Raising backyard chickens has become quite the fad these days — and really, it’s no secret why.
More and more homeowners are catching on to the eggcellent benefits and joys that come with keeping their own chickens. From providing your family with fresh eggs daily to teaching your children responsibility and just being downright adorable, chickens offer a lot.
If you’re new to the realm of keeping chickens and are trying to navigate overwhelming amounts of beginner advice, you’re in the right place. Here, we’re sharing our five best tips for keeping chickens!
1. Teach New Chicks Where to Eat and Drink
When you bring home your first little flock of fuzzy chicks, they’re going to be both hungry and thirsty. To keep the chicks healthy and to maintain their strength and survival, it’s imperative that you teach the new chicks where they can find food and water.
When chicks are introduced into a new home, they can get confused about how to quench their thirst! To combat this, lift each chick and place them in front of the water feeder. Gently touch their beaks to the water and you’ll notice them take a drink or two, and voila!
To show chicks where to eat, tap on the food dish with your finger. The noise should resemble a mother hen pecking inquisitive at a food source, and the chicks should come running to investigate! If this method doesn’t work, repeat the water feeder method.
2. Lock Chickens up at Night
Unfortunately, chickens have a lot of natural predators. Most of these predators will attempt to hunt them at night, too, so it’s crucial that you aren’t letting your flock roam around in the dark.
Instead, make sure you’re locking your chickens up each night before the sun sets. This will ensure their safety and will save you some heartache in the end!
3. Don’t Chase
When it comes to picking up your chickens, don’t try to chase them! It may seem like you’ll be able to scoop them up, but the reality is that chickens are fast.
Chasing chickens will only serve to frighten and weaken them. They might lose their trust in you as a keeper, too! Instead, wait until dusk when the chickens are calmly roosting. They’ll be lethargic and will allow you to grab onto them much easier for transportation reasons.
4. Try DIY Coops
One question that every novice chicken owner has is “where are the chickens going to live?” Chickens can’t just roam around your backyard all hours of the day and night; they aren’t safe from predators this way and won’t be able to nest or be happy.
Because chickens need a cool, quiet, and safe place to rest, coops are an absolute must. There are a ton of safe, effective, and attractive chicken coops and homes out there, so this is the part where you get to have fun!
Check out these DIY coops available at Chicken Coop Feed (Insider tip: these gorgeous layouts go perfect with any home!)
Keeping Chickens Is Easier Than You Think
If you’ve always dreamed of raising a flock of hens from the comfort of your backyard, this can become a reality easier than you originally believed. Now that you’re aware of these tips, it’s time to bring home some chicks and get cracking!
Did you like these tips for keeping chickens? If so, be sure to check out our other posts about all things pets and animals.
