This little chick can grow up to be a beautiful free-range chicken if you give it a good home.
If you think growing free range chickens is out of your grasp, think again. Even just a couple of laying hens can provide your fami fresh eggs, free pest and weed control and the sense of contentment that comes from being self-sustaining. Add a few more chickens and maybe even a rooster and your flock will take care of itself for very little money. Choose breeds carefully to get the optimal egg/meat combination for your family, as well as chickens with the right personalities, and your family will reap the benefits for years to come. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Check municipal codes in your area before proceeding. Call your village or town center or consult MuniCode to find out whether or not it is legal to keep chickens of any sort in your area. Be aware that some towns allow chickens but not roosters due to noise considerations.
2. Provide a chicken coop with enough space for the amount of free range chickens you will be raising, about three to four square feet per chicken. Make sure there is both an upper and a lower level, with elevated space for chickens to roost as they prefer.
3. Place one nest box for every eight chickens inside the coop. Fill it with straw, leaves or shredded newspaper as bedding. Make it big enough for a few chickens to share it at a time, as they inevitably will; size may depend on the size of your full-grown chickens.
4. Choose chicken breeds suited to your needs, then find a reputable hatchery to supply chicks. Buy chicks to avoid purchasing someone else's problems with fully grown chickens and because raising your chickens from an early age will help instill the free range lifestyle.
5. Fence off anywhere you do not want your chickens to roam and use poultry netting around vegetable patches or gardens. Allow your chickens to scratch and eat whatever they want in the area you have designated. Give them as much space as you can, preferably in an area full of grass and weeds, as well as insects for them to eat.
6. Provide water inside the coop at all times. Encourage hungry chickens to go outside and find their own food providing chicken feed only just before sunset, when they come home to the coop to roost. Provide water outside the coop in the pasture if the area in which you keep your chickens is very large.
7. Monitor chickens for any signs of injury or illness. Make sure to collect eggs daily when chickens are old enough to start laying, usually when they reach pullet stage. Pullet stage differs between breeds, so research the appropriate time frame for your breed(s).
Tags: your chickens, free range, free range chickens, inside coop, Make sure