Raising chickens is not an easy thing. However, if you do decide to get started raising chickens you can find help everywhere. Chicken keepers are a helpful bunch. There are forums and useful web pages such as this one all over the internet.
As with most of the things in life, when raising chickens the first few steps are most important.
Raising chickens can be profitable both in financial as well as healthy ways. Also, chicken keeping can be fun and definitely worth the effort. This is why we recommend it to everyone.
So, how do you begin?
1. Get Informed And Clear Your Schedule
Dependable on how many chickens do you want to keep you need to check where can you get them the cheapest and of most quality. Read up on some articles and forums about chicken breeds.
It is extremely relevant to know that chickens are gentle living beings and if you plan to keep them, you need to have time. If you want to start raising them from chicks, make sure that you inform those around you what not to feed them.
Small things like these make chicken keeping special and worth the effort.
2. Choosing Where To Keep Them Can Affect The Whole Process
The location of your chicken coop is as important as what materials you use for it. Every experienced chicken keeper will tell you that you can build a chicken coop from your own materials, which is fine as long as you double check their quality.
Make sure that you leave room for things that you may not require at the moment in the coop. People forget about the importance of heaters when building their coop in the summer.
You also need to be mobile in the coop when cleaning it. Also, remember to leave room for an extra feeder.
3. What You Have Outside The Coop Can Be Crucial For Your Chickens Health
Make sure that your chickens will have room to move freely outside the coop. Building a strong fence is the most important thing that prevents predators.
If your chickens run away and mess up your garden – it is your fault, not theirs.
Keep the outside of the coop clean of nails and hard small things such as them. Chickens tend to put their beaks where they don`t belong so even the smallest things can hurt them.
4. Don` t Expect Every Chicken To Be Perfect
Roosters can be annoying, they have a bad temper and you should expect to have to deal with it. Hens get sick more often and can also be the bully in the flock.
Every flock has their own hierarchy and vent pecking is the way most of them establish it.
You can also expect some bad eggs from time to time.
Raising chickens can be dirty and you should expect to have to clean a lot of smelly things after your flock. Nevertheless, hygiene is one of the most important things that needs to be taken care of when raising chickens.
5. When Getting Started Raising Chickens, You Need To Know What To Look For In A Breed
There is a spectrum of chicken breeds out there with a wide availability. When choosing your breed you need to ask yourself a couple of questions:
– What do you want from your chicken? The eggs, the meat or the friendship?
Some breeds are great egg providers, but they can have a bad temper. Some can give you great meat, but their eggs are small and of low quality.
– How much heat can you provide during winter?
Some breeds hurt more in the cold than others.
– Are your fence and coop big enough for your breed?
Some breeds jump better than others, some are known to dig below fences.
– How much food can you afford, and of what quality?
While it is very true that you can feed your chickens with leftover food – sometimes they need more. Quality feeds full of nutritional materials can be expensive.
So will you get started raising chickens? Has this article helped you? Share your experience with us in the comments below.