So you want to raise chickens?

So, you want to raise chickens? The first step in this fun adventure is having shelter ready and prepared before you get them. It’s easy to rush out and buy those cute little balls of fluff at the feed store and think- they can live in a box while the coop is built. Been there done that and the end result was very sad. Many of you faithful readers will remember the dog attack-large box was on the porch. Only one of the 8 survived. We still have her. Lucy the Lucky. she used to love hanging out on my shoulder. i had to put an end to that. click here to see why.

First you need to decide how many chickens you want; be sure to think of the future in case you want to expand your flock. Find a nice shady spot to build your coop. Chickens do not do well in the heat. Shade is a must! The coop includes the chicken yard and the hen house.

Lets start with the chicken yard or run. It’s important to fence your chicken yard in due to predators-wild and domestic. The idea of free-range chickens is wonderful and great for your birds but the reality of where we live is another story. Stray dogs and wild animals are a constant threat. We free-ranged in the beginning but couldn’t keep a constant eye on them and neighboring dogs were always showing up and coyotes would appear at all times of the day. We had one come up to our front porch at noon while the girls were out-luckily we scared him off before damage was done.

Chickens love to run around, stretch their wings and dig in the dirt. A good rule of thumb is giving your girls at least 4 sq. ft. each in the yard area. I know fencing is a pain but done right will help keep those predators out. Bury the bottom of fence line 8 or more inches to keep diggers out. A six-foot high fence should be tall enough. Lucy is the only one that can fly over-we let her have a little freedom when she does this. Bantams need a taller fence as they are lighter and can fly better. Covering your yard is up to you. It will keep your chickens safer and healthier. Wild birds carry parasites and disease. My yard is not covered. It’s too big and I guess I’m just too lazy to do it. Wild turkeys and neighboring peacocks find their way in occasionally, wanting that delicious organic chicken feed.

The hen house is for shelter, safe sleeping and egg laying. There are many ways to build a hen house. Get creative. There are plans on the web and many books that can be checked out of the public library to assist you. Hen houses that you can stand up in are easier to clean. Here’s the basics: Plan on no less than 2 sq. ft. per chicken-more is better! Not enough space stresses the flock out. Bad habits can form: pecking, biting, feather pulling, egg eating and cannibalism. Bantams need half the measurements.

the photo above is a picture of the building of our bantam coop.

Chickens like to roost at night. It keeps them warm and makes them feel safe. Roosts should be at least 2 feet off the ground. I use 1X2 wood - seems a little easier for them to grip than the rounded wooden rods. Be sure to paint or linseed oil the roosts as this helps with mites/lice that like to live on the roosts during the day then climb on board the chickens at night for a tasty dinner. The egg boxes should also be at least 2 feet off the ground. I make mine about a foot square. One nesting box per 3 birds is sufficient. They all seem to want to lay eggs in the same box. I have 2 nesting boxes that never get used. I do not have tall hen houses that you can walk into; our nesting boxes protrude outside the house and you lift the lid for easy egg gathering and cleaning. see the girls trying to lay in same box! there were open boxes to use but they have their favorite.

here you can see how i built the nesting boxes so i can easily gather eggs and clean the boxes from the outside.



When designing your hen house keep these things in mind as well. Make sure your design is set up for ease of cleaning or you will not want to clean your hen house. I have plywood floors covered with linoleum for easy cleaning. You will need a little pop hole for the hens to come and go as they please during the day but will lock at night. The structure should be weather tight and draft free. Damp conditions are dangerous for your chickens’ health. Ventilation is important as well, especially in the hot summer months. We are fortunate to have mild winters that require no heat source. Chickens actually tolerate the cold better than the heat. Elevated houses keep moisture out. If you have space under your hen house be sure to attach hardware cloth so the space under the house does not become a breeding ground for rodents and skunks- also, you may find that the hens want to their lay under the house and that makes for difficult egg collecting.

We keep the food and water in the yard not the house. This will keep the hen house drier and keeps rodents out. I built a little feeding shelter so the food stays dry when it’s raining. If you choose to keep it inside be sure and take the food out every night. Often it is the chicken feed that attracts predators in the first place. Hanging food and waterers should be at least 6 inches off the ground.

I think that about covers shelter for your chickens. If you start planning and building now you will be all set for baby chicks this spring. Good luck and happy building!

