Raising chickens in your backyard doesn’t require too much work, but initially you will need to work a little harder to set everything up and ensure that you have everything they need to live healthy and happy lives with you. A good healthy chicken will live to be 8 – 10 years. That’s a long life and a big commitment.
Let’s take a close look at some of the necessary items that you will need for your chickens, so that you can spend more time enjoying them.
One of the most important things is housing. Not only does housing for your chickens protect them from the various types of weather it will also protect them from predators that are everywhere just waiting to attack. There are many other elements that you will need to ensure your housing contains, such as feeding area, and nesting box. These are important and will offer your chickens a comfortable home in their chicken coop.
Feeding your chickens is going to be a daily thing for you. You should shop around on all of the various websites to look at all of the different variety of feeders that are available before you choose one. Some of these feeders you can even design yourself with items found in home depot, or various items that you might have around your house. You do not want your chickens to scratch the food onto the ground.
Water is extremely important to the health of your chickens. They will enjoy sitting in the bowl of water, which will cause the water to be soiled with dirt. The best way to give your chickens water is with a watering system that is above the ground. Do a little research to uncover the best one that will also suit your budget because they can range from inexpensive to extremely expensive. You can even build your own self-watering system with products found in home depot or Lowes.
Keeping your chicken feed stored safe from rodents that would love to get their little paws into it is fairly simple. You will need to use containers that are metal, such as a metal garbage can. Squirrels and rats will not be able to eat through it and trust me they will try. They seem to love chicken feed the most out of any other type of rodents.
Chickens are so much fun, and once you have everything set up and prepared for them there is really not much else that you will need to do for them but enjoy them. Of course you will need to do is keep the chicken coop clean to prevent parasites from infesting your chickens, and give them food and water daily. If you have a self-watering system all that you will need to worry about is feeding them, and maintaining a clean coop and chicken pen.
Before you decide on just any breed there are many websites that will help you find the perfect breed of chickens to begin raising based on your specific needs. Do your research first and you’ll be well rewarded.
