Let’s get a few chickens someone says.
What a great idea, we won’t have to buy eggs anymore.
You can have just a few pets, or maybe this will be the beginning of your backyard chicken flock, Homestead adventures or small farm operation. Whatever your motivation is, Chickens can be rewarding and therapeutic if you set yourself and them up for success. On the other hand if you cut corners, don’t do your homework or get lazy, they can be messy and a burden in so many different ways.
We’ve been keeping chickens now for around ten years, and we also started with that great idea of not having to buy eggs. We started with eight or so and that quickly grew to about thirty. Right about the time we were getting excited for our laying hens to mature, low and behold we were cursed with two Roosters. I say cursed because they were aggressive and were supposed to be our Blue egg layers. This is the day a Chicken owner has to make one of many tough decisions on the fate of that unwanted Rooster. Now don’t get me wrong the right Rooster in the right environment is a great benefit to the flock. You’ll figure it out when the time comes.
Later as our hens became productive our Daughter came up with a plan to start selling eggs as young entrepreneur. Just as egg sales were ramping up we had a devastating predator invasion one night and lost about 20 hens. Besides the mental devastation, it is quite a mess to clean up and traumatizing if you’re not prepared for this inevitable occasion if your coop isn’t secure. Needless to say the Egg sales came to a halt until we rebuilt our flock. Moving forward we encountered more setbacks, a major rat infestation, then an unexpected visit from a Badger, then the decision to pack up and move across country. Our new farm is larger and more rural than the last. We now are keeping a flock of 60 on pasture locked in at night and have weekly Egg sales from happy Hens. After learning the hard way from our years of trial and error I feel we are getting better at it but always looking for ways to make improvements.
Anybody fortunate enough to raise their chickens long enough to reap the benefit of fresh eggs, knows that there is a considerable difference between those you’ve raised, and what you buy at the store, regardless of what the labeling is. Your personal flock will give you the freshest eggs and hopefully you will be feeding them high-quality feed. If you’re lucky enough to have pasture for them to roam you will get the added benefit of nutrient dense eggs and a happy flock.
From the perspective of this Farmer let’s talk about a few things to take into account before you move forward with your new idea.
Be prepared before you start
First, are you getting your chickens as baby chicks or full grown? Either way you need to be prepared the day you bring them home. A few things to consider is your Brooder situation, feeders, heat lamps, and an area that won’t be damage from the insane amount of dust that baby chicks make, while they’re growing.
(BROODER) A device or structure for the rearing of young chickens or other birds.
You need a secure coop. I mean secure. Consider your potential for predator pressure, then think again.
(COOP) An Enclosure, cage, or pen, usually with bars or wire, in which fowls or other small animals are confined for fattening or transportation.
Too many novice chicken owners, and seasoned farmers alike have had the unpleasant discovery of a coop that has been breached by any number of predators.
As I’m writing this post out in the garden near our coop I heard some ruckus and low and behold one of my hens didn’t make it in the coop before the automatic door closed and she was left out at pasture. If I had not been there to check on her the odds are she would not have made it through the night.
Do your research, have your set up planned out and make sure you have the time to dedicate to your new venture.
Be sure your coop and run is large enough for your growing flock. This is subjective to the size and breeds of your chickens.
On average 6 sq ft per chicken for the coop and 10 sq ft each for the run. Remember larger is better.
Make sure your feeders are large enough to support the food and water needs related to your desired schedule.
Nesting boxes need to be sized appropriately and the quantity of boxes will make a difference if you have a larger flock. The rule of thumb is one nesting box for every four chickens, however, I have found that when hens become broody, they start to create some space issues so having an extra box or two will never hurt you.
Security
Did I mention making sure your flock is secure? You get the Idea, Right?
No use of chicken wire down low. It’s fine for overhead protection but there are too many horror stories from many wannabe chicken owners loosing there flock from predators ripping right through standard ( Chicken Wire).
Instead, use welded wire down low with a maximum of 1’x 1” square, this will keep out the smaller varmint types like a Weasel, if you have those in your area. I even burry the bottom 4” of my Welded Wire in a narrow concrete trench to eliminate the possibility of digging.
Automatic doors between your solid coop area and your run are a real game changer.
Research the many models available and make your best informed decision.
Take my advice it is worth the money!
This isn’t a money saving venture
If you think you’re going to save money on buying eggs, think again.
From the time you buy your chickens and put the money into the proper set up, you are going to be in this for hundreds, if not, thousands of dollars.
If you’re getting into the business of egg sales, and you have an outlet and a quantity of hens on pasture it is possible to cut out cost for feeding, but it will take some time to break even after all the other housing and security cost add up.
Having chickens is something you do because they are rewarding, fun to watch and you love it. The benefit of nutrient dense eggs, and the fulfillment of keeping a healthy flock is really enough.
If you already have chickens and you’re reading this, I hope that you found this collaborative and if you’re getting into chickens for the first time, it’s time to go out and find some that you can love.
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