CHICKEN RAISING 101

HOW TO RAISE CHICKENS IN YOUR BACKYARD FOR EGGS, FUN, AND PROFIT

JANET WILLIAMS

Copyright © 2013 by Janet Williams. All Rights Reserved.

Get more information about gardening and sustainability at http://on.fb.me/HmllNU

Table of Contents

Why You Should Read This Book

Picking Out Your New Chickens

How to Build a Chicken Coop

Which Comes First–The Chicken Or The Egg?

Caring for Your Chickens

Planning on Having Babies?

Bringing It All Together

Other Recommended Books on Sustainability

About The Author

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK

You’ve decided that you’re going to raise chickens but, after having come to that decision, you aren’t sure where to go from there. That’s alright because you’ve found this book, and this book will point you in the right direction. There are many different reasons behind the decision to raise chickens, from the desire to have fresh eggs every morning to wanting to enter an animal into a 4H competition, to teaching your child something about responsibility and learning to be self-sustaining. Regardless of the reasoning behind your desire to raise chickens, you’re ready to get started or you think you are.

There are a few important things to do before you go rush out to get started. First, you must find out if it is legal to raise chickens in your area; many major metropolitan cities do not allow for the raising of farm animals within city limits. This is not to say that it is not done but if complaints are made about the noises or the smell, your chickens that you have worked so hard for may be taken from you.

The second thing to keep in mind is that chickens are not like other animals that may be obtained; they’re not pets. They’re animals that are there to serve a set purpose. Chickens should never be purchased with the intention of trying to make them pets. They will not play fetch, they won’t curl up on your bed at night, and they will not come when you call them.

Another important thing to keep in mind about chickens is that they smell like barnyard animals. This may sound silly, but it’s something you really need to think about. Chicken poop keeps the chicken coop at the appropriate temperature; the decomposition of their fecal matter keeps the coop nice and warm for happy chickens and egg incubation. You won’t be cleaning out the coop like you would a litter box, for example. If you can’t stand the smell, don’t get the chickens.

If you have already confirmed that you are in a chicken friendly area - one where you can happily raise your chickens in peace, you understand that while your chickens may have their own unique personality traits they’re not pets, you realize that once you’ve gotten started down this path you will have to live with the smell of chicken poo and you’re okay with that then you’re ready to move on to the next step in making your dreams of being a chicken farmer into a reality.

The next step is reading this book. Through these pages, you will learn the hows and whys of chicken raising, what materials you will need, and how to get started. The last thing you will do is obtain your chickens; there are many, many different steps that come first. Before you can decide where your chickens will live, in order to make that determination, you must first know what kind of chickens you will have. Different types of chickens require different spatial arrangements, and you must first know the kind of chicken you will be raising before you can start making plans for the chickens themselves.

PICKING OUT YOUR NEW CHICKENS

Chickens come in all shapes and sizes, and there are a great many more different types of chickens than you are probably aware of straight off the bat. While there are more than sixty breeds considered to be the most popular to rear, we’re only going to look at the top twenty- five. The type of chicken you are going to want to choose to raise will be determined by your location; certain chickens do better in cold climates than others, for example, and some chickens do better in smaller spaces than larger spaces. The amount of space you have available and the climate of your location should play big parts in determining the type of chickens you choose to raise.

Amber whites are the typical white chicken that everyone thinks of when they think of chickens in general. They are active foragers and will supplement their diets with bugs and other plants that they are able to locate. They are docile and friendly. These birds lay an above average number of large brown eggs and work well in all climates. They are great for eating in addition to egg production; however, they do not lay eggs all year round. They are calm birds and are highly adaptable but are on the smaller side.

Ameraucana chickens became a recognized breed of chicken in 1984. There are two different types of Ameraucana chickens: bantam and large types. The bantam version weighs in at 30 ounces for roosters and 26 ounces for hens, while the large roosters weigh in at 6.5 pounds and the hens at 5.5 pounds. The Ameraucana chickens are typically quiet and do well in confinement, making them a great choice for the city living chicken farmer. An interesting aspect of the Ameraucana chickens is that their eggs are blue/green, making them a novelty for children and, should you choose to go the route of eating your chickens as well, their white meat and the fact that they mature early makes them tasty eating. They are good brooders and do well in colder climates.

Andalusian chickens originated in Spain and England in the 1800s and may be blue, spotted, or black in color. They come in two types: bantam and standard, with the bantam coming in at about 1.75 pounds and the standard at around 5.5 pounds. The hens can lay up to 160 eggs per year but, unlike the Ameraucana chickens, the Andalusians only produce white eggs. They’re flighty and do better as free range chickens, but they can adapt to confinement. Like the Ameraucanas, they have white meat and mature early, making for tasty eating, and they’re economical eaters, making them cheap birds to raise; however, they do not do well in cold climates; these birds are very heat tolerant.

Next on the list is the Aracauna chicken which, quite frankly, looks really silly. They have tufts of feathers on either side of their heads, just below their beaks, making them look like they have a decidedly misplaced old school mustache; in addition to these silly tufts, they also lack a tail, giving them an incredibly unique look. They come in about eleven different colors and were originally bred in Chile. These are medium to large-sized chickens, weighing in at around 5 pounds for standard sized birds and 1.4 pounds for bantam birds. These, like the Ameraucana chickens, lay blue eggs and are known for being quiet and docile birds. An important fact to note about the Aracauna chicken is that the gene that causes those silly little tufts of feathers by the side of their head is a lethal one. Breeding two chickens with tufts will result in approximately 50% of the nest having tufts, 25% dying in the shell, and 25% lacking tufts. While these birds may be eaten, they’re generally seen as having meat that’s a bit tougher; if chicken soup is something you’re looking for, this bird would work; however, if you’re more interested in chicken strips, I’d go with one of the other types discussed above.

