Tag: Start-up

Everything You’ll Need To Raise Chickens

The Basics of What You’ll Need to Get Started


Your start-up cost for raising chicks & chickens can be costly, but you can plan ahead and buy a little at a time. There is plenty of time to have chickens, it can be next season or even the one after! Expect to pay somewhere around $1,000+ for a modest set-up… or better yet, take your time and build the coop of your dream.
Chicken Coop
A sturdy, weatherproof coop is essential for providing your chickens with shelter and protection from predators. Make sure it’s large enough to comfortably house your desired number of chickens, with nesting boxes for laying eggs, perches for roosting, and proper ventilation. How Much Space Do Chickens Need?
Chicken Run
A secure outdoor space where your chickens can exercise and forage. It should be fenced & covered to prevent them from escaping and protected from predators. It should be tall enough for you to easily access it for cleaning.
Bedding
Chickens need clean and dry bedding to keep them comfortable and to help manage waste. Pine shavings are a good choice and are readily available at feed stores. Use a good amount on the floor of the coop and in the nest boxes. However, sand in my opinion will make your cleaning chores a breeze!
Chicken Feed
A balanced and nutritious diet is important for healthy chickens. You’ll need to provide them with good quality chicken feed that’s appropriate for their age and stage of production. Organic feed is available if that is your choice, although it is substantially higher in price.
Waterer
Chickens need access to clean, fresh water at all times. Use a waterer designed specifically for chickens. If you start with chicks, you’ll need a special smaller waterer for them.
Feeder
A feeder designed for chickens or chicks will help keep their food clean and prevent waste. There are various types available.
Nesting Boxes
Hens need nesting boxes where they can lay their eggs. These should be clean, dry, and comfortable, with some privacy for the hens. You’ll need one nest box for every two hens.
First Aid Kit
It’s always good to have a basic first aid kit for any potential chicken health issues. It should include items like poultry vitamins, electrolytes, wound care supplies, and poultry-safe insecticides.
Chicken Wire or Hardware Cloth
To keep your chickens safe from predators, you’ll need to cover any openings in your coop or run with chicken wire or hardware cloth. Make sure it’s sturdy and predator-proof.
Cleaning Supplies
Keeping your coop clean and sanitary is important for the health and well-being of your chickens. You’ll need tools like a rake, shovel, broom, and a putty knife for regular cleaning.
Perches
Chickens need perches to roost at night. Provide them with sturdy, rounded, or flat perches that are at least 2-3 feet off the ground.
Dust Bath
Chickens love to dust bathe, which helps them clean their feathers and control parasites. You can provide them with a designated area filled with sand. Avoid using food-grade diatomaceous earth anywhere in your coop, this can cause serious health and respiratory issues in chickens.
Egg Collection Basket
If you’re keeping hens for eggs, you’ll need a place to collect and store the eggs. An egg collection basket or egg cartons are good options.
A Brooder for Baby Chicks
A brooder is an enclosure or container designed to provide a warm and safe environment for newly hatched chicks to grow and develop until they are fully feathered.
Heat Source
If you’re raising chicks, they’ll need a heat source to keep warm. This can be a heat lamp or preferably, a radiant heat brooder plate.
Thermometer for the Brooder
A thermometer allows you to monitor the temperature and make adjustments as needed to ensure that the chicks are comfortable and healthy.
Grit
Whether or not chicks need grit to help digest their food is controversial. Today, it is said that if feeding commercial feed, grit isn’t necessary. I’ll leave this option for you to decide.

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Backyard Chickens, Yes or No?

Is Having a Few Chickens Something You’re Considering?

Maybe you didn’t think about being self-sufficient before 2020, but what about now? Did you see shortages and empty shelves at the grocery store? Despite the grocery store’s shortcomings, at least I knew there were always gonna be fresh eggs right in my backyard. It was a nice feeling, real nice, but is keeping chickens for you? Let’s take a closer look…
Having backyard chickens is going to add to your chore list, and yes, they’re kinda messy, and yes, you’re gonna spend a little extra money just to have those “free eggs.” But, putting all that negative stuff aside, the question of whether or not it’s worth it is a simple one. Yes, and here’s why.
The flavor of a fresh egg is rich, the color is vibrant, and the texture is amazingly firm in comparison to grocery store shelf eggs. But here’s the best part, farm fresh eggs taste better, and hold more nutritional value than store-bought. Studies have found that fresh farm eggs have less cholesterol, contain the right kind of fat, and have more vitamins than conventional eggs.

Fact: By law, an egg can be sold for up to 30 days after the date it was put in the carton. And farmers have up to 30 days to go from when the egg is laid to the carton. That means those supermarket eggs can be two months old by the time you buy them. It only makes sense to assume after two months some nutritional value has been lost.

Our Farm Fresh Eggs

Upkeep and What to Expect

Every morning I spend about 10-15 minutes tending to my birds. I use a pooper scooper, pick up the droppings from the nest box and coop, fluff up the pine shavings, fill the drinker, collect eggs, and…. that’s it. Once a week the coop gets fresh pine shavings and the feeder is refilled. My hens have a large turn-out space attached to the coop, however, if they were confined to a coop 24/7, a more rigorous cleaning regiment would be inevitable.
Probably the biggest mistake I made when getting my first backyard flock was how many birds to get. Lesson learned, I bought way too many and ended up with more eggs than my family could eat.
Keep it simple, if you want to feed a small family of four, five to six hens is just about right.

Start-up Cost, The Honest Truth

No matter how you slice it or dice it, no less than $800 -$1,000. A nice well-built chicken coop that will last is not cheap. You can buy a cheapy online, but you’ll end up buying another, usually because it’s too small, or poorly made with sub-par lumber. You’ll also need a brooder for baby chicks, a heat source, a drinker & feeder for baby chicks, a drinker & feeder for mature chickens, nest boxes, perches, shavings, feed, cleaning supplies, etc. These are costs that can’t be avoided. Keep in mind, you will be feeding those chicks for 6-7 months before they lay their first egg.
As of March of 2023, a 40lb bag of layer pellets for adult hens averages about $24.00, organic is substantially higher. How long that last varies on how many birds you have and if it’s secure from wild birds accessing it.
The amount of feed an adult chicken consumes in one day can vary depending on several factors such as the size and breed of the chicken, the time of year, and the quality and type of feed provided. However, as a general guideline, an adult chicken typically requires about 4-6 ounces of feed per day.
Predator-proofing is another expense and one not to be skimped on. This article will help you prepare for the inevitable visit from a predator, yes, even if you are in the city. Here’s How.

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