by Helium01

Created on: October 19, 2009

So you want to start your own small chicken coop? Farm fresh eggs and freshly butchered chicken are healthier for your family than anything sold in a grocery store, even things labeled organic. It is very easy to raise your own chickens for both of these purposes.

Before you purchase your chickens you will need a shelter for them. If you are buying baby day old chicks (these can be purchased from online hatcheries that breed specific breeds of chicken and will be mailed straight to your door) you will need an indoor area away from predators. Baby chickens are delicatessens to wolves, skunks and possums.

When raising baby chicks, keep them in large storage containers under a heat lamp. As babies they will need fresh water, and 1-2 pounds of chick starter per 20 birds every day. At the beginning they will eat little food compared to when they are older. As they get big enough to fly out of the container, they are ready to be moved into an outdoor barn or chicken coop. Make sure you cover the walls of your barn and even the ceiling with chicken wire fencing, as predators can detect small spaces to get in and kill your flock.

Once they have a space they will need nesting material. Pine shavings, like what you purchase for a hamster, or hay will both work as a good base for your coop. They also need a box area for laying their eggs.

Rhode Island Red chickens produce a very good quality of brown egg. They will begin laying eggs at around 20-24 weeks old. To get them acquainted with where to lay their eggs place plastic Easter eggs or golf balls in the nest boxes to show them where their eggs should be laid. Their eggs will be begin a smaller size and over a 1-2 week period will gradually increase in size. The first few eggs may also be a little discolored as the hen gets use to laying.

If you are raising the chickens for farm fresh eggs to eat, make sure you collect the eggs everyday and refrigerate them. Eggs that are not collected by you will be collected by a mother hen and sat on. After she has laid a few she will stop laying until she has hatched her babies.

If you want to hatch new babies make sure you have one rooster in your flock. One rooster will be enough to fertilize your flock of 10-15 hens. Rhode Island Red is a very easy and good quality breed of layers. You can find them at most hatcheries or farm stores in the early spring. Try your hand at raising your own chickens, your family will thank you for the delicious eggs and chicken you provide to them.

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