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[happy chicken]

My best advice on raising backyard chickens is Laughter, Laughter and more Laughter! Everyday my chickens and rooster put a smile on my face and make me laugh. I love when they come running when you call them or chase after each other so they stay together. They are the best hobby I have ever had, but you must do your research and read, read, read. Ask other chicken lovers for advice and their wisdom. Keep books available for all the questions you may have as you raise them. Handle them a lot when they are small. They grow quick. Sit outside with your chickens and watch and enjoy them. They know how to enjoy life and just go about their business of looking for food. You may be surprised to find out that one of those chicks you ordered may be a rooster. Good for you because roosters are the best. They may be mean sometimes and want to take over your entire yard but they are a hoot!

 

[ScotianChick]

My best advice for a would be chicken owner is this: Know what you want your hens for and follow through with your choices! Do you want hens for meat, eggs, a hobby or a pet? Or perhaps a combination? Once you've figured that out you can choose a breed, the amount you want and the way you want to raise them. My husband and I realized early on that our chickens were not just a useful animal to have around but they had become a hobby as well as an animal we cared deeply about. By knowing that, we are extremely aware of how we do raise and care for our hens. We try not to frighten them if we have to do anything busy in the yard, we are careful adding additions to our flock, we specifically have bred or raised breeds that can live happily in cold, Canadian weather, and we know we want them to have a small, stress free flock size. It can be very tempting to say "lets get a few more hens" or "maybe the girls should have a rooster" but we know that if it's just for our fun and doesn't really gain us or the girls anything, we don't do it and we follow through with this so the girls get the best life possible! So if you know what you want, then it's just a matter of how! Once you know you want cute, ornamental birds, mostly for pets, well then you can go out and get some silkies and bantums. Or once you know you need some hardy, good egg laying hens who can live through -10C Canadian winters, you can get some chubby red sex links and silverlaced Wyandottes to roam your yard!

 

[NewJerseyHick]

My best advise for raising backyard chickens is to put effort into these chickens. Just like a dog, they are a pet. They need food, water, shelter, and LOVE. Most people just leave their chickens out to make them their Sunday morning breakfast. Is that it? To have chickens you should be familiar with the breed and necessities it requires within the shelter and food categories. Each chicken might want their own hatching space, or they might like to be together. Cleanliness in a coop is also very important. Would you want to be trapped in your bathroom without being cleaned? Food definitely requires attention. Chickens need protein and nutrients, too! I also find that being with your chickens more will give them a protected feeling to be with you. If you coddle a chick, most likely, the chicken will have a soft spot for you when it's older. I hope I have been a help, thank you.

 

[tshclabach94]

To make sure you roosters are not mean you have to make sure they know who is boss, chase them around the yard a time or two and for added effect flap your arms. Your neighbors might think you crazy but your rooster will know you mean business.

 

[chicken farmer1]

My advise on which breed of chickens you should get would be to deside what you want to do with chickens some people keep them as pets, or show ,but others use them for laying eggs or for meat. Another thing that you have to consider is how much room and time you have for them so you can narrow it down a little more. You also need to decide how much you want to pay for your starter flock, because prices vary for different breeds, ages and genders. The last thing you need to do is decide if you want to hatch your own chicks or buy them from a hatchery, or even get them from someone who doesnt want them anymore or at a sale. I would also do reasearch on the types of breeds you like and find one that is best for where you live and that are friendly to you and other animals.

 

[Kateri]

I am 1 year into raising my girls....due to numerous coyotes, am down from 7 to 4. One of my girls was acting a bit down so I isolated her for three days. When she looked perkier, I took her back to her mates and stood around to watch. One of the others went after her and was terribly nasty. I tried to get her to stop, but she kept attacking. I picked up the 'pecker' and stuck HER in isolation for 1.5 days. When I put her back outside she was extremely cordial and there was no more pecking....do not know if this is unusual or not, but it helped save a life!!

 

[Whittni]

Chicken Exhibition Advice
Showing chickens can develop into a rewarding hobby, just as your current or future poultry pets are. To begin you'll want to find out all you can about the breed you'll be showing. The judge will be asking you about your technique as the keeper and the care of your chicken then often they'll ask questions to see if you know your breed well. An important step to follow is to not break eye contact with the judge unless you're describing the features of your chicken in good ways. Before the show and before the judging, your chicken should be cage trained and have been looked over and plucked of any broken feathers to maximize your chances of succeeding in the placings. Cage trained is a phrase describing how a chicken will react to a judge or the keeper taking the chicken out of the cage with surrounding distractions. Any chicken that is showed should be cage trained and docile by nature since judge takes personality into consideration in placings.

Before you head off to the show don't forget your supplies; you'll need a waterer, water, feed, a feed container, your carrier case and last but certainly not least, your courageous chicken!

 

[cooped up]

My advice would be to watch your flock. Of course you have increased your knowledge about all the aspects of raising chickens, but knowing can only be put into practice by watching your birds. My birds taught me something that I haven't read in a book or at this websiteand that was they will try to act normal even when they are not.
I'm not sure what was wrong with a couple of birds but they were not eating or drinking and they were somewhat lethargic,but they tried not to show it to the other birds by roaming the yard and falsely picking at grass and bugs.I'm sure they did not want to show any weakness to the top chicken in the pecking order.

I would not have noticed this if I wasn't watching my flock.

 

[NativeBeauty]

My best advice to others...enjoy your chickens. Of all barnyard beasts, they are the easiest to care for and house with little impact to your budget. A few of my favorite reasons to be a mom hen: their early morning banter, as they wait for me to let them out; their delight in chasing butterflies;when flying high enough to roost in low hanging branches (and looking surprised on how they got there, but pleased non the less)....they are amicable companions in the yard and garden, ridiculous to watch and a wonderful source of a delicious meal, in the form of eggs, on short notice

 

[Arielle]

My best advice is to allow plenty of space for your chickens with good ventilation.

Overcrowding leads to many problems that can be avoided by providing more space than the std rules for LF: 10 sq ft per bird in the run and 2-4 sq ft per bird in the coop. If your set up is for 4 birds, which is 16 sq feet in the coop and 40 sq feet in the run; try to keep the same set up, 16 and 40 sq ft, for 2-3 chickens. The fewer the number of chickens housed together, the more space they need. Also allow for feeders and waterers in two or more locations, in case a shy bird is not comfortable approaching the waterer or feeder when a dominant bird is already there.

Allowing sufficient space reduces boredom and stress. Soiled bedding doesn't become a source of problem ammonia. The chickens have more space to play when the human friends are away or if it's a cold miserable day and the chickens want to stay . . . . inside. It happens.