Why get chickens?
Having backyard chickens is beneficial for numerous reasons. I could make you a list of hundreds but I think I’ll save you the long unnecessary tangent and give you the bullet points.
Chickens provide fresh eggs. Who doesn’t love fresh out of the coop eggs for breakfast. They also will still have their bloom. In the USA for safety purposes all eggs have to be washed, removing the bloom in the process. This is why you have to store your eggs in the refrigerator. So fresh eggs won’t take up space in your refrigerator. You will also be able to water glass eggs for when your hens will lay less eggs.
Chickens help control pests. They will eat anything from weed seeds to squash bugs, aphids, and even Japanese beetles. They also will eat down the grass making less mowing to do. Full disclosure, they will eat plants especially seedlings so you’ll want to keep a close eye on them or cover plants you don’t want to get eaten. Sometimes they will also dig a hole. Not super deep but enough that they can take a dust bath. This helps keep them healthy killing off any bugs or mites they may have. To stop this I set up a small tub with diatomaceous earth that they can bathe in and it helps to keep them from digging.
Chickens can reduce food waste. Chickens help cut down food waste by eating leftover food and scraps, turning them into eggs and meat instead of letting them go to waste. Their manure can also be used as compost for your garden. Some of the best planting areas I’ve had have been where my chickens were moved to for a period of time.
Chickens offer a calming presence in your yard. Chickens in your yard are like nature’s therapists, making the place feel peaceful with their soothing sounds and easygoing ways. They are fun to watch roam around and they love to follow and be where ever you are.
How to get a flock started:
1. Make sure your zoning allows chickens. Not all residential areas allow chickens so be sure to check your local laws.
2. Make a plan. Where will you keep your chickens? They can and will be eaten by predators so they need a secure house for overnight. I’ve lost chickens to owls, hawks, a raccoon and a fox. This is why when we moved to our homestead and I had my own chickens, we opted for a completely covered chicken run. Since we have moved and gotten our current set up, we haven’t lost a single chicken. You can opt to build a coop from scratch if you are handy with tools. I’ve seen people build coops for virtually nothing, using materials they already had. You can also get custom coops that can cost in the $10,000 range. The point is you can spend as little or as much as you are able to.
We opted for a prebuilt kit from EZCoop for a couple reasons. 1. it’s very sturdy with locks. 2. It’s insulated. We live where it gets really cold over the winter. Insulation is a must to keep birds comfortable. 3. It can be mobile. We wanted something that could be mobile to move around the property without having to have a separate mobile coop. We originally started with the steel cage that fit our coop but eventually changed it out for two bigger ones we found on Amazon.
3. Figure out your family’s egg needs. Different breeds lay a different amount of eggs. I would say plan an egg a day peak season for most breeds. In the winter you may get an egg a week if any at all. We tend to eat more eggs because we have chickens than we would if we were buying them from the store.
I have gotten chickens from Murray McMurray hatchery when I worked at the farm in Colorado. We would order between 300-500 chickens each year from them in the fall so they would be laying by spring. I have also gotten my chickens at Meyer Hatchery. They are less than an hour drive from me so I was able to go pick them up on hatch day. Their ducks come from California. They got to my local post office in really good shape.
How to care for baby chicks
You’ll need a few supplies in order to be successful with baby chicks.
The first thing you’ll need is brooder area. Some people like to use brooder boxes. Those work great if you are doing lots of chicks or already have chickens and need a separate area for the little ones. We just put our chicks in their coop with lots of bedding and a heat lamp. We would go out and check them a couple times a day. You’ll want to keep them in this area until they are fully feathered. It takes about 6 weeks for this to happen.
Next you’ll need baby chick starter feed. I prefer the medicated feed. Your chicks can survive on non medicated feed but you’ll have to be really on top of their bedding. Coccidiosis thrives in a moist wet environment so you’ll want to keep your house as dry as possible. Chicks will eat about a pound of feed each week. You’ll want to keep them on the baby chick feed until they start laying or around 18 weeks. We feed the Kalmbach 17% crumble. It’s based out of northern Ohio. I recommend you check out your local feed stores before ordering online. They are generally a lot more affordable.
You’ll also want to pick up chick sized waterer and feeder. I just picked up one of each at our local feed store. I recommend the galvanized metal ones as they last way longer than the plastic.
Finally you’ll need a heat lamp. Get a red light bulb.They are less stressful for the chicks and help to stop the, from pecking at each other.
Once you have everything set up and your chicks home, you just need to make sure they constantly have food and water available.
Extras
This list is a few things that you will need when they get bigger/ some things that we use that makes things easier.
22lb Feeder with Rain Guard: This feeder from Premier1 is the best feeder I have used. for our 7 chickens we fill it up every three weeks. It is super sturdy. We have had 80+ mph winds and its never blown over and the top hasn’t come off. The rain guard keeps the feed dry and gives the hens a dry place to eat when its rainy or snowy.
5 Gallon Waterer: This waterer my husband found on amazon is really great most of the year. We use it 100% of the spring, summer and fall. It lasts about 3-4 weeks depending on how warm it is. The warmer it is the more they drink. We get super cold winters so it will freeze. Instead we use rubber feed pans.
Rubber Feed Pans: We use these in the winter for water. They work great for when the water freezes. They make it easy to break the ice. If frozen sold you can flip them upside down and slam the ice block out. The handle one is great in the summer to use for things like diatomaceous earth or to put your compost in to keep it in a set area. The smaller set is also a good option if you need multiple pans.
Automatic Door: Another husband amazon find. The fit was slightly too small to drill into the door so he cut out an insert from ply wood and it fit perfectly. You can set it on a timer or based on light. We use the light setting. The only issue we have had is if it gets dark really quickly when we get severe weather, it will close. So we always go check if we get a storm.
Bedding: Bedding is super important. It keeps everything clean, protects the flooring of your coop and keeps your birds warm.
