You think you want to have a backyard chicken flock?
There are some things you should know about to decide if it’s the thing for you
Afterall, these are animals that need tending
Not just the cute little fluffy chicks they start out to be
Noise ?
Even hens make noise
Roosters make more noise
How big is your yard?
How close are your neighbors?
What are the ordinances where you live?
You might need to talk to your neighbors about it because of the noise.
Smell ??
There should not be a smell from the hen house if you are properly maintaining it
Can you fit daily care and weekly care into your schedule?
For example…
Every day check for eggs and make sure they have food and water
Weekly clean all the poop out of the hen house unless you’re using the deep litter method
Lifespan ?
Like any other pet, they have a lifespan
Can you commit to the length of their life? (it’s similar to having a dog)
They can live 10-15 years
So before you get those cute little baby chicks, definitely commit to the lifespan of the animal, just like you would any other pet.
Illnesses ? ?
What are you going to do if one of them gets sick?
What is your plan?
Do you have a local vet that will see poultry?
If not, are you willing to learn on your own and find out how to handle things?
I do a lot of their medical care myself
I have syringes and needles and liquid antibiotics
The chicken community helps each other
We do a lot of that ourselves, mostly because the vets are a little expensive.
I took a chicken to a vet once and it was like $350 for 10 minutes.
In the vet world chickens are considered exotic animals.
So you need to think about how are you going to handle it when they get sick?
And what kind of support do you have in your community to help you if it’s something that you don’t understand and you’re not sure what to do?
Vacations ✈️
What do you do when you go away?
No different than a dog, you do need a pet sitter?
Do you have a pet sitter that understands poultry?
If you’re in a community that has a lot of backyard chicken flocks, then there probably are people that would be willing to pet sit for you, as long as you’re willing to pet sit for them.
I have a neighbor down the road and that’s what we do
We help each other when one of us is going to go away for whatever reason
Housing …the coop and the run ?
Do you have enough space on your property to create a proper coop?
Or are you’re not going to let them free range?
What about an enclosed run for however many chickens you were thinking of having?
You want to make sure that you’ve got room for the housing
And that your local ordinance allows the housing
Your neighborhood may have a rule that you’re not allowed to have anything higher than your divider wall
You also need to make sure you’re following any of your local ordinances about having livestock
Chickens are considered livestock on the property
Breeds?
Do you want a mixed flock and it doesn’t matter what the breed?
Or do you want all the same kind?
You don’t want just one or two that are different because they will get picked on
Roosters ?
Do you want to have a rooster in your flock?
You don’t have to if you’re not going to breed
That’s a decision … roosters, or do you want only hens?
The roosters do take care of the flock.
So they do have an important role
If you’re not interested in breeding, you don’t need to worry about having fertilized eggs if you don’t have a rooster
If you don’t have a rooster, one of the hens will take over the dominant role of the flock
And control the flock just like he would have.
Predators ?
You need to understand the predators in your area
Make sure that your flock is protected from them
And the last one … you need to be aware the chickens are addictive
You get those cute little baby chicks and the next thing you know, you want more
Every spring or fall when you hear all the ads about chicks are here, chicks are here, in all the livestock shops
You need to decide how many you can have
You need to have the self-control to stick to the numbers for the housing and everything that you built for them.
You always want more
Whether it’s because you want another egg color…
Or because you want another breed … this one looks cool and that one looks cute
Whatever it is, you’re going to want more
Definitely plan on creating extra room when you think about the size of the hen house
I hope that was helpful and know that chicken math is real … 1+1 doesn’t always equal 2
Remember … Be The Organic U – Feed Your Soul
#BeTheOrganicU #organic #homestead #sustainability #agriculture #coops #farming #gardening #chickens #backyard #eggs #farmlife #homesteading
