Keeping chickens in your backyard is simply the best for fresh eggs.
They are personable & easy to raise with a great entertainment factor as a side effect. I would say it’s a necessary livestock and fantastic for beginners with a few helpful tips.
No store-bought egg can ever compare to your own chicken eggs, especially if you can free range them a bit or provide fresh greens. Even if you just keep two and put them in a crate on your lawn to move them around.
If you are considering adding chickens to your own homestead venture, please read on:
Plan ahead
Before you add any animal to your backyard, it’s important to be sure you can provide what it needs. Adult chickens need a secure, draft free but well-ventilated coop with about 2-3 square feet of coop space per bird. We are blessed with a lot of land so our chickens are out the entire day and only sleep in the coop at night.
Don’t worry, it does not need to look picture perfect at all. If you just keep a few chickens & don;t want to build the coop, you may buy one that is ready to use with nesting boxes and all.
If you have predators in the area like racoons make sure they are cooped up at night securely. Close the coop up at night and open it up again in the morning. We have a great guard dog. Although we live in a country setting, our dog watches the chicken like a “hawk”. Of course fresh & clean water and good feed is always important.
Breeds
Another thing to consider before you buy your chickens or incubate fertile eggs, is what type(s) of chickens you want.
- Ornamental, tame chickens like Polish
- If you would like as many fresh eggs as possible, go with egg producing breeds.
- Meat producing chickens are chickens used for both egg production & meat production.
Roosts
Chickens are roosting animals by nature. If you don’t provide your chicks some kind of perching opportunity, they will try to find the highest spot and try to sleep there. It’s best to use a tree branch or a square roost. You can by this at a lumber store.
Nesting boxes
Letting you hens to lay in nesting boxes may take a bit but eventually they’ll catch on. Ensure the nesting boxes are always clean and filled with straw or wood shavings. Hens start usually laying at about 4-5 month old. I the beginning, your chicken might lay the first eggs anywhere on the ground. They have to get used to their egg producing ability, I guess.
If you free range them, you might also find them laying eggs in your flower pot or under a bush. In this case, try to keep them in the coop for a week and they will get used to laying their eggs in your nesting box. By the way, feel free to use a crate. Again, it does not need to cost much money.
Entertainment
Please also consider adopting a chickens if you like them as companion. In Napa Valley, please check out: