4 Tips for Keeping Chickens

Raising and keeping chickens is one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways of keeping a pet with the added benefit of getting fresh, great tasting and nutritious eggs and built in weed and bug control without the need for chemicals.

Chickens may seem to the non-initiated that they are all the same but like all other animals they do have personalities and can be quite individual, fun and extremely friendly. Gardens profit from an abundance of the best fertilizer available.

The following tips will help you make informed decisions about what is necessary in your own garden to start keeping chickens so you can enjoy them to the fullest.

1. How many chickens? Chickens need a certain amount of room each to lay, to roost and to be outside. A chicken needs about a square foot of perch space within the coop and a laying box. Chickens need a good 8 square feet of outside area, preferably more, to scratch in the grass, eat bugs and generally behavior in very chicken ways. Chickens do not always lay everyday so consider this when you are choosing both the breed and number. Question the seller on the type of chicken and what you can expect from them both in temperament and laying habits.

2. Chicken Coops. Housing chickens is important for more than one reason. Firstly, laying eggs will take place in the laying boxes and not all around the garden hidden in spots that may not be found for a while with the eggs being inedible as they may be off. Secondly, there are predators in all areas whether you think so or not, even the neighbor's dog can occasionally turn into a chicken killer. So choosing a coop that is fitted to your particular garden and space is key to having happy chickens. There are many coop designs available, ranging from portable to fixed, and it is well worth your time to investigate the sort of coop that will suit you best.

3. Feeding and watering. Chickens will eat all your food scraps, even the meat, if you feed it to them. Most backyard chicken keepers prefer to keep their chickens on a more vegetarian diet. Having a small bucket next to the sink is all that is needed to make it easy to collect scraps through the day and feed them to the chickens. A good chicken pellet feed from a reputable supplier will make sure your chickens get all their nutrients. And like all animals fresh water daily is essential. When thinking about the containers for both food and water we advise buying the special chicken containers that have been designed for this process otherwise the chickens will soil both the food and water which is not a good idea.

4. Lastly, always check the regulations in your particular area on the keeping of chickens as there is nothing worse than setting up a backyard brood and discovering you are not allowed to keep them, or have to many or your coop is in the wrong place. There can be restrictions which you will want to find out before you even consider any of the above so when you are ready your chickens will be nothing but a pleasure.

Chickens really are a fun addition to any back garden and I wish you all the best.

For more information on raising and keeping chickens visit www.backyardbantams.com and we will endeavor to bring you all the chicken keeping news, reviews and tips on all things chicken we can gather.