How to Raise Laying Hens

Many people are looking toward being more self-sufficient. Vegetable gardens have risen up on small plots, backyard corners and apartment balconies. The next step may be raising your own hens for fresh eggs, which are a good source of protein. You don't need that much room. However, you do need to make sure that your area is zoned for this endeavor. You may be surprised, as some towns and cities allow the raising of chickens. Check with your city administrators before starting to raise laying hens.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Chicken house
• Chicken food
• Chicken food and water containers
• Hay
• Hens

1. Build a chicken house (coop). Before you bring any chickens home, prepare for their arrival. Start with building a house that allows for a secure and dry area. The hens also need roosting perches and laying boxes. An 8-by-10-foot enclosure is a good size to contain 12 hens. See the resources below for chicken coop plans.

2. Purchase food and water containers from a feed store or online (see resources below). Don't use makeshift containers, as they are made to keep the food and water clean.

3. Buy an all-purpose laying mash, pre-mixed, crushed oyster shells, grit and some scratch feed. Make sure the hens get a balanced diet by feeding them kitchen scraps such as fruit and vegetable peelings, bread, pancakes and other such foods. Corn is especially appreciated and will make their yokes full of beta carotene.

4. Choose your hens. There are several popular choices of chickens for laying eggs. Bantams lay smaller eggs than a full-size hen--about three eggs to one. Choose from rocks, reds, leghorns or Orpingtons. It is a matter of preference and availability in your area. Purchase year-old hens through a local feed store or from another chicken raiser in your area.

5. Get fertile eggs by including a rooster in your flock. Fertilized eggs are more nutritious, but the hens will lay eggs with or without a rooster. Another reason to have a rooster would be if you plan on raising baby chicks in addition to edible eggs.

6. Gather eggs once a day, after the hens are out of their house. If a hen is on the nesting box, she is preparing to lay eggs or is laying eggs. You could try to reach under her to grab the eggs, but it might be best to come back later, when she is finished.

7. Keep fresh hay in the nesting boxes to ensure that the eggs will be as clean as possible. It is not necessary to wash the eggs before using them. However, if an egg is soiled, it can be rinsed off before it's put in the refrigerator.

Tips & Warnings

• If hens are not secured at night, they will hide their eggs and not lay in the nesting boxes. Also, if there is wildlife such as raccoons or opossums in your location, they will eat the hens and eggs at night.
• Roosters can create some problems. They can raise quite a ruckus and can scratch you when you gather eggs from the hen house. Plus, they make a lot of noise early in the morning.

References

• Raise Chickens

Resources

• Chicken Coop Plans
• Chicken Supplies