Australorp chickens are next in line, going in alphabetical order. These are big chickens, and that’s no understatement. While these particular chickens are super soft and very fluffy, they’ve got a good bit of weight behind them. Bred in Australia in the early 1900s, they were made to be hardy, and they’ve certainly accomplished that. The large Australorp rooster will be between 8.6 and 10.4 pounds, and the hen will be between 8.2 and 9.9 pounds; bigger than most cats and most small dogs! The bantam version will be between 4-5 pounds for the rooster and 3.7-4.8 pounds for the hen. They’re quiet chickens, bred for containment, and easily handled. The hens lay, on average, 250 brown eggs per year; this is determined by how stressed the chickens are, however. These chickens are also known for their tasty eating, due in part to the large amount of meat on their frames but also due to their early maturity and their white meat.

Barred Plymouth Rock chickens, so called for the most predominant color although Plymouth Rock chickens come in seven other colors as well, originated in the Plymouth Rock area of the United States in the mid-1800s. The rooster tops out at about 9.5 pounds, while the hens get up to 7.5 pounds. While they are generally docile birds, they have been known to get occasionally aggressive; they do adapt well to confinement, however, and are typically easy to handle. These birds thrive best in the colder environments, such as those found in New England, and they have been bred out into two different strains. The first strain was bred for their meat, while the second strain was bred for egg production. The egg producing strain of this particular kind of chicken will produce about 200 eggs per year! These birds produce light and medium brown eggs.

Brahma chickens are some of the largest types of chickens, with roosters weighing in at around 11 pounds and hens at around 8.5 pounds. Their distinguishing factor, outside of their size, is that their feathers extend down their legs and onto their toes. Originating in India, they are quiet chickens known for their docility and their friendly nature. They are average in their egg production, slow to mature, and are not great for eating, but they do well in both cold and hot conditions, making them an overall average bird who doesn’t excel in any one area but just works well in general.

Bredas chickens are friendly, docile, and comical. They are clean birds, never needing baths from their owners unless they get into something especially dirty. They work equally well as free range birds or as confined birds. They provide an average number of medium white eggs. They are calm and may be somewhat timid at times. These birds are quite sociable and once they are used to their particular owner, they will think nothing of walking up hoping for a treat although they tend to be shy around strangers. They are lower in the pecking order and do not work well when combined with other breeds as they tend to get bullied, which reduces their egg production. They average about six pounds and start laying eggs at seven months old. The roosters only tend to be aggressive if there are other roosters present; otherwise, they are content to let matters be and are very laid back.

Cochin chickens have feathered legs and feet, just like the Brahma chicken, but they are fluffier, softer, and due to their excess meat, make incredibly tasty eating. Originally from China, the roosters weigh in at 11 pounds and the hens at 8.5 pounds. They do not produce many eggs, but they are hardy, do well as free range birds, and though they do not produce many eggs at all, there is an increase in egg production in the spring time. They are docile and quiet birds.

Cornish chickens, also known as Indian Game or Cornish Game chickens, first originated in England. Their standard weight is 7.5 pounds for a rooster and 6 pounds for a hen. These birds are loud and active but, in spite of this, do quite well in confinement. They are the poorest for egg production, averaging only about 50 per year; however, they are incredibly tasty birds. If you’ve ever gone to the grocery store to get a Cornish Game hen, this is the type of bird you were eating. They are referred to as talkative birds and are quite curious and very easily tamed. Many people opt to raise these birds to be “lap chickens;” however, if you are looking to raise chickens for eating these are probably not the best kind for families with small children as these birds are likely to form attachments to specific humans, and you don’t want to have to explain to little Billy that the bird that was sitting on his lap yesterday is on the table for dinner tonight.

Delaware chickens, unsurprisingly enough, originated in Delaware when some enterprising farmer decided to breed a Plymouth Rock with a New Hampshire. Delaware chickens are medium-sized birds, coming in at 8.5 pounds for the males and 6.5 pounds for the females. They are considered to be quite docile, very friendly, and do well as free range birds. They are good in both cold and heat and will produce slightly more than an average number of eggs per year. This particular breed of chicken used to be a commercial meat breed until the 1950s. These particular chickens’ eggs are a nice light brown color.

The Faverolles chicken is a particularly awkward looking bird, with feathers that grow in such a manner as to make the chicken look like it has a beard and a muff. Their feet are feathered, and they have five toes on each foot; due to the unique feathering around their necks, they always look surprised. This particular breed of chicken was developed in France in the 1800s. Friendly, docile, and quiet birds, they get to be around 10 pounds for the males and 8.5 pounds for the females. These dual purpose birds, bred for meat and egg production, are not only high quality eating but are above average layers, producing light brown and pinkish eggs. Unfortunately, as many of these chickens are used only for show in today’s society, they have lost some of the utility for which they were originally bred.

Frizzle chickens look about as amusing as they sound; essentially, these chickens look like they have a constant and bad case of bed head. They are thought to have originated in South East Asia approximately 300 years ago; while the gene that causes their feathers to go all willy-nilly may be introduced into any different breed of chicken, the Frizzle breed is recognized as a distinct breed of chicken, the Cochin chicken that has this particular gene. The standard weight for a rooster is 11 pounds with the hens weighing in at 8.5 pounds. They are good free range chickens, though they are typically only kept for show these days. They are docile, quiet, and quite gentle. They make a decent roasting chicken, and they lay well in the spring but poorly throughout the rest of the year.

