Raising Backyard
Chickens
Whether
you are trying to save a bit of
money by raising
your chickens for meat
and eggs, or
looking to add
some organic home-grown food to your
table, raising chickens at home is a
great way to
start.
Anyone
can raise chickens, but you need to live
somewhere that has the space for
them.
A
moderate-sized backyard would be fine for
a few chickens, though many cities do
have bylaws that would make this illegal.
Check out your city rules before trying
to raise chickens in an urban
yard.
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HousingYour Chickens
You don't need acres of farmland if you
want to raise chickens, but don't cram too many of them
into  a tiny pen either. Stressed chickens don't
lay too many eggs, and they will fight more when crowded.
A secure little house should have at least 6 sq ft of
space per chicken. More room is better if you can manage
it. Your chickens should have a sizable fenced pen so they
can move around and get some exercise and fresh air. Allow
for about 12 sq ft per chicken, for the outside area.
Letting them roam free is better, but be prepared to lose
some chickens to loose dogs or cats. And free-range
chickens might end up in your neighbors
yard.
More information about how to
build a chicken coop
Feeding Your Chickens 
Feeding your backyard chickens is a bit
more complicated that just tossing them some corn. Make
sure you have decent food for them and they'll stay
healthy for you. A mixed feed is best, containing cracked
corn along with a number of other whole grains and feed
pellets. It should have good protein content too. You can
save a bit of money on your chicken feed by feeding your
backyard flock leftovers from the kitchen. That's right,
you can toss your vegetable cuttings, fruit cores and
even leftover pasta into the chicken pen to give your
birds some variety and extra nutrition. Leave them fresh
water at all times too, preferably in a shallow chicken
waterer.
More
information about feeding
chickens
So
What Breed of Chickens?
This question might take a bit of
research before you can decide on what breed of chicken
you want to raise. There are many dozens of different
chicken breeds, each with its own unique qualities.
Chickens that you might buy from a local farmer will
likely be mixed breeds to some extent. Hopefully, he'll
have a rough idea what kind of birds they are. If you
want backyard chickens for eggs, try to get Rhode Island
Reds, Minorcas or Leghorns. Most common breeds today are
classed "dual purpose", meaning they are acceptable for
either meat or egg production. Dual purpose birds would
be Plymouth Rocks or Wyandottes.
More
information about chicken
breeds
Need a
Rooster?
You may have avoided raising poultry
because you were worried about the noise of a rooster.
You'll be happy to know you don't need a rooster unless
you plan on hatching out chicks from your eggs. For
someone just learning how to raise chickens, you will
probably not be doing any chick hatching just yet. So
just avoid a rooster for now.
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