Basic Care of Your Backyard Chicken Flock

Chickens are self-sufficient pets. As long as they have fresh water every day and a dry, clean coop to sleep in, they should be happy living in your backyard. You want to keep a clean coop to stop parasites and rodents from being attracted to your coop. Your cleaning can vary from how many hens, size of coop, etc. I do a weekly maintenance inspection and change floor bedding and nesting boxes if needed. Twice a year I do a deep clean and disinfect the entire coop from top to bottom.

Floor: Care can vary for the type of coop that you have. We use a portable coop that my husband built but I still put a piece of plywood in the run area with pine shavings. With our coop it is easy to remove the plywood if I just want to let the hens scratch up bugs and worms. We found that without the wood shavings they can create quite a mess digging up the yard. The plywood just helps with the cleanup by having a flat surface.

Floor covering options: pine shavings or sand (very coarse).

Sprinkle lime on the floor to help neutralize odors even before the wood shavings. Here is a good article regarding the use of lime in a chicken house - Liming the Chickenhouse. Some individuals have mixed emotions on the use of lime.

For lice and mice control use diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth is a non-toxic, abrasive fine white powder made of the tiny fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of algae. If you ever take a microbiology class make sure you get to take a look at this algae under the microscope. They are absolutely beautiful! Diatomaceous earth is a 100% natural treatment for poultry ailments including mites, lice and intestinal worms. Sprinkle it in the nest box and run and coop bedding.

Nesting Boxes: Chickens like quiet, enclosed areas to lay their eggs. You can put straw or pine shavings in your nesting boxes and let them rearrange it to how they want it. I have heard that some people have problems with the hens laying their eggs in the corner on the floor but I have not encountered that problem yet. Our coop has two nesting boxes but for some reason the hens like to nest in the same box. Change the bedding when it looks like its getting dirty.

Roosts: Chickens like to "roost" on raised platforms. Its where they huddle together at night. Once it starts to get dark at our hen house don't even think about peeking in. We have one hen that will make crazy noises and even peck at you! Our roosting stick is removable so I will take it out at least once a month and give it a good scraping. Below the stick I used to lay hay down but found that cat litter works better. It is very easy to clean up. Learn as you go.....

Ventilation: It is very important to keep your coop clean and well ventilated. Ammonia fumes can build up and cause respiratory problems in your chickens. Ventilation also removes humidity and keeps the coop nice and cool in the summer and prevents frostbitten chickens in the winter.

Keeping of backyard hens is still controversial in cities. You don't want your neighbors complaining that it stinks! Keep your coop clean.

Feeding

Food: The best food for egg laying chickens is an organic feed. You can buy pellet or mash. Feed should contain nutrients, omega 3 oils, carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals that your chickens need. Chickens will eat about 4 ounces of pellets a day.

Grit (small rocks): Chickens hold grit in their gizzards. A gizzard is an organ that ginds up feed making it easier to digest. Use more grit in the winter when rocks are harder to find. If you find that shells are thin and soft add oyster shells for calcium.

Oyster Shells: Give oyster shells to egg laying hens. It gives them extra calcium to help produce strong egg shells.

Scraps: Think of this as "treats". Chickens have their own likes and dislikes so see what your ladies like. This can be anything from fruits, veggies and bread.

Free Range:This is my favorite part. Let your hens out and let them run around the yard and let them look for their own food. Mine head straight for my perennial garden. There are some good nightcrawlers and bugs in their.

Water: Provide fresh water everyday. I sanitize the water containers once a week. If you use bleach make sure you rinse well.

Food Storage: Store in vermin-proof containers.

Health

Bugs: Keep an eye out for parasites, lice and fleas. You may need to give treatments if necessary.

* Provide a dust bath for your girls. This is where your chickens will roll, flap or run around in the dirt. It gets rid of bugs and lice naturally.

Stress: If your chickens are looking stressed find a cool dark place for them to go to and recover.

Miscellaneous Chicken Care

Handle: Don't chase your chickens or pick them up by the tail or wings. Get close to them by gaining their trust and confidence. Talk to them and give them treats. Gently pick them up and support under your arm. Patience!

Let Your Chickens Out: Let your chickens out of the coop to scratch and dust bath. I only let them out in the afternoons for a couple of hours under supervision. They destroyed my entire perennial garden one afternoon.

Watch for predators: Keep an eye out for neighborhood pest. This can be anything from cats, dogs, foxes, and racoons.

