How to Raise Backyard Chickens

My City Chickens

Many people don't know that many cities allow you to raise chickens in your backyard. Chickens require minimal upkeep and don't need much room. They provide natural fertilizer, fresh eggs and are quieter than your neighbor's dog!

This is the basics on raising chickens. Please see my other article on how I built my chicken coop.

Things You'll Need

• Chicken Coop
• Chickens
• Water
• Water Container
• Food
• Food Container
• Nesting Material
• 5 Minutes a Day
• 1 Hour a Month

Instructions

1. First, contact your city's local Health Department to determine if chickens are allowed within your city limits. If so, the Health Department will issue you a permit.

   Let your neighbors know that you have decided to raise chickens.

   Chickens do cluck and can get loud after laying an egg. Also, they will have to be in a confined area, and the poop, (I mean fertilizer), will have to be cleaned up.

   Purchase or go to the library for books on how to raise chickens, read articles on the internet and prepare yourself for your own personal blunders.

2. 

   Decide where you will want to put your chicken coop. Mind you, they do have to be checked on every day, for feeding, watering and egg collection, so you will want to position your coop in a convenient area. My coop is about 15 feet behind the house.

   If you have an existing tool shed in your backyard, you could retrofit part of it for your chickens. Depending on the number of chickens you want, an unused doghouse with a chain link kennel would work just fine also.

   Make sure to purchase feed, water and food containers prior to getting your chicks. Chickens need fresh water daily, even in the winter. (I used a heated dog bowl for my water bowl this winter.)

   You can purchase all of these items at your local feed supply store.....along with your baby chicks.

   ***PLEASE!!!!****
   Make sure to have a coop built BEFORE you get your chickens! They grow very fast.

3. 

   Chickens normally lay an egg once a day. Decide carefully how many chickens you would like to have considering your family's egg consumption.

   Will you be trying to sell your eggs? Locally, eggs at the grocery store are about $1.00 a dozen. Not everyone will want to pay more for fresh eggs. I personally have 7 hens. My extended family purchases eggs from me and will never go back to store bought eggs.

   Here, within city limits, ROOSTERS are normally NOT ALLOWED. They crow.....alot.......at all times of the day.

   ****NOTE***** You do NOT need a rooster in order to get eggs.

   (There was alot of confusion amongst my male friends about that one.)

   Your hens will be quite content without a rooster around. In order to have baby chicks, you would need a rooster. But then you would risk having baby roosters and annoyed neighbors with all the crowing.

   Usually baby chicks are sold pre-sexed. Females are raised for eggs, males for meat. Ask at your local feed supply store which are the females.

4. Baby chicks are susceptible to drafts until they feather out. You don't want to just throw them into your coop. Wait for warmer weather before getting your chicks or else you can get a red bulb, heat lamp for them.

   Baby chicks need baby chick food. They will start eating layer feed about 4-5 months old. They also need grit. This is basically little rocks. It helps them digest their food.

   Chickens will eat anything! (Even eggs!) Don't throw away any leftovers. Chickens are nature's garbage disposals. One note though ... Don't give them anything too spicy or with a strong flavor, i.e. onions, garlic, etc. It will taint the taste of the eggs.

   Have fun with your girls and enjoy them. They're a great addition to the family and are very eco-friendly! Go Green!

Tips & Warnings

• One chicken per household member is usually adequate.

• Chickens love greens and bugs! Give them your piles from weeding the garden

• Chickens can and cannot be friendly. Make sure to pay attention to them and hold them when they are chicks to keep them sweet.

• Collect eggs daily, and more often in the winter (eggs explode when frozen).

• Within the city, you will want to enclose the top of your outside coop to protect them from racoons, cats, etc.

• DO NOT give your chickens herbicide or pesticide applied greens.

• Chickens do peck. Beware freshly manicured toes!

• Don't put fresh chicken manure in your garden. It will burn your plants.