Instructions
Evaluate the capacity for keeping chickens for food at home. Each chicken requires approximately 10 square feet to exercise and 4 square feet of room in a coop, according to "Sunset" magazine. Let space dictate the intended coop, chicken run and brood size.
Build a coop to protect the birds from predators. If raising small chicks, avoid letting them outside in temperatures of less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Provide a heat lamp indoors for warmth, particularly with a small flock that cannot huddle together.
Allow chickens to feed from graduated food and water dispensers. Clean the dispensers regularly to prevent illness and infection. While meat chickens should primarily eat a high-protein meal, supplement the diet of the birds by providing fruit and vegetable scraps.
Contact local butchers well in advance of the bird's maturity to develop a strategy for converting the flock into meat. It may be difficult to schedule sessions with some butchers, particularly during busy seasons. If the birds will be slaughtered at home, begin researching humane and efficient methods.
How to Raise Chicken for Food
Raising meat at home ensures a high-quality, organic final product. Home farmers also control slaughter techniques, ensuring the animals are treated as humanely as possible. Raising a flock for meat requires some different considerations than keeping hens for eggs. Many meat chickens are bred for optimal slaughter at the age of two months. Before beginning work on a coop and yard, make sure local law permits raising chickens. Some areas forbid resident to keep roosters and chickens within the city limits.