Raising Chickens: A Quick Guide

How can you ensure your cuddly, yellow babies grow up healthy and properly? Read our quick guide.

What you should know before getting chickens

• Get a coop, drinkers & feeders. The coop should also have one nest box for around 3 hens, and should be big enough to allow you to collect eggs, and clean manure.
• You’ll have to provide chickens with food and water daily.
• If your hens are exposed to 12 to 14 hours of daylight, they’ll lay eggs. This is usually in the spring and summer seasons, and may last until autumn as well. Eggs will have to be collected daily, sometimes twice in a day.
• You will have to clean the coop regularly.
• If you have plans to go somewhere, you’ll have to leave your chickens with a sitter.

Development Stages

Chickens can be bought at any of the following development stages.

• Day Old Chicks: These can be bought from any hatchery, and wouldn’t lay eggs until 6 months.
• Ready-to-Lay Pullets: These are around 20 weeks old, and are costlier than a day-old chick. However, you can put them inside the coop, and they’ll soon lay eggs.
• Mature Hens: These aren’t so easily available, unless you find someone who want to trade their old hens.

Food and Temperatures

Tending chickens is not hard. Keep a lamp turned on so that temperatures around 92 degrees can be maintained. When chicks develop feathers, continue decreasing the temperature by 5 degrees weekly for 6 weeks.

Initially, give your chicks the starter feed. After six months, you can switch to other foods.

The Coop

• You can keep chickens of all ages inside the coop if you give them sufficient space. If they start to peck on each other, then they are being overcrowded and need more area.
• Your baby chicks have to be kept close to food and water.
• Use a red light so that an injury isn’t easily visible. If you use white light, blood spots are more noticeable and will attract chickens to peck.
• The drinkers should be shallow so that chickens don’t drown. Clean them daily. Also make sure there are enough drinkers for the amount of chickens you are raising.

Play Time

You can let out your chickens for some time after two weeks if temperatures are warm. But don’t leave them alone because they won’t be able to defend themselves against predators.