Keeping backyard chickens doesn’t have to be complicated! I have avoided many common and major ailments, diseases, and issues by following these 4 basic tips.
Invest in predator proofing your coop. Chicken wire is designed to keep chickens in, not to keep predators out. Hardware cloth, which has smaller holes than chicken wire, offers your birds the best protection possible. Hardware cloth is expensive. If you can only afford a small amount, prioritize using hardware cloth on your coop as your chickens will be the most vulnerable at night.
Provide your chickens with as much space as possible. Adequate space is essential to your flock’s productivity and health. Insufficient space and overcrowding can cause: disease, ailments, feather pecking, aggression, and cannibalism. Start with a small flock! It is much easier to scale up and increase the size of your flock than it is to have to rehome or cull chickens.
Daily cleans and deep seasonal cleans keep your flock healthy. Unsanitary conditions can cause disease, pest infestations, ammonia toxicity, aggression, infections, and filth contribute to many other unwanted outcomes. Daily spot cleans make deep season cleans easier and they also help keep your flock happy and thriving. If your chicken area is unpleasant for you to be in, it is unpleasant for your birds too! Cleanliness is one of the easiest and most important gifts you can give your backyard chickens.
Appropriate and adequate nutrition. Modern chickens are 3 times more productive than their ancestor from even just 100 years ago. Modern chickens are extremely productive and bred to produce the highest yield possible be that meat or eggs. Appropriate nutrition is essential to ensure your chickens remain happy, healthy, and productive. We use a combination approach of processed feed and healthy kitchen scraps about 3 times per week. Scraps are not a complete diet and are instead a treat. Scraps are not nutritionally complete and cannot provide your flock with the various nutrients they need to be healthy. We also provide grit and calcium supplement daily in a separate container. Calcium is essential for strong egg shells and feathers. Grit helps your chickens break down course food in their gizzard as well as aids in the absorption of nutrients from their food. Without adequate grit chickens can’t access the nutrients in their food. Chickens don’t chew their food. Instead, they use grit which is in their gizzard to break down their food so they can access the nutrients. Provide these supplements in a container separate from their food. Your chickens will eat what they want and when they need it.
I hope this was helpful! If you have additional tips to share with first time chicken owners, visit Chuck’s YouTube channel and share your thoughts!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6CjdDVs4qN1xxxJXAH6sOg?sub_confirmation=1
Chuck and the Chicks 