Things to Know About Raising Chickens

Fresh eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Antibiotic-free meat. Loyal pets. These pleasures are what raising chickens at your home can provide. Get started by hatching fertile eggs in an incubator, ordering live chicks from hatcheries, or buying grown birds. Chickens range in size from the small breed known as bantams to the breed known for their girth, called Jersey Giants. Before purchasing chickens, check with your municipality to make sure chicken-keeping is permitted.

  1. Hens

    • Hens are the backbone of the flock. They begin laying eggs between the ages of four and six months, depending on the breed and time of year. Once into production, hens will lay an egg daily or every other day. Egg production decreases as hens age, and many hens are "spent" and no longer producing by the age of four or five years. Production also depends on the season, and many hens will stop laying during cold weather. Egg color depends on the breed of chicken. A popular backyard chicken is the Ameraucana, which lays green or blue eggs.

    Roosters

    • Hens will lay eggs whether a rooster is present or not, but a rooster is necessary for eggs to become fertilized and produce chicks. Roosters do crow a lot and will fight with each other. If raising chickens in an urban or suburban area, foregoing a rooster may also avoid problems with neighbors. However, roosters offer more to their hens than reproductive services. Roosters will protect their flock and stay alert of predators, which can take the form in an urban setting as raccoons or even neighborhood cats.

    Housing and Care

    • Relatively easy to care for, chickens need a constant supply of fresh water and daily feeding. Commercial chicken feed may be purchased at feed stores. Chicken treats include fruits, vegetables and breads. There are chicken coops to fit every budget, from home-built structures to the custom-made variety. All coops should have ventilation, roosts and nest boxes, and roughly two to three square feet per bird. The floor of the coop may be lined with sawdust or pine shavings for easy cleaning. Many coops have outdoor wire runs so the chickens can get fresh air and exercise.

    Predators

    • Many predators like the taste of chicken. The flock needs protection from hawks, raccoons, foxes, loose dogs, snakes and other carnivores. Make sure the chicken coop is predator-proof. They won't even be safe in their pens if not constructed with chicken wire, which is mesh wire fencing with very narrow openings that a raccoon can't reach its paws through. In an outdoor run, install the fence at least a foot below the surface so predators can't dig their way under the wire meshing. Free-run chickens are at even higher risk, but they will head into their coops at night. You'll have to make sure the entrance points to the coop are secured once the chickens have retired to the coop for the night. You must also let them out in the morning or they will likely make a great deal of noise to let you know they would like to stretch their lets. The good news is, you will likely find a couple egg treats in the morning left by your chickens.