What You Need To Raise Chickens – The Essentials

This Is What You Need to Raise Chickens

To raise chickens, you need a secure, ventilated coop with roosts and nesting boxes; a brooder and a safe heat source if you’re starting with chicks; feeders and waterers; the right feed; absorbent bedding like pine shavings; a few basic cleaning tools; and emergency supplies on hand. If you’re starting with chicks, get the brooder ready before they arrive, because the first six weeks go by fast.

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This covers the essential equipment, housing, tools, and know-how you need to raise chickens, from baby chicks to adulthood. I’m going to assume you already know why you want chickens, so I’ll skip that part and get right to the good stuff.

Raising Baby Chicks 101

Raising baby chicks is probably the trickiest part of the chicken business. For the first week or two, the little ones are vulnerable to cold, heat, disease, crushing, and plain old bad luck, and any of those can take them quickly.

Six weeks go by in an instant when you’re constantly adjusting to their needs, so don’t wait until the chicks arrive to run out and buy a brooder or fashion one yourself.

There are plenty of options. A large cardboard box works, and I mean stove- or refrigerator-sized, because chicks grow super fast.

A fabric puppy playpen is another good one, since they’re enclosed with lots of windows and ventilation. You can also use a homemade wooden or plastic pen, a kiddie pool, or a commercial brooder from Amazon, My Pet Chicken, Tractor Supply, or Strombergs.

Inside the brooder, you’ll need heat. A 250-watt infrared bulb will do it, but it’s not the safest choice. I prefer a heating plate, which you can find at My Pet Chicken, Tractor Supply, Amazon, or Walmart.

The radiant heat works really well, and plates are much safer than a bare bulb. My favorite is the Sweeter Heater, because it follows your chicks from the brooder to the coop and keeps them warm and cozy the whole way.

You’ll also want a feeder and a waterer inside the brooder. Semi-closed feeders stay cleaner than open ones.

Chickens scratch by nature, so they make a mess, and they don’t mind pooping where they eat, so the more you can protect the feed while still letting them get to it, the better.

Keep the waterer at about beak level as the chicks grow, or it will fill with bedding in no time.

Choosing a Waterer

The best waterer is one your chickens will use, not just look at and walk away from, and that you can keep clean.

Gravity feed waterers are the most common and work by pulling water from a reservoir into a drinking tray.

Nipple and cup waterers release water when the chickens peck them, and they’re usually mounted on PVC pipe or a bucket.

Automatic waterers connect to a hose and refill on their own, and bell or Plasson waterers do the same job on a bigger scale.

Trough waterers hold a lot but get dirty quickly. If you live where winters freeze, a heated waterer is worth the money.

Whatever you choose, clean it regularly to keep algae and bacteria from building up. I covered all of these in more detail in my article on chicken watering systems.

Bedding

Straw, hay, and pine shavings all work. Shredded newspaper is a bad idea. I know paper comes from wood, but it’s mixed with other stuff; the ink is part of that, and I won’t risk my chicks’ health.

Pine shavings are my favorite for six reasons: they’re soft, lightweight, absorbent, smell pretty good, are easy to find, and make nice compost.

Chicken Feed and Water

Feed is formulated for the different stages of a chicken’s life. Chick feed is for chicks, and grower or layer feed is for pullets and laying hens. Cockerels and roosters eat the same as the ladies.

Scratch grains are a nice treat for older birds, pullets and up. My chickens come running when I get home from work because I always toss them some scratch. I like to keep them happy, and they always give back.

Semi-closed feeders are a good idea for older chickens too, for the same reasons as with chicks. One alternative is a PVC feeder. I fill mine from the top; the teenagers love it, and I have caps for both ends to keep rodents out, which helps keep the coop rat-free.

Water is the most important nutrient your chickens get. For hens to lay consistently and meat birds to grow quickly, they need fresh water at all times. It doesn’t matter how they get it; a plain pan works, as long as they get it.

There are many types of water delivery systems. There are open-container waterers, cup feeders, nipple feeders, and Plasson waterers. If you are wondering what a Plasson waterer is, the link will take you to my article about chicken waterers.

You can use a pan if you want to. It doesn’t matter how the chickens get their water as long as they get it.

Chicken Coops

The coop is where your chickens will live day and night, in summer heat and winter cold. Materials are a matter of personal preference. I prefer wood, but metal and plastic work too. Metal has a very low R-value, so insulation matters no matter what you choose, since it keeps the cold out in winter and the heat out in summer. Plan on a heater for winter and a fan for summer.

You can build a coop or buy one. Either way, it needs to be sturdy and well-ventilated, protect your birds from predators, and shelter them from the weather.