Golden Comet chickens are a commercial hybrid strain of chicken. They are engineered to be color coded: roosters are white, and the hens are an auburn color. These birds are average-sized, with the hens at 7.5 pounds and the roosters at 9.5 pounds. These birds were literally engineered for close confinement and egg production. They mature early, and the hens start to lay eggs at a younger age than standard types of chickens. They produce large brown eggs.

Hamburg chickens were developed in Holland well before the 1700s and are a noticeably smaller chicken. The standard variation has roosters weighing in at 5 pounds and hens at 4 pounds, with the bantams weighing in at 1.5 pounds. These chickens tend to fly about a lot and are highly nervous around people. They work best as free range birds, are good at scavenging, and produce an above average number of small white eggs.

The Iowa Blue is a particularly hardy chicken, good in both very cold weather and able to handle the hotter summers. They are good foragers, and they are non-aggressive towards humans; however, the roosters will be highly aggressive towards any potential threat. The birds can be somewhat flighty and lay only an average amount of tan eggs. They are smaller in size than average hitting only at about six pounds and if there are more than one rooster present, fights are likely to break out. They work well as free range birds, but are not likely to do as well as contained birds. They are considered to be a bit too stringy for good eating; however, if just the hens are kept cooped, they will do well when mixed in with other breeds of chicken.

Next up are the Java chickens, developed by pioneers in America sometime before the mid-1800s. They are large birds, bred to be hardy, with the roosters averaging over 9 pounds and the hens over 6 pounds. They are gentle, docile birds, designed for both good eating and egg production. They are economical to rear and will supplement any diet with foraging.

Any child who grew up in the past few decades is going to be familiar with this next type of chicken: the Leghorn chicken looks pretty close to how it is depicted in the Looney Tunes cartoons; however, it does come in other colors as well. Developed in Italy, they do not get anywhere as big as they were depicted in the cartoons getting to only 3-4 pounds on average. They are nervous around humans and do love to fly away, making them less popular with farmers in that regard; however, they are superb egg producers, laying around 280 eggs per year, and are most commonly used in commercial egg production.

The New Hampshire chicken, unsurprisingly, originated in New Hampshire. The roosters hit about 8.5 pounds on average and the hens come in at 6.5 pounds. These birds are known for their competitive and aggressive nature and were bred for eating. Although they do produce an average number of large brown eggs, too many in one location can make for fighting. These birds do well in colder climates.

The Orpington chicken was developed in 1886 by a man named William Cook who was especially fond of cross breeding chickens to obtain the best results. These particular chickens come in between 7-10 pounds and were specifically bred to be docile, affectionate, and easily handled. They produce between 110-160 eggs a year and were engineered to have a larger than normal amount of tender, tasty meat. Another benefit to this particular type of chicken is that it produces eggs year round.

Polish chickens may be bearded or non-bearded and are primarily kept for ornamental purposes. Unlike the other chickens whose names belie their origins, the Polish chicken did not originate in Poland but came from the Netherlands instead. They are not good for eating and while they were primarily developed as egg layers, they no longer are as useful for this utility. Due to their large crests, their vision is limited and as such, they are easily startled. The roosters get up to around 6 pounds while the hens get up to 4.5 pounds.

The Rhode Island Red was originally developed in Rhode Island and works well in colder climates. They weigh in at approximately 8.5 pounds for the rooster and 6.5 pounds for the hens. They have been noted to make good pets, but they can be quite aggressive. These, too, are dual purpose birds: designed to be good eating as well as good for egg production. The Rhode Island Red can produce up to 300 eggs per year and although they are good in colder climates, the large comb on the top of their head is susceptible to frost bite.

The Sussex chicken originated in Sussex, England over a century ago; it’s an alert and docile breed good at adapting to any location and can be free range or confined without any issues. The roosters get to approximately 9 pounds while the hens cap out at around 7 pounds. They are good at foraging and will produce approximately 240-260 eggs per year. They work well for eating and mature relatively early.

The Silky chicken is a very unusual bird. Their feathers are fluffy and feel like down. They are believed to have originated in Southeast Asia before the 1200s. Sometimes called the Chinese Silky chickens, these birds are calm, friendly, and quite docile. Smaller than other chickens, the standard roosters come in at 4 pounds with the hens only getting to 3 pounds. The bantam roosters get up to only 36 ounces and the bantam hens to 32 ounces. These birds are not great at producing eggs, but they will happily take care of the chicks of other breeds and are often kept as surrogate mothers for other eggs to keep the original mothers for egg production. Another unusual aspect of the Silky chicken is that their meat is completely black; because of their black meat, they are shunned for eating in Western cultures; however, it is for their black meat that they are especially prized for eating in Eastern cultures. They are said to be quite tasty. These birds do poorly in extremes of either hot or cold weather due to a lack of hard outer feathers. They’re pure fluffiness only.

Wyandotte chickens are the last type of chicken at which we will be taking a look. They originated in the United States in the 1870s. The roosters come in at around 8.5 pounds while the hens come in at approximately 6 pounds. They are known to be docile and friendly birds and were again developed as dual purpose birds. They produce around 200 eggs per year and are tasty to eat; however, due to their thick feathering, these chickens are one of the few that are likely to need frequent bathing.

