Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: What You Should Know Before Buying Chicks
• Method 2 of 4: How to care for chicks less than two months old
• Method 3 of 4: How to care for chicks over 2 months old
• Method 4 of 4: Why you need to raise chickens
• Tips
• Warnings

Raising chickens can be very fun and challenging. You can watch them grow from little fluffy clumps into beautiful chickens. Chickens are not only great pets, but they also have a lot of benefits. In this article, you will learn everything you need to know before starting your flock of chickens and what you need to do to raise chickens properly.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: What You Should Know Before Buying Chicks

1. 1 Make sure you have sufficient funds to raise your chicks. While this is a very interesting activity, take your time to do it. Before deciding to raise chickens from scratch, think carefully about why you need them and whether you have the time, money and space for them.
   • From an economic point of view, keeping chickens is not particularly expensive compared to keeping other animals. But keep in mind that the cost of chicken feed will be constant. Do not forget about the sudden expenses of the veterinarian in the event that you get sick any chicken. If this is your first time raising chickens, you may need to invest in a chicken coop and also contact a specialist in the field.
   • Caring for your hens does not take long, but you will need to feed, water and clean the coop every day (which includes cleaning the coop of droppings) and collecting eggs a couple of times a day. If you are planning to leave for a couple of days, you will need to hire a nanny to keep an eye on the chickens while you are away, which may not be an easy task.
2. 2 Find out about the legality of keeping chickens in your area. Before buying chickens and building a chicken coop, it is very important to know what the legislation requires to keep chickens. In some cities it is not allowed to keep chickens because of the noise they make, or there are restrictions on the number of chickens that can be kept in one house.
   • Some areas may require special permission, signed agreements with neighbors, or you will need to report to a committee. Also, there may be restrictions on the size of outbuildings.
3. 3 Plan to keep at least 3 to 6 chickens. Chickens are social creatures, which is why it is worth keeping three to six chickens together. It's not a bad idea to have a couple more chickens in case one of them gets sick or falls prey to a predator.
   • Chickens usually lay 5-6 eggs per week, so four hens will provide you with nearly two dozen eggs per week. More chickens, more eggs!
4. 4 Choose a breed. The selection of a chicken breed should be based on criteria such as temperament, ability to lay eggs, egg size and color, ability to tolerate different climates and meat quality.
   • If you want a hen to lay a lot of eggs, choose laying hens such as the Black Australope, which have been specially bred for more egg production.
   • Meat and egg hens (those that can produce eggs and meat), such as Orpington Buff and Wyandotte Silvery, are larger than laying hens, but produce more eggs than broilers that are bred for meat only.
5. 5 Find where to buy chickens. You can buy chickens in the spring from a local farmer, or order them to be mailed to you by the business. Please be aware that some companies may have a minimum order of 25 chicks. This is because many chicks can keep warm during transport more easily than one or two chicks, which in turn reduces losses.
   • If you want to start with 3-4 chicks, try to order with other local breeders or farmers to get around the minimum order requirements. Alternatively, you can ask your local farm supply store to include your order with them.
   • If possible, specify when ordering that you want only females to be delivered to you. Roosters can be very noisy and aggressive and are not recommended for beginner breeders. In addition, chickens will carry much faster if there are no roosters around them.
6. 6 Consider in advance how much space and what equipment you need. To get started, you need a brooder, a small box that you can keep in your home or garage. Later, once the chicks are old, you will need a chicken coop where they can lay their eggs and where they are safe from predators.
   • Adult chickens don't need to have an entire farm to run. Chickens are very popular outside the city, where most have only a backyard. However, you will need a yard, preferably one with grass so that they can walk around and nibble on it.

