How to Breed Exotic Chickens

If you're interested in breeding exotic chickens, whether for your own enjoyment or for sale, you have a wide variety of choices available to you. Some chickens lay colored eggs, ranging from pale green to blue, some breeds have long colorful tails and some have colorful tufts of feathers sprouting from the tops of their heads. Whichever breed you choose, they will make an interesting addition to your farmyard.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

The First 60 Days

1. Buy chicks. Exotic breeds may be available from a local farm supply or through mail order or the Internet. As soon as you have ordered the babies, you can start preparing for their arrival.
2. Provide housing. During the first eight weeks, this can be as simple as a cardboard box or a small animal cage. Line the floor with wood shavings and keep the temperature between 90 and 100 degrees.
3. Feed the chicks commercial chick crumbles and keep their waterer filled.
4. Add an outside pen for the chicks. Once they are about two weeks old they will be happy to explore outside and scratch in the dirt. Make sure the exotic chickens have a safe, well-fenced enclosure.

The Rest of Their Lives

5. Build a chicken coop. The exotic chickens will now need three or four square feet per bird. A safe, warm home will give the birds protection from the weather and any possible predators.
6. Clean the coop. Wood shavings still make a good floor cover, but you will have to remove it and replace it at least twice a year.
7. Change their food. Exotic chickens can now switch to regular commercial feed. They don't need the chick crumbles any more.
8. Make sure you have a rooster. If you're hoping for baby chicks, you will need to provide a father. The added benefit is that your rooster will be happy to serve as an alarm clock every morning.
9. Leave the rest to nature. Exotic chickens will know what to do and soon you will have baby chicks following their mothers around the chicken yard.

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