chickens for beginners

this is how we ride our power wheels in the country: in the dirt, with a chicken, and in our halloween pajama pants.

looking for a little taste of self sustainability? then chickens are a great starting place.  chickens are incredibly low maintenance and can provide insect control, fertilizer, and (of course) eggs.  not to mention, they can become great pets.  i am no chicken expert, but i have successfully raised chicks and chickens without killing one. 

first, you are going to want to check with your local ordinances and verify you can legally raise chickens in your location.  then you will want to make sure you can breath without filling out a form or violating a law.

chicks
i suggest you purchase your chicks already sexed.  you can determine the sex of your chicks, yourself.  but, personally, i have not lived on a farm long enough to try it.  you have a 1 in 4 chance of getting a hen when purchasing a pullet or unsexed chicks.  the first time we purchased our unsexed chicks from the local feed store, we ended up with all roosters and one hen.  this turned into a problem since the roosters were constantly fighting each other then trying to attack us.  the ways the roosters violated my hen are unspeakable.  a rooster is not necessary for your flock unless you would like fertilized eggs or protection for your hens. 


before you bring your chicks home you may want to have a few things ready.  or if you are like us, you bring them home in a box and run to tractor supply a few hours later.  if you are the prepared type: you will need some sort of box or crate, wood chips, heat lamp, and some chick feed.  the heat lamp should be shining on one side of the container.  thus, if the chicks get too hot they can move.  we kept our chicks in the house (not free roaming-in the crate).  this prompted all sorts of comments from our friends and relatives.  once the chicks developed feathers, my husband fashioned a chicken tractor and they were moved outdoors.  permanently.

we settled on a chicken tractor.  this is a portable coop with an open bottom.  once the ground is picked over, you can move it to another location with minimal cleaning.  chickens do not care to sleep on the ground.  we installed a bar for roosting.  you will also want to install one or two brooding boxes for the hens to lay eggs.  my husband was crafty enough to install a hinged roof over the brooding boxes for easy egg retrieval. 



our austrolorp began laying at about 4 months.  she has been pretty regular since, even laying in the winter. 

i will be adding more information and running a grammer/spell check when i get another uninterrupted 15 minutes to myself.