Learn How To Keep a Pet Chicken In 10 Minutes!

Up till World War II, families typically kept alittle flock of chickens within the backyard. Chickens offer obvious advantages like eggs, insect management and manure to use within the garden, however chickens conjointly create entertaining pets. a lot of to the surprise of the many, cities all across the country permit owners to stay chickens. Chickens are straightforward to worry for and do not need plenty of area. simply 2 or 3 chickens will offer enough eggs for alittle family.

Instructions

* 1. Decide if you have time and space to dedicate to caring for chickens. You will need to spend about 10 minutes a day tending to your flock. Chickens need a coop and room to roam and scratch; generally, plan on 10-square-feet per chicken.

* 2. Contact your city zoning office or look up your city ordinances on municode.com to determine if chickens are allowed. For neighborhoods that have an organized homeowner's association, call and find out if there are any restrictions on the types of pets allowed.

* 3.Build your own coop or purchase kits or prefabricated coops. Coops need to include nest boxes, perches, entryways for the chickens, and access for you to collect eggs and clean the coop.

* 4.Protect your chickens from predators, such as dogs and raccoons, by placing the coop inside a securely fenced area.

* 5. Learn about the different breeds available and pick one suitable for your area. Some breeds are better suited for cold climates than others.

* 6. Determine if you want to start with chicks or pullets. Chicks will need to be kept indoors and will require special care until they are about 3 months old. Pullets are 5 to 6 months old and will be ready to move right in to their new coop and start laying.

* 7. Choose a source to buy your chickens from. There are many reputable hatcheries that ship chicks. Local feed stores and farmers will also have chicks and pullets available in the spring.

* 8. Purchase the supplies you will need to care for your chickens: waterer, feeder, food, scratch, grit and bedding. A brooder and a heat source will also be needed in order to raise chicks.

* 9.Spend time with your new chickens so they get used to you. Hens raised from chicks will be very tame and easily handled. All chickens will learn to anticipate your daily visits and will probably follow you around the yard.

Tips & Warnings

    *Plan on keeping only hens and avoiding roosters. Roosters are noisy and usually are not allowed in cities.

    *Always buy "sexed" chicks or pullets.

    *Tell your neighbors about your new pets and answer any questions or concerns they may have.

    *Just for fun, buy a chicken of one of the breeds that lay blue or green eggs.

    *Don't feed your chickens citrus fruit peels, bones, garlic, onion, large amounts of meat or any meat that has gone bad.

    *Always keep clean, fresh water available. Chickens can quickly dehydrate.

    *Clean your chicken coop and yard at least once a week. Your neighbors will complain if your yard starts to stink. Chickens kept properly should not smell.

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Do Not Try To Keep a Pet Chicken Before You Read This!

The sustainable living movement is gaining momentum and as a result, a lot of folks are deciding to lift chickens in their backyard.

 

Luckily, chickens are comparatively straightforward to lift and keep however there are variety of common chicken health issues that you just got to bear in mind of. If you own chickens or are considering buying a couple of hens for your backyard, you wish to familiarize yourself with the varied illness and chicken diseases that your flock will contract. the earlier you diagnose and treat chicken health issues, the higher it's for your entire flock. Some diseases unfold terribly quickly and may unfold to the whole flock during a flash.

Common Chicken Health issues
chicken-health-problemsThere are a spread of common chicken health issues that you just got to bear in mind of if you're planning to own your own backyard chickens. Most chicken health issues can have an effect on their air sacs, lungs and air passages that clearly can result in respiratory issues. this will result in the eventual death of the affected chickens terribly quickly if you do not treat them.

If you retain the setting that your chickens live in as clean as doable, you'll be able to greatly minimize the danger of chicken health issues developing. If you retain too several chickens in a locality that's not massive enough, you're conjointly soliciting for hassle. If you permit your hens to lift chicks, you'll got to either cut back the quantity of chickens in your flock. If you do not wish to skinny out the quantity of birds you're keeping then you'll have enlarge your chicken house and chicken run or add new areas as your flock grows.

Prevention And Treatment Of Chicken Health Problems
As discussed earlier, the best prevention is to keep your chicken coops and nesting boxes as clean as possible. Set up a regimen to regularly disinfect them with soap and water. But sometimes even the cleanest chicken coops and the best cared for chickens will suffer from chicken health problems.

