Keeping chickens at home is fast becoming one of the most popular trends as more and more people realize the benefits of having your own flock of hens and a regular supply of fresh eggs.
The Hen House The first thing that you must purchase and set up on your property is a proper chicken house.
Many people simply put up some chicken wire and create a make-shift chicken coop on their property, but this will not keep your birds safe from predators and other potentially hazardous things.
Probably your biggest cost will be that of a decent chicken coop.
You shouldn't be tempted to cut cost here, as cheaper coops probably won't last you through the life of your hens and you may just end up having to buy another chicken coop.
Make sure that whatever you decide, that the chicken coop is built to last..
Luckily, there are a number of higher quality chicken coops available on the market and each of them have built in safety devices that will ensure that your chickens last a long time.
Feed What your hens will eat is also a very important consideration.
Your hens will more than likely need a regular supply of chicken feed It is best to go with layers pellets as the main feed that your hens eat and you can add some corn in with these pellets for additional nutrition.
Your hens will also enjoy things like grass, worms, slugs, and seeds, so be sure that you mix up what you feed them a little bit.
By giving your hens all of the nutrients that they require, you can make sure that the eggs that they produce will be the highest in quality.
It is particularly important to feed them these items if they will not be free range birds, since they will not be able to get these things for themselves.
Your Flocks Wellbeing Keeping your hens healthy is also a key point.
One way to avoid many of the health issues is to make sure there living area is well maintained.
That's why a well made coop is such an important criteria.
This is because they will be protected from their traditional predators and also from vermin that carry diseases.
Your hen house should be designed so they are easy to clean are easy to clean so the chickens will not have to sit around in their own filth and get sick that way.
Some of the more common chicken health problems are worms, mites, and lice but, luckily, there are steps that you can take to eliminate these concerns.
One of the best ways is to use antibacterial solutions when cleaning the chicken coop, as this will eliminate many of the health concerns.
You can also de-worm your chickens, much like you would with another pet, but this is not essential to their survival.
Run The final thing that you will want to look at is how to set up the chickens' run.
Many hen houses come with a built in run, which will make your life a lot easier.
You will, however, want to line the run, as this will give the chickens a more natural environment.
You can throw things like wood chips, sand, straw, dirt, or grass into the bottom of the run, which will give the chickens the impression that they are outside.
This step is simply another way to keep your chickens happy, which could increase their egg production.
There are other things to think about but these 4 are probably the most important.
Once you have sorted out these issues you are ready to buy your first chicken or adopt a battery hen.
What are you waiting for?