subject: 3 Things To Consider When Raising Your Own Chickens [print this page] Thinking about raising chickens in your back yard? Are you excited to have fresh poultry and eggs every day? Do you hate spending money on meat at the store, knowing it's been pumped full of hormones and antibiotics? Want to become self sufficient so you don't have to rely on mass production farming methods any longer? If this sounds like you, then raising chickens in your back yard will be an exciting alternative for you! Here are three things you need to consider before you start your own back yard chicken farm.
1. Do you know how many chickens you want? If you want a certain amount of eggs per day, it will be easy to calculate how many chickens you need. Or if you would also like to raise baby chicks, you will also need a rooster. Most chickens lay approximately 250 to 280 eggs per year, so if you need at least a dozen eggs a week, you should plan on having at least 2 chickens.
2. What size yard do you have? A pen that is approximately 4 by 3 feet will hold about 12 chickens, depending on the breed. Larger chickens will need a larger pen. Plus you also need to consider the run. You will need approximately 20 square feet of exercise space for every four chickens. As you can see, you dont need much space to house chickens in your back yard, but you do need to plan it out.
3. Is your yard adequate? You don't want your chickens to have full sun all day, they will need some shade so that they don't get too hot. Plus you need proper drainage, so that your chicken coop isn't in standing water, or it could cause disease. You should also consider how close your coop will be to your house, and to any neighbors. You don't want to place it where you or the neighbor will be bothered by the noise and smell of the chickens.
Even though it sounds difficult to keep chickens as pets, it really isn't that hard once you get started! All you need to do is make a plan before you get started, and before you know it you will have fresh eggs all year round!
