Raising Chickens: 10 Things We Learned in Our First Year
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We purchased our first set of chicks in February of 2021. As first time chicken owners, we had learned many things the hard way in our first year. Here are the top 10 things we learned about raising chickens.
1. Do Not Brood Inside.
We picked up our chicks Valentine’s day weekend with the plan of brooding them in our basement garage until they were 8 weeks old and had feathered out. Let me tell you about the dust they created! It was all over everything in the basement garage. When we moved them out, we had to vacuum, dust, and sanitize everything in that area. Worse of all, our furnace is in that same space. I feel like the chicken dust infiltrated our entire house. We will never again brood chicks in our house, basement, or garage!
2. Have an Appropriately Large Brooder…They Will Grow Quickly in 8 Weeks!
We started the chicks in an old washtub, but before we knew it they were able to jump out. We then transferred them to a large tote. That lasted for a few weeks, before they ran out of space. Not only do you need room for the growing chicks, but you also need to consider how much space the waterer and feeder will occupy. Our last transfer was to our chicken tractor. We set it up on a tarp on the basement garage floor with a heat lamp hanging over it. Keep in mind, this was February through March. With the winter weather, putting them outside was not a choice for us. We didn’t have any shelter to put them in – no barn, shed, or chicken coop!
3. Either Fence in the Chickens or Fence in the Garden
We had an idyllic image of our chickens free ranging, helping control the unwanted insects, and eating weeds all while leaving the garden plants alone. Let me tell you, this did not work well. At all. Slowly but surely, James fenced off most of the various garden areas. Other spots, I just gave up on. This is true, both for vegetable and ornamental gardens. One of their favorite places to spend the day (after destroying the vegetables) was among the irises.
4. If You Free Range Your Chickens, Prepare for Loss Due to Predation
We free ranged our chickens from May through most of July without any problems. Towards the end of July, we lost our first hen, leaving us with only two hens. We purchased five more pullets, and continued to free range them. In October, we lost two more hens. We decided that free ranging was no longer worthwhile at that rate of loss. Our chicken coop and run is predator proof. What the problem has been is keeping the chickens out of the woods or from going over the hill during the day. Basically, they were ranging too far and making themselves easy targets. We decided to give them an extended run for daytime use.
While this has kept all of our adult chickens safe, it didn’t work so well for what was our one surviving chick from our first fall brooding. The last chick was able to pass through the chain link fence, until it had grown to the point where it struggled to get in and out. Then one day, it disappeared. While our cat is a possible suspect, it is just as likely it was any of the other predators we have lurking around our property who may have watched it struggle to get back inside and leapt at the opportunity.
5. Collect Eggs in the Afternoon, Not the Morning
When I thought about having chickens for eggs, I imagined letting the chickens out in the morning, collecting the eggs, and then being able to cook fresh eggs for breakfast. That image quickly disappeared once we realized our hens typically lay between 9 AM and 3 PM. Often, first thing in the morning, there is either no eggs or a hen is occupying the preferred nest. Instead of collecting eggs in the morning, we now collect eggs as part of our evening chores.
6. Always Keep an Eye on the Rooster!
We purchased 10 unsexed black Australorp chicks. 7 of them ended up being roosters. One of those roosters was not breed standard and has beautiful colors. That is what saved him, at first. As beautiful as he may be, he started to develop a nasty attitude. It started with him going after my mom. Both my dad and James got into fights with him. Then, there was the day he caught me by surprise, leaving a beak sized hole in my leg. A few days after that, he chased after our daughter. He is now living on borrowed time. We kept him so our hens could hatch some chicks, and once that has successfully happened (hopefully in the next few months), he will be off to freezer camp.
7. When You Cull, Make Sure Your Chicken is Secured or Else…
When you cull, make sure your chicken is secured or else you may end up with a flying headless chicken. We’ve all heard the saying “running around like a chicken with its head cut off.” But somehow, I didn’t realize its true meaning until the day we culled our excess roosters. James put one in the kill cone, cut its throat, and away it flew into the pasture! Unless you want to go chasing headless chickens, either tie its leg to a support or physically hold it down.
8. When You Butcher Chickens, Let Your Meat Chill
The first time we butchered our excess roosters, we put them in the freezer too soon. This made them a bit chewy and rubbery. It is recommended that you let chicken rest on ice or in a refrigerator for 12 to 48 hours. This allows the meat to pass through rigor mortis. When the legs can easily be moved again, then the meat is ready to be frozen or cooked.
9. Unwashed eggs can be stored at room temperature.
Unwashed eggs are covered with a bloom which prevents bacteria from passing through the eggshell. Therefore, the bloom on unwashed eggs keeps them from spoiling for a few weeks when left at room temperature. Immediate and continued refrigeration of unwashed eggs extends their shelf-life up to 3 months. Looking for a great way to store your farm fresh eggs on the counter? Not only is this egg skelter a beautiful addition to your kitchen, it also ensures you use your oldest eggs first!
10. If You’re Looking for Cheap Eggs, Go to the Grocery Store.
If you’re looking for cheap eggs, go to the grocery store. The initial cost of building (or purchasing) a chicken coop should be fair warning in itself. While we built our chicken coop out of as many second hand materials as possible, we still had to purchase the hardware cloth and the roofing new. Don’t forget buying or building feeders and waterers. Then, you need to purchase the chickens themselves. And last comes the feed…endless bags of feed. I’m not saying this to be discouraging, but to be realistic. The initial cost of setting up for chickens outweighs the cost you’ll save in eggs. However, having your own source of eggs and knowing how your chickens are raised can be priceless.