Raising chickens in the back yard

Chickens are wonderful Pets!

It is very easy to care for a chicken and very rewarding.  Chickens have basic needs like all creatures and once these are met you will have lots of fun.
Chickens need proper housing.
A chicken needs 2-3 square feet of living space.  This is my coop I bought from www.greengardenchicken.com    This coop is well made.

 

They will love having the extra outdoor pen to peck around.
Food and Water Basics
Chickens need plenty of clean fresh water, I recommend getting some  chicken water nipples to not ever have to worry about dirty water,spilled water messes, or any other cleaning problems.  They are great.

You should feed them twice a day.  Morning and evening is fine.  Make sure to not feed too much or they will feel sick.  About 1-2 handfuls per chicken is adequate. They love to eat so feel free to give them all the kitchen scraps.  Some chicken favorites are left over noodles, potato skins, fruit rinds(no citrus fruit toxic to chickens),salad, bits of meat,cooked beans,and bits of rice(rice expands even cooked rice so try not to give to much even though they like it.


Weather
Depending on the breed of chicken you choose depends on what they can handle weather wise.  Please check this chicken breed chart
If they can not handle the heat make sure they have access to the outdoor pen always.  If they cant handle the cold make sure you hang a heat lamp in their and keep the temperature around 40-50 degrees.

Chicken Gone Broody
Many times a chicken will surprise you and start brooding all of a sudden.  You will see a hen sitting and not getting up to eat then you know she is brooding.  Once they are in the broody state they will not lay eggs.  If you see the number of eggs growing under her then another hen is adding to the collection.  Its best to isolate the hen in her own box so other birds don't keep adding to the collection.  This could endanger all of them if the number grows to more then can fit under her.  Keep a close eye on her.  If she abandons the eggs for more then a few hours then you will have to take over with an incubator.  If you do not want a broody chicken then try and discourage her by picking her up and taking the eggs etc.  Eventually she should give up,but not always.

That's it
Chickens are very playful and fun so enjoy the show.  If you would like more details on chicken care please read our free Chicken Care E book.
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