Weston Henning, 4, of Newfane holds a Rhode Island Red hen. Upcoming classes will cover how to raise chickens in your backyard.
by Connie Oswald Stofko
“Chickens are easy to take care of, they don’t cost a lot and they can be good pets, said Amanda Henning, Agriculture and Food Systems Educator with .
But before you run out and get a bunch of fuzzy chicks, find out what is really involved in raising chickens.
Henning, who raises chickens herself, will teach two classes on “Backyard Chickens” in the small meeting room of the 4-H Training Center of Niagara County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4487 Lake Ave., Lockport.
Class 1, “Backyard Chicken Basics,” will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1.
Class 2, “Backyard Chicken Keeping,” will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15.
The cost is $10 for each class or $15 for both.
To register, call Karen at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County at (716) 433-8839, ext. 221.
The classes are being held now because fall and winter are the best times to prepare for new chickens, which are widely available in the spring.
A big issue is whether you are allowed to keep chickens where you live. Henning lives in Newfane, where rules allow her to keep one horse, one cow and 10 chickens.
In nearby Lockport, you can keep chickens if you live in an agricultural district, but they must be penned, not free range. If you live in a residential area, you’re not allowed to keep chickens.
However, even if you live in an area where chickens aren’t allowed, you might be able to get a variable use permit, Henning said.
To find out what the rules are where you live, call your municipality. It can be very helpful talking to and working with your local officials, she said.
With the local food movement, many people are more interested in knowing where their food comes from, Henning said. Some people have gardens, but they want to take it one step further. You can raise chickens to provide eggs or meat.
With the price of eggs so high right now, it can be economical in the long run to raise your own chickens, Henning said. You don’t have to use expensive feed.
Building or buying a coop can be the largest expense, but you could use an old dog house to raise a couple of chickens.
“You can be creative,” she said, “and chickens are pretty hardy.”
Henning’s coop is about 3 ½ feet by 5 feet and their pen is about 6 feet by 8 feet.
“You don’t need a lot of room,” she said.
Chickens generally lay one egg in a 24-hour period, but their laying is affected by the number of daylight hours. In the winter, when there is less daylight, people will often have a light on the coop to get the hens to lay.
Henning has Rhode Island Reds, which lay brown eggs, and Americana hens, which lay turquoise eggs. The taste and nutrition of the eggs is the same as white chicken eggs, but it’s cool to have blue-green eggs, she said.
The other reason she chose those breeds is because her children interact with the animals.
“My kids feed them and pet them,” Henning said. “Depending on what breed you get, they can be really friendly. But honestly, some breeds are not family friendly. They have a little grouchier disposition, I would say.”
Having proper housing is important when keeping chickens.
“There are so many things that want to eat them,” she said. Snakes will try to eat the eggs. Foxes, raccoons, rats and even hawks will go after the adults.
“Then there’s your neighbor’s dog, or your dog,” Henning said.
Cats aren’t much of a threat, she said.
“Cats are about the same size as a chicken,” she said, though a cat would go after baby chicks.
Henning will also cover how to keep your chickens healthy. This summer, to prevent the spread of avian flu. While the current strain isn’t harmful to humans, it can be deadly to chickens. Owners can have their birds vaccinated, and it’s a good idea not to have someone who also owns chickens touch your birds. However, this is more of an issue when there are lots of chickens confined to one area.
Starting with chicks or eggs from certified dealers is also important to have healthy chickens, she said.
The classes will also cover hatching chicks from eggs, nutrition and anatomy.
Chickens are easy to care for, but the classes will help you know what is involved.
“With a coop, food and clean water, and they’re good to go,” Henning said. “But do your research just to make sure this is something you want to do before you get into it.”
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We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Charleston West Virginia,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Charleston
West Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Charleston West Virginia, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale,
turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale,
chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Charleston WV.
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Charleston West Virginia
catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await
the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and
different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to
their site and request one if you are interested.
Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Charleston West Virginia * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Charleston
West Virginia * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries
will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is
necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put
in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce
enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to
buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you
choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship
and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in
Charleston West Virginia is easy and has always been a very pleasant
experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks
but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all
those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait
was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Charleston,
West Virginia Baby chicks are really
adorable as well as
challenging to withstand,
however it's ideal to plan for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare first
by compiling not just the
right materials, but
likewise the appropriate
understanding to take care of
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
basic, you simply have to supply them with the following: A tidy and also cozy
environment A lot of food and water Focus and
love Habitat Your environment could be a
simple box, aquarium,
cat service provider, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and also
blankets (with no loose
strings!) to begin, and after a
couple of weeks make use of straw over paper.
Note: Avoid using only
newspaper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs could grow
misshapen. You likewise require
something to dish out food as well as
water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water
recipe from the feed store, or a pickle container
cover for food and a family
pet bird water dispenser from a
pet dog shop. Additionally, as the chicks age you can present a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
educated on perching. Warmth To
maintain your chicks warm you should
provide them with a heat resource.
This can be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb additionally work extremely well (my
suggestion). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 till their downy fluff is
changed with plumes (which can take up to 2 months). The freshly
hatched out require a temperature level
between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
and also each week this can
be minimized by
roughly 5 degrees approximately. The heat resource need to get on just one side of the cage
to allow chicks an array of
temperatures. The chicks are your finest
thermostat- if they are concealing in the
opposite corner of your heat
light, you should
reduce the temperature. If
they are smothering each other under the
warmth (not just cuddling),
you need to add some heat.
Home cleaning
Sanitation is crucial as
well as it keeps your chicks healthy. Be sure to transform
the bed linens
usually as well as
consistently provide tidy
food and also water Food as well as water.
Chicks expand really quickly
which requires a lot of clean
food and water. Supply
enough whatsoever times as well
as examine
commonly to
stop thirsty as well as
starving chicks. Chick food is different than grown-up chicken food, and it comes
in both medicated and non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, after that
switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for another 2 months,
and then to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Soil Some chicks like to obtain a running start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others won't occupy that task up until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
enclosure, present a tray of sand or
filth for them to wash in.
Attention and also love There are a
few benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. First off, they will more than likely bond with you and also
not run away as adults. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily as well as
enjoy their habits, you can
capture disease or various
other issues previously. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or
other harmful
signs. Make certain to
also look at
their poop, as diarrhea could result in matted feathers and also clogged up cloaca.
Last but not least, it is very
important to watch out for social problems, such as the
smallest chick obtaining badgered. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently totally feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your home
and also move outside into a cage. Have a look at our
area on chicken cages to find out
more
concerning coops and also
proper coop environments.