| Care and Housing |
| Before you bring your chickens home, you need to do research on how much space they need, and if you have enough time (and money) to take care of them. Bantams need approximately one foot of indoor space, and four feet of outdoor space. Be sure to check how much space the specific breed you plan on keeping needs. Chickens should never be placed in a coop or hen house that is unsanitary, too small, or drafty. Make sure that the vents are high enough to not let drafts in, but still let air circulate through the coop. If the coop is drafty, your chickens may get sick. Nestboxes should be about 14x14x14 inches. Again, it depends on the breed. You need to have one nest box for every four hens. They should be off the ground, but below the perches. Otherwise your chickens will choose to "perch" in the nest boxes instead of on the perches. This could cause a BIG mess. I have heard that a good height for the first row of nest boxes is 10". The feed should be put in a large, air tight container when it's not being eaten. This will prevent any rodents or bugs from getting into the feed. Scatter scratch in the yard of the chicken coop for your chickens to find and eat. Put the lay ration and other feed in a "trough," or something resembling one. You can even make one if you want to. It's a good idea to have some sort of platform or "droppings pit" under the feeder. This way, all the feed won't be scattered around the coop as much. Another way to cut this problem down, is to buy a feeder that has a lip on the top. The lip stops food from falling out whenever your chickens eat. If you start your flock with chicks, then you need to have a brooder set up when they arrive. You can easily make one out of a carboard box. Just make sure it gives the chicks approximately one square foot of space when they are younger, and about two square feet when they are getting ready to move into the coop outside. Chicks can be kept in a lot of different types of brooders, but they all must have a heat lamp, some sort of bedding, food, and water. The heat lamp should start out around 95 degrees (farenheit). Make the temperature go down about 5 degrees every week for about 6 weeks. NEVER USE NEWSPAPER FOR BEDDING. Slippery surfaces like newspaper cause a condition called spraddle leg. If your chicks get spraddle leg, you must quickly cure it but bracing their legs together. Preventing this is much easier however. All you have to do is use wire over the bedding. Putting an absorbant material under the wire will help cut down the smell, and mess. Food and water need to always be avaliable to your chickens. For the first 6 weeks, chicks should be fed a chick starter. Then, until they are 20 weeks old, feed them a pullet grower. After that, switch your chickens to a lay ration. Only use medicated food when your chickens need it. Otherwise it's just a waste of money. Feeding your chickens grit is very important. What it does is it gets stored in your chickens gizzard. Then it acts like teeth, helping your chicken digest it's food. Chicken feed is almost always avaliable at the feed store. You can make your own chicken feed, but make sure it contains all the essential nutrients chickens need. Table scraps are a nice treat, but should never be your chicken's only food source. These do not supply a balanced diet. One chicken eats about 2 cups of feed, and drinks about 2-3 cups of water every week. If you have 25 chickens, one 50 pound bag will last about a week. Your chicken's waterer should be placed in the shade so it doesn't get hot. In the summer, the water should be changed atleast twice a day to prevent this. For my henhouse design, please click here |
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