It seemed like a fad , did n’t it?Urban and suburban chicken coopspopping up all over the land , appearing on reality telly show , on school campuses and even in fame backyards . Maybe you saw it all over your own social media , too : personal friend or neighbors post photo of their baby chicks , then their laying hen and finally of them grinning goofily over their first testis .
After my husband and I pass on our large - city jobs and modus vivendi , relocated to his seraphic hometown in the quite a little and bribe our first home , the very next thing we did was come out a flock of chickens . Those grin goofballs I mentioned above ? That was us . Today , we have expanded our own homestead to include other animals , and those friends and family who in all likelihood thought we were daft ? Well , they now keep chickens , too .
I Can Buy Eggs At The Store: Why Raise Chickens?
After years of keeping chickens and eat up the egg they lie , I have come to appreciate my birds for far more than their contribution to my table . chicken are inherently an organic build ofpest ascendence — a must for any gardener or anyone who drop clip alfresco , really . They love to consume ticks , and since keeping birds in my backyard , the check population in our little microclimate have plummet .
wimp put up copious amounts of atomic number 7 - plentiful manure , to utilize in your own garden , or to sell or trade , too . They are also entertaining to view and soothe to hear to ( unless you have a rooster , of course ) . And , naturally , the egg put by backyard hens , whose diets are often supplemented with greens , grass , bugs and kitchen fighting , put grocery store - store egg to pity .
Try Not to Break The Law
The unspoilt news about any generalize drift is that there is usually a lot of reenforcement behind it . The interest in maintain backyard chickens in urban and suburban areas has boost change in local laws , with many ordinances against the keeping of pet chickens reverse . Before capture Gallus gallus in your own municipality , check regulations regarding keep on domestic fowl within your metropolis ’s limits — most chicken - well-disposed towns only allow biddy ( no roosters , due to noise ) , limit the number of birds you may keep in a unmarried raft , and are regulated mostly by complaints . Also talk about with your HOA , if you live in one , before institute birds home , as they often have their own offprint .
The Fun Begins!
Once you determine that Gallus gallus are legal in your metropolis and everyone in your household is on plug-in with starting a mess ( or at least , begrudgingly agree ) , you ’re ready for the fun part : planning a coop and researching breeds .
Start With Chicks Or Chickens?
You canstart your flockone of three ways :
There are advantages and disadvantages to each possible method acting : hand - reared chicks are sweet and will in all probability be easily managed if raised in your household , but they need a lot of forethought . It will also be several months before you see any testis . Pullets may be flightier , but they ’ll be at “ point of lay ” ( meaning you get eggs right away ) , and because they ’re sexually mature , you ’ll know there wo n’t be any surprise roosters in the caboodle .
Flock Size
It would also be prudent to find out as much as you may about chickens and how they behave : peruse backyard - wimp - keeping websites , read books about keeping chickens and get to know their quirky ways . chicken are social creatures , so you ’ll certainly postulate more than one . I consider three to be a bare minimum number . They ’ll be happier , however , with a moment of a larger flock : Anywhere from six to 10 birds seems to be a sweet-scented pip , as far as the intricate societal dynamics of chicken power structure go .
Choosing Breeds
Hands down , my favored part of getting new chickens isresearching breed . I ’m full win over there ’s a Gallus gallus engender out there for everyone . Want a self-aggrandising fluffy , cuddly bird ? Try the Buff Orpington . Rockstar eggs layer ? The Leghorn is for you . How about one that calculate like David Bowie in Labyrinth ? depend no further than the Polish chicken .
Truth be separate , those are actually factors to count when choosing a breed . The follow are significant characteristic to consider will make or break your chicken - keeping experience :
If yours is to be a house peck , handled and worry for by diminished tyke , docility and dispositionwill in all likelihood be at the top of your list . If you keep chickens for culinary reasons , retrieve a goodlaying breedor two-fold - design breed will be most important to you . If you survive where winters are extreme , cold - hardy birds will be a priority . You get the gist . There are handy charts and putz online for finding your perfect breed .
Are Your Chickens’ Needs Covered?
volaille are painlessly light to deal for — once you have everything set up , that is .
The Coop and Nest Boxes
Before anything else — the equipment , provender , treat , funny sweaters — they demand a secure coop . Housing is a basic requirement for keeping chickens , and it serves the purposes of celebrate the ingredient and predatorsoutand chickens safelyin . It also provides a warm , sinister and wry place for them to repose ball , in the way of nest boxes . Depending on your metropolis orHOA ’s rulesregarding the possession of volaille , the cage may need particular arrangement in your 1000 , and special upkeep to always to look ( and smell ) its best .
Food & Water
As with any pet or livestock , tonic food and water is a everyday essential . Online retailers , hatcheries and farm - provision stores all sell the necessary equipment for feed and lacrimation Gallus gallus , on any scale . Fun items , like specialty treats andchicken sweaters(I was n’t kid ! ) are also uncommitted through best-loved - chicken web site and catalogs .
Connect With Other Chicken Keepers
In your first years as a chicken keeper , you ’ll inevitably have doubt . One great option is to sprain to the Brobdingnagian public of info and that is the cyberspace . There are wonderful on-line resource , forums and communities for wimp keepers , and by talking to multitude virtually , you’re able to source from an endless pool of information and experience .
Chickens Are Weird—Prepare For the Unexpected
On societal media and in conversation , I tend to make keeping chickens look flawless and easy . And truth be told , most of the meter , it is . But to keep chicken means to be a steward of life and sometimes last .
When I was first getting started , a local farmer friend told me that chicken may only “ up and die”—passing on with no known reason or apparent illness . Alive and scratching one day , gone the next . Several geezerhood later , when one of my chickens did indeed “ up and give way , ” I thought of his Logos . However , experience what I know now , I recognize the steward ’s role in hold intelligent and safe birds . Some of it is in your ascendance , and some of it is n’t .
Chickens have a surprisingly long life-time ( 10 to 15 year in some cases ) , but they ’re also the quintessential prey animal for predators large and small . This means that each one is a fluffy , holler , feathery objective . domesticated dogsare the main suburban chicken predator ; foxes , raccoon , and weasel are considered a close indorsement . chicken even lessen quarry to the tiniest of predators , such as mites and lice , too . Secure and properly keep ( learn : clean ) housing can prevent the loss of your birds to some of these marauder .
Meryl/Flickr
last is n’t the only part of lifespan with chickens , gratefully . Once your pullets start to lay , you may find odd eggs , bump unusual reproductive ailments , and notice other strange ( to you ) habits . If not right cared for or houseclean , chickens and their natural enclosure may begin to smack . If you go with young bird , such as biddy , see what you ’ll do if one grows up to be a rooster . Finally , make musical arrangement for your birds when you travel ( “ wimp sitter ” is indeed a growing occupation ) . Welcome to the odd and wonderful globe of observe chicken .
Miss Natalie D./Flickr
