If you ’ve never tried your hired man at poultry before , begin with chicken . Chickens , even newly crosshatched peeps , are n’t excessively crabbed and there are scores of breed and varieties of chicken to choose from .
Chickens number in all size — from 12 - pound Jersey Giants to 2 - Egyptian pound Silkies — inbreedsselected for repose eggs , producing meat or both . chicken do n’t require fancy housing , they ’re relatively gentle and , except for cock , they ’re tranquil birds . With all these idealistic traits , it ’s hard to go unseasonable .
Home Sweet CoopWhen you get chickens , set up a piranha - proof coop , preferably with an exercise chiliad attached . Alternately , where hawks and other predatory animal are n’t problematic , chickens can free - kitchen range by day and return to their hencoop at Nox to kip . poulet coopsmust be ventilated to provide summertime solace and fresh air twelvemonth - round and insulated in cold climates . Bed your coops with 4 to 6 inch of chopped pale yellow , woodwind instrument shavings or a reasonably dust - free litter .
An average - sized adult stratum needs 3 square foot of level blank in the coop and adequate way to practice alfresco . Meat poulet involve 1 square foot of floor space up to 10 weeks of age and at least 2 to 3 square foot after . skimp on space leads to aggressiveness and cannibalism , so do n’t take on more chickens than you’re able to comfortably house .
Provide nest boxes in the henhouse for hens to put down their orchis . One nest per four hen will do . While roosts are optional , chickens will apprise the extra blank . Allow 6 to 8 inches of roost blank per average - sized bird .
Meal TimeYou’ll also need to admit feeder and watering devices . grant 1 linear inch of feeder space for chicks up to 2 hebdomad of years , 2 inches for the next four weeks , and then 3 to 4 column inch for older wench and adult chicken . A 1 - congius tearing fountain is sufficient for 10 adult chickens . Provide at least two tearing receptacle and feeders . no matter how many chickens you keep . Otherwise , aggressive chickens may amass food and piss , and their meeker flock mates will not be capable to use up or drink .
Because protein spirit level and aliment level in chicken feed stay the same from batch to batch , commercial-grade Gallus gallus feeds are a in force wager . If you ’re unsure which type of provender chicken require at any break historic period , carefully read the labels or — better yet — consult your vet or county telephone extension agentive role . commercial-grade organic crybaby feeds are available in some areas .
Lightweight level , such as Leghorns , deplete about 90 Pound of chicken feed per twelvemonth . Heavier breeds eat about 110 pounds or more . Industrial - breed ( commercial ) broilers and fryers consume about 13 or 14 pound of provender per crybaby if slaughtered at 8 weeks of old age .
