Today I was having a chat with a couple of the other hens on Facebook and a friend of my owners seen the conversation and she expressed her interest in raising chickens.  This was a brand new experience for her if she made the decision to get a few chickens and she had lots of questions.

One of her first concerns was that she lived in the city.

I told her a couple facts that she should consider first.  First was her city ordinances and second was her neighbours.  Some local areas have rules on keeping chickens so you should always check for any restrictions before building / buying your coop.  Even if you are allowed to get chickens, it may be a good idea to have a word with the neighbours first if they are very close by – particularly if you are thinking of getting a rooster.  Now being a hen I am all for having a good looking rooster in the crowd as he adds a lot of color to the flock, but your neighbors may not be so excited about being woke up at 4 or 5 AM in the morning when that good looking fellow starts a crowing.

I would have to say that another huge consideration to raising chickens in your backyard whether in the city or the country is, do you have the time :

Chickens need relatively little care, but they do need to be locked into their coop safely at night to keep us safe from things like racoons, coyotes, weasel, mink, fox, and many other night time predators.  We also will need to be let out again in the morning.  Of course we will also need fresh water and feed every day, and the coop should be cleaned out regularly.  Us Chickens like to look and smell good.

Cost is another factor to think about.   In terms of the monetary cost of feed and bedding, us hens usually more than pay for ourselves with the eggs we lay for you to enjoy with your morning breakfast or for your baking, (not to mention the enjoyment they bring as pets). The cost of buying or building a coop and run however, may take a few years for us to ‘earn’ back.

How many chickens do you want or do you think you may need is another question that needs answered before taking the plunge.  How many chickens really depends on how many you think you would like, have the space for, and can look after. Chickens have a group mentality so having at least two or three is better than having just one. With most egg laying breeds you can expect to get four to six eggs per week from each hen (this number will probably decrease as they get older).

Now when considering the number you will also have to take into consideration how you will replace your flock as they get older and drop off on egg production.  I hate to really bring this subject up as I know the process that usually occurs as the flock owners chickens stop laying eggs because of age.

Will you replace them with your own baby chicks that you hatch?  Or will you buy them from your local hatchery or mail order?  Yes chickens can be shipped from a hatchery through the mail as day old baby chicks.  Our babies can survive a good 72 hours just on the yolk we obsorb after hatching.  If you are going to order chicks you don’t need to have a rooster.  You also do not need a rooster to get eggs but if you want one then the normal ratio is one rooster to every ten hens.

So when considering starting your own flock of chickens to raise in your backyard chicken coop make sure you are prepared for the adventure.  We are a very EGG-citing addition to any household