Method 2 of 4: How to care for chicks less than two months old

1. 1 Prepare brooder and lamp. The first chicken house is called the brooder. For starters, if you don't have a ready-made brooder, you can use a simple cardboard box or a plastic box. A hamster or rabbit cage is fine too, especially since it's easy to clean. Brooders can be purchased at specialty stores, or you can make a brooder yourself.
   • The brooder should be in your home, garage, or anywhere draft-free. It is very important to keep the chicks warm.
   • The size of the brooder doesn't matter. The main thing is that the chickens are not too crowded, and that the feeder and drinker fit there. The walls of the brooder should be high enough so that the chicks cannot get out of the brooder when they grow up.
2. 2 Use the correct floor covering. The brooder floor should be covered with clean sawdust. Newspapers can be used, but this is not the best solution as the newspaper can be slippery and the ink can stain chickens. The sawdust must be changed every two days and must not be kept wet.
   • It is very important to keep clean during this stage of chick development, as young chicks are prone to a variety of diseases, most of which can be avoided if kept clean.
3. 3 Watch your temperature. Place the lamp in the brooder to keep the chicks warm at all times. Use reflector bulbs available at any hardware store. A regular 100 watt lamp will work too, although some use infrared lamps. Put a thermometer in the brooder so that you can monitor the temperature of the brooder. In the first week, the temperature should be around 32-37 degrees Celsius, after which you can reduce the temperature by 5 degrees every week until the chicks are fully fledged, which happens at 5-8 weeks of their life.
   • You can know if the brooder is at the correct temperature by the behavior of the chicks. If the chicks are gathering at the end farthest from the lamp, the temperature is too high. If, on the contrary, they gather in a pile near the lamp, this means that the brooder is not warm enough.
   • You can adjust the temperature by changing the distance of the lamp, or use a smaller watt lamp.
4. 4 Make sure the chickens have water and food. Chicks should be fed with special chicken food, which can be purchased at any pet store. This feed is balanced to give chicks all the nutrients they need and can be found with or without medicinal properties. If you decide to use non-medicinal food, remember to keep the brooder clean. This feed will provide the chicks with all the nutrients they need and you will not need any other feed. Also, you must provide them with clean, fresh water at all times to keep the chicks hydrated. You should change their water a couple of times a day to avoid different infections.
   • You can purchase a special drinker from specialized stores. They are not expensive, lightweight, and will not be turned over by chickens. A simple shallow saucer will work as well, but you must be careful not to knock it over and to keep droppings out.
   • Even young chickens will scatter food, so a special feeder that will keep food in one place is very useful. You can buy galvanized steel feeders from specialty stores, but any shallow saucer will work.
5. 5 Play with chickens. Young chicks are naturally very playful and inquisitive. It is very important that you spend time with them, look after them and talk to them until they love and respect you. After two weeks, chicks can be taken outside for short periods of time, but only if the weather is warm. Watch out for predators, including your cat!
   • Although chickens get all the nutrients they need from their feed, you can pamper them with treats. After the first couple of weeks, you can give them a worm or a bug from your garden to play with and eat with. Do not give them green bugs, as this can lead to diarrhea, which is very dangerous for young chickens!
   • When the chicks are one month old, you can roost in the brooder. The chickens will start jumping on it and maybe even start sleeping there. Do not place the roost directly under the lamp, as it will get too hot there.

