Backyard Chicken Farming

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Backyard chicken farming

In caring for chickens I recommend purchasing a chick waterer, a chick feed trough, and a heat lamp.

On the right are my chicks at about six weeks, mostly feathered out. There are 5 different breeds there and it appears as though the one in the foreground is beginning to get his comb and is probably the rooster.

Somewhere during the first few weeks

Caring for Chickens

an intermediate size feeder is nice but not totally necessary. The feeder I use for growing chicks is visible on the right side of the picture. The waterer also visible is a plastic one-gallon size available at most feed stores and works well from day old until they are ready for the waterer for adults.

A heat lamp 18” above the litter will provide the 90+ degrees of heat needed by the chicks for the first few weeks. If the chicks form a circle around the circumference of the circle the light forms on the floor it should be raised an inch or two and if they pile up in the center it should be lowered slightly. Start at 18” and adjust according to the chick’s behavior. This is in a draft free environment! The chicks will require some heat for about six weeks or until they are fully feathered. The heat lamp is the simplest way to provide this heat. Red beats a white lamp supposedly because if a chick is pecked and has blood on it theoretically the red lamp will make it less noticeable to the others and they won’t kill and eat it. I have never had a problem with baby chicks but if they don’t have a adequate room they will in fact eat each other.

I recommend covering the litter, either coarse sawdust or shavings, with paper for the first couple days until the chicks find the food and water. Newsprint will draw their attention and they tend to pick at it. I prefer plain paper so they don’t try to eat the print off printed paper. This paper covering keeps them from eating the sawdust instead of the food. Very find chick scratch corn can be fed for a couple days if you desire. I have found it to just be more expense.

The feed stores can advise you on the proper feed but in general starter mash is used for about 6 weeks, then grower up to the time they start laying. Then switch to laying mash or pellets. I am not going to go into all the different recommended feeding practices but there are many. This one works fine for me. Generally the pro’s recommend feeding grain and mash in combination. Aside from that it would be best to research this closer. I do know the commercial feeds work fine.

I don’t like pellets as I feel that if anything encourages cannibalism it is mash in pellet form. Many people like it because they waste less but I prefer the old fashioned mash.

Generally I feed my layers mash with either cracked corn or scratch feed. Scratch feed is primarily corn but also has oats and other grains in it. I like to give them some variety so I normally give them scratch feed. It can be put in a trough or just spread on the floor.

In order to get full production from a healthy hen, they need to eat, feed is relative to productivity. I read that they also need a minimum of 14 hours of light, either daylight or some artificial light. A cheap timer will provide a few hours on either end of the day. I prefer early in the morning as I know they have problems roosting in total darkness. I should say getting on the roost.

I also feed them any leftovers from the house except for citrus and banana peels and bones. I have found that once accustomed to the leftovers, you will have basically no garbage to throw out. It helps the feed bill and provides a snack for them.

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