There are well over a hundred different types of chickens, and these are only the top twenty-five most popular chickens so if there is not one here that suits your fancy, you may wish to take a look at one of the other different types. Different chickens work best in different countries, different climates, and for different purposes. There will be a type of chicken that will meet your requirements, whether for looks, for food, or for egg production no matter what location or climate you live in; it just may take a bit more research and information to find your ideal, dream chicken.

HOW TO BUILD A CHICKEN COOP

Now that you have decided on the type of chicken that you want to raise, made sure it will work for the goals that you are looking to accomplish, and ensured that it is ideal for your particular location, climate, and storage areas the next thing to look at is building a chicken coop that your chickens will call home. There are a few different contributing factors to this including total number of chickens, the amount of space you have, and the weather in your area. The chickens will need to have both indoor and outdoor areas in which to live. The area’s local wildlife will also be a contributing factor.

First, you must determine if your chicken coop will be portable. This is nice because it allows for rotation when an area gets too scratched up, giving your yard a chance to revitalize itself; however, it does require more land than a permanent chicken coop would. If you do not have the room, or the desire, to rotate out where the chicken coop will be, it is important to look into the different spaces you have available to make the best possible choice for the coop’s location; an area on top of a hill for run off is one thing to look into, so the chickens are not stuck with areas of standing water when it rains. If your chickens will not be allowed to roam about outside of their enclosure at all, it is a good idea to keep the coop reasonably close as they will depend on you to bring them their food each day.

If you are in an area prone to intense heat, intense wind, or intense cold, the chicken coop will need to have accommodations made for this such as a wind break placed around the coop, fans or air conditioning for the chickens, or heating and insulation for the chickens, depending on the climate in which you live.

Space is a key factor and will determine how many chickens you may have in your coop. As with many animals, the more room they have the better, but the absolute minimum of outdoor space per chicken that should be available is 10 square feet per chicken and the absolute minimum of indoor space per chicken that should be available is 4 square feet per chicken; each additional chicken will need that exact same amount of space added.

The indoor portion of the coop should be warm, dry, well lit, and well ventilated with convenient places for roosts, feeding spaces, and nest boxes. Ideally, at least two windows should be present, and these windows should be able to be opened to provide ventilation in the summer time.

There are hundreds of different free designs on how to make different chicken coops that are available online; some of them quite elaborate, while others are very basic. The key determining factor in which one you choose will be the amount of chickens that you are looking to have in your area and the amount of space that you have. The following is a sample design that may be modified in any way you see fit in order to create a coop to suit your needs or you may opt to go look up one of those free designs online, but this will give you a general idea of what you may need.

The first thing to keep in mind is that you do not need high grade lumber. The older and more weathered pieces are just fine, as they have had time to dry out and although there may be cracks, you know that the wood will not split. The pieces of wood that you will need to purchase will need to be bigger than your dimensions call for, as they will need to be sanded down and cut to certain specifications. Finally, remember that it is always better to have too much wood, too many nails, too many hinges, for example, than it is to have too few and have to pause in your project to return to the store. If you have never built something before, it is best to get preexisting blue prints in order to make sure that you have the exact measurements. As with cooking, building can be done on the fly once you have a good grasp of what a project takes; however, beforehand it’s always better to follow the recipe or the instructions. The chicken coop directions provided below will not be found on any site and are of my own creation. While this may not work for your particular location or layout, it will give you an idea of what you will be looking at making.

This particular coop will be created in two steps: first with the outdoor aspect of the coop and second with the inside aspect of the coop. To start, dig out a four foot by eight foot rectangle, approximately four inches deep. You will outline the sides of your hole with 2x4s; if you get three 2x4x8s this will allow you to perfectly outline this particular area. These boards will not need to be sanded and may be held together with either L brackets at the corners or simply with nails, whichever you prefer. Once the rectangle has been created, it will need to be removed from the hole itself. This is simply to make sure that your measurements are correct and the frame will fit in that location. This is to prevent wildlife from being able to dig down underneath the enclosure itself. Now that you have your base, you can start making the sides. To make sure that you will not have to stoop down to gain access to your chicken coop, you are going to want to make this a bit tall.

Take four 2x4x8s once more and cut them down to six feet each, leaving you with four remaining pieces that are 2x4x2. Now, take each of these six foot long pieces of wood and make the four corners of your coop. Each of these boards will sit to the inside of the frame itself, being hammered in at the bottom. Now the frame may be placed back into the hole, making sure it is secure and snug, and the four boards will be pointing skyward. The frame itself should be flush with the ground.

On one of the two four foot sides, a door frame should be constructed in the center. This may be done by obtaining three 2x2x6s. Two of them will be used to make the sides of the frame itself, and again, will be secured at the base of the frame with nails. At this point, it should look like six different boards are sticking straight up into the air. To make the frame stable, three more 2x4x8s should be obtained and used to make a frame around the top, securing the boards that are standing in place with either nails or L brackets, whichever is preferred.

At this point there should be an open air structure, sturdy enough to where it does not wiggle to one side or another noticeably when it is shaken. Now that your frame is in place, you will need to start working on the inside area for the chickens. This will be a simple box that can be created out of plywood. The dimensions of the box will depend on how many nesting areas you will have, how many chickens will be present, and how many roosting spots you will need to have. The important part is to make sure it has ventilation holes on each end and at least two windows. The amount of nesting boxes will be determined by how many chickens you will have as will the number of stairs you setup for the roosting. The box must also have a hole in it for a ramp that the chickens may walk down. This example will be for two chickens, for simplicity’s sake.

