Keeping Pet Chickens Has Its Advantages

Some people are considering chickens as pets as a recessionary tool. If times get harder, they have a renewable food source. There`s nothing better than fresh, organic eggs.

Chickens are not like your dog or cat. They have their own agenda, but they do get to know you and depend on you for food. They also know where home is. Hens scratch, peck, and cluck so love her for what she is.

Keep their nesting boxes clean and hold her, talk to her, and even show your hen affection, but don`t expect any in return until you get to know her and the hang of taking care of her. Happy hens will lay more and better eggs. Usually, kids are good with chickens so if you have a kind, caring child, by all means, let them help.

You will need a coop with a lot of room. Put it under a tree so they will have shade. It should be built so it is easy to clean and secure enough to protect them from predators.

You can get your chicks from a local breeder and  their feed from a local produce store. They like grain and eat a lot of it. I would recommend starting with no more than six chicks until you get comfortable with what your`re doing. Chicks will need a bag of "scratch" which is nothing but finely ground corn and grain. They must be a bit older before they can eat whole grains.

Chickens that are allowed room to roam around are more vibrant and happy than ones that are kept penned up. Give them as large a fenced in pen as you can. Let them get to know you before you start handling them and don`t hold them too much has it can cause problems.