Raising CHICKENS 101: Introducing the New Birds on the Block

To raise chickens, there are procedures and adaptations to attend to. One very good instance is introducing a group of “new” birds to a flock of old birds. It’s like managing to merge two restaurants when one is Italian and the other is Chinese. Stress will come along. And that is not an assumption but a fact. 

Free range chickens seek shade in their simple coop.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many poultry owners who think that they’re ready to expand their chicken farm make certain measures of importing birds that came or was purchased from the outside, while others take their time and wait for hens to hatch their eggs. Adding new breeds into your peaceful and comfortable neighborhood of chickens can put a quite a rumble between the old and the new.

Admit it, nobody likes newcomers. And adding these newcomers into a flock of hens or roosters that already have certain territories inside their coop can be a big mess. The newcomers will try to take their place too, and the oldies will try their best to protect their area.

Fret not, for this kind of attitude and feud lasts for only a couple of days. Adaptation can now take place. You can’t avoid this kind of predicament from rising but you can do certain adjustments that can make all of you happy and stress-free.

There are numerous peace-making strategies to help both parties adjust with each other. Isn’t it nice to see your new and old birds in one space without having to stop them from pecking one another?

One very good strategy is to let them see each other without having any physical contact. How? If you have a run (which is basically attached to the coop), you could put your old chickens there and then put a border (chicken wire) between the run and the coop. Put your new chickens inside the coop. This way, they are able to see each other minus the harm. Be sure that both parties have access to sufficient food and water. You can do this for about a week.

As transition day comes, that will be a week after the slight introduction, you can now “join” them in one area. You can transfer the newcomers to the resident flock’s territory during the night when all the birds are sleeping. Upon waking up, the old chickens will notice the new ones and they will, at any point, try to start a fight but will not because they are too groggy to initiate it. Not a strategy that has been proven effective but it’s worth the trying.

Distraction techniques are always effective in some way. This can alleviate tactics of war coming from the resident chickens. If you don’t do this, the old hens will chase the newcomers till all their feathers come off. That would be devastating.

Some of the distracting techniques are:

a. Cabbage heads can do the trick. By hanging a piece of whole cabbage just above their head, chickens will reach it until everything is finished. That is if they don’t get exhausted by jumping to it and reaching it.

b. Make the pursuit an obstacle for the pursuing party. Add large branches inside the run and coop.

c. Let them run around at a wider and freer range. The oldies will be so thrilled to dig for grubs and insects they wouldn’t even notice that there are newcomers roaming around.

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Different Types of CHICKENS

While there are dozens of different types of chickens, selecting one to be a part of your flock can be challenging. First you'll want to consider the role of the chicken meaning, is it a pet, will it be bred for meat or an egg producer? There are lots of choices to make when selecting the right type of chicken.

A Naked Neck rooster
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Egg laying chickens come in a variety of breeds and their egg production will vary. The top egg laying chickens that produce white eggs are Ancona, Andalusian, Catalina, Hamburg, Holland, Lakenvelder, Leghorn, Minorca, and Redcap. Each chicken will have their own disposition as well from nervous to the wild, noisy or shy.

There are also chickens that lay brown eggs and they include Australorp, Java, Naked Neck Turkin, Plymouth Rock, Delaware, Dominique, Rhode Island, Sussex, and Wyandotte. Many of these chickens have good dispositions and are relatively mild mannered and good producers.

Australorp Chicken
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you're interested in growing chickens for meat, you want to look for breeds that are able to gain weight within the first 4 months of life. The disposition of these types of chickens is less important than egg layers because they aren't expected to live for long. Meat producing breeds consist of Cornish and Cornish Cross.

Some hens of specific breeds can both be used as egg producers but also provide a good source of meat. These types of birds may be ideal. An example of these types of chickens includes Brahma, Buckeye, Catalina, Araucana, Australorp, Barnevelder, and many others already mentioned above.

Birds like the Cochin, Phoenix, and Showgirls are perhaps a bit more attractive than those chickens bred purely as a food source but whatever type of chicken you decide you'd like to breed or raise, it's good to do a little research based on your ultimate goals.

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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:

White Chicken (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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.

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How To Keep CHICKENS - The Really, Really Important Stuff

You say you want to raise chickens? Well, good for you. More and more people are now raising chickens - even in their backyards - and for good reason. Chickens lay eggs, they make swell pets and, of course, you can eat them. However, if you have kids and treat your chickens as pets that might not be the best idea in the world.