About the Author:
Tana Lyon can be found at http://www.backyardchickenfarmer.com and is always willing to answer any questions you may have regarding your chickens.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tanna_Lyon

How to Earn Money by Keeping Chickens

It is definitely not difficult to earn extra money or income for your family by keeping chickens. You can raise chickens easily at the backyard of your house.

But how can you make money by raising chickens? Its a good idea to engage your children in this activity. If they know for sure that they will get extra pocket money, don't you think they will help you in raising chickens?

Here you go...

1. How about selling those eggs in the market and earning an extra income? You can earn up to $2 or $3 for a dozen of eggs. Just think how much you can earn a day with a dozen of chickens at home and each laying a maximum of 2 eggs a day. It is definitely not huge money; however, an added or extra income for your family.

2. Rather than selling eggs you may sell baby chicks to local farmers for a good price.

3. Composted manure that you get by keeping chickens can be sold to gardeners as this is a form of natural manure.

4. You may even raise the chickens and sell them for meat.

Once you decide to make money by keeping chickens, take into consideration the space available for raising chickens and the amount of chickens you will be able to raise. Once this is decided, build a chicken coop. There are many ready-to-use chicken coops and runs available on the market or you may go in for a DIY chicken coop.

Jack Corrigan
jack.corrigan@chickens-at-home.co.uk
Articles, products and advice for keeping your own chickens at home.
http://www.chickens-at-home.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Corrigan

Small Business Opportunities

If you are looking for small business opportunities, you might not have to look too hard. You may find that they are waiting in you own back yard. Right now the push is on to go green and to eat only organic foods. Well you can actually lower your carbon footprint and eat healthier at the same time.

Your perfect small business opportunities start with a chicken. All you need to do is to build a chicken coop. There are lots of how to books available if you are not sure how to proceed, or you may be able to hire a handy man to build one for you. Then you need to contact your local feed and seed company and order in some chickens. All you need to do is to feed and water the chickens until they mature enough to start producing eggs.

Once your chickens begin to produce eggs, your small business opportunities begin to multiply. Now you have a great organic product in the eggs. People are crazy for organic products and you are helping with the carbon footprint because these eggs do not have to be trucked in to your customers. You are not wasting gas and you are not using electricity. Everything about your small business is green, how politically correct is that?

Other small business opportunities include selling the chickens to the meat eaters of the community and you can also sell the chicken fertilizer to local gardeners to get them started on their organic vegetable gardens. Just think you will be making lots of money while saving the environment.

If you need money now, like I mean in the next hour, try what I did. I am making more money now than in my old business and you can too, read the amazing, true story, in the link below. When I joined I was skeptical for just ten seconds before I realized what this was. I was smiling from ear to ear and you will too.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lucas_Collingsworth

Raising Baby Chickens

A nonbreeder chicken will naturally get broody every spring. They'll begin to fuss and cluck more than usual, refuse to leave the nest and generally get maternal. Usually they lay a clutch of about a dozen eggs over a two-week period and settle down to brood them so that they hatch at the same time. After the chicks have grown, the hens usually molt their feathers and begin laying again until the following spring. Because of the mother hen's body warmth, the chicks don't stay too far from her during their first week or so.

You could gather about a dozen large eggs and incubate them yourself. You then have the trouble and bother of purchasing or making an incubator and brooder. Then you must keep it properly heated so the eggs hatch. You also could purchase newly-hatched baby chicks from a hatchery. Just make sure it is a reputable hatchery whose flocks are registered and guaranteed.

Chicken Feed - Chickens receive calcium-rich egg shells and clam shells smashed up real fine. Also coffee grinds, herbal tea leaves and citrus rinds. Chickens will eat your regular garbage leftovers from raw vegetables, suet and meat scraps.

Pecking Order - The young hens will chase one another around to establish the pecking order. The top hen can peck any other hen but won't be pecked. The number two hen can peck any other hen except the number one hen and so forth on down the line. Roosters tend to ignore all this but can get henpecked by any of the females. If a bird is pecked to the point of bleeding, the others will gather around it and sometimes peck it to death. In this case, segregate the bird, apply some purple genital violet horse liniment on the wounds. Keep it segregated until the wounds heal and feathers begin to cover the bare skin.

Diseases - If you get day old chicks from a reputable hatchery, you shouldn't have any serious disease problems. Occasionally a bird will just lie down and stop walking. Paralysis has probably set in and is incurable. The bird must be killed, but do not use it for food.

