Submitted by: Jason Surratt

What Chickens Need

Great job! Your choice to raise a flock is commendable. From eggs, to chicken meat, to the satisfaction of hearing and observing them crow, peck and scratch, raising these fowl will give you a substantial amount of rewards. Before you pick-up your hens, it is best to presently have what chickens need.Chicken rearing, however, is a huge obligation. It s not adequate that a person purchase them and let these guys roam throughout the yard. These birds have needs that you must meet if you would like them to stay alive, breed and supply you with eggs and meat. An individual’s check list would include lodgings, roosts, nesting boxes, food and water.

Chicken Coop

Before you purchase your fowl, it s critical that a person already have their housing set up. You require a hen house for them to be protected against the effects of mother nature, from other predators as well as to prevent them from going into and dirtying your house. If you are also keeping specific breeds, a chicken coop is a way to make sure that your chickens do not inter-breed together with your other chickens. This is where they will roost and lay eggs. You can get different kinds of chicken housing. For inexperienced persons, a standard coop is highly suggested since it s relatively affordable to construct or purchase and possesses more living space if you want to start out with more than two hens. The drawback to standard coops is that they are large and quite difficult to maneuver around on your own. If you intend to start with just a few heads, you could possibly get the ark-frame type or the eglu.

Roosting Ba

Your chicken coop needs a spot for hens to roost. In the wild, hens spend the night in tree branches where they can better protect themselves. It s advisable to mimic this disease in the chicken coop. A roosting bar is simply a strong dowel which is anchored into position a couple of feet of your chicken coop floor. It ordinarily measures anywhere from 1.5 to two inches in diameter, if possible one with rounded edges.

Nesting Boxes

Another significant feature of your chicken coop is the nesting box in which a person’s laying hens can lay their eggs. While there are extensive approaches to go about placing your nesting box inside or outside of your hen house, the general guideline to stick to should be to make sure that the hen is given privacy so she can easily lay undisturbed. She will not be as useful if your nest box is too warm, too cold or placed into an area where creatures or people usually pass through. Lining the nest box with sawdust is important in regulating the temperatures and preventing egg damage particularly if she begins to incubate the eggs. She might be turning the eggs 4 to 5 times every day and the sawdust supplies the necessary cushioning.

Food and Wate

Hens have to be given the appropriate forms of food in order to be healthy. They need grains, plants, proteins and calcium, especially if you are raising penned much of the time. You’ll find commercially available feeds for chickens intended to allow them to have the required nutrition even when they can t forage on their own. Should you be raising your chickens for eggs, give them laying mash and calcium supplements to improve egg development and thicken the egg shell. Needless to say, you should not forget to give them water that is clean all throughout the afternoon.

About the Author: I love walking into my backyard and grabbing some fresh, nutritious eggs for breakfast.To learn more about what chickens needs and get started raising chickens visit

thechickencenter.com/what-chickens-need/

Source:

isnare.com

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