Is Raising Chickens Right for You?

Raising your own chickens shrinks your diet’s carbon footprint and provides you with fresh, organic eggs. Photo: Flickr/RJL20

Picking up a carton of organic, cage-free eggs at your farmers market can be expensive, but there is another way to get fresh, free-range eggs for your omelets and scrambles: raising your own chickens.

Keeping a flock of chickens offers many benefits. Like growing your own fruit and vegetables, raising chickens shrinks your diet’s carbon footprint. Chickens act as natural pest control and fertilizer for your garden, eating bugs and weeds and producing manure. And of course, fresh eggs taste better than store-bought eggs that have traveled long distances to reach the grocery store.

But is keeping chickens right for you? From diet and healthcare to housing and climate, here are the most important things you need to know before gathering and raising a flock.

1.  Is it legal?

Though keeping chickens is allowed in many cities, it’s not legal in every jurisdiction; you’ll want to check with your city to see what is permitted under the municipal code.

Many jurisdictions prohibit roosters, which you don’t need to produce eggs, and some place restrictions on the number of birds you can keep in a flock.

2.  How many chickens should you keep?

Chickens are flock animals, so you can’t keep just one. A good number for a small flock is 3 to 4 chickens.

The number of eggs a chicken produces depends on the chicken’s health and the amount of daylight – chickens lay fewer eggs during winter’s shorter days – but in general, you can expect one egg per chicken each day.

3.  Should you start with chicks or chickens?

Baby chicks are cheaper to buy than ready-to-lay chickens, and they are, of course, adorable.

But if you’re new to raising chickens, opt for juvenile hens that are ready to lay eggs. Juveniles will not only give you a fresh supply of eggs faster but are also less vulnerable to illness and pests than chicks.

Chicken can lay eggs into their teens, although they may stop producing earlier.

READ: Inside the Urban Homesteading Craze

4.  Where do you buy chickens?

Because a chicken’s egg production is linked to its health, you’ll want to choose a reputable source to buy your chickens from, such as a local feed store.

If you’re buying chicks, make sure you choose sexed chicks – ones that been confirmed as male or female by an experienced chicken handler.

5.  Where will they live?

Chickens need a secure coop with a roof where they can sleep and be protected against predators like raccoons, hawks, foxes and dogs. You’ll want to give the flock about 2-3 square feet per chicken inside the coop. You can purchase a coop for a few hundred dollars or build one yourself, following these directions from Instructables.com or BackYardChickens.com.

The flock will also need an outdoor area to roam that is free of plants they shouldn’t eat. This “chicken run” should be 4-5 square feet per chicken and should be surrounded by a 6-7-foot tall fence.

6.  What do chickens eat?

You can purchase chicken feed – usually a blend of cracked corn and wheat – at a feed store and your local Petco. You can also make your own chicken food, mixing grains, corn, seeds and vegetables. To keep eggshells thick, supplement the flock’s diet with ground oyster shells.

In addition to eating bugs, meal worms and snails in your yard, chickens will also eat food scraps like leftover grains, veggie peels and fruit trimmings, helping reduce your household’s waste.

READ: How to Troubleshoot Your Compost Pile

7.  Can chickens live in cold climates?

Chickens can live in a variety of climates, but to protect them from frostbite in harsh winter conditions, you’ll need to insulate their coop, use heat lamps and heat their water to keep it from freezing.

8.  How much time does raising chickens take?

Once the chickens are purchased and the coop is set up, chickens are fairly low-maintenance “pets.” You’ll need to collect eggs and check their water and food supply daily and clean the coop periodically.

Caring for baby chicks is more time-consuming, requiring hourly monitoring of their temperature for the first few weeks.

9.  How much does raising chickens cost?

Baby chicks cost about $4 each, while a juvenile hen runs around $30, depending on the breed.

You can build a chicken coop yourself to save money or purchase one for a few hundred dollars.

Ongoing expenses include food, which can you buy or make, and veterinary care if a bird gets sick or injured. Make sure you find a local veterinarian that can treat chickens before you start your flock.

READ: Guide to Gardening in the Fall