So, you are interested in getting backyard chickens… where do you start?
- Research
- local bylaws
- budget- review the costs of keeping hen
- consider time commitments
- education- workshop/ mentor/ books
- consider breeds
- do a coop walk through- ask your cluck community if someone is willing to give you a tour.
- coop siting and construction plan- make sure you are following your local bylaw requirements
- Join your local club or community group- build yourself a hen support network!
- Build your coop and run
- Consider electric fencing. If you know you area is visited by local wildlife, set up an electric fence BEFORE you have a surprise visit!
- Create a catastrophe plan! Assemble resources! What will you do if you go on vacation, or your hen turns out to be a rooster, gets sick or injured, or its time for ‘end of life’? Vet, hen ‘first aid kit’, fellow hen keepers/ community.
- Get feed, supplements, feeders, waters, bedding, dust bath.
- Get your chickens! – Take photos and brag to your friends online!
So, you brought your hens home for the first time… now what?
- Your education and local club or community group involvement doesn’t stop here! Stay involved, share information and ask questions as they come up.
- You are an educator and ambassador, educate you neighbors and your friends.
- Visit your coop, handle your hens, keep things clean, keep an eye on things so you can catch illness or behavioral issues early.
- collect eggs reagularly
- feed only what the hens can eat in a day
- collect uneaten kitchen scraps before dusk
- do not broadcast feed your hens, keep feed contained within the coop and run. Uneaten food or kitchen scraps will be an attractant to other wildlife.