Some places will not allow you to keep roosters because they are too noisy. This will affect you if you want to breed your hens, but it won’t prevent you from keeping hens for eggs or meat. If you plan on keeping a lot of chickens, see if there is a maximum number of chickens you can legally keep first. Depending on your circumstances, you might also need to check with your landlord or homeowner’s association.
Make sure you know where the coop is going and that the chickens have enough outdoor space. Each standard size chicken should have 10 square feet (0. 93 m2) of space outdoors, and bantams should have 8 square feet (0. 74 m2). Your municipality may also require your chickens to be kept a certain distance from your property line, so check on that as well.
Cost can and will vary widely, but expect to spend around $500 USD in initial costs (especially if you buy a coop) and roughly $25 per month to care for 3-4 hens. [4] X Research source
Plan to spend at least 1-2 hours every day caring for your chickens.
If your neighbors wouldn’t like the noise, consider only getting hens and no roosters, since roosters are much louder than hens. If your neighbors are worried the chickens will get into their yard, make sure to keep the chickens in an enclosed area. You can always buy a chicken coop with a run attached to it so the chickens cannot escape. If your neighbors are still not keen on you getting chickens, bribe them with a fresh supply of eggs delivered to their door!
There is plenty of information online on websites, blogs, forums, etc. You can also get some advice from other chicken owners or purchase books about chickens.
On the pro side of keeping chickens, they get rid of insects and pests like snails, they’re a source of fertilizer, and they can lay fresh eggs. They’re also great company, wonderful to watch, and very fun birds to raise overall. The cons of keeping chickens include the amount of money, time, and space it takes to care for them. You also have to consider the damage they can do to your plants, the noise they can make, and the fact that they can attract flies. Seek out the opinions of people you know who raise chickens.
You can purchase fertilised eggs, chicks, pullets, or laying hens. If you’re new to keeping chickens, it’s recommended that you purchase some pullets or laying hens instead of young chicks or fertilised eggs. However, incubating your own eggs can be a wonderful experience. Plan to keep at least two chickens. Chickens are social birds and they will get bored, depressed, and lonely if they don’t have a partner to socialize with. However, don’t keep more than one rooster in an enclosure, as they will fight each other and cause serious injuries.
If you’re looking for good egg-layers, consider the Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, or Leghorn breeds. These chickens tend to lay more eggs for a longer period of time. If you’re looking for chickens to use for meat, consider keeping Faverolles or Brahma chickens. If you’re looking for show breeds, research different kinds of breeds online. Generally, a show breed can be any chicken that looks particularly colorful and unique. If you’d like a simple pet chicken, consider bantam-sized chickens, which are smaller and often friendlier than the standard chicken.
Young chicks can also sometimes be purchased at local feed stores, or you can purchase some fertilised eggs online and get them mailed to you. Chicks are usually available in spring or summer, so if it’s winter or autumn, you might want to get some pullets instead.
Free-range chickens enjoy getting more sunlight during the day, eat up any snails or slugs in the garden, have more space, and get to dust bathe in the dry dirt regularly. Chickens that are kept in a run are safe from predators, you don’t have to check on them as often, they still get to live on grass and dirt, and they get fresh air and light. Chickens that are cooped may require more work on your part, since their coop has to be cleaned up more frequently. They also don’t get as much light or fresh air, and they can’t go foraging in the grass.
Your chickens should have at least 4 square feet (0. 37 m2) of floor space each in their coop, while bantams should have half of that (2 square feet (0. 19 m2)). If you’re going to keep your chickens in the coop all the time, it should be even larger so that the chickens have room to roam around.
Whether your buy or build, place the coop in an area with plenty of grass and some dirt patches. Chickens like to eat any grass they come across, and they love to dust bathe daily. Consider attaching a run to the coop so that your chickens can roam around outside, but still be protected from predators. If you cannot buy or build a coop, you can instead keep your chickens in a warm, well ventilated, predator-proof shed.
Purchase or build a few nesting boxes (where hens lay their eggs) to go inside of the coop. Make sure there is at least one nesting box for every four hens. You should add bedding, such as straw, to the boxes so they are more like nests. Also, make sure the boxes are big enough so that your hens can fit in them and be comfortable. Add absorbent bedding, like wood shavings or straw, to the coop. The bedding allows you to clean up the chickens’ waste quickly and easily. It should be added to the floor of the coop.
Put up a fence around the chickens’ enclosure. Make sure the fence is made out of strong materials. Bury the fencing into the ground so predators cannot dig underneath the coop and get in. Block off any gaps that predators can fit through in the fence or coop. You can block off the gaps with a piece of wood, tile or something similar.
Purchase feed and water containers. You can use tubs or bowls as your chickens’ feed and water containers, or you can buy or make a feeder and drinker. If you’re planning on breeding your chickens, you’ll want to keep a drinker since it will lessen the chance of chicks drowning. Stock up on extra bedding. You can never have enough extra bedding material, since you will be disposing of the used bedding every time you clean the coop. Get a heat lamp if necessary. If you plan on breeding your hens or if it gets quite cold during winter in your area, you’ll have to invest in a heat lamp to keep your chicks and chickens warm.
Food for standard-size chickens usually comes in pellet form, while food for smaller bantams often comes in crumbles. Keep the food fresh and clean. During the night, cover the food container and feed up with a lid to stop it from attracting pests, and clean up any leftovers so that they don’t turn moldy.
Many chicken feeds already contain calcium-rich grit. If not, you can buy it separately at the feed store and add it (according to the ratio provided on the package) to the feed. Additionally, you should let your chickens free-feed on insoluble granite grit 2-3 times per month. You can buy this at the feed store as well.
Never feed your chickens avocado, rhubarb, onion, garlic, uncooked potato or egg, citrus fruits, alcohol, chocolate, or anything salty. Don’t try to get rid of rotten food by giving it to your chickens either—fresh food is always best. Table scraps and other treats should make up no more than 10% of a chicken’s diet. [21] X Research source
Chickens will learn that their coop is home, and eventually settle inside the coop every night when it is time to go in. This will save you the trouble of rounding the chickens up. However, if you’re still having some trouble getting the chickens inside of their coop, throw some treats inside. The chickens should have access to their coop at all times during the day, but the coop should stay locked during the night. Chickens will come in and out of their coop to lay eggs, eat and drink (if the feeder and drinker is in the coop), and get away from the heat or the cold.
You should collect the eggs in a basket, box or some sort of container. If you drop an egg, make sure to clean up the mess!
Put on some gloves and a mask and dispose of all the bedding, sweep the floor of the housing, hose the housing down, clean out the nest boxes, rinse the feeders and drinkers, and clean the perches.
Panting, cloudy eyes, sluggishness, low alertness, huddling, bald spots, a reduction in egg production, and decreased eating or drinking are all potential signs of illnesses. If you come across any of these, you should contact your vet. If one of your chickens has a bleeding wound, separate it immediately to stop the other chickens from pecking at the wound. Isolate the chicken until healed, and then return it back to its coop.
Grab a big enough tub, a mild soap, and a cup or sponge. While you’re bathing them you might also trim their beaks and nails, and clip their wings too.
