Raising Chickens in an Egg Shell

Now that you have decided to begin raising chickens, there are a few simple things you will want to know. Raising chickens can be a rewarding experience, but at times, it will seem a daunting task. You will know you have achieved success when the full grown chickens are snuggled contently in their nesting boxes. Do not let the term “nesting box” scare you away as that is just a wood box perched along the wall and filled with hay. It is necessary that your chicken have a wonderfully secure and comfortable location to develop their nesting instinct so they can provide you with many eggs for a hearty and healthy breakfast. Breakfast served with your homegrown chicken eggs could be considered organic in some sense if the chickens are fed an organic feed mix. Your local feed supply store and internet are great resources to learn about the different chick feeds that are available. That same feed supply store can provide you with the purchasing information in regards to what type of chicken you would like to raise and the variety of eggs the chicken would produce.

Care of your chickens will seem time consuming early on as diligence will be a necessary part of your success. That care time will diminish however with the aging of the chicks. When you purchase baby chicks and start your endeavor the chicks will be just a few days old. It is essential that they are supplied a small, warm area. This area will also need to contain a heat lamp. The heat lamp should not be hung to low or to high. Usually it will be at around 12-14″ above the height of the baby chicks. The temp within this area should be kept around 90 degrees, keeping in mind the baby chicks will also congregate around each other and provide a small amount of heat.

The self-imposed danger chicks face is the smothering of each other when they huddle for warmth. Do not dismay if you lose a few early on as nature has its own way of keeping the brood strong. In almost every attempt to raise young birds, there will be a few that die due to smothering.

While the chicks are very young you will want low edged but large circumference containers on the floor . This will allow for their ease of eating and drinking, thus encouraging them to do more of it. Feed dishes and water should be kept full while they are new to eating and drinking. Within 4-6 weeks water can usually be supplied through an automatic water supply system. There are several options available on the market.

The baby chicks will grow rapidly in the first few weeks. When you see the chicks developing their permanent feathers, also known as pin feathers, your chicks will be ready to go it on their own. You will recognize this transition by the loss of their soft downy type feathers. Typically the color of the feathers will change also. At this time the heat lamp can be removed and the chicks will huddle together at night for warmth. When the lamp is removed and they are ready for the next phase of growth, you will want to provide the chicks with a permanent chicken coop. The chicken coop design can be very basic. Your chickens will not know the difference between the Taj Mahal and the double wide.

I do recommend however that there is plenty of height to the chicken coop as you will want to stand in it when collecting eggs. A simple chicken coop design can be researched either on an internet link or through your local library.

Full grown chickens enjoy being allowed to roam a safe area of the yard as well. These roaming chickens have often been referred to as “Free Range” chickens. They will consume natural feed found in yards or pastures where they are allowed to roam. Chickens are also very good at keeping down the tick population in areas of the country that deal with that particularly pesky critter.