Choosing a Breed(s)
- Meat
- Eggs
- Dual-Purpose (Meat & Eggs)
1). A Cornish cross hen is very popular for meat purposes. There are several disadvantages to Cornish hens. Main reason, they are Hybrid (not heirloom, original). Second, the flavor is not as good in my opinion. Cornish cross hens are the same thing you buy from the grocery store. These chickens come from mass production facilities that focus on volume production, not quality, wholesome-flavorful heirloom meat. Third, they grow super fast, are not recommended to naturally reproduce because of genetics. The only benefit I see with the Cornish hens is that they are more tender and grow faster that a natural organic chicken.
2). Several good choices for great egg layers are Rhode Island Reds, Red Star, Black Star, White Leghorn and Black Australorp.
3). Some great dual-purpose chickens are , Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rock, Buff Orphington and New Hampshire Reds just to name a few.
Where to Buy Chickens
There is a number of mail order hatcheries you can buy chickens from, like Murray McMurrayHatcheries.com and IdealPoultry.com
Your local feed store, farmers Supply Company, or an individual breeder is also a good place to start. I would recommend finding a good local breeder you can get to know and start off with a good healthy stock. That way you can go visit their place and see their operation and look at their quality control.
Chicken Coop and Run
Providing shelter for your chickens can vary in size and configuration. You do not have to get fancy with the construction of your chicken coop. The more elaborate the coop, the more expensive. It is very important to give your chickens space. They should be allowed about 4-5 square feet for each chicken.
Ventilation is very important in the chicken coop. Chickens need lots of fresh air, not only when they are free-ranging. Chickens can get respiratory problems if they are breathing the closed air that has their droppings on the ground. The smell is like a milder form of ammonia. You can still have a secure coop, but using chicken wire in areas you want air to circulate through.
There should be one nest for every three birds. The approx. nest size should be 14"x14"x20" (W x H x D).
The coop run should allow the chickens plenty on room to move around. Chickens have a cannibalistic nature and if they are too crowded, the will start pecking at each other. If blood is present, the injured chicken should be quarantined from the rest of the flock to prevent further injury, infection, or even death.
Feeding the Chickens
There is nothing better for a chicken than letting it free-range. Free-range means to allow the chicken to naturally forge on grass, grubs, and other organic matter. Not only will allowing the chickens to free-range save you money on feed cost, but it makes a better tasting chicken, egg, and a much healthier happy chicken.
You may also supplement their diet with corn, chicken scratch, or laying pellets. Lay pellets are high in protein and other essential vitamins and minerals which help the chicken lay more. Check with your local co-op feed store. They can give you some good recommendations for your chickens.
Watering
It is important to supply the chickens with plenty of fresh water, especially in hot summer months. There are a number of methods of watering your chickens. You can use automatic waterer's whether they are gravity fed, or maintain fresh water buy a low pressure system.
It's important have a waterer that does not allow the chickens to roost on the edge of the bowl. The reason is they step in the water with muddy feet and their water will constantly stay dirty.
Predators
Chickens depend on you for protection from predators. Construct their coop from any intrusion. There are several ways to provide adequate protection.
- Secure the coop where entry is impossible
- Secure the perimeter (Run-yard attached to coop). You may have to cover the top of the run to protect from hawks, eagles, or even opossum and raccoons from climbing over or under the fence under the cover of night. So, if your coop is nice and secure, you have nothing to worry about.
- Protect the free-range area (outside the run) from dogs
- List of preditors include, but not limmited to:
- Raccoons
- Opossum
- Hawk
- Eagle
- Bobcat
- Dogs
- Fox
- Skunk
- Mountain Lion
- Coyote
See Predators pictures!