Method 3 of 4: How to care for chicks over 2 months old

1. 1 Move the chicks to an outdoor chicken coop. Once the chicks are two months old, you can move them to an outdoor chicken coop, unless it's mid winter outside. You can buy a chicken coop from specialty stores, or you can build a coop yourself. The chicken coop protects chickens from predators and drafts and keeps them warm in winter and provides them with cool shade in summer. Before building a chicken coop, there are some very important aspects to consider:
   • A place to run. All chicken coops should have sufficient forage space for the chickens to come out and breathe fresh air. A chicken coop with dimensions of 1.5x2.5 meters will be sufficient for 3-5 chickens.
   • Although you can build an open roost coop, if possible, it is best to build a high, closed roost coop. Like most birds, chickens have an instinct to perch on high perches. Also, the hen house should have a wide roost so that the chickens can sleep there.
   • Birdhouses. All chicken coops should have nesting boxes near the perch. Birdhouses are nothing more than a small space measuring 30x30x30 centimeters where chickens can lay eggs. One birdhouse can accommodate two chickens, as they don't mind sharing them. You can place straw or wood shavings on the bottom of the nesting boxes.
   • Purity. You should clean your chicken coop every four months. Shavings and straw should be changed every ten days.
2. 2 Protect them from predators. A good chicken coop should protect your chickens from predators. When choosing a chicken coop, the first thing you should think about is the safety of the coop, as chickens are defenseless against various predators such as cats, dogs, raccoons, ferrets and even hawks. You can enclose the chicken coop on all sides with a wire with holes no more than 2.5 centimeters. You should check the wire regularly to ensure that no holes are created in it, through which predators can penetrate.
3. 3 Change their food and give them treats. Once your chickens are two months old, you can substitute adult chicken feed. In addition, you can treat the chickens with leftover food, fresh grass and weeds (as long as the weeds are free of pesticides).
   • You should also place a bowl of sand in the coop. Since chickens have no teeth, the sand helps them grind and digest food.
   • You can give them oyster shells that you can buy at the pet store. Oyster shells provide your chickens with calcium for a harder shell.
   • Place food in a sturdy trough and remember to wash it regularly. You should check the food regularly to make sure it is free of mold or too wet.
   • Remember to provide your chickens with plenty of fresh water.You can buy large drinkers that don't need to be refilled often. To keep the water from freezing in winter, you can buy a heated drinker.
4. 4 Chat with chickens. Chickens love human attention, so remember to talk to them and call them by name. Tamed chickens can be stroked. If the chicken is shy, you can tame it by treating it with grains. Some hens may meet you at the door of the hen house or even respond when you call them. The friendliness of chickens depends on the breed, but also on how much attention you give them.
5. 5 Know when the chickens start laying. Your chickens will start laying eggs at about 20-24 weeks of age, and each hen will produce 5-6 eggs per week.
   • Chickens lay eggs throughout the spring and summer, and some of the fall, while the day lasts 12-14 hours. In autumn, the number of eggs will decrease, and in spring it will increase again. Eggs can be collected every day, sometimes even a couple of times a day. The larger the chicken, the larger its eggs.
   • Although chickens lay eggs throughout their life (8-10 years), the number of eggs may decline after 3-5 years.

Method 4 of 4: Why you need to raise chickens

1. 1 They lay fresh eggs. In less than a year, you will have a group of laying chickens in your own home. The eggs you get from your chickens are much fresher and tastier than those you buy in stores. Plus, you know exactly what these hens were fed with. Eggs can be white, brown, or blue-green, depending on the breed of chicken.
2. 2 They provide you with fertilizer. Chickens are small fertilizer factories. They can turn grass and bugs from your garden, as well as food you have not eaten, into nutritious fertilizer.
3. 3 They help you control the number of insects in your garden and also help you clear weeds. Chickens eat any insect that comes their way, as well as mice and snakes. In addition, they will be happy to clean your garden of various weeds.
4. 4 It's interesting to watch them. From small, chirping, fluffy clumps to fully fledged adult chickens, chickens are fun to watch. They are funny and loving creatures, each with its own unique character. Moreover, chickens are very beautiful creatures. Some breeds, with their beautiful plumage, can easily compete in beauty with their exotic brothers.
5. 5 They provide you with food. Chickens not only lay eggs for you, but they also provide you with meat (who would have thought!). When they reach 3-5 years old, the chickens stop laying eggs. Then you can decide what to do with them next, keep them like pets, or make some delicious chicken soup. It may sound harsh, but that's how farming life is. If you accidentally hatch a rooster, you can eat it when it is 5-6 months old.
6. 6 They make great pets. Chickens are very social animals, and if you raise them from chicks (or hatch them yourself), they will become attached to you and will be devoted to you. Tamed chickens will sit on your feet, eat from your hand, cluck in greeting, and may even respond when you call them.

Tips

• If the chicken gets dirty with droppings, wipe it off with a warm cloth or a warm, damp cloth. This will help save many chickens as their intestines do not clog.
• If you want your chickens to play, you can build a playground for them.
• Diversify the diet of adult chickens. Give them not only ground corn, but also applesauce, yogurt, or even cornbread crumbs.
• A spare food option is oatmeal, which you can purchase at any grocery store.

Warnings

• Chickens, in any case, should not be allowed near an already existing group of adult chickens until they reach a certain age, that is, until they begin to cluck, or until they have scallops. Otherwise, you may lose all the chickens when the rest of the chickens set order for the food.