Raising Chicken At Home – It Is More Than You Think
Why would anyone wants to raise chicken at home? There is one thing that chicken can do while other household pets cannot.
Of all the animals that people keep as pets, chicken are unique in the sense they produce something edible. Compared to other house pets such as dogs, cats, horses, hamsters, fishes, raising chicken has many advantages.
Raising chicken at home will pays off in the long run. You can get fresh poultry meat and eggs unlike what your normally buy from the supermarket. These meat and eggs are the best tasting you would ever had.
Organic Family Living
Considering many people are jumping on the healthy living with organic food bandwagon, raising chicken in your backyard will save you money from buying expensive organically grown produce. To have organic chicken meat, all you have to do is feed your bantams with organic chicken feeds.
Chickens that are organically fed and roam freely lay eggs that have higher level of Omega-3 fatty acid and Vitamin E. Generally, its meat has lower cholesterol content. It is a complete health food package.
Is it tough to keep chicken at home?
One thing is for sure, it is much easier compared to keeping a cat or dog. You do not have to groom, bath or even take them out for a walk. Chicken are generally low maintenance.
To keep them safe and healthy, all you need is to build a chicken coop for them to stay in.
Shield them from excessive hot or cold weather. Protect them from predators such as dogs, cats, raccoons, snakes, hawks etc. Give them organic feed and maintain a clean waterier. The birds will be more than happy minding their own business.
DIY Chicken Coop
Do you want to know how to make your own chicken coop for your home backyard? If you do, check out Bill Keene’s Building A Chicken Coop guide. The e-book will show your easy steps that you can take to make a chicken coop with inexpensive building material.
For more information, read the review of Building A Chicken Coop on the main page of this blog.
==> Click here to read more about Building A Chicken Coop now!
Related web sites:
1) Easy Chicken Coop Plans – Keeping Your Chicken Safe and Healthy with a DIY Backyard Chicken Coop
2) Chicken in Training: Bringing Home the Blue Ribbon
3) Chicken mom finds out the true meaning of cooped-up, hen-pecked and free-range
5) Where Do You Turn For Chicken-Raising Advice?
I have found that any ages can be mixed but it is best when the ages are closer like someone said above. Almost any expert will tell you to put them together at night. Usually they wake up in the morning and appear to think they were always together.
They do still need to determine the pecking order so there is some poking and jabbing but they don’t usually kill each other or cause real harm. If they appear to do this, then they must be separated, but don’t unless it gets really aggressive. This does work better the more room they have.
I do make sure the younger ones are at least a couple to three months old before putting in with big ones unless a hen broods them right in with bigger ones. Do it at a time when you are going to be around the next day to sort of keep an eye on em,, just in case.
Also mentioned above is the fact about water and food for chickens and getting them to lay. They are like the contented cow gives more milk. They need clean fresh water and plenty of food. I personally hate pelleted food as I have experienced cannibalism a few times and always with pelleted food. Throwing a little scratch feed on the floor gives them something to do as they dig it out of the litter.
The also should have 14 – 16 hours of daylight. Mites and lice can also keep them from laying. They draw nutrients from the hen that would go to eggs.