Raising Chickens: An Essential Guide For Starting A Successful Backyard Poultry Operation

Who should raise their own chickens? Why, you of course!

Raising chickens is not hard--in fact, it is a lot of fun

and very rewarding. Many people, urban and suburban, are

re-discovering the joy of raising their own produce and

meat/dairy products. Of course, you should check into

zoning laws for your county, town or city, to make sure

having your feathered friends around is legal. You must

also determine if your environment is suitable to raise

these harried hens and cackling cockerels (little boy

chickens)!

Why raise your own chickens? Ask not what you can do for

your chickens, but what your chickens can do for you!

First and foremost, chickens give YOU something in return

for all your efforts...wonderful, great tasting eggs.

You'll never go back to "store" bought eggs again once

you've had your own eggs--they have TASTE! And, since you

feed and care for your own chickens, you can have the

peace of mind that your eggs are hormone, chemical, and

bacteria free. (Have you ever noticed the warning message

on your carton of store bought eggs???) In addition to

having your own supply of great tasting eggs, you will

benefit from having your own recycling center. Chickens

love table scraps! They eat just about any thing! From

there, you will marvel at the next by-product from your

brooding beauties...nitrogen-rich fertilizer. Your

back-yard garden will simply love you for all the

nutrients you are putting back into the soil. In addition

to all of this, you will have a natural pest-control

system, as chickens will hunt and peck out slugs,

grasshoppers, ants, and many other unwanted bugs in the

garden, or around the house! But perhaps the greatest

pleasures of raising chickens is that chickens are

actually very entertaining and a joy to watch!

When should you start raising chickens? Well, that is

part of the reason I am writing this article. Now is the

time to start thinking, planning and preparing for your

new chicken "operation." You'll need to be ready to

acquire your chickens starting anywhere from March to

mid-June, depending on where you live and where you get

your chickens. Most mail-order hatcheries start mailing

their chicks during this time, and you can also find

chicks at your local "feed" stores during this same time

period.

Where should you buy your chickens? There are many

on-line hatcheries, or mail-order hatcheries across the

United States. I recommend that you find a hatchery that

is closest to your home, as these chicks must travel via

the postal service. If you use a mail-order hatchery, you

should be aware that there is usually a minimum order of

25 chicks. If you do not want that many pullets (girl

chicks) or cockerels (see previous definition), you have

a couple of options. Option one would be to split the

order with a friend. Option two would be to go to a feed

store and pick out the number of chicks you want. The

best thing about going through a mail-order hatchery is

that you are guaranteed to get the breed of chicken you

want, the sex of the chicken, and you can also mix and

match your order to include other "fowl" type birds, such

as turkeys, ducks, or exotic type chickens if you so

choose!

My next article will include such information as

equipment and housing needs for your chickens, as well as

touch on the benefits of certain breeds of chickens.