How to Rear Poultry
- 1
Starting with baby chicks ensures you have adult chickens that are used to people.David De Lossy/Photodisc/Getty Images
Line a sturdy cardboard box approximately 4 feet long with paper towels. Two layers of paper towels works well with young chicks. Many feed stores sell chicks that are a few days old. You can also use a cage for small animals rather than a cardboard box. - 2). Place the chicks in the box in a bathroom or other room that will stay warm and is easy to clean. Provide chick starter food in a feeder and water in a waterer for your chicks. For most backyard chicken farmers, four hens is a good size for a beginning flock.
- 3). Clamp a light with a 250 watt red bulb in the corner of the box. This will keep the chicks warm and they can move away or towards the light when they want. The bulb can be a smaller wattage, but the red color is important so they can sleep at night with it on.
- 4). Change the paper towel liners when they get dirty, which is about once a day. Check the feeder and waterer everyday to make sure the chicks have enough to eat and drink.
- 5). Play with the chicks once a day so they will become used to you. The more you play with them the more friendly they should become.
- 1). Introduce your pullets, which are young hens about 6 to 20 weeks, or older chickens to your chicken coop. The coop should be 2 to 3 square feet per chicken with a run about 4 to 5 square feet per chicken.
- 2). Place wood shavings in the bottom of the coop. Change the feed from chick starter to laying feed which is for hens who lay eggs. Even if they are not laying yet, your hens will need the extra nutrients that laying feed has.
- 3). Check daily on the pullets and adult chickens' waterer and feeder. Clean out dirty shavings about once a week.
- 4). Open the coop up if you want free range chickens. Free range chickens get more exercise and a better diet of your backyard's weeds and pests. You can opt to let the chickens out in the afternoon and in the evening they will return to the coop.
- 5). Lock the coop at night. Chickens need protection from predators. Locking the coop is the safest way to prevent predators from getting into their coop.
