Backyard Chickens: How To Have A Happy Flock

By Kathryn Robles

Have you been raising backyard chickens for a while, but have some questions? Are you not sure if there's a better way to raise them? Do you love your backyard chickens, and want them to be their happiest? Are you worried about potential health problems?

Here are some answers for you.

Backyard chickens are one of the most rewarding and useful pets you can have. Repay some of that awesomeness with the best care you can give. It doesn't even take much time! Keeping your chickens happy also means less work for you.

Inside Backyard Chickens you'll learn how to pick the perfect breed for your climate, and how to decide the perfect flock size for your needs and available space.

You'll also get tips on raising chickens from chicks and how to keep your birds safe from predators looking for snacks.

Make sure your birds stay at their healthiest with disease prevention tips, as well as details of what to look out for in a sick chicken.

Also, if you've ever considered raising your own meat chickens in the city, Backyard Chickens includes some tips and tricks based on first hand wisdom.

After reading Backyard Chickens you will learn how to keep your flock at their happiest and healthiest without a lot of extra work on your part!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kathryn Robles
• Release date: Aug 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005694937

Kathryn Robles

Kathryn writes about her family’s adventures creating an urban farm in the city, even if that means overcoming her black thumb or having chickens taking a dust bath under the trampoline. She never expected to find herself farming in the city, or farming at all, but it turns out she loves it! What’s better is she loves talking about it and sharing what she's learned with others.

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Backyard Chickens

How To Have A Happy Flock

Kathryn Robles

Text copyright © 2018 Kathryn Robles

All Rights Reserved.

Farming My Backyard

5003 Walzem Rd #534

San Antonio, TX 78219

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means--electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise--without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author. The author does not assume and publicly disclaims any liability to any party in connection with the use of this information.

Visit the author’s website at www.farmingmybackyard.com

Chapter One

Chickens Are Awesome!

Pssst, Want To Know A Secret?

I’ll let you in on a little secret. It’s a secret that you probably already know. But just in case, I’m here to tell you that chickens are awesome! They are one of the most fun animals you can keep. They provide entertainment, companionship, weeding, bug control, and best of all, eggs!

You can keep them as pets, or as working animals, or as a little mix of both. You can have just a few spoiled birds, or you can have a self-sufficient money making business. It’s all up to you! You can raise chickens in a way that works for you and your specific property. Plus, you’re making the world a better place when you raise chickens.

Factory farmed chickens have a terrible life. Even when you try to buy high quality eggs, labels are tricky and hard to read. If you don’t know the farmer personally, there’s really no way to know that the hens weren’t abused. If the eggs were cheap, chances are they were laid by a very sad bird.

By raising your own hens you know for sure they had happy lives where they were free to roost, scratch, dust bathe, and do their chicken thing (like running! Chickens are hilarious when they run).

Large scale farmers tend to keep just a few breeds. Because of that, a lot of breeds can be lost. Backyard producers are in a better position to raise and preserve heritage breeds. Heritage breeds have more genetic diversity and are more resilient against disease. And backyard farmers can even prevent the most critically endangered breeds from going extinct.

A hyper local food economy is better for the environment. By raising your own hens you cut down on the distance your food travels, which reduces emissions from vehicles. Also, have you ever been to a chicken farm? They seriously stink! By raising your own you also reduce pollution depending on how you handle the waste.

If you sell your eggs then you are also contributing to the economic well being of your community as well as giving people an ethical and healthier option. And if you really think keeping chickens isn’t for you, buying direct from a farmer helps out too. Of course, chickens themselves reduce waste. Instead of sending your food scraps off to the dump you can feed them to your hens. They will happily convert them into eggs and fertilizer.

Whether you consider yourself a prepper or just like being prepared, raising your own eggs is a way of becoming more self-reliant and increasing your self-sufficiency. Producing your own food is a good idea for emergency situations. Sometimes those emergency situations are as simple and common as limited cash flow. When money is tight it’s nice to be able to trim down the budget without compromising on nutrition.

While hens will still need some supplemental feed, you can cut down on feed costs by letting them roam as much as possible. They will eat insects and pests from your garden, and clean up weeds and fallen fruit. Each hen only needs 200 square feet of pasture for fresh greens (and for running). In turn their bedding and waste will feed your garden and improve the soil. It’s that much closer to a closed loop cycle.

Some city folk may not be able to keep a rooster (don’t worry, you can still get eggs). If you are able to keep a rooster, then you can hatch out your own new stock, and provide a steady source of meat for yourself.

And none of the above points even get into how delicious home grown eggs are! Have you seen the beautiful bright orange of the yolk from a well fed hen? Those eggs contain more nutrients than the conventional kind you can purchase from the store, such as vitamin a, vitamin e, beta carotene, folate, and omega-3s as well as less cholesterol and saturated fat.

When the hens are your own you can have a lot more control about what type of feed they eat. If your family has highly sensitive food intolerances you can even choose a feed without that component. You pick out the feed, so you don’t need to worry about if there is high levels of arsenic or antibiotics being used for the flock.

Chickens can also provide all the stress relief benefits of having a pet. They have the added bonus of not barking incessantly in the middle of the night, needing long walks, or chewing your house to ribbons. They need a minimal amount of daily care, but still provide entertainment. For example, I’m highly entertained when they run! They’re also a good reason to get outside for some extra sunshine (or cloudshine if you’re in Oregon). Chickens even have been used as therapy animals because of their calming effect.

There are so many benefits to raising chickens! I know my life would not be as sparkly and awesome without a few hens in it. They are good for society, good for the earth, and good for our souls, and in most cases require just some simple care. I love chickens. Hopefully, you love chickens too.

If you already have a small flock, chances are you want to keep them as happy and productive as possible. Keep reading for a selection of tips and suggestions on how to keep your backyard hens as happy and healthy as possible!

Chapter Two

Pick The Perfect Breed

Selecting Chicken Breeds

Selecting a breed of chicken that works well for your goals and available space is really important. Some breeds are very cold hardy and do great in cold weather. Others would be miserable in the north, but not be bothered by a hot humid climate at all.

Also, some breeds are super active and will constantly jump a small fence. This might be a good thing if you’re free ranging and want birds who can escape predators, but it is definitely NOT good if you have to remove a chicken from your neighbor’s roof!

Reading up on the different breeds before you buy them can usually give you a good idea of what to expect. There are whole books dedicated to chicken breeds! It’s also good to ask around and see what breeds have worked for other chicken keepers in your area. I’m particularly partial to rare breeds.

Rare Chicken Breeds Rock!

If you already have an established flock, perhaps you’ve already had the fun of picking out what types of breeds you want to raise. Chickens can be kind of addicting though, and I know I usually end up adding a few new ones each year. There are some really gorgeous chicken breeds and some really practical ones. There are even some that are bit of both! I’ve found that the perfect combination can usually be found in breeds that are considered rare.

By keeping a backyard flock you get