Farmers have been raising chickens for centuries. Not only do they produce delicious eggs, but when matured can be used for some great meat. Chickens are fairly easy to raise, but can be very vulnerable to predators and disease. Simple shelters and feeding areas need to be constructed to house the chickens and keep them safe at night and during inclement weather. Read further for more information to raising chickens.
Chickens will need a simple shelter referred to as a chicken coop. The USDA recommends at least 4 square feet per chicken. A typical coop is 8 feet by 8 feet which can house about 16 birds. You could put in more birds successfully, but over crowding can lead to more prevalent disease as well as fighting amongst the chickens. Inside the coop you will need to build some perches for the chickens to sit on. Anything will work, old 2 by 4’s, fallen timber or even an old wooden ladder. Chickens will peck at anything, so you will have to keep an eye out for any weak spots in the perches that may break. Simply toss the perch and replace it with something else. The door to the chicken house should be very small, just large enough for the chickens to enter and exit, but nothing larger. It will also need a flap in which you can close at night at during any wintry weather.
The coop must be water proof to keep the chickens and their living space dry. You will want to build an access door that is full size for you to enter and exit to clean out the coop as well as harvest any eggs that have been laid. If you plan on keeping chickens over the winter, you will need to insulate the coop. Simple foam insulation can be placed on the outside and covered with plywood to hold the heat in. Remember that the chickens will peck at anything and everything so you will want to be sure that the material is strong and covers the insulation well. You will want to cover the floor to provide some extra bedding and insulation. Lay pine shavings down to a depth of 6 inches and cover that with a nice layer of hay or straw. The layer of straw will absorb the waste from the chickens and also gives them some material to peck at and play with. Over the course of the winter this organic matter will compost down and provide some lovely fertilizer for your garden. You will notice your gardens beginning to flourish after using this rich matter! It is also very important to ventilate your chicken coop. During the summer chickens can over heat which leads to their death. Fresh, cool water is very important to help the chickens stay cool.
If you choose to free range your chickens you can let them roam and they will eat bugs, and other matter they find. Chickens also need some form of grit to fill their crop with. Since chickens do not have teeth, they depend on the grit to grind up their foods to aid in digestion. You will also want to provide clean water at all times and some form of chicken feed. All livestock and farm supply stores will have chicken feed in stock. If you choose to keep your chickens confined, they will peck away at any ground they have access too and turn the area into dirt. You will also need to keep moving their pen to allow access to fresh ground.
It takes between 3-4 months for a chick to mature into an egg-laying hen. If you plan on keeping egg laying hens, you will need to make nesting boxes in the coop. If they have no place to lay there eggs, you will find eggs all over the place which may lead to a sticky mess!
If you choose to butcher your chickens, it is best to do it late in the evening or early morning. Chickens are pretty sedentary when it is dark out and may sometimes not even wake up before being butchered. While the whole process sounds inhumane, humans have relied on the meat of chickens for centuries and that is part of their purpose on earth. There are many different methods of butchering and processing the chickens, you will need to find the method that suits you best.
While eggs and chicken meat are two great benefits of raising chickens, the pleasure of watching them roam around the farm is lots of fun too! Chickens do have personalities and will keep you laughing each day. If you have animals on the farm, I would highly suggest adding a small flock of chickens to complete the farm!
