This guide to raising egg laying chickens will help you through the process of getting started with your own flock, so that you can enjoy fresh eggs produced right in your back yard.
Happy Chickens
Why Keep Egg Laying Chickens?
Egg laying chickens are easy to care for and will reward you with delicious fresh eggs, as well as hours of entertainment.
You’ll know that your eggs will be 100% fresh and 100% free from the drug residues prevalent in commercially farmed eggs. Plus you’ll no longer be buying the products of an industry that keeps battery hens in horrific conditions.
A small flock doesn’t take up a lot of room and if you supplement their feed with kitchen scraps they won’t cost you much money.
Chickens are a lot of fun! They are friendly animals and will enjoy your company, softly clucking and cooing when they are content. They are very curious too. Ours free range and they have often snuck into the house when they have escaped from their enclosure. Of course we chase them out quickly, so we don’t wind up with a house full of chicken poop!
Children will get a lot of enjoyment from taking care of chickens and they will learn some valuable skills at the same time.
Our daughter is the chicken chief in our household. She has been taking care of our hens since she was 8 years old and she does a great job. The hens know that when they see Juliette outside, they are going to get something to eat. It’s hilarious to watch them running to her as fast as their legs will carry them.
Hens usually begin laying eggs when they are about six months old, although if they come of age when the days are short they probably won’t start laying until the following spring, unless you place a light source inside their coop.
Male chickens are called cockerels or roosters. You don’t need a rooster in order for your hens to lay eggs. But if you want to raise chicks from your eggs then you will need to have a male around.
Some people like to keep a rooster with their hens, especially if they are free ranging birds. A rooster will take responsibility for the safety of the flock, sounding the alarm if danger is near and will try to defend his girls from predators.
Roosters make a stunning addition to a flock with their decorative plumage and tend to break up squables and fights between the hens before things get out of hand.
I am planning to keep egg laying for the first time. I am already keeping broiler chickens. Your information ias vital for beginners like my self.
How long will Wazine 17 remain in my chickens bodies? I do not want to eat their eggs until I know they are safe. Thanks.
Hi Nita, the recommended withdrawal period for Wazine is 14 days. Bear in mind that this will only deal with the adult worms. You need to follow up 2 – 4 weeks later with a wormer that will kill the larvae, such as Ivermectin (the pour on version will kill mites and lice too). Ivermectin has a 14 day egg withdrawal period too.