Intestinal worms are present in nearly all natural soils and are parasites to chickens. They are harmless unless they get into small chicks. Do not let the chicks onto soil until they are a month or more old.

By keeping chicken netting over the top of the run, wild birds that can carry cholera and other bird diseases can be kept out.

For more information on chickens please refer to the author's blog at http://buildingachickencoopebook.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carol_J_Miller

Keeping Urban Chickens VIDEO...

Chicken Coop Heater - Is it Really Important?

While it is true that a lot of people keep their chickens for business purposes, there are also some who dedicate their time, money and effort because it is basically their hobby. It's always nice to wake up in the morning and have fresh eggs waiting for you. Hens need the right amount of warmth inside the coop so you can maximize egg laying. One way to have an assurance that your chickens are warm all year round is by getting a chicken coop heater. I visited a lot of forums and people can't seem to agree whether it is necessary or not. Well I guess if you are tired of dealing with frozen eggs and frozen water dishes then a heater is for you but if you live in an area where it's always hot (like where I live) then it's common sense that you don't need one.

Some owners have problems in getting more eggs during the winter. The truth is your hens can lay more in the winter and live longer if you can provide the right heating element and I'm talking about a chicken coop heater. If you have a small coop, you may want to consider buying a flat panel coop heater. If your main problem is freezing eggs then opt for a small poultry nesting box heater. You can easily lay this in the nesting box or right where the chickens sleep.

If you are housing a huge number of chickens then you must get a large chicken coop heater as well or this might mean that you're going to need a combination of lamps and flat panel heaters or other items that will keep the chickens warm and comfortable not to mention water defrosted. How does a flat panel heater work? It radiates heat throughout the building and it will keep waterers defrosted. Don't worry because it's not that expensive to run and the good news is it only used 400 watts of power and it has the ability to emit plenty of heat.

To read more information and to know if you need a chicken coop heater, feel free to stop by http://cheapestwebdeals.com/chicken-coop.php

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Travis_Shermand

How to Increase Your Chickens' Health

You have to make sure your chickens have a lot of outdoor activity. It's good to have a chicken coop and a shelter facility for your birds, but sooner or later, you're going to have to let them go out and range in the open. Chickens need this for a variety of reasons - their emotional happiness being the foremost.

Chicken ranges vary depending on how you're letting them range, the size of the area you let them use as their pasture, and method that you use to keep them in. The type of pasture you use will have to be determined by the number of chickens that you own and the size of the ranging area that you have.

I mean, let's face it - you can't have a hundred-bird barnyard and keep them in an enclosure built for twenty birds. The land will be barren within days, if at all. What you want is to establish the kind of place where your chickens will be safe from the elements and still be able to graze a patch of land that won't die off due to the sudden influx of population.

Why do chickens benefit from chicken ranges? Simple - they need vitamins A and D. So yeah, what's the connection, right? Well, chickens are like human beings, in that their skin naturally generates vitamin D upon contact with sunlight. Meanwhile, the grass is a good source of vitamin A, among other nutrients.

Another good argument for letting them graze is due to the fact that they require ventilation. If you constantly keep them inside their coops for very long, they will be prone to diseases. Ranging will also give you a chance to clean their coops without any disturbance from the chickens as well.

There are a variety of ways in how you can set up your chicken range:

* The open-air coop is a simple set-up that you can build to make sure that your chickens are getting all the air they need.

* Management intensive rotational grazing is a type of yarding that changes the pasture area often so as not to deplete just one patch of land of its fertility

* Free-range pasturing is a method that employs a large tract of land with little or no boundaries to where your chickens can graze

Truth be told, there are other methods of letting your chickens graze. Do a bit of research before you start fixing your chicken range. Just remember - the idea is to let them roam about and give them plenty of fresh air and vegetation to eat, and you're sure to have a good brood of happy, energetic chickens.

Chad B. is an advocate for backyard chicken care and has been involved in raising chickens since he was little boy back in 1986. Find out more about chicken ranges and how you can get a free 10-lesson chicken raising mini-course by visiting Chad's site at http://RaisingChickenSecrets.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chad_B.

Five Crucial Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing the Location For Your Chicken Coops Or Chicken Sheds

One of the most overlooked, but important decisions you can make concerns the location of your chicken sheds. Making the wrong choice can lead to disease among the flock, decreased egg production, dirty and unsightly eggs, and other negative consequences.

Mistake #1: Not Choosing an Area with Good Soil Drainage

Probably the one specific item that can take all the enjoyment out of growing chickens is putting your chicken sheds in areas with inferior water drainage. This can result in water buildup, sludge, soaked litter, sullied eggs, disease, and a lower number of eggs produced.

If the water does not drain well it will most likely result in mud production. When chicken droppings are included in the mixture of soil and water, it can produce a contaminated mire. This will be easily tracked inside the chicken shed where the litter, nesting boxes, water, and food are located, which can cause the litter to get soaked and the eggs and poultry nests to get soiled. Chickens need an unpolluted house to continue being happy and healthy and produce lots of fresh organic eggs.

Mistake #2: Constructing Poultry Coops that Face the Wrong Direction

When constructing a chicken pen you will need to face it southward if possible. This is mandatory in climates where the winter months are severe. South facing houses will have the highest sunshine which will serve some essential purposes. It will keep the chicken sheds a bit warmer through the wintry weather which will help the inner area remain drier. And remember, chicken sheds that are drier will provide you with extra eggs and fewer health disorders.

Mistake #3: Not Picking a Location with Decent Air Circulation

Sufficient air movement, along with correctly positioned windows, can allow clean air currents to flow all through the poultry house. This can keep strong odors from increasing to noxious levels and help the litter remain dry.

Additionally, take into account which direction the wind normally blows in your region. Chicken sheds will ideally not be placed in areas with no wind breaks. If there is the risk of intense winds in your location situate the coop in a site with a wind break.

Mistake #4: Not Putting Chicken Sheds Near Water and Electrical Outlets

Electricity and water are two factors that are not generally given enough attention before construction actually begins. In spite of this, manufacturing your shed in the vicinity of these sources will certainly save you a lot of work and help your hens supply you with more eggs.

Being in the vicinity of a water faucet will allow you to install a simple automatic watering system, eliminating the requirement of refilling the bird's water fountains each day. Electricity will allow you to add a light source in the interior of the poultry house if desired. Hens need a minimum of 14 hours of light each day if you want them to give you eggs steadily. During the times of the year with less than 14 hours of sunlight you can run additional light inside the shed which will usually keep the hens laying eggs on a regular basis even throughout the winter. It normally requires just a solitary low-watt light bulb to keep the hens laying eggs efficiently.

Mistake #5: Not Allowing for Upcoming Expansion

It is best to keep your options open. You may possibly assume that you will never want to keep a greater number than a handful of chickens, but it still pays to set aside a small amount of additional breathing room. Even if you don't expect to increase the number of chickens you keep, it is normally a fine idea to set aside adequate amounts of room to do so if you change your mind.

You may initially believe that just a few chickens is plenty and put up your chicken house where there is no extra space for future expansion. Then again, if something should cause you to change your mind and you decide to raise 20 or 30 hens you will want the additional room.

Joshua has raised chickens for over 25 years and has built all of his own chicken sheds during that time. He is an expert in raising chickens for meat and eggs. You can learn more about building high quality chicken sheds, raising chickens, and other valuable tips on his website at http://www.chicken-ark.net.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Josh_G._Harding

Understanding Breeds of Chickens

Understanding Breeds of Chickens
Group Specifics From Ornamental to Dual Purpose
Allene Reynolds

Chickens are kept for a variety of reasons; egg production, meat, pest control, even for ornamentation and show. Knowing the breeds will help decide the purpose.



There are two basic groups of chickens; large and bantam. Large breeds are generally classed by the country of their origin which includes England, Asia, America, the Orient, the Mediterranean region and Continental. Bantams are grouped by individual aspects such as feathering and the shape of their comb. Some are classified as game breeds, other ornamental.

Egg Producing Breeds
Some Mediterranean breeds are known for superior egg producing qualities. Among those are the Leghorns. Good laying hens of any breed have similar characteristics such as smaller bodies than those chickens used for a dual purpose. They mature early and lay early but they also, especially the Leghorns, have a nervous disposition and are hard to manage. Among the American breeds that lay abundant and good quality eggs are the Rhode Island Reds. They have a more docile personality and are easier to manage although the cocks can be aggressive. English breeds include the Australorp and the Orpingtons. All chickens, including bantams, lay eggs but if that is your primary reason for keeping chickens you may want to invest in a group specifically known for egg production.

Meat and Dual Purpose Chickens
If you want a good layer but also a chicken for meat there are a number of dual purpose breeds. Among these are the Plymouth Rock, the Wyandotte and the Sussex. Breeds better known for meat purposes, due to the size of their bodies, are the Red Sex Link and the Black Sex Link. The Red Sex Link is a cross between a Leghorn hen and a Rhode Island Red rooster. The Black Sex Link is crossbred from a Barred Plymouth Rock hen and a Rhode Island Red cock. Bantams are generally not kept as meat chickens because of their small size.

