Are you interested in raising chickens in your backyard? Chicken breeding is a great project to take on, as it provides you with a constant supply of meat at home. However, there are certain things that you must know if you want to run this small business successfully. Here is a helpful guide to raising backyard chickens.
Choose the Right Breed
The first thing to consider pertains to choosing the right breed. Many people often think that chicken rearing only involves broilers for meat and layers for eggs. There are different chicken breeds, and many variables like size, personality, color, and hardiness determine them. You can get birds that serve a dual purpose of laying eggs and ideal for providing meat.
When you choose a chicken breed, you must also have the right information about raising them. You can utilize different sources, such as books or various online sites about poultry breeding. Some breeds are more productive than the others; details such as this must be acquired first before you buy your birds. The other thing is that you must understand the proper diet for your chickens and the living conditions that will affect their productivity. You must add insoluble grit to the food, as it aids digestion. Calcium carbonate is another compound that you need to add since it provides nutrients that help strengthen the eggshells. The duration for laying eggs also varies significantly depending on the type of breed.
Prepare a Coop
When you have selected the right breed of bird, you will need to build a backyard coop where they will stay. Expert chicken breeders at https://chookcity.com/ recommend going for a small wooden shelter with a gable. The wooden cabins provide warmth when it is cold and also promote proper ventilation for your birds. If you choose to go for a chicken run, you must ensure that your birds have enough space to move freely. Your chicken coop should also include perching spaces that your birds can use for sleeping.
Designing a coop is a simple task that typically depends on the size of your backyard. It is essential to ensure that the shelter is secure to protect the birds against predators, such as hawks. You should also ensure that the fence around the foul run is secured deeply into the ground to prevent the birds from straying.
Chicken Nesting Boxes
Your hens will begin laying eggs at some point, so you need to add chicken nesting boxes in your backyard coop. Nesting boxes provide a safe and comfortable place for your chickens to lay eggs and prevent breakages. The boxes also make it convenient to collect the eggs, and they help to free some space inside the coop. You can design the chicken nesting boxes, or you can choose the correct one from the market. You can also invest in an egg incubator if you wish to grow your backyard business for raising hens.
Some Mistakes to Avoid
There are some mistakes that you must avoid if you want to raise birds successfully in the backyard. Apart from purchasing the right equipment, there are also other things that you should understand. The food for your chickens varies depending on the breed. Do not forget that predators are always on the prowl, so rather install sufficient security measures than regret it when you lose your precious birds.
Get a Chicken Wormer
Chickens can be affected by internal parasites or worms, but you can overcome this challenge by getting a wormer. Whether your flock is small or large, you need a wormer to prevent the disease from spreading to other birds. You can also consider other natural remedies to promote quality health for your chickens; it is essential to prioritize your poultry hygiene. Additionally, you can also buy a chicken plucker to help you remove feathers from your poultry; you can do this with your hands, but a plucker will save you time. It also enables you to pluck several hens at the same time.
raising chicken in your backyard is an effective way of ensuring a constant supply of eggs and white meat for your family, not to mention that it can be a great hobby and a fantastic way to teach your kids about responsibility. With the right tools and resources, you can raise a good breed of chickens using the utilized space in your backyard. More importantly, you must research information about the different breeds of birds to get one that you can manage to raise.
