Kita Agro

My First Year With Chickens: A Week-By-Week Guide to a Happy, Healthy Flock Sponsored by  Purina Table of Contents:   Welcome to raising chicken Before chickens: What to do ■  City rules, breed selection Before chickens: What you’ll need ■  Supply checklist, starter feed selection Setting up ■  Brooder guide Week 1: Welcoming chicks home Weeks 2–3: Keep the growing going Week 3: Prepare the coop ■  Coop location, types of coops, building considerations Weeks 4–5: The teenage stage ■  Gender identification, feather changes Weeks 6–8: It’s coop time ■  Transitioning from brooder to coop Weeks 9–14: A time of exploration ■  Free-ranging, dust bath DIY, nest boxes Weeks 15–17: Egg-ticipation ■  Choosing a layer feed Week 18: Welcome to adulthood ■  The first egg, egg gathering, storage Mature hens: It’s egg-laying time ■  Egg goals, treats, lighting, cold weather care Year two and beyon...

Welcome to raising chickens. Congratulations on your new chicks! It’s time to bring them home and quickly fall in love. This year will be filled with many milestones for your family to celebrate—from watching your chicks grow and gain their feathers to building a coop together and then celebrating your first farm fresh egg. You are in for a year of many firsts—and, most excitingly, a year of fun! Raising backyard chickens is especially exciting when you have a partner in the process. That’s why we created this guide. Keep this book handy as your chicks grow. You can simply flip to the pages that match your chicks’ age for quick tips on what to do each week. We learned many of these tips from our own backyard coops on our farm in Missouri. Our Ph.D. nutritionists, feed formulators and flock caregivers work with our backyard chickens each day. For us, life is just better with chickens. We love spending time with our flock and hope you will too. If you have any questions as you...

What you’ll need: Now that you know the breed for you, it’s shopping time! The most important starter supplies are for the chicks’ first home, called a brooder. Bring this checklist to your local Purina ®  retailer to purchase supplies to keep your chicks comfortable. Plan for your chicks’ adult home as well. Chicks will move to the chicken coop at 6–8 weeks. Find more information about chicken coops below. Purchasing chicks: Make sure chicks are from a credible U.S. Pullorum-Typhoid Clean hatchery that vaccinates chicks for Marek’s Disease or a hatchery that participates in the NPIP (National Poultry Improvement Plan) program. You may be able to pick up chicks at your local Purina ®  retailer during Purina ®  Chick Days. You can also order chicks from a hatchery online or from a breeder. When purchasing, be sure to ask the correct questions, including: breed, gender and if the chicks are vaccinated for Marek’s disease and coccidiosis. Choosing a complete f...

Before chickens: Make sure chickens are allowed. Before buying your first chicks, make sure they’re allowed where you live. Many townships, villages and cities have embraced the benefits of backyard flocks; however, chicken keeping is not yet permitted everywhere. Talk with your city representatives to learn of any chicken ordinances and local laws. Ask for a file to keep on hand. Then, share the good news with your neighbors. Questions to ask your  city officials before  buying chickens ✓  How many birds are allowed? ✓  Are both hens and roosters acceptable? ✓  Are there rules on where the coop can be built? ✓  What do I need from my neighbors before starting? ✓  Do I need a permit to raise chickens and/or build a coop? ✓  Who can I contact if I have to unexpectedly part ways with my chickens? Think about where you’ll keep your chickens once they are grown. Each bird will need 4 square feet of indoor space and 5–10 square fee...

Week 1:  Welcoming Chicks Home Congratulations! Backyard chickens are now a part of your family. Your happy, healthy flock starts today. Now that your chicks are home, the main elements they need are: warmth, water and feed. Buff Orpington chick, Barred Rock chick. Warmth:  Ensure the heat lamp you set up yesterday is working properly. Use a thermometer to confirm the brooder temperature is 95° F at chick level. Watch chicks closely for the first few hours to make sure the heat lamp isn’t too close or too far away. If chicks gather around the perimeter, they’re too hot. If they huddle under the heat lamp, they’re too cold. Water:  Without a mother hen to teach chicks to drink, it’s a good idea for you to show them. Dip each chick’s beak into the room temperature water that you set up yesterday. Monitor the group to confirm all chicks are drinking within the first couple of hours. Feed:  Provide a complete feed with at least 18 percent protein to provide...

Year Two and Beyond At this point, you’ve likely been bitten by the chicken lover’s bug. You’ve joined thousands of American families who have fallen in love with backyard chickens. Caring for your adult hens will be similar to weeks 18–52, but here are a few new experiences to expect: Chicken math:  In the chicken world 1+1 can equal 12. After conquering year one, it might be time to add new breeds and personalities to the flock. Keep new birds in a separate room or coop for 30 days to ensure they are disease-free. Work with the existing flock first and wash your hands between groups. Follow a similar quarantine plan for new chicks, as older hens can transmit disease to chicks and pullets. For chicks, though, the separation should last for 18 weeks or until both groups are mature. After the quarantine period, gradually introduce the new group of similar size and traits into the established flock.  Always tend to the youngest birds first and move to the next oldest and so...

Mature Hens:  It’s Egg-laying Time Now that your hens are laying, you’ve entered the fun phase that we like to call “pets with benefits!” Not only will your hens make you smile, they’ll also make you breakfast. Take time to observe your farm fresh eggs. You’ll likely notice vibrant yolks, stiff whites and exceptional flavor. You can begin to expect nearly one egg each day per laying hen. High-producing hens can lay up to 300 eggs per year; however, most hens will lay about 200–250 eggs. Six eggs per week:  It takes approximately 25 hours for a hen to produce one egg, so six eggs per week is an ideal goal. Breed, housing, weather, management, parasite load and nutrition can all affect your hen’s rate of lay. Feed them what they need:  Hens are now channeling many of their nutrients into their eggs. Not only does flock nutrition impact the eggs they produce, it also contributes to each hen’s overall health. To provide the nutrients she needs, continue feeding free-ch...

Week 18:  Welcome to Adulthood Most laying breeds are considered adults when they turn 18 weeks. Most excitingly, this is the time when many hens will lay their first egg. Things to do this week: Introduce layer feed.  When birds reach 18 weeks old or when the first egg arrives, slowly switch hens to a complete layer feed. It is important to make the transition over time to prevent digestive upset. For our hens in Missouri, we mix the starter-grower and the layer feed evenly for four or five days. After that, stop adding the starter-grower feed and just continue to add layer feed. If the layer feed is in crumble form, you can transition a little faster. If you are switching to the pelleted layer, it may take a little longer for the birds to recognize the new feed form. Teach hens to lay in nesting boxes.  After a hen begins laying eggs, it’s her tendency to lay in the same spot moving forward. Create several comfortable, clean and cozy nesting areas to prevent ...

Weeks 15–17:  Egg-ticipation Your pullets are nearing maturity and the first egg is just around the corner. Egg-producing pullets will typically begin laying at about 18 to 20 weeks and will need to be switched to a complete layer feed. Choose a layer feed today so you’re ready for the transition at week 18. Laying hens require 38 different nutrients to stay healthy and produce quality eggs. The biggest difference is calcium. Chickens need to eat 4 grams of calcium per day to form an eggshell each day. If the feed does not provide enough calcium, hens may pull the nutrient from their bones, eventually causing a weak skeletal structure. Purina layer feeds that include the Oyster Strong ®  System are made to provide this necessary calcium, so there’s no need to supplement with oyster shells. The feed you select can also impact the nutrition profile of a hen’s eggs. For added nutrition, look for a complete feed that includes omega-3. It’s been shown that hens fed Lay...