Since the global pandemic began in 2020, and with the ongoing economic uncertainties, many people have started to keep chickens in their homes. They are relatively easy animals to maintain, and they will also provide you with fresh eggs, and you can also raise them for their meat. You can make a significant saving over a year and ensure you and your family have fresh eggs and chicken to eat whenever you want it. Below are some tips on things you will need to do when keeping chickens for the first time to ensure they are safe, comfortable, and productive.
Where To Get Your Chickens
There are various places where you can buy chickens, and there are cases of some people being able to hatch chickens from the eggs they purchase in a shop. However, there are places where you can adopt chickens that would often be sent for slaughter, so you can do something good and prolong the lives of chickens. You can contact the British Hen Welfare Trust, which usually has chickens available for adoption throughout the year. You can click here to see the location in the UK where you can adopt chickens, which is an excellent place to start.
Creating A Safe Place For Your New Chickens
Before your newly adopted chickens arrive, you must prepare your home and ensure they have somewhere suitable to live. You can look for chicken coops for sale online or build one yourself, depending on your DIY skills. You will need to ensure they have plenty of room and their chicken coop is secure to protect them from predators, such as foxes, badgers, rats, and other animals. They will also require a place to roost and nest boxes so they can lay their eggs. They will also need space to roam outside, and you can enclose it so birds of prey cannot attack them while they are out of the chicken coop.
What To Feed Your Chickens?
Your chickens will need water and plenty of food to keep them fit and healthy, and they will eat lots of things. Some of the raw fruits and vegetables you can feed your chickens can include:
- Vegetable Peels
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Apples
- Berries
- Spinach
- Bananas
There are also cooked foods you can give your chickens to help get rid of some of your waste, and they can eat cooked rice, pasta, or bread, but they need to be in small quantities. You can also purchase chicken feed, which is packed with all the nutrients they require, and you can get this online or from some pet stores.
Keeping Them Clean
You will need to check on your chickens every day when you let them out of their chicken coop. You will need to check for eggs and collect these unless you want to hatch them for meat and ensure they have plenty of water. You will also need to clean their coop and chicken run and doing this daily will mean it only takes a couple of minutes. You will soon get into the routine and be rewarded with lots of fresh eggs and a happy, healthy brood of chickens.