Ornamental Breeds
If keeping chickens for fun is what you want then you might consider the ornamental breeds. The Necked Neck and the Frizzle chickens are the most eye catching if not necessarily the most aesthetic. Necked Necks have feathers everywhere except their necks making it appear elongated. The curling feathers on a Frizzle chicken give it the appearance of just having a permanent wave. Other ornamentals include the Araucana because of ear 'tuffs' , their absence of a rump appearance, and the fact that they lay blue eggs. The Faverolle is a bearded, booted beauty with great personality. Almost all bantams can be kept for show and ornamentation even those classified as 'game' chickens.

Endangered Breeds of Chickens
As with all domestic animal and fowl there are some breeds that, for various reasons, become less and less popular until they reach the endangered species list. If you wish to keep chickens in order to preserve a strain that might be lost to the world then two North American breeds are worth your consideration. The Dominique, or Dominiker, is a beautifully barred chicken that claims the title of the first American breed. They were bred in the early 19th century and nearly became extinct until recent interest was sparked in preserving this dual purpose breed. The other is the Chantecler which is known as the oldest Canadian breed. It is rare to still find stock in these birds even in Canada. They, too, are dual purpose and were bred in the 20th century.



Read more at Suite101: Understanding Breeds of Chickens: Group Specifics From Ornamental to Dual Purpose http://domestic-birds.suite101.com/article.cfm/understanding_breeds_of_chickens#ixzz0dvZ3EKMA

Why You Should Construct Your Own Chicken Coop

When you create your own chicken coop, this will not merely provide you with a self-sustaining mini farm, which generates fresh organic eggs daily, recycles food scraps and supply high quality fertilizer, but will also give you the added fun associated with constructing a coop on your own. Many people for a long time now have always been chicken keepers mainly for food reasons, but now there are other reasons why we raise chickens.

There was a rush of attention in chicken keeping, publicized by celebrity chefs bringing the buzz of troubles with battery reared hens, high prices at stores and reported credit crunch. The concept of keeping chickens in your lawn and the thought of acquiring fresh eggs from your own hens doesn't make you different from those who have home farms on their own.

Raising chickens is an economically smart hobby. If money is not a problem, then there are lots of fancy ready made chicken coops which you can avail from several chicken keeping shops. If funds is tight, you may opt of create your own chicken coop with just scraps of wood dumped in your garage or backyard.

Chicken coops simply require being big and comfortable enough for your chickens to stay during the night, and big enough to extend their wings during the day. The coop should be a place where the chickens can comfortably lay their eggs on.

When you are searching for ways to construct your own coop for raising chickens here are some of the plans which you can follow in order to come up with your own design.
There are no fancy equipments needed to design your own chicken coop all you need are basic tools such as handsaw, drill, hammer and some other materials that are readily available in hardware shops.

When you construct your own chicken coop you will be able to acquire the following advantages:

• Save you more money from buying the premade kits
• You are assure that you have created a warm and soothing environment for your chicken to lay more eggs
• You will acquire fresh organic eggs daily
• You can put up your own security measures against predators like cats, hawks, foxes and coyotes
• You are able to secure your chicken from the worst weather condition and sustain their health
• You will be able to lengthen the lifespan of your flock since you are able to give them a healthy environment

Before you start to breed chickens, make sure that you begin with a small flock. From there you will have to build a bigger coop so they will have more room. Select a location from which they will have enough sunlight to help them lay more eggs.

Being able to choose the right materials and the correct Chicken Coop design can save you hours of work and a lot of money. If your looking to save time and money when building your own Chicken Coop then building your own Chicken Coop may be the perfect solution, find out more here;

How to build a Chicken House.

Download your Chicken Coop plans right now, illustrated colour designs and a clear and concise guide to becoming self sufficient, saving money and time.

Click here to find out how to build a Hen House.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Will_Blears

How to Keep Chickens Safe From Harm

It is very important to get the relevant information on the needs of chickens. Many people believe they know how to keep chickens only to end up overlooking some of the basic regulations necessary. The highest numbers of chicken keepers mostly overlook safety related issues only to end up with massive losses.

Several factors contribute to the insecurity of chickens. Some of the most common security risks are predators like dogs and birds or even wild animals. Some areas have snakes or other wild animals like mongoose among others who enjoy preying on chickens. It is therefore important to know your area well to understand the looming danger to your birds.

