How To Get Farm Fresh Eggs Straight From Your Backyard. Fresh, healthy eggs.
Natural fertilizer and pest control. A chance to teach your kids the value of growing their own food. These are just some of the reasons backyard chickens have moved from a novelty to a mainstream trend. Whether you’re a home chef, a gardener or a parent who believes in providing enriching experiences for your children, this spring might be the perfect time to consider jumping on the backyard chicken bandwagon.
It’s lucky that chicken coop and feed resources have made it easier than ever to get started. If you’re thinking of adding a coop to your backyard living space this year, here are some tips to consider. Choose your chickens Chickens come in many different shapes, sizes, colors and temperaments. Once you’ve chosen the breed, consider whether you’d prefer to hatch your own chicks or purchase day-old chicks from a reputable hatchery or local feed store. And since roosters are not necessary for egg production, you don’t have to worry about roosters crowing at dawn.
All About Raising Chickens & Eggs. Our furry-footed gal, Sprinkles.
I often get questions about raising chickens, so I thought I would create a post to point people to. We love having chickens. Raising Backyard Chickens. How To Raise Backyard Chickens In Your City - The Basics Of Raising Chickens. Raising Chickens 101 So, you're interested in raising chickens?
You've embarked on a fun and exciting journey! BYC (BackYardChickens) is FULL of great information. If your question isn't answered in our Learning Center Articles then we promise there is an answer on our chicken forum. Below are the absolute basics of raising chickens. Why Raise Chickens? Are BackYard Chickens Legal in Your City? Where To Get Baby Chicks & Chickens: How To Care For A Chick - First 60 Days: Chicken Care After First 60 Days, General Chicken Care: BackYard Chickens. BackyardChickens.com: Learning Center Articles. Raising Chickens In Suburbia. Keeping Roosters Quiet. Several times each month I receive letters, emails and phone calls from concerned chicken owners asking how they can keep their roosters quiet.
More times than not, they are keeping chickens in urban areas. Many cities around the country ban roosters to prevent nuisance complaints from their citizens, even though there are several ways to keep roosters in urban areas quietly and responsibly. I had kept backyard chickens for two years before my neighborhood homeowner’s association even found out. Why? Because I choose not to keep roosters with my flock. In my opinion, roosters have two main purposes, which they do very well: protect and fertilize. There are many great reasons why people choose to keep backyard chickens in urban areas, but breeding is rarely one of them, so keeping a rooster is not necessary in most cases. On the rare occasions when I did have a rooster or two, I would keep them quietly and responsibly.
Backyard Chickens Forums. Best Chickens For The Backyard. Some chickens are egg layers and some chickens are better raised for meat.
Some of the older types of chickens, however, are what they call dual purpose chickens which means that they are good for both. In my opinion, these dual breeds are a better choice for the backyard because you can raise most of the hens for egg laying and most of the roosters you can butcher when they are quite young. Older hens that are past the egg laying age have tough meat but can be cooked in stews or pressure cooked for tenderness. Dual purpose chickens tend to be hardier than commercially grown birds and are adaptable to whatever climate they are in.
These birds can live for years, and come in a variety of colors and temperaments. Dual purpose breeds are the best choice for the backyard homestead type farm, because they can forage for some of their own food and can provide the household with meat and eggs. Most importantly, dual purpose chickens are sustainable.
Dual Purpose Chicken Breeds Dominique Java.