How to Care for One Chicken

Not only are chickens utilitarian but their endearing personalities make them beneficial to keep as pets. Chickens can reduce the number of insects around your home, lay nutritious, organic eggs and eat leftover or unwanted food. Chickens do not need to be brushed or walked, and only require feeding once or twice a day (they will find a lot of their own food around the yard). Though a chicken is usually a generally low-maintenance pet, it does require shelter, regular feeding and watering and veterinary visits.

Things You'll Need

  • Chicken coop
  • Large cooking tray
  • 3 medium-size bowls
  • Fresh water
  • Chicken feed
  • Poultry grit
  • Pine shavings
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Instructions

    • 1

      Provide your chicken with a safe, accessible coop. Buy a coop from local feed stores or pet shops or assemble one yourself. Make your coop predatory proof, ventilated and large enough for one chicken to fit inside comfortably. Clean it on a regular basis. Add a "droppings tray" to the bottom of the coop. Use a large store-bought baking tray to cover the majority of the coop floor. Remove it several times a week, dump out the droppings and rinse it.

    • 2

      Place three dishes inside the coop for your chicken's food, water and grit. Elevate the dishes about 6 to 8 inches off the ground on a ledge or stand.

    • 3

      Fill the water and food dishes daily. Keep fresh water in the water dish at all times. Fill the food dish with "complete chicken feed" (available at any farm supply store) once or twice a day.

    • 4

      Fill the grit dish regularly to maintain your chicken's digestive health. Grit is essential for the chicken's digestion. Because chickens do not have teeth, they use grit, or small pieces of shell and rock, to chew their food. Purchase grit at any local farm supply store.

    • 5

      Place pine shavings on the coop floor (on top of the "droppings tray") for your chicken to use as bedding. Purchase pine shavings at farm supply stores. Clean out the pine shavings about once a week to ensure that the chicken has a clean area to sleep.

    • 6

      Take your chicken to the vet about once a year for a regular check-up. If your chicken has an abrupt change in behavior, such as becoming lethargic, having loose stool, or not eating, take it to the vet immediately.