens are lovely creatures that can develop a lovely personality and bring great joy to your life. They are a great addition to your everyday life and can provide some nutritious and tasty meals.
However, chickens are living animals and require attention and care. If you are going to be serious about taking on some chickens there is some important information you should know. By following these 9 guidelines you should be able to provide your feathered friends with a wonderful and enriched life.
What Are your Local Regulations?
Before even getting started on your chicken journey, you must check your bylaws in your area.
Many townships allow chickens in backyards but some still do not. There will be a set limit as to how many you may have, so be sure to check this before spending any money on housing or purchasing birds. If you live outside of town on a property, there isn’t normally a limit or any regulation.
If you live in an area that is regulated by supply management, for example, Canada and plan to sell eggs you have a maximum total number of 100 birds you may keep.
Provide The Best Housing Possible.
A main requirement for keeping chickens is proper housing. Your chickens need to be protected from the elements. There are several different ways you can provide this, here are some examples.
Housing that keeps your birds fenced in is the best way to protect them from ground predators. Placing chicken wire on top of your chicken run will protect them from aerial predators.
If you have the space, yard rotations are ideal to give the plants a break and allow them to regrow. If chicken runs become bare ground, the risk of your birds’ contracting worms increases.
If you plan to free-range your chickens your protection decreases. You must still provide them with a place to get cover and stay warm if they need it. You should still bring them in during the night to reduce predator attacks.
Chickens require fresh bedding regularly. The best option for chickens is wood shavings. These can easily be found at your local home and garden stores in the form of bales. It is important to change it as often as needed. Wet bedding will cause increased ammonia levels that can cause sick birds.
To ensure the greatest health of your chickens, it is important to provide good ventilation in the coop you purchase or build. Without proper ventilation, this can lead to health issues and result in sick birds.
Determine the breed you will need for the products that you want
There are hundreds of different breeds of chickens. Choosing the correct birds to meet your production goals is key. There are three different groups of production. Layers, meat and dual purpose. Here are some examples.
Layers
Maran
Ancona
Leghorn
Meats
Shamo
Orpington
Cornish
Dual Purpose
Rhode Island Red
Faverolle
Plymouth Rock
Chickens will need good feeding equipment
You will need to provide your birds with proper feeding equipment. Chicks will require smaller feeding trays like the ones shown below. These should be cleaned daily, chicks are notorious for pooping in their feed trays.
Once they have outgrown these feeders, they can be graduated to a larger feeder for full-grown hens.
A proper water source is always required. There are a couple of different watering options you can use. The most common is a top-fill poultry fountain. These are easy to set up and can be simple to maintain and clean.
The downside of the top-fill poultry fountain is the water can become dirty throughout the day and can cause health problems. Another option is nipple drinkers. Here’s a great DIY video of how to make your own.
Ensure the chicken's nutrient requirements are met
To provide a strong start for your chicks then you will need to provide them with a starter-grower feed. When you have purchased your chicks ask if they have been vaccinated for coccidiosis. This will help you determine whether you need to provide them with medicated or non-medicated feeds. They should be fed this till they are 18 weeks old or laying their first egg.
Once your birds have started to produce eggs they will need to be changed to a lower protein ration of 17%. Layers also require a source of calcium to ensure a hard eggshell. Each egg requires 1 gram from its diet and one gram from its medullary bone. Lack of supplemented calcium will result in poor egg structure and the breakdown of the medullary bone. This will decline the longevity of your birds
It is crucial to provide a water source that does not run out between feedings. Chickens are highly susceptible to salt poisoning, with just a little while without water they can become poisoned.
Learn the possible Health risks and disease preventions methods
There are many different diseases and health risks that you may experience when you keep chickens. Prevention is the best method to keep healthy chickens. Avoid purchasing birds from auctions or other chicken keepers. Choose breeders who have good biosecurity methods. This will reduce the possibility of new and unknown diseases coming to your backyard/farm. By following the above steps to keeping chickens you are en route to having healthy happy birds.
However, sometimes even with the best practices your chickens will contract something
A common and easily treatable sickness is mites. These can be treated with diatomaceous earth or lime-Sulphur garden powder. Mixing these into their dustpans can get rid of these mites. Note: These foreign elements can cause respiratory distress, so it is not advised to use this as a prevention but as a treatment.
There is a long list of potential health risks and diseases that chickens can experience. I will be sure to share a thorough list in the future.
Provide enrichment to your chickens to give them a good life
Like any animal, we are asking chickens to produce for us and we want to provide them with the greatest life possible. Research has shown that giving your birds a source of enrichment can increase production and reduce susceptibility to disease. Here are some examples of enrichments you can provide for your chickens.
- Perches
- Dust bathing areas
- Areas to scratch and search for bugs.
- Nesting boxes
- Adequate exercise space
- Hanging vegetable
Anything that allows them to express their natural behaviours.
Practice biosecurity to protect your chickens and yourself
Unfortunately, birds are highly susceptible to disease transfer. So, biosecurity is important to keep in mind while you keep chickens. Ideally, your chickens should be protected from wild birds, they carry many diseases that can be transmitted to your chickens.
If you plan on having multiple different species of animals, it is important to keep in mind that Housing chickens around pigs is also highly frowned upon. Although this is common practice on homesteads. Pigs can be breeding grounds for Influenza A viruses. These mix with chickens who commonly come down with Avian Influenza (which can be carried by wild birds). And then become infectious to humans.
The last thing we want is to experience is another pandemic!
Prepare your space for production
Once you have provided all the other needs for your birds you will need to be ready for production. Providing nest boxes so your chickens have a place to lay their eggs.
Collect eggs often to prevent the nasty habit of egg pecking. You don’t want your precious eggs to be getting ruined by your own birds.
Raising chickens is a lovely journey and can help provide great nutritious meals for you and your family. To learn even more about raising chickens I highly reccomend the Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens this is a great book that offers great information.