Raising Backyard Chickens

Have you ever had pet chickens? Neither did I until a few years ago. After a nasty bite from a vicious kindergarten class parakeet, it took me a while to venture into the avian world again. While I live a bit outside of town, I wanted to talk about raising chickens in town. It's relatively easy and completely manageable with a few considerations. I'll give a list of resources at the end of this article if you're ready to dive in.

The Basics: All chickens need food, water, and safe living space. Feed is cheap and is available at any farm store. If you start with chicks, you'll want to start them on a grower feed and switch to an adult layer formula at around 20 weeks. They will also need grit to help aid in digesting their food. And be sure to provide fresh water using any number of waterer options on the market. Be sure to consider a heated waterer for winter.

Living space is probably the need that requires the most thought. Chickens will need a coop and a run with an area for dust baths. The coop can be pretty small as it's mostly for sleeping and laying eggs. The general recommendation is 2-3 square feet of coop space per bird with one nesting box per four birds. The run should be about 10 square feet per bird. You can build (or purchase) a run that gives a devoted space for your chickens to be safe and happy.

The hardest part is trying to pick just a few chickens as there are so many breeds available. If you live in town, I recommend breeds that are calm, friendly, cold tolerant, and adaptable to closed environments. I've loved all of our Orpingtons and Wyandottes. They're friendly, relatively quiet, and generally just a good all-around chicken (extra points for being pretty).

Another fun option is the tiny Bantam chickens which are a pint-sized version of your standard chicken. Where to find these magical chickens? You can pick them up at any feed store or order online from a hatchery (try Meyer Hatchery or McMurray Hatchery) and have them shipped. I would generally recommend avoiding roosters. Most breeds give you the option of picking only females. Avoid any chicks marked "straight-run" as this means it's a mixed bag of males and females.

Remember, you do not need a rooster for your hens to lay eggs. If you accidentally get some roosters in the bunch, you could keep them or rehome them. And if you're up for it, technically, they're also quite edible.

Once you have your chicks, they require a little extra care before putting them in a run. You'll need an indoor brooder with a heat lamp which will need the temperature reduced as the chickens grow. See the resources listed below for more information. You can also purchase adolescent birds and skip the whole brooding phase if desired.

At around 20 weeks, depending on the breed, you'll start receiving eggs for all that hard work. I repeat, chickens are not a short-term investment and are surprisingly long-lived. Egg production does decline over time so consider the pros and cons before diving in. Even if your hens are over the hill, you'll still get periodic eggs. You can always utilize your older hens to compost kitchen scraps, graze and fertilize the lawn and garden, or to do some tilling and insect control for you.

A few tips: socialize your birds early! If you get chicks, handle them multiple times a day, every day. This gets them used to you and results in much calmer adult hens that are more like pets than livestock. Chickens are also easily trainable with treats. Teach them the sounds associated with treats (think scratch grains rattling in a plastic container). Soon they'll come running for a handout. This is an easy way to teach them to come back to their coop if you need to pen them up. At night, they'll naturally go back to the coop to sleep so no worries there.

All in all, chickens are a fun addition to the urban homestead and will bring you plenty of entertainment and a tasty breakfast. What's more; you'll know your eggs came from happy, healthy chickens living the good life.

As the saying goes, "He that would have eggs must endure the cackling of the hens."

REFERENCES

Waitsburg Town Ordinances (see Title 8, Chapter 2):

https://tinyurl.com/jax7ybk9

My Pet Chicken Starter Guide:

https://tinyurl.com/55wreuxw

Backyard Chickens: A Practical Handbook to Raising Chickens:

https://tinyurl.com/55wreuxw

Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, 4th Edition: Breed Selection, Facilities, Feeding, Health Care, Managing Layers & Meat Birds:

https://tinyurl.com/4vrkm85v

Meyer Hatchery: http://www.meyerhatchery.com

McMurray Hatchery: http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com