Is It Hard to Raise Chickens? I have an acre in the country- would love a small flock! How do I do this?

Answer 1

Virtually every county in the US has a co-operative extension office of the USDA (4-H is outta here) - they are there just to give this kind of advice (free). Also the Tractor Supply store or the chick catalog will have books and magazines that can give you tons of info. BUT step 1: an acre sound like tons of land when you come outta center city but frequently zoning regulations ban livestock (including chickens) on lots so small so check.

Answer 2

The best place to buy chicks is through McMurray McMurray, they have always delivered me exactly what I ordered, healthy beautiful creatures. I always began my chicks inside, to monitor their temperature and have you ever seen baby chicks!!! I usually ordered 25 and could contain them in boxes (changed frequently), always have a light (heat) for them and plenty of fresh water. Want to see something adorable, give them a cool cooked spaghetti noodle.
They will soon need an outside enclosure, I had a sturdy hutch to adjust them to the outdoors, when it came time I would introduce them to the rest of the coop at night when all were to perch.
You won't have to worry with that right away, but you will need a sturdy well built all year pen. Chickens aren't known for mad break outs in the middle of the night but everything loves chicken and will try to cop a free meal - all of the time!
Read everything you can get your hands (or eyes) upon. There really is alot to know to have beautiful healthy productive birds.
I loved my babies so much, they day I had to find new homes for them broke my heart.
They do need vitamins, minerals, and vaccinatiions.
They do need a complete enclosure.
They do need fresh water in containers.
They do appreciate kind words and
fresh grubs and
grass and flower seeds and
running loose in the yard, while supervised, for protection.

Having fresh eggs from the birds I treasured was awesome, even better was their eggs were legendary and people paid $2 a dozen and provided me with the cartons. That paid for their upkeep with a little to boot.
So yeah one day I will have chickens again, and no not for the $$, I truly loved them birds.
I also had turkeys, mallard ducks, a horse, a goat, a Rott, and three cats on 2 acres of land. The chickens usually ran around 50, with a mixture of Full size Black Cochins, Buff Rocks, Barred Rocks, Bantam Cochins, Brown Reds, Scarlett Hatch, Musgengray, and an occassional ??

Answer 3

It's not hard whatsoever. You can either buy chicks (Murray McMurray is a nice hatchery) or full grown birds from swaps and such. If you buy chicks you need to keep a constant temperature according to their age. Each week you lessen the temperature. They will need fresh water and some 20% non-medicated feed (or the like) available at all times. If you buy full grown birds, just make sure they have fresh water and an 18% laying mash and cracked corn available at all times. You will need a shelter for them to roost in at night as well. I would start out with a flock of around 15 and go from there. Leghorns are the best layer, but Rocks, New Hampshire Reds, Orpingtons, Cochins, Araucana/Americanas, Hamburgs, Andalusians, and Wynandottes are all decent layers.

Answer 4

It is very easy to raise chickens, they are sociable animals who do a lot of looking after themselves.

When you buy them you put them in an arc(hutch) which has 2 layers 1)covered perch and nesting box 2) axcess to grass. you keep them locked in the pen for 5 days or so and then you can let them out and they will return by themselves to the arc. lock them away every night to stop them getting eaten by the fox.

They will learn to lay eggs in the nesting box if it is kept clean. The eggs should be removed every 1-2 days elts some chickens will develop a habit of egg pecking and destroy all the shells.

feed and water your chickens daily with pelets. And as a treat give them corn, but only in the afternoon as it will stunt egg production for a short period of time and they lay eggs in the day.

If you get a "broody" chicken this will mean she will build up a nest of a few eggs then sit on them and hope for them to hatch. ofcourse this will only work if you have a cockeral. If you want these eggs to hatch move her into a seperate hutch so she is not pestered by the others. She may get bores and give up in a couple of days though.

i think it is great fun having chickens and strongly recomend it. However a word of advice is not to go leafing through all the books looking up diseases. chickens are very hardy and I have found the books are just there to scar you.

So go out and buy some chickens and have fun.(if you get over 40 chickens you need a permit)

Answer 5

Well first you need to build a small buiding that would be suitable for the number of chickens that you will get. Then, you can either go to Tractor Supply, or get a catalog and order about five more than you want. When they get to your house you need to find a big box to put them in, and line it in newspaper. Make sure you freshen the newspaper everyday AND make sure that you have a heating lamp so they will be warm. The website listed below might help. After they get big enough to fly out of the box you can move them outside, (take the whole box and the heating lamp. When you go to take care of them in the coop watch your step. They are so cute when they are young. Have fun!!:)

Answer 6

Noo! Definitly not hard but you need a pen and somthing like a shed to let them go in the cold. I have about an acre in the country also and raising them is fun and the eggs are much healthier.