How to Raise Chickens

The first issue to consider when learning how to raise chickens is choosing a suitable chicken coop. Making sure that your chickens are suitably housed is the key to ensuring that you have happy and productive chickens. It is important to ensure that you allow enough space for your chickens - too little space and your chickens are more likely to develop diseases and will lay fewer eggs. Your coop also needs sufficient ventilation and light.

It is particularly important that your chicken coop protects your chickens from predators and vermin. If your coop does not do this you could end up losing your chickens to foxes or other predators.

You can save yourself considerable amounts of money by downloading chicken coop plans.

One of the more tricky aspects in learning how to raise chickens is introducing new birds, particularly when you already have an established flock. Your chickens are likely to be nervous when you first bring them home, so it is important that you keep them confined in their run for the first couple of days. On the first night they may be a little reluctant to go into the coop at night, so they may need a little encouragement. Equally in the morning they may need a little encouragement to go out.

If you introducing a new bird to an existing flock then you should be prepared for the fact that the newcomer will not initially be welcomed by its fellow chickens. There will be a strict pecking order in place and your new chicken will start at the bottom! The standard advice tends to be to wait until dark and then add your new chicken. However, what can happen is that the newcomer will be severely pecked, and then if they draw blood then the pecking will become more intense as the chickens are drawn to the color.

Personally I tend to add the chicken when it is dark in a small cage or cat carrier. This way the existing flock starts to get used to your new addition. There will inevitably be some pecking once you allow the new chicken out, but hopefully it will be reduced.

I guess the main reason for people wanting to learn how to raise chickens is the prospect of readily available fresh eggs. It is important to collect your eggs daily in order to prevent the chickens breaking and eating them. Also it helps prevent the hens from going broody and sitting on the eggs.

You should make sure that you wipe any dirty eggs with a damp cloth and store them in a clean container. It is a good idea to write the date they were laid on your eggs in pencil.

Every now and then you will find that your hens have stopped laying their eggs where they should do and you may find a nest of eggs in the garden. The best way of checking whether these eggs are usable is simply to put them in water. Any that have gone off will float to the top.