Once you are dealing with infested birds, first remove all of your nesting boxes and all bedding from your chicken coop. Clean and disinfect everything that you can get to. If you can, move your chickens to a new area for a few months until you have a chance to get the infestation under control. Notice I said "under control" instead of "eliminated" because once you have an infestation, it is almost impossible to completely eradicate them. You just have to try and control them.

Then you will need to decide what type of treatment is best for your flock. You can purchase Sevin powder to effectively get rid of lice and mite infestations on your chickens. You can use it directly in your chicken coops and on the chickens themselves. Re-treatment will be required in order to stop the life cycle of new eggs that weren't killed the first time around or your chickens will be re-infested.

Another product that is not toxic is called Orange Guard and it is an extremely organic treatment that you can use in your chicken coops but it cannot be applied directly to your chickens.

For Scaly Leg mites, you can try using a variety of oils like mineral oil, vegetable oil, Vaseline, etc. You have to capture your chickens and apply it very heavily to their legs and feet. Unfortunately this has to be done every two days until your chickens are no longer infested.

A better way to treat Scaly Leg mites is to use Adams Flea and Tick Mist (with IGR). You can spray their legs and feet and then massage it in to make sure that you have even coverage. While it is more expensive initially, works on adult mites and their hatching eggs which is great. It is also cheaper in the long run when you factor in the fact that it works for three months at a time. I mark my calendar and just treat my entire flock every three months like clockwork. The hens and roosters hate it but oh well. I catch them all after dark to save myself a lot of grief.

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Favorite Blue Silkie Bantam Chickens

Of all the decorative chicken breeds, the Silkie Bantam is that the most well liked and most loved. cannot you tell why? they are the lap dog of the chicken world, complete with hair-like plumage and an incredibly sweet temperament. Silkies were originally bred in China, where they're still kept (and eaten) nowadays. they need black skin and bones and 5 toes rather than the traditional four. additionally, Silkie hens build wonderful mothers and are even known to adopt baby ducks if given the chance! you'll get a mixture of bearded and non-bearded varieties together with your Silkie order.

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Very Special and Unique Golden Laced Polish Chicken

Polish are a awfully special and distinctive breed of chicken with their huge bouffant crest of feathers and v-shaped comb. they're tame however their behavior are often a little wacky since their crest limits their vision. When in an exceedingly flock with a lot of aggressive breeds, Polish can tend to be on the low finish of the ladder. Egg laying is varied during this breed - some lay well and a few terribly poorly. In short, Polish are sweet, lovely exhibition birds and might be smart layers within the backyard flock, however they don't seem to be reliable. Please note that our flocks manufacture a combination of bearded and non-bearded Polish.

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Wonderful Sumatra Chickens

Sumatras are a rare and largely wild breed thought to be closely associated with the jungle fowl of the so much East. they are kept for decorative functions alone, as a result of they do not lay well and are not hefty enough to be an honest meat bird. Beauty, though, they need in spades!

Their hanging, distinctive carriage sets them apart: Their tails are held low, and within the male significantly is abundant and sweeping, just like the tail of a pheasant. In fact, Sumatra chickens were once referred to as the "Sumatran Pheasant" and therefore the "Java Pheasant Game." Males typically even sport multiple spurs on every leg.

They are haunting in appearance: their plumage glimmers in bright daylight, with metallic shades of blue, bronze, inexperienced and purple, shimmering from their abundant ebony feathers. In twilight, those beetle like colours scatter and disappear just like the insects themselves.

Sumatras are exceptionally stately birds, and with house to roam may be an exquisite addition to your flock. shut confinement doesn't suit them. Sumatras create a superb alternative for exhibition, and--even better!--will create your different chicken-keeping friends inexperienced with envy!

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Economical EcoGlow Chick Brooder

Clean, safe, robust and very economical chick brooder, the EcoGlow is right for up to twenty chicks. nice for classroom hatches. The EcoGlow solely uses eighteen Watts (a tenth of the electricity of typical suspended infrared lamps) as a result of the chicks are in grips with its heat beneath surface. The brooder runs at 12v for safety from a mains transformer (supplied) and with the convenience of a generous (about ten feet) power lead.

Different sizes of chicks are accommodated by 3 adjustable height settings and an indicator lightweight confirms the brooder is connected. The low price of the EcoGlow makes it attainable for larger numbers of chicks to be warmed by multiples of brooders!