Get four eight foot sheets of plywood. Cut out six four feet by four feet squares. The top and the bottom will remain whole. Two sides should have a 2 inch by four inch slit cut out at the top. The other two sides should have two four inch by four inch slits cut out. Save the cut out sections. In one of the sides that has the smaller slits, cut out a four by four inch square at the bottom. These are your windows, ventilation shafts, and door. The side with the front door will be on hinges, with a latch opposite from the hinges for your access. Get twelve 2x2x4s and create a box frame. Attach the top and the bottom and the three sides to this frame but do not attach the door. Cover the windows and ventilation shafts with chicken wire. You should now have a box that looks similar to a shoebox turned on its side, with one side open. Take the final side, the side with the door, and attach it via a hinge to one side and attach the latch to the other. Take the pieces you cut out from where the windows were and attach those over the outside of the windows with hinges, creating a window that can be propped open or closed shut. Open your hinged door and take scraps of the wood to make perches on one side, staggered like stair steps. On the other side, add in two boxes. These can be made of wood or they can be plastic, whatever you prefer. Those are to be the nesting boxes.

Now, create a frame for this to sit on. The legs will need to be approximately four feet long, and the frame will need to fully support the box you have just made. This can again be done with 2x4s. Once the frame has been created, the box will need to be placed on the stand. The stand may then be moved into your open air frame. Now that the indoor area of the coop is in place, the next step is to create the ramp. This may be done with plywood for simplicity with cut up pieces of quarter round spaced down at about four inch intervals for ease of getting up and down. The ramp, once made, will need to be attached to the coop itself, which is easily done with a hinge.

After the indoor coop is in place and the ramp is created and attached, the next step is gravel. Spread a layer of gravel down on the bottom of your hole but don’t bring it all the way up to the top of the four inch frame. This is to prevent animals from digging in underneath to get at your chickens. Wrap from the side of your door frame all the way around to the other side of the door frame with chicken wire. Nail it down. Now, you should only have an open roof and an open doorway. Cover the gravel with sand all the way up to the top of the wooden frame. You may, at this point, opt to add in your own screen door or purchase a screen door that will fit those specifications and then install it. Now the roof is all that is left. Take 2x4s and cut them down to about six feet long, that way there’s a one foot overlap on each side, and space them evenly: one on each side and two in the middle. You may then add the covering of your choice over them, whether you choose to leave it like that and add in more chicken wire or whether you prefer to have a hard plastic covering over the top or even a wooden roof; the choice is yours.

Chicken coops can be bigger or smaller than this but always remember: you want to make it easy for you to be able to get to the eggs, you want to make sure the chickens have enough room, you want to make sure that the structure is stable, the chickens have a way to get out of the elements, and the chickens are safe from potential predators that may be in the area.

The food and water may be placed out in a manner of your choosing, whether in bowls with simply a water bowl and the food scattered for them or any number of different ways. Some people even create a lever that allows the weight of the chickens to open the lid and give them access to their food and water bowls. The different possibilities for creativity are endless. The chicken coops may be as pretty as you would like or simply functional. There are some people who make their chicken coops look like miniature barns or even miniature mansions. Remember, you will have to look at it, so you want it to be something you can live with, but the chickens do not care if their windows have window planters underneath them.

If you choose to paint your chicken coop, you will need to make sure that the paint, the stain, or whatever you choose to use is fully dry before allowing the chickens access. It is important to keep in mind the type of paint that you use as well for chickens will peck at it, and you want to make sure that there is nothing there that will make them sick. It’s not a bad idea to place the coop near an oak tree, for example. Chickens will happily eat all the bugs that will wander around making that their home, and this will give your chickens some shade, so their only two choices are not simply to be inside or out in direct sun.

It’s important to remember to keep things like this in mind for these chickens are your investment. You want to make sure that they are happy and healthy chickens so that you get the largest possible return on your investment in terms of egg production and sustainability. It would do no good to make the coop, buy the chickens, and then have chickens start to die from heat stroke, for example.

WHICH COMES FIRST–THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG?

The next thing to decide is whether or not you want to start with baby chicks or whether you would like to start with eggs. If you start with baby chicks, once your chicken coop is ready to go, you may simply purchase the chicks and place them in; however, if you decide that you want to start with eggs, you will need to obtain an incubator for the eggs to develop in, make sure they have the proper temperatures, humidity, and so on, and then wait for them to hatch.

Another aspect to consider when deciding whether to start with eggs or chicks is whether or not you will be breeding chickens as well. Will you have a rooster? Will your rooster be in with your general chicken population? Will you need the incubator on a regular basis? If the answer is no to any of these questions, the best and most economical choice is to purchase the baby chicks themselves. If you are simply looking to have eggs for breakfast every day, it is advised against getting a rooster, again, for ease and convenience.

If you purchase a rooster and keep him in with your general chicken population when it comes time to pull out the eggs each day, each egg will need to be candled to see if there is a growing baby chick present, and if so, either will need to be placed back in the nest or be placed in the incubator to later hatch. If your goal is simply to have eggs each day, it’s best to only have hens and then the eggs may simply be removed, cleaned, and consumed. This is something that will be addressed a bit later on in this book.

The benefits of purchasing baby chicks means that you are guaranteed that each one is viable (alive) at the time of purchase (whether they stay that way depends on the care you provide). With the purchase of eggs themselves, there is the risk that one or more of the eggs you have purchased will become non-viable during transport or through the process of placing them in the incubator itself. In addition, an incubator is going to be more costly to run, as the heat lamps must be present at all times and the temperature perfectly controlled, bringing up the electric bill itself.

