Raising chickens is on my to-do list, however due to the circumstances in my life (a.k.a. 2 bird-eating dogs) I’ve decided to hold off getting started. The good news is you don’t have to wait for me to give you all the backyard chicken tips. I’ve asked Janet Garman, author of Chickens from Scratch: Raising Your Own Chickens from Hatch to Egg Laying and Beyond to share her experience raising chickens with us. Expect to learn a lot from her about chickens over the next month. Take it away, Janet…
Let me begin with a question for the moms reading this. Do you remember how when you were pregnant you suddenly noticed all the other pregnant women around as you went about your day?
When you decide to start raising chickens, the same sort of thing happens! All of a sudden, it seems everyone has chickens! Your social media news feed is full of people posting chick pictures. Driving around town, you notice the neighbors who have a coop in their yard. And as you shop for groceries, you dream of a not too distant future when you won’t need to put eggs on the grocery list.
How do you get to the point where you’re grabbing eggs from the backyard coop rather than from the store shelf?
Here’s what you need to do before you get chickens…
First, before going too far in the backyard chicken planning, always check you state and local ordinances concerning the laws and regulations concerning backyard chickens and livestock.
Then, get to know the terms before you start researching websites, online poultry sales sites and visiting feed stores that sell day old chicks. The terms you will hear mentioned are: layers, meat birds, pullets, cockerels, straight run, incubator, brooder and starter feed. Whether you purchase from a well known on line hatchery with great reviews, a local breeder, or the local farm supply store, these terms are going to be thrown about. If you don’t know what they mean, you may not get what you wanted.
Most farm supply stores in my area sell layer breeds, or breeds commonly kept for the purpose of egg production. Many of these establishments will order a dozen or more meat birds for you as a special order. Chicken breeds raised primarily for meat, put on weight quickly, grow rapidly and are normally butchered between 8 and 12 weeks of age. If left to continue growth, many will die from lack of mobility—not able to move around due to their size.
There are quite a few dual purpose breeds, such as the White Rock, and many heritage breeds, like the Buckeye that can be kept as layers and later processed for meat if desired. Also, many people will process their older hens for meat after egg laying slows down after year 2 or 3. But for this post, we are going to stick to discussing egg laying hens and raising chickens for that purpose.
Here are 5 buying tips to help you get started:
1. Ask the supplier for egg laying breeds.
Yes, all hens will lay eggs but the meat breeds normally don’t live long enough to become egg layers.
2. Buy pullets.
The chicks you most likely want to buy are called pullets. These are baby hens. You do not need a baby rooster, which are called cockerels. Because it’s hard to determine the sex of a day old chick, you still may end up with a rooster even if you only buy pullets. But the chances are less. Roosters are needed to fertilize the hens’ eggs but the eggs will taste the same either way. If you collect the eggs daily, no embryos will start to form. For that to happen you need either a broody hen sitting on the eggs or an incubator that will mechanically do the job. Straight run is a term used to describe chicks when the sexing has not been determined. Straight run chicks are usually a bit cheaper than pullets (future hens) but there’s a good chance there will be roosters in the mix. So, unless you are okay with raising roosters, don’t order or purchase straight run chicks.
3. Buy chicks with a friend.
No matter where you buy your chicks, there’s a good chance you will have to meet a minimum purchase requirement. If you only want three and the store has a six chick minimum, try to find a friend who would like the remaining three and go in together on the purchase. Mail order hatcheries have a minimum for the safety and comfort of the day old hatchlings. The combined body heat helps to keep them warm on the trip. Chicks can be mailed right after hatching because the absorbing of the yolk right before they hatch gives them plenty of nutrition and fluid for 2 to 3 days. But warmth is still needed. Also, shipping is very expensive and can double the total of the order! Again, try to combine orders with a friend, if this is how you plan to acquire your chicks.
Even the farm supply stores may have a minimum order. There are a few reasons that the stores do this. One reason is that chicks grow better and remain healthier when in a flock. They do not grow well and flourish when alone. So, a two chick minimum may be imposed. Secondly, keeping chickens is an agricultural pursuit. (That’s right. We’re not discussing obtaining a pet chicken.) By requiring a minimum purchase, the store will discourage the buyer who is purchasing on a whim, or being led astray by the cuteness factor. Often those reasons for buying lead to unpleasant situations of abandoned or neglected birds or birds being turned into local animal control facilities. The store is trying to promote responsible poultry raising practices.
4. Buy or make a brooder for your new chicks.
If you know and can plan ahead, you will have time to save money by making a simple brooder like the one in the photo. This is simply a large plastic storage tote. If you will need to leave the lid on, you need to cut out a large opening in the top, replace the hole with some sort of metal screening or wire mesh. The heat lamp will hang a few inches from the top of the brooder over the wire mesh opening, allowing the heat to warm the inside of the brooder. Purchase a red heat bulb to reduce the incidence of picking at each other. If your chicks are warm and comfortable they will be moving freely around the brooder—eating, drinking and sleeping/napping. If they are cold, they will be huddled together under the light. You need to lower the lamp until the temperature is comfortable for them, around 95 degrees to start. Raise the lamp a little bit each week as they grow and develop feathers to keep themselves warm. IF the chicks are standing around only the edges of the brooder area, the lamp may be too close and too warm. Raise the lamp a little bit higher over the brooder and see if the chicks start moving around more freely.
5. Purchase a water fount.
I suggest purchasing a water fount. This will make your life easier and ensure that the chicks have water at all times. Fill it with warm water and place it on a small piece of brick or paving stone to raise it up out of the bedding material. A feeder dish is also helpful but you can substitute a low dish for the food. The best bedding for newly hatched chicks is pine shavings—not cedar. If economy is necessary, after a couple of weeks switch to using newspaper if you need to. Newspaper can be slippery for newly hatched chicks legs and can lead to spraddle leg. So hold off a couple weeks on newspaper bedding and use pine shavings at first.
Lastly, keep your chicks warm, dry and give free choice access to warm water and chick starter feed. And enjoy them! They grow so quickly! You are well on your way to having hens laying fresh eggs in your backyard coop.
Want more information?
Raising chickens the old-fashioned way will be enjoyable and rewarding once you learn the basics. In Chickens from Scratch you will learn how and where to purchase your chicks, how to house, feed, and care for them, and ultimately enjoy the delicious fresh eggs the chickens will provide for your family.
Buy a copy of Janet Garman’s book, Chickens from Scratch: Raising Your Own Chickens from Hatch to Egg Laying and Beyond. Available through TimberCreekFarmer.com or here on Amazon.com.
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