How to Raise Backyard Chickens

As our awareness of locally produced food becomes heightened, it is very common to see the backyard gardener hard at work in their plot. Tomatoes, herbs and lettuces await the harvest of the urban homesteader. Have you considered taking your backyard production to the next level? Try urban chickens! Chickens take up little space, generally don't cause much trouble and will award you with a harvest of fresh eggs. Many townships will allow a small flock of hens as a backyard project. Check with local officials to make sure chickens are legal within the township.

Fresh Eggs! There is nothing more lovely than an egg, a complete package delivered once daily, a shipping container, a cooking vessel, a storage unit all in one. The perfect smoothness, the color palette, the oval that is the egg. So simple yet so complete. The chicken enthusiast will be amazed at the array of colors: From basic white to rose, pink, aqua, blue and green its hard to imagine the range.

As our study of chickens begins perhaps the best place to start is with breed selection. There are many to choose from. Some breeds are known as heavy breeds and they are mainly for meat production. A dual breed is for meat and egg laying and an layer is just that. White Leghorns are a reliable breed for egg production. This chicken produces a white egg. Generally if a hen has white ears, she will produce white eggs; red ears mean brown egg production. What? You didn't know a chicken has ears?

All the better to hear you with, my dear. These diagrams illustrate the basic anatomy of a rooster and hen. Starting at the top, note the combs. Combs happen! These appendages appear as the chick begins the road into chickendome. Both hens and roosters will sport this head gear with the shape and size of the comb varying greatly from miniature size known as cushion or pea combs up to the buttercup and single comb. Some chickens will have a double comb. It is not uncommon to see a rooster with an impressive red chapeau. The combs are not simply for decoration but serve as cooling mechanisms for the birds. Blood circulates between the comb and the wattles. Another term...waddles. Look again at the comb and imagine a circulatory system venting from the top of the comb to the bottom of the waddles and you will have a better understanding of the chicken's temperature control system.

Chickens are available in all shapes and sizes, literally hundreds of breeds are available. Physical traits of note are size, feather colors, comb type, skin color, number of toes, amount of feathering, earlobe color, egg color and place of origin.

There are several breeds which will work well for the backyard poultry enthusiast. Among those are the
Plymouth Rock. Within this breed there are several varieties: White Buff, Partridge, Silver Laced, Blue, Columbian and Black. This is a great backyard breed as they are versatile and adaptable. A mature hen will lay about 200 brown eggs per year.

Rhode Island Reds are also a good choice for a small flock. Named for their place of origin, this bird is known as a utility breed, raised for meat and eggs. The rusty red coloring is typical of this breed. They are know as disease resistant and have docile, even friendly personalities. Expect egg produce to range from 250-300 large (grade extra large) brown eggs per year.1

Buff Orpingtons (butterscotch color), Wyandottes (multicolor) are also popular breeds for a backyard flock. There are breeds known as silkies with beautiful top hats; Cochins with feathers on their feet and legs making them appear to have on their house slippers. Bantams or Banties, as they are commonly known are a smaller breed producing smaller eggs. Perhaps one of the more unique breeds is the Aracana. They are known as the Easter Egg Chicken producing eggs in a variety of colors from blues, greens, even pinks. Chickens are available in the most basic of breeds and colors to exotic varieties, even some for show birds!

Chickens are available in a variety of ages: Chicks are generally shipped at one day old, pullets are usually about 6 weeks old, or you may purchase mature birds. If you chose the later, make sure you purchase from a reputable source. Otherwise you may inherit someone's old grandmother hen who is no longer laying. Buyer beware! Personally, I don't think there is anything more fun than having a box of chicks arrive in the mail! They are a sure cure for the midwinter doldrums, especially if you have children!

To begin with chicks, set up a heat lamp in a warm and protected environment. Poultry houses offer cardboard pens to corral the little ones. A child's wading pool will work, too. If you purchase chicks through the mail, you can expect an early morning call from a frantic postmistress alerting you to the special delivery! As soon as you bring the chicks home, put them in their new home, under the heat lamp. Take each chick and give them a drink, pushing their head gently into the waterer, so they will get the idea of drinking. Each one will take a sip or two. Then provide chick feed in small feeders, made just for chicks. These feeders have openings so the chicks will not get into the feeder and soil the food. Within a few hours, you will note the chicks are old hands at eating and drinking. The little creatures will grow and change daily. Soon they will sprout wing feathers and start to look like chickens! Your hens will start to lay at 5-7 months old. They will lay small eggs at first, gaining size as they grow. A hen will hit full production at age 1 and remain there for a year or two, and then lessen over time.

Housing requirements are mainly a draft free environment for the Winter months, then plenty of ventilation for the Summer. A typical coop is screened in chicken wire to keep predators out. Your coop can be as utilitarian or as fancy as you like. All kinds of varmints will attempt to steal your precious egg layers, so a tight building that can be closed up at night is a must. A chicken yard, fenced in, will keep the chickens contained, off your porch and out of the garden. Fresh water should be available to the birds at all times and a good quality laying mix will be the basis of their diet. Chickens need grit to aid in their digestion and they will generally dig holes to sun in, gathering bits of rough material as they go. Oyster shell is a common supplement to their daily ration. The oyster shell will strengthen the egg shell as well as provide the grit they need. Chickens also enjoy scraps from the table, just not spoiled or rotten foods. Weeds and garden clippings are always a welcome treat as well. Your birds will become the ultimate recyclers, using up your leftovers and weeds to produce their lovely eggs. In return, their manure can be composted and then turned back into fertilizer for your garden. Even the shells from the eggs can be crushed and used to enrich garden soils.

Start saving your egg cartons, encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same. Begin your project today and you soon will have plenty of eggs to share or barter. These hens will deliver the goods!