Growing up , I was golden enough to be environ byvarious types of fowl . My female parent certainly delight keeping birds around . We had everything fromRhode Island RedandGolden Laced Wyandottechickens toRouen ducks , Brown African geeseand evenBourbon Red turkeys . I had the chance to gather fresh brown eggs from the nest or , earlier on , aid my family bungler rooster and prepare them for the Deepfreeze .
No matter if you grow up on a homestead yourself or are just now beginning to dabble in a more self - sufficient modus vivendi , a small lot of chickens can be a large way to get your metrical foot wet . Whether you have plans to reap broiler for meat or are just look for some lay biddy to satisfy your kitchen with eggs , think the following before add domestic fowl to your farm .
What to Look For
Chickens come in a variety of colors , pattern and size . Have a program in mind before choosing a strain . Know what purpose your wad will serve .
Find a Good Source
Chickens can mostly be purchased as either cover eggs , young chick or start fryer . While fertile nut might not be too difficult to come by in your community , incubating is a project that will need deliberate and consistent monitoring . On the other hand , though , started pullets can be more expensive to buy .
Offering a happy middle earth , newly hatched wench are a good option for the beginning chicken - steward . They can be purchase online via hatchery website and then shipped to your local post power . you could also buy in person at farm - provision stores or from an individual ’s own flock .
If consecrate online , some hatchery will necessitate a minimal number of fowl to be purchase , and some may charge a fee for any rescript below a stage set quantity , as the chicks can remain warm longer and ship better in a larger group . This can be a disadvantage for anyone calculate to start with a small flock of just a few hen .
If you ’re open to a more modified excerption of stock pick , a local farm - supply store might be a unspoiled place to chatter as you ’ll be able to see the chicks in soul and in all likelihood prefer which one and how many you want . Our local feed mill also offers the pick to range in chicks for people .
For those looking to buy from an individual , consider asking to see the original flock and inquire about any old sickness or problems they might have had . If you already have an existing great deal that you ’ll be incorporating new hiss into , avoid fetch any unwellness or problem home to your own birds . Ashleigh Krispense
Supplies to Have
I have execute the whimsical path of walk away from a farm - supplying store with two footling boxes of downlike chicks . But if you ’re not familiar with the fundamental principle of care for and lift them , it can be a good idea to wait until you have the supply needed to impart them home base !
As your skirt get on into grownup bird , their needs will alter . Here are some canonic thing to have :
• bombastic enough coop and run for the size of your flock
scott/Adobe Stock
• Appropriate feeder and feed , which can vary strung-out on whether you have broilers or layer , and their old age
• heavy water system dish
• Nesting box and bedding ( such as straw )
• Roost that they can grip firmly
Brooding Setup
Long - time wimp - steward David Esau think up his own chicks twice a twelvemonth to apportion with people at local events / holidays , replenish his own flock of laying hens and put up cockerels to butcher .
After hatching , he raises the chicks in about a 2 - foot square composition board box until they have grow enough to be relocated . A cardboard box seat meets his need well . He can toss of it thenafter the chicks have outgrow it , and as he mentioned he wo n’t call for storage until the next spate of chicks hatch . For an additional brooderoption , metal stock tankful or washtubs ferment very well if you ’re willingto store them when not in use .
Esau paint a picture using appropriately - sized equipment in your incubator set - up , such as chick feeder and waterer that are low enough to the ground that they will be able to attain them . Wood chips can be used for litter . And for a heat source , Esau has opted to apply a rut shield with a 40- to 60 - W incandescent light bulb ( as opposed to the traditional heat lamp bulbs ) . Esau also notice that the heat can gradually be reduced over time as the chicks uprise and feathering develop .
Ashleigh Krispense
Inside Your Coop
Transitioning immature birds into a regular coop can be more of a challenge if you already have an established flock . Do it gradually and allow clip for the chicks and older hens to first become acquainted with each other through a pen .
Whether your chicks are in their “ swelled bird ” hencoop yet or not , it can be helpful to go ahead and make any repairs or little fixes needed to insure it against predators and the elements . From ready holes in the fencing that encloses your pen , replacing wiped out or omit windows inside the cage , or pertain up other various domain that have become weakened over time , always be prepared .
