It shouldn’t be too hard to understand the reason why the owners of small-scale hatcheries and backyard egg need to know how to care for chickens well.

Growing your own livestock is just like taking care of your own pets, except that these aren’t exactly the kind of animals you’d want to keep indoors. All jokes aside, however, this is the most important thing you need to remember: if you’re thinking of raising some fowl, you have to make sure that these birdies won’t die out on you because of neglect.

But the question is, how exactly should we take care of our chickens?

Here are some tips that you’d do well to remember when you start a hatchery (or even if you’re a chicken expert with years of experience).

1. When you’re raising chickens from egg-hood, remember that a brooder for the chicks will be necessary. These little guys won’t be fully grown birds for around six more weeks, so you need to find a place where they can stay. Your living room is not an option. Baby chickens stink something awful.

2. When feeding them, you will need to take a bit of care, for chicks can easily tip over feeding bowls and watering dishes. If you’re really unlucky, they can end up trapping other chicks beneath these bowls. Choose the proper bins for your chicks.

3. Fully grown chickens don’t need too much supervision. But visit your birds on a daily basis anyway so that you can collect any eggs that were laid. This way, you can also check if any of the chickens are behaving in a manner that would require your immediate attention.

4. If you need to leave your chickens for extended periods, make sure that they have access to adequate food and water.

5. Clean your coop regularly. General cleaning should be done every month, but your animals will benefit greatly from a daily cleaning routine.

If you keep these tips in mind, you will discover that proper care for chickens that are happy and healthy isn’t too difficult an endeavor. Always remember that it might take some getting used to, but after enough exposure to the routine, it should become little more than a task you’d probably perform in the morning after waking up.

Chad B. is an advocate for backyard chicken care and has been involved in raising chickens since he was little boy back in 1986. Find out more about how to care for chickens and get a free 10-lesson chicken raising mini-course by visiting Chad’s site http://RaisingChickenSecrets.com=