Dimensions: Approximately 12" long x 8" wide x 8" high

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6 Keys in Finding the Right Pet Chickens for You

While you are putting the ultimate touches on your coop, it is time - if you haven't already - to focus your attention on finding chickens for sale. Finding chickens to suit you and your chicken dreams is one in all the foremost fascinating and exciting aspects of the complete enterprise.

If you have chosen an area supply for your chicks or pullets, you'll be able to most likely have them at home that very same day. If you order from a hatchery, it should take a couple of week for you to possess birds in hand, though several hatcheries currently ship your peeping package overnight. (More on this below.)

But before you approach anybody who has chickens for sale, you wish to make a decision on what variety of chickens you wish. A sensible list to induce you started can facilitate.
 

1. Egg production - several breeds are cultured merely with an eye fixed on productivity. Some birds will lay 360 eggs a year.

2. Egg color and size - Eggs will not vary a lot of in style or nutrition, though there's a good vary in size and color (lily-white, deep chocolate-brown, or sky-blue).

3. Temperament - Breeds vary in temperament. thanks to youngsters or household pets, you will} may ant a additional docile chicken. If you are going to combine breeds, you'll be wanting those who get along well in mixed flocks.

4. Beauty - To a real chicken aficionado, each chicken is gorgeous. Breeds with fantastic coloring and fabulous feathers will lend plenty to your chicken watching. like bound vegetables, like tomatoes, there are heirloom breeds that require conservation.

5. copy - you will wish to boost your own chicks, therefore you'll be wanting to seek out a breed known to possess smart broody hens.

6. Cold-weather hardiness - If you reside in an exceedingly climate that has rough winters, you'll have a breed that's acclimated and can turn out even if temperatures might drop.

With these attributes in mind, your best bet is to decision a hatchery for help. you'll be able to conjointly go surfing, punch "chickens for sale" into your browser and realize breeds that fit your vogue and your state of affairs. For instance: Golden Comets mature early and lay stunning brown eggs. Orpingtons are quiet and docile. Black Australorps are eye-catching with a inexperienced sheen to their black feathers and that they are smart producers.

Another necessary thought is whether or not you wish to start out with chicks or pullets. Chicks are going to be recently hatched, pullets are typically a couple of month recent, generally older.

Chicks are terribly cute, little doubt regarding it, however they conjointly need quite way more care than pullets. you may would like special feed and a heating system to additional or less mimic the conditions their broody mother would offer. beginning with chicks can delay egg production for around six months.

Chickens are thereforecial animals so you wish a minimum of 2. If your reason for keeping chickens is for his or her eggs, figure 2 layers for every one who likes eggs.

A rooster are often a good addition to your flock, as they're terribly protecting of the hens and simply characters to observe. HOWEVER, certify that: one. you're legally allowed to possess them were you live; a pair of. that you just don't seem to be aiming to cause friction along with your neighbors.

Roosters are loud and crow all day long... not simply at sunrise, and you will run into complaining neighbors and zoning laws.

Very important to remember: ROOSTERS don't seem to be NECESSARY FOR EGG PRODUCTION!

Your best bet for getting chicks or pullets, is maybe to buy them regionally. you'll be able to glean personal knowledge from the vendor relating to your new birds and their success. So, raise around at farmers markets, take a visit to the country and check up on feed and seed stores, acquire rural newspapers and check the wish ads. Check the net for native sources: Search for: "chickens for sale" and add your state.

Hatcheries are another supply. Shipping chicks and pullets to distant locations has become a routine and extremely successful method. But, plenty of those web-order or mail-order hatcheries have minimums, particularly for chicks. the quality looks to be a twenty-five minimum.

However, a number of these hatcheries do provide orders as few as 3 chicks. The shipping are often prohibitive, $35 in one case.

If you are doing order type a hatchery, male chicks run a couple of dollar apiece, feminine chicks regarding 3, and straight run (unsexed) chicks regarding 2. you are taking your possibilities on what percentage roosters and layers you get on straight run chicks. that is why they are cheaper.

Hatcheries have some pretty fascinating deals from time-to-time. One offered twenty five feminine chicks of assorted ornamentals for a very low worth. that would be fun, watching them grow into their showy feathers. Another offered a deal it known as "The Frying Pan Special" on chicks particularly suited to one in all America's favorite foods.

Read all you'll be able to relating to bound breeds. speak with experienced chicken keepers. Once you are armed with the facts, you are able to begin trying around for places that have chickens for sale.

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