Excitement at Rebel Hen Ranch!

well there certainly has been a lot of happenings and excitement around the rebel hen ranch. now, hang onto your boot straps i am not a confederate. just want to make that clear as it seems like anytime one uses the the word "rebel" in rural settings folks immediately jump to conclusions. we call our little homestead rebel hen ranch because we live on rebel ridge. glad to have that out of the way.....

most of you think of april 15th as tax day. well, it turned out to be birthing day here on the homestead. two of our bantam hens had gone broody but they were always nest hopping and being a bit sporadic about the whole thing. so, i didn't really bother to count the 21 days it usually takes the eggs to start hatching. but in the back of my mind i figured i had at least a week to get prepared for the newcomers. the banty bungalow is not set up for a brood of baby chicks.

but last thursday when i let the bantams out of their hen house i noticed that the two broody hens were sharing the nest with the most eggs. hmm. they looked pretty cozy so i didn't separate them i just stuck the other eggs underneath them. i heard a strange noise but then broody hens always make strange noises.

we were headed to sacramento that day and liam and i were checking on the chickens when i heard a tiny "peep!" i opened the nesting boxes and there was a tiny chick the size of a golf ball. bantams are miniature chickens so the chicks are almost like bumble bees! here is Georgette and Ruby with their first hatchling.

i started panicking(remember i'm the worry wart)- we were leaving for the day and i hadn't set up any kind of brooder for them. the nesting boxes are high above the floor and the food and water are outside-there would be no way for the chicks to get around. we had to think fast! i had an old kennel from blue's puppy hood that i had been trying to sell. so we stuck the kennel into the bungalow -filled it with straw, food and water. then we had to move both broody hens, 2 baby chicks (at this point) and all the eggs into the kennel. hubby, liam and i worked quickly! after lots of flapping and pecking we managed to make the move.

i worried the whole day we were in the city. the next morning we were able to check on the situation. we now had 4 babies. i realized this dog kennel was not going to big enough and they would need to run around. so we brought out the old chicken brooder cage from past babies we have raised. we put it inside the hen yard and and hooked up the dog kennel to it. this seemed to worked. here are two of the chicks learning what to eat from their mamas.

chicken mamas are amazing mothers. here is a video-listen to georgette talking to her babies:



sadly one of the babies died. it appeared that the little one was squashed by one of the mamas. it was rather flat. so then there were 3. there were 6 eggs still unhatched and the mamas didn't appear to be setting on them anymore. i wondered if i should just get rid of them as i had heard they won't hatch if they are not getting mama warmth for all but 20 minutes of the day. i called my friend sue who has much experience in these matters and she said to leave them for a day or two. so glad we did as much to our surprise we had a new 4th baby after waiting a few days. so we decided to let the eggs stick around awhile just in case.

meanwhile....a storm brews. suppose to be a a big one! rain and snow expected thru thursday. today i was feeling horrible. sore throat achy-just plain awful. tried to homeschhool liam but spent most of the day on the couch napping.

around 5pm i realizes holy crap-the babies and their mamas are not in a storm proof arrangement. with not much energy liam and i whipped together quite the "crackshack" out of pallets and tarps.

it's really quite embarrassing as i take pride in my coops!

It had been several days since that last chick was hatched and the mamas really seemed to be ignoring the remaining eggs this time. i was able to reach in kennel when we were building the crackshack and they were not warm. i decided to to take the eggs out to give them more room. liam put them in shed while we finished. later i had forgotten all about the eggs and began doing a storm clean(putting all tools in the shed.)

much to my dismay-i knocked over the container with the remaining eggs. they fell on the shed floor and rolled away! i found 2. they were cracked and one egg was peeping!!!! yes, peeping! i quickly ran it to the mamas and stuck it under georgette getting pecked in the process! i have no idea what will happen i guess i'll find out in the morning. hope they don't shun the baby if it survives.

i managed to find all the other eggs in the shed-rotting eggs in the shed would not be pretty. the eggs seemed to be dead-cold, cracked and no peeping.

not knowing what to do with them i threw them into the burn pile hubby had going. i didn't want rotten eggs around. wait!- was that a peep i heard? liam said it wasn't but i'm not so sure---

in my haste to get my last post up i forgot some "green" to share with you. i finished my "wandering the moor shawl." a delightful great pattern from ravelry!

it is a delight. i ill make it again in the larger size!

i finished the green batt from rowen as seen in last post. i love it! it's so soft and shimmery-from the bamboo that is in it.

i have much fiber to show you but this post is too long so i leave you with a small skein of yarn. i found 2 balls of single ply handspun that i had left over from previous projects and i decided to ply them together. very happy with this spring color way.