Raising Chickens 101: The Basics for Managing your Brood

Key Takeaways

• Raising chickens starts with checking local ordinances, preparing a properly sized coop and run, and gathering essential supplies such as feed, nesting boxes, supplements, and egg collection tools.
• New chicken owners should plan for daily feeding and watering, weekly coop cleaning, and frequent egg gathering throughout most of the year.
• Selecting the right breed matters, with popular egg-laying choices including White Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, Ameraucanas, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Speckled Sussex, Golden Laced Wyandottes, New Hampshire Reds and Buff Orpingtons.
• Poultry owners should be aware of common health risks including Coccidiosis, fowl pox, mites and lice, internal parasites, Marek’s disease and necrotic enteritis, and use recommended vaccines, sprays and dewormers when needed.
• Proper nutrition, safe housing, predator protection and routine preventive care help ensure a healthy and productive backyard flock.

Who doesn’t love incredible, edible farm fresh eggs? Raising chickens is a common practice, and it’s becoming all the more popular. Are you interested in raising chickens for eggs? If so, take a gander at these chicken-raising basics to make sure you’re prepared for what lays ahead.

Raising Chickens: Tips for Getting Started

1. Check the rulebook.
   • Step No. 1, according to The Farmer’s Almanac, a go-to source since 1818, is that you research your town or city ordinances to know whether chicken raising is allowed. You wouldn’t want to ruffle any feathers! If you’re in a more country-like setting, it’s unlikely you’ll have ordinances to follow, but it’s best to ask around just in case.
2. Make the space.
   • Ensure you have the space chickens will need. Experts recommend at least 3 square feet of floor space inside the coop and at least 8 square feet outdoors per chicken. Coops should be large enough to house their chicken feeder and water, roosting area and nesting box. Additionally, it should be large and tall enough so they can be comfortable with enough space and also, so you can easily hop in to gather eggs from their nesting box and clean their coop.
3. Order supplies for raising chickens. 
   • Make a list, and check it twice. You’ll need to regularly purchase chicken feed (likely monthly), a cushy chicken coop and a nesting box for every three hens. You may also want to treat your chickens to a treat or a specially developed supplement for chickens, such as crushed oyster shell, which gives your birds a good source of calcium to help them build stronger eggshells. You’ll also need an egg basket to conveniently collect your eggs and egg cartons or egg flats (or use any that you have on hand) to safely store your fresh eggs. 
4. Find the time. 
   • You’ll need to allot some time for coop-cleaning responsibilities at least weekly, and feeding and watering at least once daily. Hens lay eggs year-round except sometimes during the winter months, so you should factor in time to gather eggs at least once, maybe twice, daily. 
5. Select your chicken breed. 
   • While there are many chicken breeds (some sources say as many as 500 breeds around the world), here are some of the most highly regarded, egg-laying chicken breeds. 
     • White leghorns
     • Rhode Island Red
     • Ameraucana
     • Barred Plymouth Rock
     • Speckled Sussex
     • Golden Laced Wyandottes
     • New Hampshire Red
     • Buff Orpington
6. Prioritize chicken care. 
   • Like all species, your chickens may also be up against specific health threats. Be armed with information about some of the most common illnesses in chickens, should you spot a sickly chick in your coop. And always ensure your chickens have a safe haven away from predators that may be out to get them or their eggs.

Raising Chickens: Understanding Poultry Health Risks

Some of the most common poultry health concerns include Coccidiosis, fowl pox, mites and lice, intestinal worms, Marek's disease, and necrotic enteritis.

Coccidiosis in chickens is most often seen in younger birds. Watch for signs like bloody and/or mucus-like diarrhea, anemia, dehydration, ruffled feathers, slow growth, decreased egg production and death. You can help prevent the disease by using a medicated starter feed; Advent Coccidiosis vaccine for chickens is a vaccine that prevents coccidiosis. And should your chickens be diagnosed with Coccidiosis, you can treat your flock using AmproMed-P amprolium solution.

Fowl pox is a highly contagious viral infection in poultry, causing painful sores that you may find on their skin in non-feathered areas like the comb, face and eyelid. The virus is transmitted by biting insects, like the mosquito. Fowl pox impact’s a bird’s upper respiratory system, as well as their eyes, mouth and throat. Watch for signs like decreased egg production, loss of appetite and weight loss, and lesions on their skin, inside their mouth or throat. Administering a fowl pox vaccine for chickens is critical to prevent this potentially life-threatening virus, as well as controlling mosquitoes.

Proactive measures to keep mites and lice away in poultry are not only cheaper but also less time consuming than having to actually deal with the problematic situation. Regularly cleaning the coop and implementing a monthly spray routine, for both birds and their environment, can significantly reduce the risk of infestation. Elector PSP Premise Spray is a treatment option for controlling mites and lice.

Internal parasites can lead to serious health issues and economic losses through reduced production or even death. Staying ahead of them before they cause anemia, diarrhea, and overall ill-thrift is vital in a successful poultry operation. Routine pen/coop cleaning, preventing overcrowding, and not feeding on the ground are all good management practices for prevention. For intestinal worm treatment, Safe-Guard AquaSol for Chickens is an effective dewormer administered orally via drinking water.

Marek's Disease, also known as MD, is a herpes infection impacting chickens. There are many clinical signs of disease to keep watch for, including: weight loss, paralysis in legs, wings and neck, irregular pupil and grey iris, impaired vision, and roughened skin surrounding feather follicles. Vaccination is key for the prevention of this devastating disease, so when purchasing chicks make sure the hatchery has vaccinated them. If you decide to try your hand at hatching your own chicks, vaccinate your healthy one-day-old chicks with MD-Vac CFL to aid in the prevention of the signs and lesions of Marek’s disease.

Necrotic enteritis is a common bacterial disease affecting chickens. Early signs can include wet litter and diarrhea, and an increase in death. Necrotic enteritis is caused by Clostridium perfringens, which is a bacterium found in the soil, dust and litter. Help prevent and control necrotic enteritis in chickens with BMD for poultry and livestock drinking water.

Chickens are also notorious for being low in Vitamin A and this can lead to many other health issues in growth, immunity, reproduction, vision and antioxidant capacity. If poultry are confined and do not have access to green vegetables, they may not receive enough Vitamin A from natural sources. It is recommended that Poultry Cell Vitamin Mineral Supplement is added to their daily diet.

Whether for horse, livestock or pet, Valley Vet Supply is your one-stop shop for trusted care. Explore our poultry category at ValleyVet.com