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FAQ - Freqently Asked Questions
Questions
Over the past year I’ve had a lot of questions as to why in the world I would even consider having a few backyard hens. As time goes on I will continue to post answers to your questions. If I don’t have the answer I will do a little more research, ask around and provide the answers for everyone’s benefit.
Why would you want backyard chickens?
Can I have chickens in my backyard?
How much space do laying hens and chickens need?
What is a roost or perch and why do I need one?
What are the costs involved with chicken ownership?
How much time is required each day in chicken care?
What is the life span of a laying hen?
How long will do eggs remain fresh?
When do chickens reach adulthood?
Where can I learn more about raising chickens?
Answers
Why in the world would anyone want to have chickens in the first place?
My personal reasons for owning and raising chickens are the never-ending source of eggs and the sheer entertainment. I like egg sandwiches and I can go out with the family about 30 minutes before sunset, let the hens out for a stroll, relax and be entertained by observing their curious antics. At sunset they all go back in the coop and fight over who will get the window seat. That is…the roost closest to the window.
Here a few of the answers I have heard from other chicken owners.
- To be self-sufficient in a bad economy.
- Want endless supply of fresh organic eggs for the family.
- Going green
- Natural fertilizer
- Chemical Free Insect Control
- Weed Control
- Pet for children
- Entertainment
Yes they can, from what I’ve heard. I’ve only had chickens since November of 2008 and raised them from about a week old. They are pretty tame. I just wish I had got chickens for my children when they were younger. I would have much rather had a few laying hens instead of hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, fish, the list goes on. If I had had a couple of laying hens, at least I would have gotten a return on my investment.
Can I have chickens in my backyard?
Depends on where you live. I never would have thought chickens would be legal in the suburbs, but after a little research I found that a lot of counties do in fact, allow backyard hens. Usually not roosters, because most neighborhoods still prefer an alarm clock over a crowing rooster. Before you start investing in a few backyard hens, know your local laws. I ran across this website and it can be a starting point to determine if hens are allowed in you area: http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/chickenlaws.html
I guess it depends on whether you intend on eating the chickens or having hens for the fresh organic eggs. Personally, I’m only currently interested having hens for their daily gift of organic eggs. If the economy gets bad enough, I may very well consider living like my Grandparents and getting Sunday dinner from the backyard. Depending on the breed, you can expect to get anywhere from 4 – 7 unfertilized eggs per week from each hen. That is also without a rooster. A chicken doesn’t need a rooster in order to lay eggs. Here’s a link to a helpful chart that is an alphabetical list of more than 60 chicken breeds with comparative information. http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html
How much room does a hen need to live a comfortable life?
From everything I’ve read and heard it’s at least 2 square feet inside and at least 2 square feet outside. If I were a chicken, I think more would be better but it doesn’t seem to be necessary.
What is a roost or perch and why do I need one in my coop?
Chickens instinctively like to sleep up off the ground away from possible predators. A roost/perch is basically a pole they can get their feet wrapped around, that is at least 2 feet off the ground. If you have a couple of roosting poles it’s a good idea to have them 1-2 feet apart to give them enough room to jump up on the roost/perch. If you have smaller or younger chickens, you may want a roost a little closer to the ground. Chickens will instinctively get on the roost at sunset to settle down for the night. Allow 1 linear foot of roost per chicken. When it’s cold out, they can get by with less because the get as close as possible to keep warm with each others body heat.
If you’re raising laying hens, you will need a nesting box for about every 4-6 hens. I built a coop for my parents that has 2 nesting boxes. They have 6 hens. All 6 hens use the same nesting box. I guess the 2nd one I built was in vain. The nesting box basically needs to be 1 square foot of space and have pine shavings or straw so they will have a warm, dry, safe place to lay their eggs. If you happen to be around when they lay their eggs you will probably hear them cackle. I guess it’s their way of letting you know they are earning their keep. Amazingly, chickens seem to poop everywhere, except in their nesting box.
Well, I’m definitely not an expert on this subject, but all my hens are alive with the exception of the one I lost to a hawk. For the first 8 weeks they eat Chick Starter, the next 8 weeks they eat Chick Starter/Grower and from then on they can eat Layer Crumbles or Pellets. It’s my understanding that the crumbles and the pellets are the same nutritionally. You can buy medicated feed or non-medicated. If you want to be totally organic, I guess you would buy the non-medicated feed. Just ask the feed company before you run your credit card, if you have a preference. If you are feeding them on the ground and not with a feeder, logically it stands to reason that pellets would be a little easier to pick up without a lot of waste. I feed my hens crumbles, because I have a feeder and I want them to be a pleasure, not a burden. I’m looking for the least amount of work and waste with the biggest return. I don’t want to have to make a special effort everyday to feed them. I would rather walk by the feeder and say, yep, they are good on feed and water for another day. They also eat just about anything else they can find. We typically give them the leftovers that my family doesn’t seem to want to finish off.
