I am new to chicken ownership. My boyfriend and I got our chickens
in the early summer and I have to say I can’t imagine life without them! Not
only is it our first real step towards sustainable living but it has been a
really fun on-going project for us. The chickens have a lot more personality than I
ever expected and I’ve enjoyed spending time with them every day. I am writing this post
as if you are all completely new to chickens, too – if you have chickens you
might be able to shed some further light on the subject in the comments section
below – otherwise, I’ll try and explain everything as clearly as possible.
Background: My
grandfather did his undergraduate degree in Agriculture with a major in
poultry. He started a free-range poultry farm with his brother before going to
teacher’s college and eventually becoming a Vice President at his local high school.
He never lost his passion for fowl though and was a renowned chicken expert in
his area. Sadly, I lost my grandfather
this summer and I have to say raising chickens has been a tribute to him and
the wholesome way he lived his life; I feel like I can connect with him every
time I go in to our chicken coop. He
loved animals as much as I do and had every kind from ponies and horses to
ducks, chickens, peacocks, sheep and jersey cows. Eventually, when I have my
own farm I’m sure I’ll collect just as many different species of farm animals
as he had.
When you decide to get chickens there are a couple things
you need to consider before diving in headfirst. If you live in the city make sure to check out your local by-laws. Many cities now allow people to raise a small number of hens for personal use. If you live in the country the first thing you need to decide is whether or not they will be kept free-range or in a yard. We like ours in the yard for their safety but they have enjoyed a couple successful escapes. I think it really depends on whether or not you have neighbours and live on a busy road. We have both so it works best for us to keep them enclosed.
The Coop: We were
very lucky because our house came with a move-in-ready chicken coop. I’m
going to bypass the "building the coop" part of chicken ownership as I simply don’t’
know much about it. A great resource is Backyard Chickens . The website has everything from building advice, helpful and informative information
and interactive forums; basically anything and everything you need to know
about chickens. Next spring I am going to spruce up my coop by giving it a
fresh coat of paint. Below I will list the basics of what you will need in your coop:
- Nesting boxes: the chickens like to lay their eggs up high in a box. There are tons of cool ideas on google. The chickens will share boxes but you should have a few in the coop. I've heard that 1 box/3 chickens is a good ratio. They don't mind sharing. They also like a snug fit so don't make them too big!
- Roosts: chickens love to roost so give them lots of options
- Windows: chickens need daylight so consider putting windows in. In the winter you will need to provide artificial daylight so they get 12-14 hours of daylight/day to continue laying eggs. Some farmers believe they chickens deserve a break in the winter months and don't worry about artifial light. That is up to you to decide.
- Venitlation: it's very important to have proper ventilation especially in the winter months when they are closed in.
- Food and water: situate them in a position where they can be raised up off the ground to elimate the mess that will be made if they're on the ground
- Bedding: shavings have worked well for us but there are many options
A couple coops that inspire me (and great click-through links
about building them):
1.) A functional, chicken-friendly, country coop from the blog Beauty that Moves. I like the ladder that allows the chickens an awesome place to roost (on my want list!). I love that the coop is properly covered so they can stay out in most weather conditions. This blog also has an awesome tutorial for actually building the coop.
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| From the Blog Beauty that Moves |
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| The Art of Doing Stuff |
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| The Art of Doing Stuff |
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| The Art of Doing Stuff |
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| User "Yellow Kitchen's" coop on Backyard Chickens forum |
My coop:
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| Exterior of the coop |
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| Interior before the girls moved in. |
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| Even on a mild, snowy day they weren't too adventurous! |
The Yard: One
thing I have discovered about chickens is that they love to be outside. Put a yard as high up on your list as possible
when planning your coop. I kept them in last week when temperatures dropped but
this morning I let them out in the milder weather and they were thrilled. My chickens go inside the coop
as soon as it gets dark (smart gals) and I shut them in for the night when I
get home from work. It’s important to have a secure door in to the coop to
protect your girls from nocturnal predators.
Temperature: If
you live in a cold winter climate like we do here in Canada you need to have a
source of heat for your chickens in the winter months. This was the biggest
obstacle for us as although we had a ready-made coop we didn’t have a source of
electricity. Luckily, my boyfriend is a handy guy and also has a friend who is
a certified electrician so they were able to get electricity down to the coop fairly
easily. (Note: definitely something
to factor it in to your overall budget. The closer your coop is to your house
the less wiring you will have to run). The boys had to rent a trencher, buy
wiring and an electrical panel (as well as other things I don’t even know
about, I’m sure) plus buy a heat lamp. Other more luxurious options include putting
heating pads into your coop. If you are building consider insulating the coop
it will keep it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer! We decided to
put water down to the coop while we had the trencher so I won’t have to carry
any more buckets in spring! Yay!
Feeding and Watering
your Chickens: Like all farm animals chickens need access to fresh, clean
drinking water at all times. I have a pretty basic waterer from our local co-op
that I clean with white vinegar once a week. The chickens go crazy when I replenish
with clean water so I make sure to give them fresh water often. For feed I
purchase a laying hen mash from our local tack store. I give them as many
greens and veggies as possible. After Halloween I gave them several pumpkins which
they devoured. They LOVE treats and get so excited when they see me coming with
an armful of lettuce. I also heard that the more vegetables your chickens eat
the more flavourful their eggs are! Chickens also need access to oyster shells
as a part of their diet. The blog Life at Cobble Hill Farm (another awesome chicken resource) has an excellent blog on
supplementing your chicken’s diet
with in-depth information on what to feed them and where to get it. Your local
feed store should also have a knowledgeable staff member to help you out if you
need any more information.
Add a Personal Touch:
I tried to add a few personal touches to my coop. My chickens have a driftwood
roost I found at my cottage that they hang out on in addition to the built in
roosts that our coop came with. Outside we left a tree up in the middle of
their yard that provides them with ample shade in the hot sun. They love to
have things to sit up on and I’m hoping to make them a bench or ladder for them this
spring.
A Few Final Thoughts:
Chickens take more time to care for than I originally imagined. I go down to the
coop morning and night to collect eggs, let them in/out, check feed and water
and make sure that all is well. When we go away for the weekend we can't check our chickens in at a kennel you need to have chicken-sitters who are able to physically come to your house to look after them. The overall venture has not be expensive but it also
hasn’t been inexpensive, either. We give most of our eggs away to our family
members and sell some to acquaintances but we’re not making a ton in ‘egg money’.
You have to consider the regular expenses of feed, shavings for bedding and oyster shells.
I think the first year will be the most expensive as we have had to build a
fence for the yard, put electricity and water down and had the initial
expense of buying our “ready-to-lays”. A cheaper option is to purchase your chickens
as chicks and wait the 21 weeks before you get eggs. These chickens are also supposed to be
friendlier as they are "hand raised" however I don’t find mine to be unfriendly. Another helpful hint:
our local retailer told us that brown chickens are much friendlier than white
ones. Something to think about. Plus, brown eggs are lovely to look at!
Good luck with your chicken venture and share pictures of
your coop with us on twitter @jemcolborne!
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| The girls hanging out on their roost and enjoying the heat lamp! |
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