If you want to get some backyard chickens to provide you with eggs or simply just to enjoy them, you need to learn how to raise them. This will help keep the chickens healthy and happy. Keep reading so you can start looking for your chickens.
Make Sure You Get the Right Gender
When you purchase chicks, it is difficult to tell between the males and the females. Unless you want to have some roosters, make sure you ask the breeder before you make your purchase. This is especially true if you want eggs as you will want only females.
If you purchase only chickens and do want eggs, having no rooster means the eggs will be infertile so no chicks are developed. This makes things much easier for you because if you have eggs that are developed with a rooster you must collect the eggs and keep them in a cool place to prevent them from developing into chicks.
Get the Coop Ready
You need to get the chicken coop ready before you purchase your chickens. Make sure you have room enough for what you are building. There are hen houses available also. A chicken coop is larger than a hen house so choose this if you want eggs.
You can save money on a chicken coop if you make it yourself. No matter what you choose there must be a place for the feeder and to put water containers. There also needs to be room for a roosting area and enough nest boxes for the chickens. If you want eggs, you want the coop or hen house large enough, so you can stand in it without problems.
Give the Chickens Water and Light
Your chickens need to have enough light and sunlight is the best way to give them this. Because of this put the chicken coop in an area of your yard that gets a lot of sunlight. They should always have fresh drinking water available to them and their nesting boxes must be kept clean regularly. If you want eggs, give the hens a private area to lay their eggs. You also need to check for eggs once a day, which is also a good time to make sure everything is clean and there is enough water.
There are other things you can do to get ready for your chickens, such as keeping predators away from your chickens, determining how many chickens you want to have, and learning about different health problems chickens can have.
If you're interested in buying chicks or learning more about how to raise chicks, contact a local professional near you—such as Chickens.org.