Different security measures are possible depending on the potential danger. Of all the risks that your chicken may face, human activity is likely to be the most dangerous since this may affect our birds without you getting any warnings.

Take the example of a neighbor who decides to spray his backyard, including the fence that separates your property from his, without taking into account the fact that your chicken often forage for leaves and other foodstuff along the same fence. This simple human activity may result in you losing an entire flock within a very short time

In order to guard your chickens against such eventuality it is important to ensure you keep your compound covered and in cases of shared fences, please make sure you educate your neighbors on the safety precautions necessary. Giving the relevant information can save you a great deal of potential danger. It is also vital to take into account the direction of winds when constructing your chicken coops. Most chicken diseases are airborne and spread by wind; this means that your coops should not be facing the direction of oncoming winds.

If your neighborhood has a large tree population, birds like crows and eagles among other meat eating birds are likely to inhabit such areas, it is important to devise a strategy to tackle this danger since these carnivorous birds can wipe out all your chicken faster than you can imagine. You can raise high wire mesh fences to break the bird's access or even build strategic hiding places on the ground every few meters for your birds to reach safety incase of attacks. The use of scarecrows has also yielded results in some cases.

Keeping chickens at home can be interesting at times especially for young kids who may find the exercise thrilling, kids can also act as a source of security since most predators can not attack your chicken when the kids are playing around the yard. The danger posed by wild animals such as mongoose and monitor lizards among others can be minimized by keeping other pets like dogs, which can play a major role in keeping away predators from your compound.

Lastly, it is very crucial to observe health and hygiene standards for your chicken, getting frequent vaccinations for common diseases can save your chickens from death incase of disease outbreaks

For more information on how to keep chickens why not take advantage of the Free 11 part mini course on how to raise healthy chickens at http://www.chickenkeepinganswers.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_H_Perry

Feeding Chickens VIDEO...

Raising Chickens Pros and Cons

There are so many reasons why someone would want or wouldn’t want a chicken in their backyard. There are debates about it and here are some: Pros 1. Costs incredibly cheap. When we say cheap, not only does the chicken itself count but also the maintenance of it all. Compared to keeping a dog or a cat for a pet, it is much cheaper to take care of a number of chickens most likely because they are not choosy when it comes to food
. You can feed them scraps and table leftovers and they will happily gobble it up. With as little as $2 a day, you can spend on a bunch of layer mash. 2. You can get something from them. Eggs. Meat. Ornament. Who wouldn’t want it? In terms of eggs, it is seldom that you encounter a chicken that can’t lay eggs. It is a good source of iron, which is good for the brain. You could either sell these eggs or keep them in your fridge. With meat, every part of a chicken can be eaten. Yes, every. In cases of those who don’t want to see their chickens go bye-bye, they raise them as pets and for exhibition purposes. 3. Low maintenance. Unlike dogs who need everyday grooming and cats who need your undivided attention, chickens need none of those. You don’t have to bring them to your vet every once in a while to take shots and doses of vaccines. All you have to do is feed them and supply clean water every day. Their coops must be cleaned at least once a week or twice every month depending on the number of chickens that you own. 4. Fertilizers for free and an instant pest control agent. These are the two things that chicken raisers love about owning a chicken. When you allow your chickens to roam around your backyard, it is in their nature to peck on whatever it is that catches their interest and their hunger. Chickens love anything that came from the ground most especially the ones that are moving. They eat insects, bugs, worms and the like. For them, these are special treats. Furthermore, it is in their nature to eradicate their internal wastes anywhere they please. But their poops are considered as natural fertilizers that the ground needs to grow plants and root crops in a healthy state. Cons 1. They are not the best guard pets to have. While chickens can coo and make familiar sounds, it is not in their nature to bite or coo on anyone they see who looks suspicious. All they can do is grow, eat, and lay eggs. They are also not the ideal pets you would want to have especially if you need a response like waggling of the tail or a purring sound. 2. Chickens are messy. Indeed. Plus, their poop smells terrible that it can reach certain areas in your house. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t want to go through enduring hours of cleaning, chickens aren’t really the pets for you. 3. One for all, all for one. Well, in terms of getting sick this is a con. Because when one catches flu, everyone gets it too. And if one dies because of that flu, it is expected that every single chicken living with that infected chicken who also got that flu is also going to die after a few days. http://how-to-raise--chickens.blogspot.com