Advice for New Chicken Owners

If you are going to micro farm/homestead with chickens buy the largest equipment you can afford! Do not waste your money on the little plastic one gallon waterers they work for chicks for a while but they quickly out grow them. Plus you will really want to get their food and water off the floor because chickens are disgusting and will pee and poop in their food and water if they are able to roost on it!

You will need the following:

• waterer (a couple if you have more then 10 birds and you live in hot climate like we do!)
  
• feeder
• chicken feed (homemade or from the feed store)
• Oyster Shells (something to harden their shells! You can even grind up their egg shells and serve it back to them but make sure they are unrecognizable or they will start eating their own eggs.
• Chicken House
• Chicken yard (unless you plan on having 100% free range chickens which is our goal!)

Pictures of Chicken growth:

Amerucana (brown patch on his head) is 2 weeks old. Note they are starting to get feathered. They are able to get to their roosts that are about 1' and then 2' off the ground.

Production Red (yellow) is 2 weeks old. Note they are starting to get feathered. They are able to get to their roosts that are about 1' and then 2' off the ground.

Large Production red is 18 weeks old. Fully feathered and nearly the same size as the laying hens. Noticeable difference is their comb and wattles are not red or fully developed.

The kiddo is my chicken wrangler, she's been catching chickens since she was 4! Okay, she's still 4 but it'll be a great story when she's telling her kids!