Do you enjoy DIY projects and have a knack for building? If so, check out the 47 Free Chicken Coop Plans available at Easycoops.com. These plans make building easier while keeping your birds comfortable and safe in their new home. Even if you have basic construction skills, you can build a suitable chicken coop without spending too much time or money. Best of all, these user-friendly plans cost nothing.

Coops come in plenty of styles.

The traditional coop has a henhouse for laying and roosting, plus an attached run.

Chicken tractors are small, mobile coops you move around the yard so the birds can forage on fresh grass.

A-frame coops are triangular and often portable.

Walk-in coops are big enough for you to step inside, which makes egg collection and cleaning easier.

Urban style coops are compact and built for small backyards.

Greenhouse coops combine a chicken house with a greenhouse, so the birds help with pests and manure while the greenhouse keeps them warm. And of course, many people design and build their own.

Choose based on how many chickens you have, how much space you’ve got, your climate, and how much time you can put into maintenance. Create a comfortable environment for your chickens.

Nesting Boxes and Roosts

Nesting boxes give your hens a clean, comfortable place to lay. You can buy pre-made ones or build your own.

Wooden boxes insulate well but are harder to clean, while plastic and metal boxes are easy to wipe down, and plastic doesn’t harbor mites the way wood can.

A bucket or bin on its side is a cheap DIY option that works fine.

Roll-away boxes let eggs roll gently into a protected collection spot, keeping them cleaner and reducing egg eating.

Community boxes save space, but they can lead to broken eggs and squabbles. You can also repurpose milk crates, old drawers, or wine boxes.

Put the boxes in a quiet, darker part of the coop and fill them with straw or wood shavings. Some keepers hang curtains for extra privacy. The general guideline is one box for every 4 to 5 hens.

Roosts give your chickens a comfortable place to sleep, and they’ll want them.

Tools and Supplies

Use a shovel to scoop out waste, preferably into a compost pile. I like a wide aluminum grain shovel because it’s light and moves a lot of litter per scoop.

Use a broom to sweep out the coop after shoveling, and for your porch if your birds free-range. A scraper removes stuck-on debris from walls and floors. My leaf blower is a surprisingly good friend too, since chickens are poop machines.

Keep basic first-aid and medication supplies on hand for emergencies, and know how to handle common problems, like an impacted crop, before you need to.

Treats

Chickens love treats, and almost anything goes. Fruits like apples (no seeds), bananas, berries, and melon are fine, chopped small.

Leafy greens, broccoli, carrots, pumpkin, squash, cucumbers, and peas are all good.

Cooked rice, pasta, and oatmeal are popular, and seeds and unsalted nuts work in moderation because of the fat.

Mealworms are a favorite and a great protein source.

Scrambled and hard-boiled eggs are a good protein source too; just crush the shell as you mash the hard-boiled egg and mix it in so they don’t learn to eat raw eggs.

Garden clippings and scratching through the compost pile (as long as nothing toxic is in it) are great too.

Treats should make up no more than 10 percent of your chickens’ diet, and they should always have access to grit if they’re eating anything other than commercial feed. Don’t let their crops get plugged. It can be deadly.

Skip anything salty, sugary, or processed, and anything with caffeine or alcohol. Avocados, raw potatoes, dried or uncooked beans, chocolate, and anything moldy or spoiled are toxic to chickens.

Toys

Toys keep chickens entertained and reduce boredom. Hard plastic balls, bales of hay, cardboard boxes, ladders, and steps all work. Use your imagination.

In Conclusion

I hope I didn’t forget anything. The real point of this article is that you don’t get chickens on a whim. They’re living, thinking, feeling creatures that deserve fair treatment, and keeping them well takes a lot, like the items above.

Take good care of your chickens, and they’ll give you wonderful gifts every day for quite a while.

FAQ

What do I need before bringing home baby chicks?
A brooder, a safe heat source like a heating plate, a feeder and waterer sized for chicks, chick feed, and bedding such as pine shavings. Have it all set up and running before the chicks arrive.

How many nesting boxes do I need?
The general guideline is one box for every 4 to 5 hens. Put them in a quiet, darker part of the coop and keep them filled with clean straw or shavings.

What’s the best bedding for a chicken coop?
Pine shavings are my favorite because they’re soft, absorbent, easy to find, and compost well. Straw and hay work too. Avoid shredded newspaper because of the ink.

How many treats can I give my chickens?
No more than 10 percent of their diet, with grit always available. Too many soft treats can plug a crop, and that can be deadly.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I appreciate it, and I’d appreciate a comment below if you’re so inclined. Take care.

Dave

Chickenmethod.com