With a new year comes new years resolutions and this year, I heard the best one yet. A friend of mine has decided that 2021 will be the year to get chickens! If you have the same resolution (congrats!), here are some things to consider before getting laying hens.
Can I have chickens?
First you have to find out if you’re allowed. Legally. If you’re in the country you will most likely be ok, but some towns have different laws. Some allow you to have a certain number others out right ban chickens. You really need to find out. Would be a shame to get rid of them after the hen house is built, the chickens are all settled in, and the neighbours call because they don’t like the 8am “singing” your ladies will be doing as they lay an egg.
After you find out if you can have chickens in the first place. You have to figure out if you have enough space for them. The rule of thumb is 3 square feet per chicken inside a coop and 10 square feet per chicken in the chicken run. More is definitely better! Not only can over crowding lead to fighting (even death) and disease. It also makes your chickens unhappy. Happy chickens lay more than unhappy chickens do. You also have to consider if you are going to keep them over winter or not. As chickens age they produce less eggs each year. You may find yourself starting with 6 chickens and end up with 12 in a couple years. Bigger is definitely better.
Keeping Chickens in the winter
If you plan on keeping them over winter, you will need a dry, warm, draft free, well ventilated coop…yes, it takes a bit of work. Chickens are susceptible to frost bite just like you are. A drafty, humid coop when it’s thirty below zero is no good. If you plan on heating your coop keep an eye on the humidity and be very careful if you plan on using a heat lamp. These are responsible for a lot of coop fires every year. There are other products on the market that are less dangerous. Seal around all windows and doors to keep the draft down. Stack straw bails around the outside or bank it with snow.
You will also need to keep your chickens in and the predators out. Foxes, Skunks, Racoons, even your neighbours dog wants to eat them. When you build your run plan to bury your fencing at least foot in the ground. This will stop digging. You will also need a “roof” of sorts to keep the eagles and hawks away if they are a problem in your area. We once had a fox jumping on the top of our run, like a trampoline. Everything wants to eat a chicken.
Building all of this requires a pretty good initial investment. So figure out how much your willing to spend and how much all the building material will cost, before you order your chickens. Chicken feed costs about $17 a bag here locally and 6 chickens eat a bag every month or two. If you’re going to heat your coop or run electric water bowls you have to pay for the electricity. There is definitely a cost to starting up chickens. “Free eggs” are not actually “free”. Saying that, though, fresh eggs are awesome! Much better than store bought eggs.
Chicken Manuer
The last thing I want to mention is poop. Chickens poop a lot. You need to have a place to put all the chicken manure and bedding. There are quite a few different kinds of bedding that you can use. Sand, wood chips, straw, etc. If you use sand, your chicken coop is basically a big litter box. You can just scoop the chicken droppings up with a cat litter scoop and the sand remains fairly clean. You will want to wash the sand every now and then. Let it dry and you can reuse it. Straw on the other hand takes a lot of space to store and a lot of space to compost. Chicken manure is one of the best kinds of fertilizer you can use for your garden! Just know that you have to compost it and age it properly before you use it.
Having chickens is a wonderful thing. They are a lot of fun to watch having your morning coffee. They love to eat kitchen scraps and they provide you a (near) endless supply of fresh eggs. While getting starting with chickens does take an investment and a good deal of labour. I think most people would agree it is well worth the money and effort. Good luck with your new years resolutions and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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