how to raise chickens course

To achieve this, have the heat lamp raised about 18 inches off the floor of the brooder. Adjust the height of the heat lamp as needed to achieve a proper temperature. After the first few days, you can raise the heat lamp about 3 inches every week to wean the chicks off supplemental heat.

Full Answer

How can I learn more about raising chickens?

To learn more, connect with someone who has experience raising chickens, or join an online group for chicken owners. Helpful tips for new chicken owners include investing in an automatic door, finding a local vet who treats chickens, giving your birds ample space to roam, and avoiding heated coops.

Should you raise chicks or buy chicks?

My recommendation is to raise chicks. It’s a relatively simple process that lets you interact with chicks from a young age, which makes them more likely to grow up to be friendly and easy to handle. Of course, you can purchase pullets (young chickens) or fully grown laying hens if you’d rather skip the chick-raising process.

How do you take care of chickens when they grow up?

They will need to have a shady area where they can escape from the sun and keep the food and water cool. So now your chicks have grown up into real chickens! Managing your adult flock may sound like its complex, but it’s fairly simple to do in reality. The hen does all the work and you take care of her needs.

Are there any health issues with raising chickens?

Unfortunately, there are some common health issues that can occur when raising chickens. Let’s take a look at some of the most frequent issues. There are a lot of reasons why hens might be slowing down on the eggs. It could be something innocent, like the start of a molt, but it could be the result of an underlying condition.

How do I start to raise chickens?

Steps on How to Start Raising ChickensSelect the breed that's right for you. Poultry breeds come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. ... Determine the number of birds you'd like. ... Research a reputable chick supplier. ... Prepare your brooder. ... Focus on sanitation. ... Create a long-term nutrition plan.

How many months does it take to raise a chicken?

It takes about 8-12 weeks to raise a meat chicken to maturity, while it takes about 6 months to raise a laying chicken to maturity (when they start laying eggs). 8-12 week old mature meat chickens will have the freshest tasting meat, tender & juicy. Meat chickens are the way to go if you want the best tasting meat!

How many chickens should I start with?

Chickens are extremely flock-oriented, so a good starter flock size is no fewer than three chickens. You should collect about a dozen eggs from three laying hens. A flock of five or six hens is a good choice for slightly larger families.

How hard is it to raise chickens in your backyard?

Raising chickens is not hard, but chicken expert and author Lisa Steele (@fresheggsdaily) says, “As with any pet or livestock, chickens are a serious time commitment and require daily attention.” But, again and again, owners say there's also a “hen zen” that comes with keeping chickens.

What is the lifespan of a chicken?

5 – 10 yearsChicken / LifespanChicken lifespans vary widely, with most hens generally living between 3 and 7 years. However, with ideal care, they may live even longer. If a chicken is kept safe from predators (including dogs) and doesn't have genetic issues, they can certainly live 10 to 12 years old.

What do 10 week old chickens eat?

The chickens have been happily catching whatever they can find in the garden including flies, small frogs, and grasshoppers. They also get some food scraps like watermelon, pumpkin, and apple. We personally do not feed our chickens any meat or things like rhubarb, tomato, or avocado, which can be poisonous.

Do chickens attract rats?

Do Chickens attract rats? Rats are not attracted to chickens. However, they are attracted to chicken feed, and love stealing a freshly laid egg. Rats are also attracted to nice, warm, cozy places to live, especially if there is a reliable food source nearby.

How long do fresh eggs last?

A general rule, unwashed eggs will last around two weeks unrefrigerated and about three months or more in your refrigerator. If you're experiencing an egg boom, it's smart to refrigerate any unwashed fresh eggs you aren't planning to eat immediately. This will help them last longer.

Can chickens be left alone for a week?

You can leave your backyard chickens alone for a few days so long as you see to a few basic needs. 1. They need enough food and water for the duration of your trip.

Are chickens high maintenance?

Although low-maintenance, chickens do require a small amount of daily care as well as some monthly and semi-annual maintenance. Plan on spending 10 minutes a day on your pet chickens, an hour or so per month, plus a few hours twice a year on semi-annual chores.

How often does a chicken coop need to be cleaned?

How often you should be cleaning a chicken coop? You should provide fresh food and fresh water every day, and you should clean the bedding out once a week or once a month(the deeper the bedding layer the less often you have to clean it out). It's best practice to do a total clean-out at least twice a year.

What is the best chicken for beginners?

Top 10 Chicken Breeds for BeginnersRhode Island Reds. Rhode Island Reds were my very first chickens, and so, of course, they had to be Number one on the list. ... Australorp. ... Buff Orpingtons. ... Leghorns. ... Barred Plymouth Rock. ... Jersey Giant. ... Easter Egger. ... Sussex.More items...

Chicken Basics

By the end of these first handful of lessons, you’ll be familiarized with common terms used to discuss chickens, as well as their anatomy, and behavior.

Caring for Chickens

In this module, we’re going to do a deeper dive into how to care for your chickens and chicks once you have them on your homestead. We’re going to cover everything from housing and feeding to predator protection and mitigating chicken disease.

Working With Chickens

After learning about the basics of caring for your chickens, we’re going to take a closer look at working with them in regards to proper handling, egg collection, and manure management. These are the nitty-gritty details that will help you avoid many of the common pitfalls that new chicken keepers face.

