Raising Backyard Chickens for Beginners (2024)

Flocks of chickens are popping up in city gardens across the country. The appeal of bins full of cute chicks at the feed store is often just as strong as the desire to collect fresh eggs straight from your backyard. But before you delve into the popular pastime of raising backyard chickens, here are a few things to consider.

Check local notices

The first thing you should do if you are considering keeping backyard chickens is to contact your local council to find out the rules in your area. Most cities have restrictions on flock size (usually limited to five or six chickens), owning a rooster, and the distance between a house and your property line. Some cities require a permit to keep chickens or a building permit for a farm over a certain size. So contact your local government and make sure you put the rules in writing to avoid problems in the future. If you are not allowed to keep chickens, or if you disagree with certain restrictions, you should work to change the law. The time to do this is before you get your chickens.

Breed/herd size

Once you've confirmed that you can keep backyard chickens, it's time to research the breeds you want. Different breeds have different personalities and temperaments. For example,Buff OrpingtonsCochins and Australorps are all gentle breeds, perfect for families with children. Some breeds are better suited to extremely cold or warm climates.

Some breeds lay colored eggs, such asEaster egg chickens. Your local feed store should have a variety of breeds suitable for your region, or you can order day-old chicks online from a hatchery. Hatchery websites are also good sources of breed information.

Chickens are extremely flock-oriented, so a good starting size is no less than three chickens. From three laying hens you need to collect about a dozen eggs. For slightly larger families, a flock of five or six chickens is a good choice.

Timing the arrival of your chickens

Chicks should be kept under a heat lamp in the house for the first eight weeks of their lives. Until their feathers grow, they cannot keep themselves warm on their own. Chicks grow quickly, so plan their arrival carefully to get them outside as quickly as possible. To do that, count back eight weeks from when you expect nighttime temperatures to remain consistently above 55 degrees and schedule the date your chicks will arrive.

BONUS! The Farmer's Almanac takes the guesswork out of the equation. Be sure to check out oursMap of the best days to lay eggs!

Supplies

Before your chicks arrive, you will need an incubator (a cardboard box or plastic bag works fine), a heat lamp, a chick-sized waterer and feeder, and chick food. Your chicks should eat chicken feed until they are eight weeks old. They then change starter/growth media until they are 18 weeks old, when they need layer food.

Your chickens need a home. If you plan to build our ownCooperationThe next eight weeks should be plenty of time to research plans, choose a design and get your coop built. There are also coop kits available online or pre-made coops available from shed and building companies. Craig's List is also a good source for an inexpensive used chicken coop or shed that can be converted into a chicken coop.

Plan a coop large enough to give each chicken 3-5 square feet of floor space and 8 inches of perch, plus a nest box for every 3-4 chickens. Since predators are a problem for almost any backyard flock, an attached run that gives each chicken at least ten square feet of space is a good idea so your chickens can be outside when no one is home to watch them.

Train your pets

Dogs are the biggest killer of backyard chickens. No one wants to believe that their golden retriever could ever harm another animal, but the reality is that if you don't train your dog to behave around your chickens, you could very well lose him to your beloved pet. So plan some basic training with your dog before you get your chickens, including commands like "drop it," "leave it," "stay," and "sit."

When your chicks arrive, let your dog investigate their nests and make sure there is supervision around the chicks. Once the chickens are outside, keep your dog on a leash and provide strict corrections any time an attempt is made to pounce on them. Dogs should never chase chickens, even while playing. Once boundaries are set and respected, your dog should actually become your best predator deterrent and a great guardian of your pack.

No

Your inland water chickens will lay eggs for 3-4 years, after which production will begin to decline. However, a chicken can live for six years or more, so be sure to think about planning after the first few years.

Tell us about your chicken raising experiences in the comments below!

Be sure to check out our other helpful story,Choose the right chicken coop for your flock.

Images used with permission from FreshEggsDaily.com