Photo  by Brett Jordan 

The really important stuff

The good news is that chickens are pretty hardy creatures and will eat practically anything, even including stuff we might not recognize as food. They are both carnivores and vegetarians. They'll forage and the food they eat may be even more nutritious than what you would feed them. They will eat bugs, ants, insects, fruit, bread, roaches, seeds, vegetables, leaves, leftovers that have been hiding in your refrigerator, and grass - in other words just about everything that doesn't include pebbles or coarse sand. They even love Italian and Chinese dishes.

They need a place to hang around

Chickens aren't very particular about where they live, either. All they really need is a place to roost and lay eggs that are safe from the elements and their natural enemies. Chickens are very sociable. They love to have another chicken for a company that they can huddle with from time to time, especially on rainy days and in the cold seasons. However, they are not always peace-loving. Chickens can get cranky and become irritated even at little things. When they do, you can forget about sociability. They'll pick a companion and if that companion does not pay an adequate amount of attention fast enough they might actually pick it to death.

Chicken coops

Most people who keep chickens in their backyards build or buy coops to keep them safe. A good chicken coop must have adequate ventilation, waste management, and an ample amount of space and good light. Chicken droppings contain ammonia and create dampness within the coop so your coop must allow for proper ventilation to make sure the air inside can circulate properly. You will need to allow 3 to 4 square feet of space for each of your chickens. This gives the chicken enough room to sort of mill about and will keep them more productive. As I mentioned in an earlier paragraph, chickens are very social. They like to have other chickens around them and when they are at their best behavior, they'll huddle together, scratch together and stay put when not feeding. It's also important that your coop provide an adequate amount of light. But all in all, chickens will be very happy if they have a clean place to a coop, good ventilation, an ample amount of space and clean and steady feed.

Speaking of feed

There are two types of feed for chickens when they are in their pens. The first and most important is corn mixed with other seeds. The second is pellets. Pellets come in three flavors. They are crumbled pellet, pellets and what's called layers mash. While these three variations have similar compositions, they are named differently to identify the grade of the milling. For example, layers mash is crushed to almost a powdery consistency to make it easier for chicks to digest. In comparison, crumble pellets are milled to a rough consistency and are good for young chickens. And regular pellets are best for full-grown chickens. Chickens can get along very well with one measure of pellets and one measure of mixed corn. You can throw in other food because they'll probably eat it too and if they do, don't worry. It's okay.

True grit

Chickens will also eat grit, too. They need it for their digestion. If you don't give them grit, they'll soon be pecking at pebbles. To prevent that, you can either purchase grit from a farm supply store or make it yourself. This is very easy - all you have to do is roast eggshells in your oven till they turn brown, pound them until they're not too powdery and mix the resulting grit with their regular feed.

Keeping your chicken safe

One of the biggest problems with keeping chickens is keeping them safe. If you're typical, you like to eat chicken and so do a lot of predators. To protect your chickens, you will need to have a sturdy coop that's free from gaps and holes. If your chicken house or coop has flooring made from slats, you will need to install wire fencing underneath to prevent predators from getting in that way. You will also need to cover any weak posts with wire to keep predators from biting through them. And most important of all, make sure you lock up the chicken hutch when the chickens are in their coops.

To discourage predators

The first step in discouraging predators is to find which ones live in your area. Different predators use different methods to get at your chickens so you need to know which ones are most likely to want to get in your coop. You can discuss this with animal control or other local authorities in your area. A really good investment is an electric chicken fence. You can also discourage predators by removing places and clearing spaces where they could hide. And finally, if you have dogs around, this will definitely discourage predators from getting near your chicken coop.

Chickens in the city

If you live in a city and want to keep chickens in your backyard, the first thing you need to do is check local ordinances. Many cities permit a certain number of chickens while others do not allow chickens at all. If yours is one that does permit chickens, you will need to decide which breed you want. Bantam chicken breeds are good as they are about one quarter the size of a regular chicken. In fact, a bantam chicken is a kind of like a toy dog breed. Other breeds that are good for pets are the Barred Plymouth Rock and the Road Island Red as they are usually very mild-mannered. If you would like a bantam chicken that lays well, you could choose a Cochin. The Bluff Orbington is a larger breed of Bantam that is also very friendly. These are just a few of the good breeds; you can find much more by surfing the Internet.

What are you waiting for?

If you're fortunate enough to live in an area that does permit chickens, what are you waiting for? They're fun, make good pets are low maintenance and will provide a steady supply of good, healthy and truly organic eggs.

By Douglas Hanna I've tried to cover the really, really important stuff about raising chickens in this article.  Article Source: EzineArticles

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