As you gear up your henhouse , here are some things to weigh having .
Ashleigh Krispense
Consider the litter on the floor of your coop and find what method of aid and cleaning oeuvre best for your lot and lifestyle . Keep in mind also what type of floor your cage has , whether it ’s a dirt story at ground level or bring up with forest .
Look for any openings or gap that would allow a predator to slip deep down , such as a weasel , possum or hungry racoon . Even snake will seek out a whole ball repast at times .
Feeding & Boredom Busters
The nutritionary needs of your mess will deviate , depending on their eld and intend purpose . It ’s in effect to do your research via fowl - touch book , trusty local provender - mill / feed - store employee , or , as Esau suggests , the instructions on provender bags . He course a commercial provender that is years - appropriate for his mickle . Chicks should start out with chick appetizer and gradually move up as they mature to a incubator / grower / finisher provender . Esau suggests that pullets can then be switched to a layer feed around a calendar month before they are to start pose .
Once you have set ashore on a good eating plan , supplement it from metre to time with various tedium broncobuster . examine suspending a head of cabbage or lettuce in the air and letting your birds peck at it . you could also make your own frozen treats .
If produce fodder from sprout grain — such as wheat — sound like something you would like to try , Esau has grown it in various container to around a height of 3 inches before feed it to his wad . He prefers to not grow so much that the flock ca n’t consume it within just a twenty-four hour period or two . Ashleigh Krispense
Poultry-Safe Landscaping
Gardening and landscaping while owning chicken can be a challenge , peculiarly if they free - mountain chain . Learning which industrial plant are safest to plant near your coop or in the main gratuitous - chain country can be helpful . For example , local greenhouse owner and chicken - keeper Jana Dalkeshared someherbs and other plants that can be safely planted near poultry , such as “ spate , Allium schoenoprasum , parsley Florence fennel , basil , anything in the brassica family , ” she says . “ They get laid lettuce and other salad park . ”
If you ’re looking to mix it up , Dalke also suggests providing your flock with an accessible snack by grant cucumbers to grow up a fence . This way , the razz can munch on them as they ’re produced . She place out that preventive measure will involve to be taken in the origin — such as putting fencing around the plants — to keep chickens from the plants until they have suppurate .
While various types of plant can safely co - live with domestic fowl , some are also considered toxic . Dalke mention some of these . “ Nightshades , bulbs such as tulip daffodils and iris , holly , foxglove , azalea , oak tree leave-taking and acorn , rhubarb , yew , apricot pit , sure fern are say to be toxic to chickens , ” she says .
Whether you ’re unaired to do your first purchase from a hatchery or are considering some fertile hatching testicle to go in an incubator , Gallus gallus can bid a fun and educational experience for your homestead . Do your research , gather the supplies and watch as your flock seems to expatiate right before your eyes !
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Keeping Your Hens Healthy
Sometimes , bar can be the best medicine when it comes to keeping your flock healthy . Here are some simple steps you may apply in care for your own poultry .
volaille - custodian David Esau recommends having good feed ( which should be appropriate for your flock ’s age and nutritionary pauperism , depend on if they ’re layers or broilers ) and being watchful for sponger . The more clip you spend around your birds , the more normal their behaviors will appear , so you ’ll be better capable to descry something that ’s out of character .
Provide fresh , uninfected H2O during the summertime and winter . Whether it ’s become low and unsporting during the hot summertime afternoon or freeze over and unable to be drunk during inhuman wintertime day , check in on a regular basis on their body of water supply and freshen it up .
For turgid flocks , an appropriately sized coop and run is beneficial . This will keep them from being too cramped and debar behavioral problems and excessive pecking or bullying .
Watch for spare amounts of ammonium hydroxide from dung , which can causerespiratory issues in your flock . Check your hencoop for plenty of ventilation and unclouded or modification litter as need . ascertain a modus operandi that knead for you and your flock .
Keep a watchful eye out ( and ear , as sometimes you may acknowledge an unmatched noise ) on your chickens for early signs of health problem . Whether mites or an unwellness , it can be helpful to leap on an issue as soon as it can be recognized .
This article originally seem in the Nov./Dec . 2023 issue ofChickensmagazine .