Both options are perfectly feasible; however, with eggs, you run the risk of having to get more than the amount of chickens you want and potentially ending up with more chickens than your coop has room for if more than anticipated make it through the hatching process. In starting with the chickens versus starting with the eggs, you know exactly how many you are looking to have and you know for sure that you have exactly the right amount of space for that number of chickens. In addition, should for some reason one of your chicks happen to die, you may simply purchase a new chick ensuring again that you know exactly what you are getting and do not have to guess with the number of eggs that will be needed in order to get X amount of chickens.

CARING FOR YOUR CHICKENS

Like any animal under your care, chickens will need a certain amount of attention. There are chores that must be done on a daily basis, and there are chores that must be done less frequently on a monthly and on a bi-annual basis. By completing these tasks, you are ensuring that your chickens stay happy, healthy, and provide a good return on the investments you have made into them.

They must be fed and watered daily. If they have a feeder instead of having feed spread out for them, depending on your preferred method of feeding your chickens, make sure that the feeder is topped off daily so that it stays full. The water must be changed out on a daily basis or more frequently if one day it gets particularly dirty. Chickens are less likely to drink dirty water and would rather dehydrate themselves than guzzle that down. If the bird becomes dehydrated, the chances of it becoming ill or dying increase exponentially. Make sure on a daily basis that all your chickens look healthy; a droopy bird is a sign of an unwell bird, and you will want to take listless birds to the vet as soon as it is noticed to prevent any possible contamination between the healthy birds and the ill birds. At the same time each day, whether it is in the morning or in the evening, be sure to go through and collect all the eggs. All eggs should be stored point down in a refrigerator for maximum freshness. A labeling system to let you know how fresh the eggs are should be implemented. Either special egg cartons may be ordered or old egg cartons may be reused with the date collected written on the side to ensure no mix up occurs. Each time the coop door is opened, always be sure to count your chickens before closing up the coop and going back inside. You want to make sure all of your chickens are present and accounted for each and every time. If a chicken gets loose and is not caught, that’s a potential loss on your investment right there.

Just because these tasks should be done every day doesn’t mean that you cannot set up something that will allow you to be able to leave your chickens for a few days. Chickens, so long as you have a proper feeding and watering system setup, may be left for up to ten days. All eggs that pile up during that ten day period are still edible and will not cause any issues in humans. The logic behind this is that each clutch of eggs that a chicken lays contains 10-12 eggs. At an egg a day, this means that by the last egg, the first egg is still good and able to become a living chick, if fertilized; because it is still able to turn into a living creature after that time, it is still viable to be eaten as well.

Another important thing to note is that the eggs may have slight traces of dirt or chicken poop on them. The outside of the egg has a membrane called a bloom that prevents foreign matter from entering the shell of the egg itself. If the eggs are scrubbed too hard it will break that membrane, making the egg susceptible to bacteria, et cetera which is not what you want, especially if you are storing the eggs for a while before using them. If you feel the need to clean off the eggs prior to storing them, however, this must be done very carefully by rinsing them slowly in warm water only. Once you have finished rinsing off the eggs, be sure to store them and only then use soap and water on your own hands. If you are unsure as to whether an egg is good or not, place it in a bowl of water; fresh eggs will sink while older eggs will float. Do not eat the eggs that float. A healthy hen will lay an egg every one to three days. They will start laying eggs at five to seven months old and after they hit the age of two that egg production will start to decline.

On a monthly basis the bedding in the coop and the nest should be changed out. The outside floor of the coop should be raked out as well, and more added in if need be, to maintain the same floor level. This is done for the health of the humans around the coop as well as for the health of the chickens; too much ammonia buildup can be dangerous and cause respiratory illnesses. The chicken poop should also be cleaned out at this time. One alternative is creating a compost heap for these materials, away from both the house and the coop, which can be used as fertilizer, but if gardening is not your forte, it may simply be piled up in the yard or thrown out with the trash.

On a biannual basis, twice a year, the coop must be fully cleaned out. The bedding, nesting materials, and food and water containers will all need to be removed. It is recommended that you clean the coop out thoroughly with a mixture of 1 part bleach, 1 part dish soap, and 10 parts water. Once the coop is completely clean, let it air dry completely before adding in new bedding, food, and water. It should not take more than a few hours to fully clean and dry the coop and replace the bedding, food, and water.

Chickens will eat leftovers instead of just feed, but there are a few things that they should not eat including citrus fruits and peels, meat, bones, garlic, onion, avocado skins and pits, potato skins, long cut grass, or chocolate; caffeine and foods high in salt are also no-nos. Anything else may be provided to them in small doses. Generally, if it takes more than five minutes for them to eat it, you are giving them too much in a sitting. In addition, morning glories and daffodils are poisonous to chickens so you should make sure there are none around your chicken coop, as you would not want them to ingest these flowers by accident.

Now, just because your chickens will eat leftovers does not mean that they should eat only leftovers. Chicks and chickens have different dietary needs, and these can be met with a crumble or pelted diet formulated to their specific ages, much like the difference between cat and kitten food. While it is true that you can give seed to your chickens, if you are going to get specially formulated chicken food, it is important to keep the food in a sealed container in a cool, dry area away from light, heat, and moisture as this can cause the vitamins in the food to break down.

