Keeping Chickens: the basics

Chickens are curious and social animals. Hens are easy to raise and care for. In this Web site you'll find quality information for keeping a small flock of backyard hens. This site will teach you more about organic feeding, free-range best practices, and ensuring the the eggs your hens produces a high in omega-3 If you are new to raising chickens you may benefit by taking note of these 7 basic maxims of chicken behavior:

1. Chickens like to stay dry.
2. Chicken like to be warm and comfortable at night.
3. Chicken are curious and like to be entertained.
4. Chickens like to roost at night in low-hanging branches on warm nights.
5. Chickens like to take dirt baths.
6. Chicken to walk around and explore.
7. Chickens like food and clean water.

If you base your decisions on these 7 maxims, your flock will be satisfied and happy, your hens will lay eggs, and your chickens will be more social with each other, and you will be able to pat yourself on the back for doing a good job.

Choosing chicken breeds

There are essentially three main considerations when choosing chickens.

1. Are you choosing them for show?
2. Are you planning to eat the chickens?
3. Are you interested in getting eggs?

If you are interested in chicken for their beauty, you might consider buying Bantams, a common yet attractive breed. There are certainly several exotic breeds which could be endlessly explored, from Southeast Asian birds to feather footed hens. It doesn't matter which varieties you have. All that matters is how you treat them. Consider the exotic chickens may require more maintenance. If you are interested in eating your chickens, you might consider buying Cornish or Dorking. Cornishes are the most-used breed in the chicken, since they grow to adult size faster than most other varieties. If you are interested in keeping hens and collecting their eggs, you might consider getting Langshans, Rhode Island Reds or White leghorns. Here is a list of breeds

 

Building a chicken coup

Building a chicken coup can be tough, however there are chicken coop designs available that can really make the process easier. I have found that making a chicken house was a lot easier for me the when I looked into getting a ebook. Here is an example of many easy to build chicken coop ideas in a great book.Click Here! To read. It's fairly cheap and will save time and money as you make a poultry house.

Buying birds: chicks or adult chickens

You also need to decide if you want to buy full grown chickens or baby chicks. Baby chicks are cheaper and easy to transport, however may need additional care up front. Larger farms that sell online baby sell chicks by-the-dozen. If you simply want a few baby chicks, you might consider looking on Ebay or smaller farms in your area. Murray McMurray Farms and Meyer Hatchery are the premiere online vendors for baby chicks of all varieties, and supplies. Sand Hill Preservation is an heirloom breed vendor.