Nesting box
Nesting materials
Things You'll Need
- Raising your own chickens is a wonderful experience. Keeping mixed-sex birds allows you to observe their fascinating and complex society. You can keep one hen and one rooster, but breeders usually have two hens to each rooster. Some chicken breeds, such as the Rhode Island Red, need more than one hen to the rooster to prevent over-breeding of the hen. Other docile breeds such as cochins or silkies can be paired for mating. Both birds must be at least a year, depending on breed, to hatch eggs.
Instructions
Separate the breeding pair into their own pasture and barn area. Purchase good quality chicken feed, and provide the pair access to grass and foraging. Watch the pair forage together to ensure the birds are compatible -- not all roosters and hens will pair and they may fight.
Prepare the barn for their nesting. Keep the activity level inside the barn low and provide a nest; a cardboard box with bedding materials will work. Place the nest box in a quiet dark and very secure area of the barn. Use fresh clean straw -- old, dusty or moldy straw can kill chickens -- for the hen and rooster to build their nest.
Wait for the hen to start laying. She will lay a clutch of eggs and begin to go broody. Choose how many eggs you want her to hatch, as the number does not matter to the hen. Allow the rooster to assist her in the brooding process. Eggs hatch in 21 days. Allow the hen and rooster to care for the chicks. Provide the chicks access to water and baby chick feed.