Instructions
First 60 Days
Check local laws to see if you are able to keep chickens in your area. If you live in a rural area, it is unlikely that there will be a problem. However, town restrictions are often more limiting.
Prepare a chick brooder. Either purchase one or make your own using a cardboard box or animal cage. Place sawdust on the floor of the brooder. Buy a chick feeder and waterer from a local feed supplier, as well as a supply of chick starter food.
Buy your chicks either from a local supplier or mail-order.
Fill the feeder with chick starter and the waterer with fresh water. Place them in the brooder with your chicks. Show your chicks where the water supply is by taking each one and gently dipping their beaks into the water.
Maintain the temperature at 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit for one week then gradually reduce it by 5 degrees each day. Use a 100 watt light bulb placed above the brooder to provide the heat. Each day gradually move it farther away.
Change the sawdust once a week and put the soiled dust onto the compost heap. It will make very good manure. Provide clean water every day and a fresh supply of food.
Build a play area outside after two weeks. Use small mesh chick wire and some wooden posts to create an enclosure. Ensure it is secure, will not allow predators inside and will prevent the chicks from escaping. Allow the chicks to play outside for a while when it is warm and sunny but do not leave them unsupervised. Chicks are very fast and can fly well!
After 60 Days
Prepare a chicken coop. You can make your own, purchase a ready-made one or simply reuse an old outbuilding, shed or pig sty. Make sure the inside is clean by washing the interior with a solution of 1 part bleach, 1 part dishwashing liquid and 10 parts water. Rinse well and allow to dry. Provide a perch approximately 8 inches from the ground. Put sawdust on the floor and litter trays under the perch that have been filled with sawdust. These will catch the droppings at night and make cleaning the coop much easier. Each chicken will need approximately 2 square feet of space inside the coop and 4 square feet outside.
Buy a chicken feeder and waterer from your local supplier, together with a supply of chicken layer food. Fill the waterer and feeder and place in the coop.
Transfer your young chickens into the coop and keep them inside for a few days so they learn that this is now home. After a few days let them out into a secure area, such as a yard or garden that is surrounded by fencing. Cut a small area of turf and loosen the soil. This will provide a dust bath for the birds and will help them to keep mites and other parasites at bay.
Change water and top up food daily. Provide them with extra treats such as kitchen scraps, vegetables, pasta and corn scratch. They should always been provided with a supply of chicken layer food, as the treats will not provide them with the balanced nutrition they require.
Provide nesting boxes lined with straw after 18 weeks. These can be purpose-built or simply cardboard or plastic boxes in which the hens can lay their eggs. Collect eggs daily.
Remove the soiled sawdust and straw monthly and replace with a fresh supply. Thoroughly clean the coop with the bleach solution described earlier every six months.
How to Rear a Chicken
Rearing chickens is now a popular hobby for many people. Not only do they make entertaining pets who have unique personalities, chickens can provide delicious, chemical-free eggs that the whole family can enjoy. Chickens are relatively low maintenance and require hardly any specialist equipment. They can be kept in a reused outbuilding, shed or pigsty and fed kitchen scraps, garden insects and cheap, chicken grain. Teach your children about nature and the life cycle by rearing chickens in your own yard.