Kimberly Willis

Raising chickens can be fun and rewarding. Whether you’re raising birds for their eggs or for their cackling companionship, caring for your birds is an everyday project. Raising happy and healthy birds means knowing how to take care of baby chicks and what to feed them as they mature.Daily chores to keep your chickens healthyIf you’re raising chickens, whether for eggs, meat, or companionship, you want your fowl to stay healthy.

Some people choose to feed their chickens an organic diet, either because they believe it’s healthier for the chickens or because they want to produce organic eggs or meat (or both). An organic diet means that the foods the chickens eat come from natural ingredients that are grown without pesticides. Some people also define organic as foods that don’t come from genetically modified plants.

Domestic breeds of chickens are derived from wild chickens that still crow in the jungles of Southeast Asia. The Red Jungle fowl is thought to be the primary ancestor of domestic breeds, but the Gray Jungle fowl has also contributed some genes. Wild chickens are still numerous in many parts of southern Asia, and chickens have escaped captivity and gone feral or “wild” in many subtropical regions in other parts of the world.

As you explore the world of chicken breeds, you’re likely to come across a handful of commonly used terms: purebreds, hybrids, strains, mutations, and mixed breeds. Purebred chickens Purebred chickens are chickens that have been bred to similar chickens for a number of generations and that share a genetic similarity.

If you’re raising chickens, remembering what feed you need for different types and ages of chickens can get confusing. What you feed a young layer is different than what you feed a mature meat bird. The following table gives you the essentials: Chicken Type (Age) Feed Protein Ratio Pet, show, and layer chicks

Raising chickens means taking care of them from the time they’re little puff balls with feet. To start your chicks off right so that they grow into healthy adults, make use of the following tips: Brooder: Confine the chicks in a brooder with solid sides about 18 inches high to keep out drafts. Make sure the brooder is near a heat source, probably a heat lamp.

If you’re raising chickens, whether for eggs or meat, you want your fowl to stay healthy. Healthy chickens need attention and care every day. The following, simple measures, taken daily, help to keep your chickens healthy: Keep water available at all times. This may mean a heat source to keep water from freezing in winter.

When you get interested in breeding your own chickens, you may become interested in showing them. At poultry shows across the United States and in most other countries, proud poultry owners can show others what their breeding programs can produce. As with other forms of domestic animal showings, poultry show winners receive trophies, ribbons, and often cash rewards.

If you’ve ever surfed the web and visited chicken sites like www.backyardchickens.com, you’ve probably seen some chicken coops that are really, shall we say, tricked out. They have chandeliers, lace curtains, window boxes of exotic flowers, and fine art hanging on the coop walls. These coops may not be very practical, but the chickens probably don’t mind the extras — and the owners have something to brag about.