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Raising Healthy Chickens
If you are a novice at raising chickens, you may find yourself overwhelmed with the wealth of information regarding their health. The fact of the matter is that no two people raise their chickens the same.If you at least know the basics, you will find that raising a healthy chicken isn't complex at all.
Raising baby chicks:
In order to raise your own chickens, here are the basic steps to take to raise your own flock:
Get your day old chicks, either from an online mail order source or from the local feed store. You can keep your new chicks in a cardboard box the first few days, but make sure that it is in a warm location... Make sure to provide them with fresh water and chicken feed constantly.
The first sixty day, the box will be fine for your chicks. Make sure that it is lined with some kind of shavings - pine shavings are the best, but shredded paper, cedar or other alternatives are available.
Start with the temperature set at 90-100 degrees for the first week you have the chicks. This can be accomplished by placing the chicks under a one hundred watt bulb to achieve this temperature. As the chicks grow, decrease the temperature by about 5 degrees each week. Simply move the lamp a little further to let them acclimate to a lower temperature.
Feed your chicks chick crumbles. These are high in protein and will provide your growing chicks with the nutrition they need. Get a chick waterer from the local feed store, and make sure that it is full and clean for your babies at all times.
Your little chicks will need "play time". Acclimate them to human contact by holding them and letting them be around you. This will make it much easier to gather them up at night once they get old enough to wander. Well socialized chickens are also much more enjoyable as pets when you go to gather eggs.
Make sure to provide outside time where your baby chicks can learn to be chickens. This will allow them the opportunity to learn to scratch and peck, making them better at pest control. Make sure you are prepared to catch them when outside time is over. Have a second person, or keep outside time limited to the number of chicks that goes out. It is even better if you can let them out in a contained area until they get used to the routine.
Once your chicks are sixty days old, you can transfer them to a chicken coop. This does not need to be the old fashioned wire coops of yesteryear! Chicken coops today can be ordered to match your yard and home's decor, or to express interest or hobbies. Keep in mind that your chickens will need 3-4 square feet each in their new coop.
Chicken coops are essential for protecting your flock from predators. Chickens are targets for larger birds, dogs, and wild cats that are out for a late night snack. Make sure to protect your investment.
Your chickens will still use pine shavings or another type of flooring (we recommend sand), and you can feed them with chicken feed. For treats, offer vegetables, bugs or even bread. Your chickens will develop favorite treats that will add to their personality.
Once you have your baby chicks, you are off to the start of a long and enjoyable relationship - as well as lots of fresh eggs!
How to maintain healthy chickens: Keep their food dishes filled. A hungry chicken is a far cry from a healthy chicken. It is essential that their food dishes and water containerss be full at all times. Also, if it be at all possible, allow your chickens to free range. This insures that what they are eating is all natural, made from Mother Nature herself. However if this is not an option, check on your chickens three times a day and fill their dishes accordingly.
Clean their water containers. Once a day you should dump the water, clean the dish with bleach water and refill it. Chickens can be dirty animals, often letting their bladder and bowels empty into their food and water. By bleaching their dishes, you will kill any bacteria that could kill them.
Clean their coop at least one time a week. The number of times you clean their cages is dependent on the number of chickens you have placed together. It is vital that you rake out the old pine shavings and replace it with fresh. Chicken stool is a major contaminant for them, so to avoid any of the numerous diseases a chicken can become infected with, stool free living quarters is the way to go.
Buy heat lamps. This is especially important in the winter months when temperatures drop below freezing. While heat lamps are generally only used for chicks when they are newly hatched, they are used for adult chickens to prevent them from freezing to death. A one hundred watt bulb is sufficient for eight to ten chickens.
Check for lice or mites. It is a good idea to check periodically for chicken lice or mites, especially during the fall and winter when these parasites are most prevalent. Mites and lice can cause ordinarily healthy chickens to lose their feathers, weight, and slow or stop egg production. If you notice that your chickens have become infested, you can purchase a lice/mite powder from your local feed store.
Source: Tom S Williams - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
