Chickens

Raising poultry, most commonly egg-laying chickens, is cornerstone to many mini-homesteads. Even those living in the suburbs can have their own small flock of chickens, producing eggs, meat or both  for their families. Raising egg layers is most common and least labor-intensive as there is no butchering involved. 

Raising Chickens

Chickens are one of the easiest farm animals to raise. One of the biggest challenges is keeping them safe from predators, but that can be accomplished efficiently with a well-built chicken coop or chicken run. Before starting a new chicken flock, ensure that you have a good set up for your birds.

Chickens need shelter, both for nighttime roosting and a place to lay eggs, as well as a scratch yard and a grassy area. (We'll soon be adding free chicken coop plans to the site. These blueprints can be used to make chicken coops, chicken tractors, enclosed chicken runs and other habitats for your poultry.)

Outside your chicken coops, create a main pen for a scratching area. Lay down straw or other vegetation. This area will satisfy the chickens' need for scratching around. Off of this area, attach two separate grass pens. Rotate use of the grassy areas every couple weeks so that the chickens always have access to the scratch yard as well as one grass pen.

If you are home during the day, you can allow the chickens to leave their coop to explore your yard or wooded area. They will eat small insects, grass and weeds, increasing the nutritional quality of their eggs and meat. Be on the lookout for predators and consider keeping a rooster with your hens both for protection and to fertilize the eggs.

Buying Chickens

Flocks may be started from fertile eggs if you have incubator equipment, by buying days-old chicks or through acquiring any combination of pullets, cockerels, hens and roosters. (Pullets and cockerels are juvenile chickens.) Eggs and day-old chicks are available for sale online. Older chickens should be purchased locally, through farm stores, other homesteaders and through rural co-ops. Check your local Penny Pincher Ads, Valley Trader or other classified paper for Poultry & Livestock listings.

Chickens used as egg layers are breeds noted for their egg quality and quantity. These chickens also require less feed than their meat-producing cousins and are thus cheaper to keep. Raising chickens for eggs has become popular again as families return to farming to save money and and improve self-sufficiency.

Egg-Laying Chickens 

Chickens raised as egg layers include:
Leghorn (white eggs)
Minorcas (w)
Anconas (w)
California Whites (w)
Rhode Island Red (brown eggs)
New Hampshire (b)
Red Star (b)
Black Star (b) 

Read more about the best laying hens on my chicken website.

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