Chickens are domestic (farm) birds that on occasion do fly. The adult female chicken is called a hen, the adult male is called a rooster, and the young are called poults. There are many different breeds of chicken that are different sizes and colors. Bantams are miniature chicken breeds.
Keeping chickens is a real pleasure - sitting watching them is very entertaining. You will soon notice that they have their individual characters. Spotting the "top" hen in the pecking order becomes apparent almost straight away. She is the one who will feed first, drink first and be the first to dive for tidbits, while the others hang back seemingly out of courtesy.
The most comical behavior I frequently witness is when one of them spots something juicy to eat at the far side of the pen and runs for it, the others, immediately follow suit and in no time, there is a small heap of fluffy bottoms all fighting for a grub or worm. In fact, if it happens to be a good sized morsel, there will begin a furor of snatching, racing away, grabbing a bite and surrendering to the next snapping beak - all this is happening at top speed round and round the pen.
Not only entertainment, hens give the added bonus of providing eggs for family and friends – a nutritious, versatile food!! However, your birds will need to be cared for correctly in order to keep them healthy and therefore maintain good egg production.
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Anatomy
The rooster is larger and more brightly colored than the hen; he also has a larger comb. Roosters make a very loud crowing sound and can be quite aggressive. Hens lay eggs that range in color from white to pale brown and other pale colors. While raising chickens I often get asked the question “Do you need a rooster to get eggs?” The answer is no. The hens will lay eggs whether a rooster is present or not.
Diet
Chickens have a varied diet. They eat insects, worms, fruit, seeds, acorns, grains, slugs, snails, and many other foods. They have a well-developed gizzard (a part of the stomach that contains tiny stones) that grinds up their food. Chicken feed comes in the form of layers pellets or layers mash/meal. It is available from your local feed merchants/feed store. Fill your feeder to the appropriate level with your pellets or meal. Remember, chickens naturally scratch and forage for food, so it is worth keeping a bag of mixed corn or wheat to scatter on the ground. ALWAYS, ALWAYS supply clean, fresh drinking water - this is essential, especially in hot weather.
It’s OK to feed them table scraps. My hens recognize the "table scrap bowl" from 100 feet away!! They come racing from all four corners of the field. One begins to run....they all run - some of them may not even know why they are running, but they are adamant they are not going to miss out on anything. To name but a few of their favorites: grapes, cooked pasta, cooked rice, egg, shells, apples, cherry tomatoes, leftover baked beans, peas and any other cooked veggie. I prefer not to feed meat.
Predators
Many animals eat chickens
including skunks, owls, raccoons, hawks, snakes, opossums, bobcats, dogs,
and people. Yes, I have even lost a chicken to a neighbor’s dog.
This happens, so prevention is the best means to prevent this. I often
walk around the chicken yard looking for any sign of a predator trying to
gain access. I have a 6 foot chain link fence around my chicken run.
You certainly do not need chain link - chicken wire will do. I
acquired the fence from a neighbor who was replacing his fence.
Chicken House
Chickens can be housed in a
variety of structures, ranging in size from a dog house to a full size garage. There are some things you want to keep in mind when choosing a chicken house.
Where do we keep them?
If you are lucky enough to have a field, orchard or large grounds, the best choice would be a poultry house set within a large penned off area. However, don't worry if you have a small garden or yard – you can still keep chickens in a small shed with a fenced-in run. There are moveable contained poultry units available that can be easily moved every few days, providing fresh scratching ground. A good book that explains this is Chicken Tracker by Andy Lee and Pat Foreman.
What type of housing?
Make sure the housing you choose is constructed in quality, solid, heavy duty materials. The unit must be suitable for use all year round and able to withstand heavy rainfall, strong winds and all the other dire weather conditions that occur in your area. It's most disheartening to find your birds huddled together, shivering and wet in a corner, due to a leaky house – or even worse - no hen house!!
The house needs to have a roost - preferably removable for easy cleaning - an entrance/exit for the hens that either lifts out or can be hooked open, and nesting boxes (1 box for every 5 to 6 birds - depending on size or breed). Nesting boxes for a standard sized hen are usually 1 foot square. A good sized access door for the poultry keeper is a must, even on smaller units - you need full access for ease of cleaning.
Where do they sleep?
The birds like sleeping on a roost as opposed to a “bed” or the nest box. Make sure that under the roost is easily accessible for cleaning. Some hay, straw or even pine straw in the nest box will keep the eggs clean and will encourage the birds to lay in the box.
