We stared at shelves labeled with egg price tags but no eggs. Eggs are an essential food for many people, and now there weren't any available since the COVID-19 social-distancing advice began. The day before the shelter-in-place became a requirement, my husband and I ordered six chicks. My thinking? “If we're stuck at home for weeks or even months, we should work on growing a potential food source."
Perhaps you're about to start raising chickens, and you've decided to save some money by building your chicken coop. Maybe you've had chickens in the past, but now you're ready to build the coop you've always wanted. Either way, you have great options! Check out these ideas and consider a few points while planning the coop of your dreams.
So, you and watch them grow, you might wonder just how long until they grow up and begin to lay eggs for themselves? Besides the enjoyment of keeping hens as pets, the goal of many small-scale chicken owners is to obtain fresh eggs throughout the year. Happily, you shouldn't have to wait too long.
Baby chicks! Even if your goal is to eventually own a flock of egg-producing hens, there is still something delightful about raising young chicks from "scratch" (pun intended). While some hens are willing to hatch and raise their own chicks, let's assume you're raising the baby chicks yourself—either chicks you've purchased or chicks from fertile eggs that you've hatched in an incubator. No matter how you got them, raising chicks is a rewarding experience. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind.
Once upon a time, keeping chickens was much more common than it is now. Back when most families owned a horse and perhaps a dairy cow or two, it wasn't unusual to have a small flock of chickens as well. Because of this, a basic knowledge of chicken care was woven into the fabric of American life. Today, there is renewed interest in keeping chickens, but you might have questions about the basics that you didn't learn from your parents or grandparents: How much work are chickens? What might it cost to get into keeping chickens?
If you're raising chickens, one of the first questions you'll ask is, "How much space do my chickens need to be happy?" The ideal size of your chicken coop will depend on a lot of factors. How big are your chickens? Are they fully grown? Will they have an outdoor run? In general, it's better to provide too much space for your chickens rather than too little. Chickens can become a little cranky if they're cooped up too close for too long.
You've decided to raise backyard chickens. But where do you begin? Keeping chickens in your yard is a rewarding pursuit, but before you get started, let's take a look at some of the basics of keeping chickens.
If you have some land or even a backyard and dream of dabbling in farming, an easy first step is to try raising chickens. Chickens offer an ideal way for you to learn the ropes of basic livestock care without it becoming overwhelming. Make sure you ask yourself, "How many chickens do I need?" It's a great question, and the answer will partly depend on your plans and purpose for your chickens.
Chickens are highly susceptible to predators, especially if they're free range. Foxes, raccoons, birds of prey and even snakes can all pose a threat to a free-range flock. To protect your chickens from predators, you'll need to consider installing appropriate fencing, providing shelter, keeping your chickens indoors at night and using guard animals to keep predators at bay.