Getting Your First Flock

In these videos, we’ll explore the details of getting your first flock including where to buy chickens, some breeds we recommend for beginners, and some resources for continuing your chicken education.

How much space do chickens need?

According to the University of Missouri Extension, one medium-sized chicken needs at least 3 square feet of floor space inside the coop and 8-10 square feet outdoors. The more space, the happier and healthier the chickens will be; overcrowding contributes to disease and feather picking.

How long do chicken bags last?

Hens will lay eggs through spring and summer and into the fall, as long as they have 12 to 14 hours of daylight. Expect to collect eggs daily, or even twice a day. All year ‘round, you’ll have to shovel manure. Yippee!

Do chickens scratch the ground?

After that, they’ll scratch the ground and peck out hidden worms or insects, mixing up the soil in the process—all with endless enthusiasm and curiosity. Chickens don’t only provide a constant supply of fresh eggs—they produce an endless amount of manure, too.

Can you keep chickens in your neighborhood?

First, check local town ordinances to ensure that keeping chickens is even allowed in your neighborhood or if there is a limit to the number of chickens you can keep at once. The last thing you want is to invest time and money into preparing for chickens and then find out that you can’t even keep them!

Can you raise chickens in your backyard?

There’s a lot to like about raising chickens in your backyard. The eggs are a real temptation—tastier and fresher than any store-bought eggs, and better for baking, too. The shells, along with the chicken poop, can be tossed right into the compost pile. Much of the day, the birds entertain themselves, picking at grass, worms, beetles, ...

Why raise chickens in backyard?

Because raising backyard chickens provides you with sustainable eggs and meat. Eggs and meat are protein-rich calorie sources that don’t depend on a grocery store or elaborate trucking system, and can keep you alive if necessary.

How long is a chicken tutorial?

A full 2 hours and 30 minutes of video tutorials, covering feed types, housing, disease management, breeding chickens for a profit, and everything else you need to know to raise chickens.

How to plan a poultry facility?

You will learn how to: plan a poultry facility that is appropriate for your situation. select and purchase appropriate breeds, varieties, and strains of poultry. take care of your poultry according to best management practices. practice appropriate biosecurity to keep you and your birds safe and healthy.

Why is poultry health important?

Poultry health is an important component of poultry management. You will learn good biosecurity practices to keep your birds healthy and disease-free, but also symptoms of common poultry diseases and what you can do about them. Additionally, you will learn about raising poultry for specific purposes --eggs, meat, and exhibition.

Do online courses have assignments?

Online courses do not have assignments. Many online courses require you to answer questions and/or take quizzes, but not all courses do. Please refer to the course description to learn whether or not a specific course requires you to answer questions and/or take quizzes. All answers will be displayed after moderation.

Is raising poultry fun?

Description. Raising backyard poultry can be fun and rewarding, but also challenging. Poultry, like other pets and livestock, require a certain level of care--they are not maintenance free. Keeping poultry takes time and money. This course will help you understand what you need to do to keep your poultry healthy and happy while minimizing any ...

How much space do chickens need?

As I mentioned above, a chicken needs at least 3–4 square feet of space. But, this is not entirely true. In reality, they need 10 square feet of space if they spent most of the time indoor.

Can I mix my own feed for chickens?

For starters, it’s better to buy commercial pre-mix from local feed store to feed your chicken instead of mixing your own. You can mix your own feed later when you’re used to it.

Do chickens bathe in water?

To clean themselves from mites and bacteria, chickens don’t bath in water. They do it in dust. Make sure to provide a dust bath, an open box at the size of 2’ x 2’ x 16” filled with dust.

What do chickens need to be happy?

Food. In addition to water the other key thing a chicken needs is food. Giving your chickens the correct food will keep them happy and turn them into an egg laying machine. Give them the wrong food and it can lead to all sorts of problems including bullying and weight loss….

What to do with chickens in the morning?

In the morning you will want to let your chickens out of the coop, check on their feed and water, and have a general look around to make sure everyone is ok.

How to keep chicks from getting wet?

Remember, the brooder is very warm, there is poop and it is wet – it is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Wash and sanitize the feeder and waterer at least every other day. If your chicks are as messy as mine, you will have to throw out a good amount of feed too.

How should a chicken coop be in winter?

Ideally, the coop should be cool in summer and warm in winter. Correct ventilation of your coop is crucial when it comes to temperature regulation. A good flow of air will keep the coop at an optimal temperature for your hens. If you think it’s too hot you need to add more ventilation holes.

Why are pullets so expensive?

Pullets will cost you more because of the care, feed and time expended to raise the bird. Adult hens in their prime are the most expensive. Rescue and ex-battery hens are usually cheaper than pullets but more expensive than chicks. Hatching Eggs: These are fertilized eggs that you need to incubate.

How old do you have to be to get chicks?

Chicks: This is the most used and wise choice for novices. You can select which breed (s) you want and when you want them. You typically get chicks at one day old. Pullets: Pullets are birds aged between four to six months.

How long does it take for a chicken to be ready for slaughter?

They grow very, very quickly. They put on weight at an alarming rate and are ready for slaughter at around nine weeks. If you’d like to know more about breeds, then please read our complete guide to all chicken breeds here.