It’s also a good idea to provide them with Poultry Grit. When a chicken pecks around they actually don’t chew their food before swallowing. The seeds, feed, insects and whatever else they find to eat, they swallow whole and it mixes with a little saliva. The food then travels to the crop which is a temporary storage tank; the food then travels to the gizzard. The gizzard is basically a muscular organ that grinds up the food with strong muscular action. The grit that makes it to the gizzard along with the food works like sandpaper to help grind up the food for easier digestion.
One last thing is crushed oyster shells. Crushed Oyster Shells help them produce stronger egg shells. Provide the crushed oyster shells in a separated container and they will help themselves to it when they need it. Somehow…they just know.
Short Answer: about $15.00 per month. But it really depends on where you buy the feed and where you live. But the short / ballpark answer is around $15.00 per 50lb bag that should hold 3 – 6 hens over for about a month. It also will depend on how much your chickens eat.
My hens definitely drink more than they eat. I have to fill the 2 gallon waterer up every other day and the feeder about twice per week. I have 6 hens, my Father has 6 hens and he has had the same experience. The bottom line from my experience is check them everyday and make sure they have clean water and food to hold them over until you next encounter.
Chicken drink about 7 ounces/day/ for an average size hen. When I did the Google search it came back with an answer of 200ml of water per day per average sized hybrid hen. I then had to do a Google search to look up a calculator that converts milliliters to ounces. I never seemed to get my hands wrapped around the metric system as it relates to volume. I attended high school in the late 70's and college in the early 80's and refused to embrace the metric system except for metric wrenches. I was forced to learn about metric wrenches because I rode motocross motorcycles in my youth and they were Japanese, therefore metric wrenches had to be embraced, literally.
How much time will it take me per day to take care of them?
Depends on your coop. If you have a coop with a floor, you will spend more time than I am willing to. I would prefer to get the maximum return for minimal time and money investment. If you like cleaning up chicken poop, build a coop with a floor. Then once per week, go out and clean up after a never ending fertilizer machine. Regardless if you decide on my plans or not, decide how much time you want to spend on this endeavor. I’ve had hamsters, rabbits, gerbils…basically whatever the pet of the year was for my kids. Somehow I always ended up on the nasty end of the stick. I became the “cleaner” of pet crap. Needless to say, I don’t like cleaning up animal waste. That’s why I designed a coop with us "Poop Patrol Dad's" in mind. I spend about 2 minutes per day to make sure they have feed and water in their feeders and come April 2009 I will begin to collect the eggs. So I guess that will add another minute or two.
If I decide to raise laying hens, how long can I expect them to live?
According to my Google search they can live up to 15 years, however that is the exception rather than the rule. Most chickens in commercial egg production live for about 18 months and replaced by younger hens in their egg laying prime. Backyard hens typically can live for up to 9 years. However they lay the most eggs the first year of their life and it dwindles down over time. They also stop laying eggs when they molt – “loose their feathers”. Don’t worry they grow their feathers back and start laying once again.
Do I need a rooster to get eggs?
Only if you want them to be fertile and have chicks as well. If all you want are eggs, leave the rooster for the folks who live outside the city limits.
How old are they when they start laying eggs?
Hens must be between 20 – 22 weeks of age before they begin to lay eggs.
How long will fresh eggs keep?
According to Wiki Answers: "The FDA recommends a maximum of 5 weeks in your refrigerator before you discard your eggs.” They also say you can test the freshness of an egg my placing it in water. If it sinks it’s fresh, if it floats it’s old.
When do chickens become adults?
At 5 – 6 months or 20 – 24 weeks they start laying eggs.
Where can I learn more about raising chickens?
a. I joined the Atlanta Pet Chicken Meetup Group. They meet once per month at a local restaurant to talk chicken over chicken. Find a chicken meetup group near you.
b. Another good source is a weekly radio show “Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer” from 9-10AM EST on Saturday. Andy Schneider, is also known as the “Chicken Whisperer”. Andy started the Atlanta Pet Chicken Meetup group that has grown to almost 400 members in less than a year and he now has a weekly worldwide internet radio show at Radio Sandy Springs. You can listen to it or download to your iPod by going to Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer (9-10AM).
The comb is the red appendage on the top of the chickens head.
The wattles are the two appendages under the chin. I’ve noticed as I’m getting older I’m starting grow wattles as well. The Comb and Wattles are in fact sexual characteristics and are more prominent in roosters. The male chicken breathes about 18 to 21 times a minute and the female about 31 to 37 times when they are not under stress. The heart beat of chickens is rather fast, being about 286 times a minute in males and 312 in females in a resting condition.
What is a chicken's body temperature?
About 107 degrees to 107.5 degrees F.
No they do not.
A male chicken under one year of age.
A male chicken more than one year old.
A female under one year of age.
A female over one year of age.
A young meat-type chicken that can be cooked tender by broiling or frying. They usually weigh between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 pounds.
At 5 – 6 months or 20 – 24 weeks they start laying eggs.
Usually a hen that has gotten a little older and is not laying eggs like she used to. Her meat is less tender therefore she end up as stew rather than a roaster.
Where can I buy day old chicks?
There are plenty of places to get baby chicks, but our preferred vendor is McMurray Hatchery.