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Owning poultry can be a very fun and rewarding hobby for you and your family. It can teach children responsibility as well as provide food, in the form of delicious fresh eggs. A few chickens are easy to care for, do not cost a lot to maintain, and even make very personable pets. The key is to start out right.

Many of the basics are similar for baby poultry, no matter if you are starting baby chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, ducks or geese. The first thing those babies need when they get to your home is a warm safe place to live. A large plastic storage box, with no lid, will work well for a couple of babies and an old stock tank works great for more. Just provide plenty of space for those babies, and sufficient feeders, water stations and heat no matter how many you are raising. For a small number of chicks, place the box in a safe part of the house where other pets, like cats and dogs, can not disturb it. Place bedding inside of the box. Pine shavings, shredded newspaper, or even ground corn cobs can be used for bedding. Do not use sheets of newspaper or other slick surfaces as it can cause leg problems in the chicks and also, do not use cedar bedding as it has such a strong smell it can damage the chicks lungs. Place a lamp in a corner of the box for warmth. A 100 watt incandescent bulb will work for this with a small brooder. The chicks need to be kept at about 90 degrees for the first few weeks. By placing your heat source in the corner or to one side of your brooder the babies can more closer to the heat or away from it as they need to. This helps to prevent overheating and stress. Gradually reduce the temperature by about 5 degrees each week until the chicks are fully feathered. Some people prefer to use a red bulb as this will keep chicks from picking at each other.

Chicks need to be fed chick starter, which is a brown crumbly looking grain mix. It should contain approximately 20 to 24 percent protein. If you have no feed you can feed them plain cornmeal or even oatmeal if you run it through a food processor first. This should only be a temporary measure, however as there are many more nutrients in the commercial starter. If you have purchased a duckling, be certain that the commercial feed is Non-Medicated. Medicated poultry feeds can actually kill ducks and other waterfowl.

The feed for a few babies can be placed in a butter tub or other small dish, but at very first a small paper plate will work best. You can feed new chicks as much as they want so just keep the feeder full at all times. If you are raising a number of birds start with a hanging feeder placed directly on the ground. Each week slowly raise the height of the feeder. As adults, birds do best with a hanging feeder. Position the feeder just below head height, so the hens can easily feed while standing. This keeps feed clean, prevents waste and discourages rodents. When the chicks are feathered switch them to a 15 percent grower feed, until they start to lay eggs, then go to a 16 percent protein laying mash, which will provide extra calcium. Ducks can be maintained on a similar protein level as chickens, however if you are raising guinea fowl or turkeys the protein levels are somewhat higher, usually 20 to 24 percent even as adults. Geese should be started on fresh grass or other greens as soon as possible, they are grazers by nature and as adults much of their diet will consist of grass. Supply your all adult poultry with granite grit, to help them digest their food and oyster shell to keep nice strong egg shells. Keep these supplements available free choice in a small feeder out of the weather in their house. Small amounts of finely ground granite grit can also be offered to your babies.

Fresh water is very important for all living things. The water for your babies should be in a chick water fountain or a shallow pan full of marbles. Baby chicks will fall into a water dish and easily drown. After the chicks are drinking well, it is best to place their water fount on a riser of some sort. If the fount is raised in this way the water will stay cleaner, because the bedding won’t be getting kicked into it. Make sure the chicks can still get to the water easily and keep it fresh and full at all times. When you birds are adults, be sure to always provide plenty of fresh water. An egg is, after all, about 90 percent water!

If you are starting ducks or geese, they also need lots of fresh water, but please refrain from letting those cute little babies swim. A baby duck can drown. They are not fully waterproof until they have all of their adult feathers. As ducks start to feather out a paint roller tray makes a nice safe wading pool for them. Also on the subject of ducks, ducks are far more messy than chickens. They lack a sphincter muscle in the anus and actually can not control their bowels. Their bedding will need to be changed completely daily. As adults waterfowl do not require water to swim in, but must have a deep water container to drink out of. They must be able to completely immerse their head in water to keep their eyes and nostrils clean and clear.

Chickens, ducks, and other poultry grow up quickly and will soon need a safe out door home to call their own. They will need a safe secure house to protect them from the weather and give them a good place to sleep at night. They will also need a predator proof pen in which to live, so they can enjoy fresh air and sunshine; if the pen can be moved from place to place to allow them to feed on fresh green grass, so much the better. As the females mature they will also need a good nesting box in which to lay their eggs. The City Biddy Hen House will fulfill all of these needs for a small flock beautifully.

Hens are best to keep if you are looking for fresh eggs. Roosters are often a source of many problems. They love to crow. And roosters crow all day long, not just in the morning as many people think. Some roosters become very aggressive. They may even attack people. You do not need to keep a rooster unless you want to hatch out the eggs. Hens will lay eggs just fine, without ever seeing a rooster. Male ducks are not so much trouble. Most male ducks are even quieter than the females! Some breeds of duck, like the Khaki Campbell and the Pekin, are terrific laying birds. Duck eggs can be used just like chicken eggs and some people even like them better! They have extra large rich yolks that are wonderful for baking.

Hens will start laying eggs at around five to six months old. Chickens can be productive for three to five years. They will lay the most eggs their first year, but eggs will be larger in subsequent years. The average chicken will lay one egg in a 24 hour period and lay about 250 eggs in her first year. Chickens need a day with at least 11 hours of daylight to lay eggs, so they often will stop laying eggs in the winter months. They will also stop laying when they molt. Molting is when a chicken loses its old plumage and grows a new set of feathers. Chickens usually molt once a year, usually in the fall.

Picking up a chicken can be scary for some people. They will flap their wings and struggle if they feel off balance and insecure. To properly pick up a baby chick slip one hand under the baby and cup you other hand over the top of it. This will prevent it from accidentally jumping out of your hand. To pick up an adult bird, first gently grasp the bird with your hands over the wings. Next gently slide one hand down the breast and between the chicken’s legs, lightly holding the legs between your fingers. With the other hand continue to gently hold the wings. Lift the bird and hold them near your body. This will help them feel safe and secure at all times and they usually will not flap or struggle at all. Always handling them carefully and slowly will make them very gentle indeed.

Chickens need to be able to stay cool in the heat of the summer. Providing shade and ventilation will usually be all that is necessary. Chickens love to dig in a cool dusty spot as well. The dusting helps to cool them and will also help them prevent parasites, such as mites and lice. Chickens need to be out of the cold and out of drafts in the winter. They really do not need a lot of heat, but they must stay dry or they will develop frostbite.

Chickens and other kinds of poultry make great pets. I know it sounds weird. But they really do. They have quite different personalities and can really grow fond of their people. Feeding them treats, like millet or bread, will encourage their trust. We have had chickens that came running when you call, jumped on your lap and will follow you everywhere in the yard. They are quite beautiful to watch as they strut around the garden and scratch the grass for bugs. Their favorite thing to do is sing and a happy chicken song is one of the most satisfying and relaxing songs you will ever hear.

Feeding your hens table scraps, and allowing them to forage around the yard for their own snacks, really keeps the costs low. Imagine a pet that will turn old leftovers into a fluffy omelet for your breakfast! They are so easy to care for as well. No brushing required. Feeding and watering take just a few minutes each day and, no matter how many time you do it, gathering the eggs is a pleasure.

Hens make a great animal for children. The work is light and the fun is plenty. Many times a child will start with a single Easter chick and end up with an enjoyable hobby for life. Sometimes they will even branch out into breeding and showing the birds as an adult. There are certainly a lot of other things a child could be doing nowadays, that are not so wholesome.