Choosing a Breed
When choosing a breed of chicken for a layer flock for your homestead, it’s probably best to pick one that is “laid back” and specializes in laying eggs of the color you want. Pick a few that you like from a poultry catalogue and then research their attributes to determine which is best for you. Over the years, I have had sebrights, americaunas, buff orpingtons, cuckoo marans, polish crested, houdans…I think that’s about it. Of all of these, americaunas and buff orpingtons are my favorite and the only ones I own now. I dislike the others for a variety of reasons ranging from temperament to poor egg production. Americaunas and Buffs always lay a lot of eggs (5-7 per week/ per hen) and their temperaments are great. