Raising chickens in residential backyards has been popular nowadays. Even celebrities are starting their backyard chicken coops. There are many benefits to raising your chicken in your backyard, such as access to fresh eggs every day and ensuring that the meat you are consuming is organic.

If you are considering starting a backyard chicken coop, you are making the right decision. But before you start with your journey, you must first learn the basics of raising chickens in your yard, such as:

Check if You’re Allowed to Raise Chicken On Your Backyard

Before contemplating whether keeping hens in your backyard is permitted in your area, many cities, villages, and townships have embraced the advantages of backyard flocks. Yet, chicken rearing still needs to be legal everywhere.

It’s best to check with your local government to know if they allow backyard chickens within your neighborhood. Contact the county clerk, an animal control official, or a member of the local planning board to start the conversation. Usually, the website of your city has contact details for the appropriate individual.

Once you get hold of the right person to talk to, you can ask questions like:

1. Is it allowed to set up a backyard chicken coop in my neighborhood?
2. How many chickens are permitted?
3. Can I raise both roosters and hens?
4. What are the rules for building a backyard chicken coop?
5. Before I begin, what do I need from my neighbors?
6. Do I need a permit to raise a chicken or build a coop?
7. Who can I get in touch with if I suddenly need to part ways with my chickens?

Set Up Your Backyard Chicken Coop

When it relates to housing, chickens are pretty picky. Any simple, adapted wooden coop will do. When building a chicken coop, here are a few things to remember:

• Make your coop weatherproof. Your chicken coops must safeguard the chickens from extreme weather conditions such as powerful winds and torrential rain.
• Give your chickens adequate room. This prevents chickens from attacking one another while they are huddled together.
• Provide enough ventilation. In a coop, temperature control is vital. An ideal atmosphere is ensured by good airflow inside the coop.
• Set up nesting containers. For every three hens, you will require one nesting container. A few additional containers will also help chickens select their preferred location.
• Install roosts. Chicken roosts are where your chickens gather and sleep together at night. But other chickens choose to take snoozes alone on various perches.
• Allocate a safe roaming area outside. Your chickens require access to large places outside their coop regardless of whether they are confined or allowed to roam free.
• Protect your coop from predators. Even at night, your chickens may be at risk from predators. Your coop can be enclosed with chicken wire or covered without reducing its visibility.

Choose a Breed You Want to Raise

After obtaining authorization from your neighborhood and governing organizations, you can choose what chicken breeds you want to raise. There are almost as wide varieties of chickens to choose from.

Choosing a chicken breed to raise in your backyard depends on your goal. Some breeds are best for laying eggs, but there are also big ones for your consumption.

For egg production, you should be aware that some chickens lay eggs better than others, and depending on your egg demands, you can decide how significant this trait is to you. However, most households with backyard chickens opt for chickens with a dual purpose.

Dual-purpose chicken can provide both better egg production and quality meat. Egg-laying chickens are tasty, but most North American palates aren’t acclimated to their lean breast and dark meat.

It is still typical in non-North American cultures to obtain eggs and meat from a single flock of hens. The Speckled Sussex and Rhode Island Red are the two most well-known of these dual-purpose breeds.

Buy Your Chicken

Once you have determined what breed you want to raise according to your goal, it is time to buy your chicken and populate your chicken coops. The hatchery, a business that has been around for years, is among the best places to purchase chicks. These people are experts.

Hatcheries typically ensure that biosecurity procedures are in place, that customer support is excellent, and that the selection of products is wide-ranging. However, you can also purchase chickens from local breeders. Breed-specific chicken breeders frequently put a lot of effort into raising the standard of the species they promote. In other words, they prioritize genetics and only breed the finest.

If you know someone who breeds chickens that meet your requirements, you can contact them directly and discuss your plans for a backyard chicken coop. They might help you out in choosing the best chickens for starting out.

Learn to Care for the Chicks

It will take a little while for your chickens to begin laying eggs. You must provide for chicks adequately if you decide to raise them rather than collect their eggs.

Brooding boxes are where you should begin. It must be tall and roomy enough to accommodate the chicks, a feeding pan, and a drinking dish without the risk of them jumping out. Additionally, your incubation box must be airtight because the temperature can easily kill the chicks.

Give your chicks a soft nest. You can use pine shavings to create one. Place paper towels underneath the bedding if your hatchery box is slippery so the chicks can obtain a good hold and stand up straight. This will stop new issues from arising when moving or standing.

To Sum It Up

If you want to experience the benefits of raising chicken in your backyard like anyone else, you must check out the tips above. These tips will help you with your journey, from setting up coops, choosing breeds, and taking care of the chicks. This way, you will know what to excerpt and where to start.