Lately, more and more people turn to nature, organic food and all the ways how to decrease pollution. One of these ways is living in houses with larger backyards and raising chickens. Having fresh eggs every day straight from your backyard can be truly tempting, especially when we hear all the stories about the ways chickens are raised for the purpose of mass egg production.
If you are one of the people who is determined to do something good for the health of your family, keep reading. We’ll go through the basic steps you need to keep in mind to be able to fully commit to this interesting, fun and demanding endeavor.
Get familiar with the regulations
Before you dive into the whole adventure, it is necessary to ask about the regulations concerning raising chickens in your town. This is very important and it should be a number one on your list. Getting familiar with all the information available will make this endeavor much easier and prevent paying for any fines in case it is forbidden. Make sure you ask if there is any limitation to the number of the chickens you are allowed to own, so you can plan accordingly.
Access your space objectively
Chickens need space to walk around and enjoy their days, so make sure you don’t overcrowd your yard. You will also need space for a chicken coop where chickens can sleep, lay eggs and rest. Besides, they need to be locked inside during the night, so you can protect them from predators. Make sure it is big enough so you can go inside to clean everything up. You will need to do it every 15 days, so it is something you will need to do regularly. Check the available models here mychickencoop.com.au
Think about the number of chickens
In the beginning, you can start slow and buy 5 chickens to see how everything goes. Besides being cheaper, it will also be less stressful because you will be able to monitor their needs, behavior, expenses and also ease yourself into the entire process. Keep in mind that each chicken needs about 3 square feet, so the number of chickens will be largely dictated by the space you have in your backyard.
Also, you must place a fence in your backyard to prevent the chickens from going out, but also to protect them from all the possible predators. If you own dogs, you should keep in mind that they are dangerous for chickens. If you forget this and think that they may be friends, you may be unpleasantly surprised. Prevention is the key and you should keep that in mind.
Getting a rooster shouldn’t be a part of your plan and it is necessary to be very careful about that unless you want your neighbors to complain to you all the time. Switching from the alarm clock to waking up to the rooster calling, but that may sound more romantic than it is, so it is something to think hard about.
Plan the food expenses
The chickens need to eat daily, so you need to plan these expenses that you will have on a regular basis. The quantity of food you will need to provide largely depends on the number of chickens you plan to buy, so maybe you should start with a smaller number of chickens until you get a full scope of all the expenses and obligations you will have. The price also depends on the quality, since there are various manufacturers.
Daily obligations
Besides providing food regularly for your chickens, you will need to provide plenty of water as well. It needs to be placed somewhere they can access it easily. You should be ready to collect the eggs daily because young chickens lay eggs regularly during the first and the second year if they have plenty of sunlight. As the chickens get older, the frequency will get reduced, so that is usually the time when you will need to think about purchasing new ones. Besides that, you will need to lock your chickens down every night and release them every morning.
Use the manure for the garden
Chickens are very useful creatures, so besides giving you fresh eggs daily, you can also collect their manure to fertilize your garden. If you have plenty of space, you can think about growing your garden, which will help you fully switch to organic food. It is a way to improve your health and the health of your family. It takes much time, but it is truly worth it. Preparing the food you grew yourself and enjoying with your chickens will certainly bring you great satisfaction.
Do your research
Don’t be afraid to ask everything you want to know and you are not sure about once you start buying everything. Ask the experts, consult the internet and find everything you can to make sure this whole process goes much smoother. It can be quite an interesting experience, but learning from other people’s experiences will help you master all the nuances faster. Even if all these things sound confusing, you will master everything pretty fast and find yourself talking about your success to all your family members and friends. Who knows, maybe you’ll inspire some of them to start a project like this.
As you can see, raising chickens involves lots of responsibilities. When you want to go on a vacation, you will need to have someone take care of them while you are away. It is also a significant investment, so it shouldn’t be taken lightly. However, it is pretty rewarding and you will definitely enjoy it. After the initial period when you may feel that there are too many obligations, you will notice how it gets easier by the day. And besides, once you try the eggs and bake something using the organic eggs that you collected yourself – the feeling is priceless! It will be much tastier than anything that you’ve tried before.
Nicola Holder 