Before chicks are eight weeks old, they should be fed a high protein starter diet. Chicks eight to twenty weeks old are referred to as pullets and do best on a developer diet but if you are unable to find a developer diet feed, they can stay on the starter or grower diet until they are twenty weeks old. As soon as a hen starts producing eggs, the diet will need to be switched over to what is known as a lay ration. Once hens start laying eggs, they have higher calcium requirements and, due to this, may also be offered dishes of limestone grit or oyster shells near, but separate, from their food bowls. Corn, bananas, tomatoes, and leafy greens are considered special treats for chickens; however, they should never be given in excessive amounts.

Corn will cause your chickens to get fat; a small handful every afternoon is a good idea, so their crops stay full overnight but too much corn makes for fat chickens, and fat chickens will not produce as many eggs. Scraps are hard to monitor, and there’s a chance that one of those items that chickens should not have may be present, so it’s not really advisable to give them much, if at all – unless you are absolutely sure of what is present, though they will clear it out if given the chance. Greens they should have access to through the holes in the chicken wire; however, more is always appreciated as long as they are not overly long or overly large in size. As a side note, onions and garlic should only be avoided if you do not want your eggs to taste like onions or garlic; if you do not mind the taste, then it is perfectly acceptable to feed small doses of either to your chickens; however, too much can make the flavor in the eggs overpowering. It is easier to simply avoid this in your chicken’s diet and add it in later while cooking if absolutely necessary.

Pellets for your chickens, or mash for your chickens, may easily be obtained either online or through a feed store; it is possible to find these items in certain pet stores; however, most of the common commercial pet stores are unlikely to carry them. Additionally, some commercial pet stores like Petco will allow you to order the feed online and have it shipped directly to you. Some of the brands that may be found include Brown’s Layer Booster, Kickin’ Chicken, Nature’s Best, and Nutrena.

Organic chicken feed may be made at home if it does not interest you to spend a large amount on prepackaged foods. The ideal mix includes 2 parts whole corn kernels, ½ part diatomaceous earth, 3 parts soft white wheat, 1 part hulled barley, 3 parts hard red winter wheat, 1 part oat groats, ½ part peanuts, 2 parts sunflower seeds, 1 part wheat bran, 1 part lentils, 1 part split peas, 1 part quinoa, ½ part kelp, and 1 part sesame seeds. This mixture just needs to be mixed by hand. No additional items are necessary as long as it is thoroughly mixed. There are different mixtures that can be combined; however, it is important to note that large batches of feed should never be made at once; as with other foods, extended storage can cause the necessary nutrients and vitamins to start leeching out, meaning that the chickens won’t get the same benefit from the food as they would when it is fresh.

Chickens are relatively easy to care for, and their food needs, while specific, are easy to meet. In many aspects, they require less care than dogs or cats and although you cannot curl up with a chicken, they do provide other benefits, and the savings on the pocket book makes them completely worthwhile.

PLANNING ON HAVING BABIES?

As touched on briefly earlier in this book, there are pros and cons to raising baby chicks. The question becomes whether or not this is the right move for you. Hens will lay eggs regardless of whether there is a rooster present; however, in order for the eggs to be fertilized and have the chance of growing into baby chicks, a rooster is essential. With the addition of a rooster comes the need to check each and every egg to see whether or not it is fertilized and has an embryo growing. This process is referred to as candling, as it was done in the past by holding each egg up to a candle to see the developmental progress of the egg itself. In addition, you must decide whether to leave the eggs to the care of the chickens or whether you want to move the fertilized eggs to an incubator. Chickens that are brooding and taking care of their nest, will not lay more eggs but will concentrate their efforts on nurturing their eggs so that they grow into healthy baby chicks. Another factor to keep in mind is that chickens start laying eggs at five- to seven- months-old and reach their peak age for laying eggs at two years, after which time the frequency at which they lay eggs starts to decrease.

Will you want to replenish your chickens on a staggered basis to make sure that your egg production never decreases or will you simply want to purchase new chicks when the time comes? Will you want to have a potentially noisy rooster? Will you want to have to check each and every egg to see whether or not it is growing? Will you want one of your prime laying chickens out of commission so that she may sit on the eggs or will you want to setup an incubator, as we discussed previously? Chickens are easy to take care of in and of themselves, but this will add another layer of complexity to your chicken rearing.

If you want to raise your own chickens, one possible alternative would be to have a second coop: one for your rooster and maybe one or two chickens, with your egg producers in a separate coop. This will ensure that you still have the same amount of eggs coming in, while also ensuring that you do not have to check each and every egg that comes out of the coop without the rooster in it. In this manner, you can leave the eggs alone that are in with the rooster and chickens and allow them to grow up to be nice and happy chickens, not have to worry about the cost of running an incubator, and at the same time making sure that the eggs from the coop without the rooster present may simply be removed, cleaned, and stored.

If you would prefer to go the route with adding in a rooster to your preexisting coop, perhaps because you do not have room for a second one, it is important to realize the extra work that will go into this particular process and the potential for a lot more chickens than you anticipated, especially if you are opting only to eat the eggs and not the chickens themselves as well. The best suggestion is to keep them separate and later on remove the rooster if you feel that no additional chickens are needed.

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

There are many different benefits to raising chickens, including the satisfaction of raising the animals yourself, the fresh eggs every day, the fresh chicken dinners every so often, and the knowledge that by raising them yourself you are not only that much closer to being a self-sustaining household, but that you have decreased the amount you spend per month on certain foodstuffs as you are providing them for your family yourself instead of relying on someone else to raise them for you, clean them, and transport them to the grocery store for you where you not only pay for the cost of the poultry products but the cost of getting them there as well.

