In this chapter you will learn:
You just came back from KFC and you are more than upset with price you just paid for their chicken, or you saw on the news a very disturbing story on how chickens are raised and slaughtered, or one on Avian flu that terrifies you and you decided to raise your own chickens. Congratulations, you are the next chicken supplier to the world, and that is a good thing. You get to control what goes into the chickens, how to use the eggs, and when it is time how to slaughter and then cook your own chickens. It will give you pride to open up your freezer or refrigerator or firing up the grill knowing you made what is there. But without careful planning, this can be a disaster and possibly even fatal to you.
The first you need to plan is what are the local laws on raising chickens and do you need any permits for the facilities, and what are the rules regarding selling eggs or chickens or the meat, (This definitely has lots of regulations). Secondly, are there restrictions on the type of birds that you can have, (For example no roosters), and any regulations on the waste they will generate. Once you got the clearance on this, you are ready to start planning. Failure to do this can mean anything from a fine to your residence being condemned and even jail time, (Particularly when it comes to removal of the waste, selling eggs, and the meat).
So we have the all clear from the local government or at least know what they will allow, so it is time to start laying out some physical structure. To do this draw on a piece of paper the land you have that can be used to raise chickens. Next, if you are on a septic tank or home sewage system, mark its location and the location of the drain field. You cannot locate the chickens on this area, so put a big X in these areas. Next up is mark in the areas you can build a fence on to keep all those animals that like raw chickens from your chickens. Then finally do you have any ground that is perpetually marsh or swamp or floods easily, mark that area with a big X. Finally what is not marked out and inside the fence is the area you can raise chickens on.
The next bit of planning depends on local laws and that is the amount of chickens and types of chickens and roosters you plan on having. Basic rule of thumb is for each chicken you will need 9 square feet, (3 foot by 3 foot) area in the henhouse and an additional 15 square feet for the chicken run or play area and you need to run electrical to the henhouse for cooling and heating. You will also need a place to store the feed and the even the smallest bin will take up 15 square feet and sheds, (Preferred) take up larger footprints or area. You also need to set up a butchering area and this should be a shed, which will need access to potable, (treated) water. It is preferred that it also have electricity for lights and to power up a hot plate. You will need a place to store clean bedding from wood shavings and straw, (Those these can join the feed in that storage bin). Finally and this can be placed over your septic tank drain field, a compost bin to break the waste the chickens will generate into fertilizer for your garden, (You want to avoid contaminating any ground or well water you might use and since it is being made into fertilizer, after decomposition it safe for plants to handle). You may also want to have a shed with electric power as an incubation shed, thought this can be done inside the house, (Depending on local laws).
You have your requirements so it is time to mark on your drawing what goes where. You will need to be able to go from area to area and some space near the henhouse so that you can access it and clean it out, but this area will depend on the henhouse selected.
Finally it is time to select your feed for your chickens. Corn meal is preferred, and other alternative are Chicken Chow, (Similar to Dog and Puppy chow), shredded lettuce and cabbage, (Grind these into very small pieces in your food processor), and finally some sort of protein, from ground up remains the meat you had with your meal, to canned dog food, (This does not need to be ground up and can be the cheapest brand).
Now that we have all of this decided we are ready for the next chapter which is about henhouses and hot to build or obtain one.