Raising Chickens
and Backyard Chickens

Raising chickens is relatively easy and you will find an assortment of chicken houses to choose from these days.

And learning how to feed chickens will ensure great tasting chicken eggs.

Backyard chickens are becoming a healthy fad that seems to be spreading across the United States as more and more people want to be involved with their food supply.

Having your very own supply of chicken eggs is a great reward for raising chickens and learning how to feed chickens plays a big part in creating nutritious eggs.

Chicken houses are pretty easy to make and can range from small to large - depending on the amount of chickens you plan on raising.

How to Raise Chickens

Get some basic information on chickens and the different chicken breeds. Also, get some information on raising chicks to get you started on raising chickens for your backyard.

Backyard Chickens 101

Benefits of Raising Chickens

  • Chickens are Inexpensive to Maintain
  • Supply of Fresh & Nutritious Eggs
  • Make Extra Money Selling Eggs
  • Great Source of Healthy Meat
  • Chickens Eat Pests in Your Backyard
  • Free Grass & Weed Maintenance
  • Way to Get Rid of Leftovers (Chickens can eat almost anything)
  • Chickens are Easy to Raise
  • Chicken Manure is a Natural Fertilizer
  • And Chickens can Make Great Pets

Types of Chickens

Learn about some of the best types of chickens for egg laying as well as what may be the best breeds for backyard chickens.

Chicken Houses

First, you need to determine if your local rules and regulations allow for the raising of backyard chickens on your property.

Chicken houses can come in many sizes and shapes. They also can be built from various materials or made from what you have lying around your house.

There are many designs to choose from and you will have to decide which is best for your particular circumstance or living environment.

Basically, a chicken house should be big enough for the amount of chickens you are housing as well as provide nesting boxes, water, extra feed, and a roost bar for chickens to sleep on at night.

There also must be ample ventilation or insulation as well as enough light which is very important to the laying of eggs.

It must also be secure enough to keep out predators that might try to invade when your not looking.

Building a Chicken Coop

Building a chicken coop for chickens can be made really simple and even portable. Get some design ideas for your urban or backyard chickens.

Chicken Egg Information

Although chickens can live for a pretty long time, they produce the most chicken eggs during the first few years of their life.

All chickens or hens lay eggs, but some breeds are better egg layers than others.

Certain chicken breeds lay white eggs, others lay brown, and still others lay green eggs.

There doesn't seem to be a big difference in nutrients from the different colored eggs.  I do prefer the green eggs though.

What makes more of a difference in chicken eggs is the type of food your chickens eat and the amount of sunshine they receive.

And depending on whether you have a rooster hanging around your hens, there are also fertilized eggs that you can consume or hatch into chicks.

Types of Eggs

Find out what the best types of eggs really are and what kind of chickens lay colored eggs. Also, get some information on storing your fresh chicken eggs.

How to Feed Chickens

In general, chickens can find their own food - as long as they are given enough access to the outdoors to forage for food such as greens and bugs.

Although, chickens are omnivores and can eat just about anything.  Chickens are kind of like pigs and humans which can eat a variety of plant and animal foods.

And some people feed their chickens leftovers along with chicken feed and chicken scratch to help supplement their foraging.

However, that doesn't mean that you should feed them -  just anything!

You will find that raising chickens can be a very rewarding experience, especially once you understand how to feed chickens to get the most value from their eggs.

Feeding Chickens

Learn about what chickens can and will eat along with tips on what you should feed your chickens to get really tasty and healthy eggs.

Go to How to Raise Chickens

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