Keeping chickens at home for eggs

Chickens are straightforward creatures to feed. They require a healthy diet of proteins, grains, grit and calcium as well as vitamins and minerals. The simplest solution to this it to give them the pre-made pellet feeds which contain a balance of the elements they need.

Chickens who are allowed to roam freely will add to these foods they will find naturally, be it insects, seeds or fruits. The choice is up to yourself as to how much freedom you allow them or if you want to confine them to selected area of your garden.

An acceptable food for your chickens is garden scraps. Meat is also acceptable, unless you are using the birds for commercial purposes. The popular foods with our chickens are tomatoes, broccoli and breakfast cereals. However, we only give them these items on special occasions. Another thing that chickens require is fresh water at all times. You can find many different types of feeders and drinkers.

 

There are several ways to start your own small chicken flock. The easiest way to start your flock is to begin with a point of lay pullet. These have come of age and begin to lay eggs almost immediately. They are adaptable to most set-ups. Also, many choose day-old chicks, which are quite appealing, but have additional requirements in care when compared to the older birds.

Of course, many do not want to miss out on the experience of hatching their own chicks.

Most chickens can be purchased from local breeding agents or farms that deliver your order. Chickens are inexpensive to buy. From older birds or rescue or ex-battery hens to fertilized eggs, you can create your own flock in just a short time.

Special breeds and Hybrid chickens are in favour always. The familiar types of chickens: Rhode Island Red- a well known breed used as a very good layer and for hybridation. Maran- a good all purpose breed which has French origin. Sussex- a known British breed which is good for table as well as layer. Bantams- a breed which favours with children. They are smaller in size and require less space which is an added advantage for domestic chicken keeper.

Chickens do not need a cockerel to lay eggs. Certainly no definite need to keep a cockerel unless you are planning on breeding your own chicks. Cockerels are notoriously noisy so if your chicken are kept on an allotment or in a garden it would be wise to consider whether or not your neighbours would object to being worken up at sunrise - regardless of what day of the week it is. And it doesn't stop there. Cockerels often crow throughout the day and well into the evening. You wouldn't be the first or the last person to end up being taken to court because of an over-enthusiastic cockerel. Secondly you would have to consider why you actually want to have a cockerel.

With the easy availability of hybrid chickens such as Black Rock you don't need a cockerel to ensure that your hens will lay. Providing that they are well cared for, have access to clean water and grit and are not overweight they should lay without any problems at all from around 16 weeks of age.

However if you are hoping to breed from your hens then a good cockerel is essential. If you are hoping to sell on your young stock it is advisable to choose a cockerel of the same breed as your hens as cross-bred stock are hard to market. If you have a mixed flock and cannot separate them to ensure no cross-breeding takes place it may be wiser to either buy in fertile eggs to hatch out using a broody hen or an incubator or young stock from a reliable breeder.

One other cautionary note is that growing and very active cockerel's have extremely healthy appetites so can be quite expensive to keep 12 months of the year.

First of all, whatever the reason you are breeding your own chicks, you should always bear in mind that even if with the best care, losses do occur.

If I say our success started with a simply using a small incubator that holds only 3 eggs and having a cockerel, you may find it reassuring.

After finding out our eggs are fertilized and have a success ratio in hatching of over 80% we were over the moon. If you want to try this at  home yourself, its worthwhile choosing a good coop for looking after the chicks.

Theres a good selection on the market. Choose a form that offers secure housing with a heat source as newborn chicks need to be kept fairly warm. After their first few weeks, you can lower the temperature to normal.

Rather than go the incubator route, you can always let nature take its course. Most hens will cycle through broody periods. A broody hen will sit on the nest, incubating the eggs, almost all of the time. She becomes very intense and can undergo a complete personality change.

All of the hen's energy is dedicated to her task - she will rarely move, even to feed or drink, and she needs close supervision and attention for her own good while brooding. Be careful - a normally sociable hen will become touchy and defensive.

She may even give you a sharp peck when you try to move her to clean the nest. It's a fascinating process and you have to admire the would-be mother hen's dedication to her eggs. Have fun!