The amount of time it takes to raise chickens is minimal, and they require far less interaction than other animals that may be purchased for similar reasons. In addition, they are one of the few animals that can be purchased for sustenance that provide dual sustenance methods, making them far more cost efficient than, say, getting a pig. They cost less per month than taking care of a cat and require less care than a cat does.

While it is true that you could simply purchase a premade coop or find a kit that allows you to purchase all the components, have them shipped to you, and then simply assemble it, it is, in many ways, far more rewarding, not to mention cheaper, to obtain the blue prints and the materials and then build the coop yourself. Once you are finished, you are then able to look out and see each and every day that you have made something with your own hands, which is a great feeling that stays with you, no matter what.

Chickens require daily care, it is true; however, they are able to be left alone, given proper planning, for days at a time, something other animals are not as capable of. This means that even if you do have chickens, you are not prevented from taking that weekend getaway with your sweetie or running out of town on that business trip.

Chickens give you many different feeding options as well: everything from store bought food, scrounging about in the yard if they are free range, table scraps, to homemade corn meal or mush. Some of the different foods you may feed your chickens will even allow you to change the flavor of the eggs that you are eating, providing a variety of ways to experiment with your foods; although, again, that could backfire.

Another benefit to chickens is that almost every aspect of the chickens themselves can be used for one thing or another. They can be eaten, their eggs can be consumed, their poo can be turned into fertilizer for your garden, and their feathers can even be used as stuffing, and so on and so forth, depending on how much in depth into using all parts of the chicken that you would really like to get into. Though it is true that all parts could literally be used for one thing or another, most people will not go this route.

The important things to remember are that chickens must be kept happy and healthy. They must be kept warm and dry. They must have light. Their coops must be kept to the appropriate level of cleanliness. Other things to remember include making sure that you have selected the appropriate breed of chicken for what you are looking to get out of it as well as for the climate in which you live. It is important to remember before you ever get started to check to make sure that it is not illegal or that you do not require a special permit for raising chickens in the area in which you live.

It is advised that while this book covers the basics of rearing and raising chickens, to read up further on the particular breed of chicken that you choose to find out that breed’s specific quirks before getting started fully. One cannot know all there is to know about what kind of chicken will work best for them by simply reading a single paragraph and while it is true that this will point you in the right direction, as with the care of any animal, the more knowledge you have is always better. Some breeds of chicken will have ideal temperatures and climates for increased production of eggs, and those tips may not work for other breeds. Once you have picked out one or two different kinds that you think may work for you, the next step is to go through and read up on that particular kind of chicken to make sure that it will work best for what you are trying to do.

Remember, if a chicken does not seem to be the perfect kind for you, there are always other chickens to take a look at and research. Though we only covered twenty five different kinds, there are far more out there than that, and you are sure to find the perfect chicken for you. Another thing to consider down the line will be cross breeding if you choose to have roosters present; you may not have the ideal chicken to start but after a few generations of cross breeding, you may find that you have come across the perfect chicken for you.

We hope that this particular book has provided you with enough information to help you determine whether raising chickens is something that you really want to do and, if so, we hope that it has given you enough information to get started on the process. Remember, the first step is determining what kind of chicken, the next is determining how much room you have and, consequently, how many chickens that you will be able to have. Then, build the coop, and finally remember all the key steps to raising and taking care of the chickens themselves. We wish you happy breeding!

OTHER RECOMMENDED BOOKS ON SUSTAINABILITY

Urban Gardening: How To Grow Food In Any City Apartment Or Yard No Matter How Small

This is a fantastic book for anyone in the city who wants to grow a fabulous urban garden.

The Vertical Gardening Guidebook: How To Create Beautiful Vertical Gardens, Container Gardens and Aeroponic Vertical Tower Gardens at Home

This is a great book for anyone interested in learning how to grow vertical gardens which allow you to grow more food in less space.

Indoor Gardening: How To Grow Gorgeous Gardens Indoors With Ease

This book is perfect for anyone who wants to grow an indoor garden for food, fun, or just to create a gorgeous ambiance in your home. Did you know that some plants can remove as much as 87% of the toxins in your home in just 24 hours?

Container Gardening: How To Grow Food, Flowers and Fun At Home

This book is great if you want to create gorgeous, fun, container gardens at home including detailed instructions for terrariums, growing succulents, bonsais, and other fun and unique plants.

Raised Bed Gardening: How To Grow Vegetables and Food With Easy, Simple Raised Bed Garden Designs

If you’re looking for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) raised bed gardening designs, this book is for you! Learn how to build your own raised gardens and grow amazing vegetables and crops in your own backyard. Perfect in combination with raising chickens! Just make sure you use chicken wire.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JANET WILLIAMS is a chicken-loving enthusiast. She enjoys raising chickens in her backyard, gardening, using alternative energy, and creating a healthier, more beautiful and sustainable world. Janet lives in a small town with lots of chickens, dogs, cats, horses, bees, and other amazing animals.

ONE LAST THING...

If you enjoyed this book or found it useful, I’d be very grateful if you’d post a short review on Amazon. Your support really does make a difference, and I read all the reviews personally so I can get your feedback and make this book even better.

If you’d like to leave a review then all you need to do is click the review link on this book’s page on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/15Otq49

Thanks again for your support!

Table of Contents

Why You Should Read This Book

Picking Out Your New Chickens

How to Build a Chicken Coop

Which Comes First–The Chicken Or The Egg?

Caring for Your Chickens

Planning on Having Babies?

Bringing It All Together

Other Recommended Books on Sustainability

About The Author