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Raising Chickens
101
(The Basics)
So, you're interested in
raising chickens? You've embarked on a fun an exciting journey! Below
we'll discuss the basics of raising chickens. This document is constantly
being updated, so check back often.
Why Raise Chickens?
Well, here are a few of the reasons expressed by our community:
- Easy and inexpensive
to maintain
- Eggs that are great
tasting & nutritious
- Chemical free pest control
- Fun & friendly pets
with personality (yes, you read that right)
- Free fertilizer
- Weed
Control
- Uniqueness- Be the cool
person in town that grows their own eggs!
- More
Details
Ready To Get Chicks?
- Local Feed Stores often
carry a variety of day old chicks around Spring
- Hatch
chicks from eggs
- Search for hatcheries
in our forum
- Make
friends with local chicken owners, many have access to fertile eggs or
new chicks.
- Look at the Buy-Sell-Trade
section of our forum forum for people selling eggs and/or chicks.
New Chick Care
First 60 Days:
- Housing - Can be as
simple as a sturdy cardboard box or a small animal cage like one you'd use
for rabbits.
- Flooring - Pine shavings
work best
- Temperature - 90 to
100 deg. for the first week, decrease 5 deg. per week. A 100 watt bulb
pointing in one corner (not the whole house) works well.
- Food & water - chick
crumbles & chick waterer
- Play time - Play with
your chicks when young to get the use to being around people.
- Outside time - Section
off an area in your yard where the chicks can explore, scratch, etc.
Make sure you can catch them when it's time to come in.
- More details: Raising
Chicks
After First 60
Days: General Chicken Care:
- Housing - Time to build
a chicken coop! Rule of thum is about 3 - 4 sqare feet per chicken.
Keep local predators in mind and make a safe
home for your flock!
- Flooring - Pine shavings
still work best. You can even try the deep
litter method for really easy cleanup
- Food & water - Most
people go with chicken layer feed / pellets. Homemade
chicken feeder / waterer
- Treats - Vegetables,
bread, bugs, chicken scratch (cracked corn, milo, wheat)
Explore the rest of the
site for more details on raising chickens. We suggest these sections:
If you still can't find
what you are looking for, search our chicken forum and/or
post your question for our super friendly communtiy!
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