How To Prepare for Getting a Flock of Chickens
Are you thinking about getting chickens? Thinking about getting chickens in an urban environment? Here are the basics that you need to know and should prepare before taking your new feathery friends home!
The main sentiment of this post is: Do Your Research!! You do not have to go overboard with your research, but you should definitely know the basics. And if you do want to go overboard (like I did), more information and being extra prepared never hurts!! The following list will cover the topics that you should familiarize yourself with and questions that you should answer before bring your new flock home!
Check your local laws around owning chickens. For example, I cannot have roosters in NYC, but hens are fine.
Where are your chickens going to live and do you have the space for them?
You need a chicken coop (~3 sq. ft. per chicken minimum). Your chickens will sleep in the coop at night.
An enclosed run (~10 sq. ft. per chicken minimum), free-range area, chicken tractor, etc. This space or structure (whichever you decide) is where your chickens will hang out during the day.
What type of bedding will you use inside the coop and maybe also in the run?
If you do not want to design and build your own chicken coop and enclosed run, you can find pre-fabricated ones like this one here.
If you are purchasing chicks to start your flock, you will need a brooder as well as the coop and run mentioned above for them to move into once they are older.
Note: Their living quarters should be set up before you bring the chicks or chickens home!! They need a safe place to live from the minute you take them home!
What are you going to feed your chickens?
There are different feed option based on the age and purpose of your chickens. For example, baby chicks should eat starter feed (this can be medicated or non-medicated) and hens that are laying eggs should eat layer feed. There are also other variations on feeds like organic or non-organic and the pellet size can also vary.
There are extra supplements you can feed your chickens too, such as oyster shells or another additional source of calcium if you have laying hens.
You can also supplement your chickens’ feed with garden scraps, food scraps, scratch and mealworms, but make sure you know what is safe to feed your flock before you give it to them! But, as basics go, you should just worry about the feed first.
Feed and water containers. You will need to have containers for your chickens’ food and water! You can purchase these items or make your own DIY feeders and waterers (post about this coming soon!).
If you are starting with chicks, you will need smaller feeders and waterers, like the ones here in this Chick Starter Kit.
Now, on to what I think is the most fun part: What breed (or breeds) of chickens would be best for you? You want to make sure your chickens will fit into your lifestyle perfectly, and serve the purposes you want them to serve! Take into consideration traits such as:
Cold hardy vs. Heat hardy breeds dependent on the weather and seasons where you live
Personality tendencies. Different breeds are associated with being broody, flighty, friendly, etc.
Do you want chickens for meat, eggs or both? There are breeds that are better suited for these different purposes.
Egg coloring. Different chicken breeds lay different colored eggs!
General appearance. Chickens come in all different kinds of shapes and sizes!
Extra considerations for Urban or city chickens:
Look for quiet breeds instead of noisy breeds
Look for breeds that do better in smaller areas vs. ones that need a lot of space to roam around
Consider asking your neighbors how they would feel about you having chickens on your property - you can always bribe them with fresh eggs ;]
A Working Example of Choosing Breeds: For my flock in NYC, I wanted a mixed-breed flock of hens that were cold hardy, friendly, good egg producers, quiet and did well with less space. The breeds I choose for these reasons were: Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpingtons and Black Australorps. They are all happy and thriving here!
Where will you get your chickens from? There are also many options here, and you should pick whichever works best for you! You can get chicks, pullets or chickens from local farmers, hatcheries, feed stores or even order them online.
This should cover the basics of what you should know and consider when thinking about starting a chicken flock of your own! If you have any questions please reach out or let us know in the comments!
A close up of one of my Buff Orpingtons!
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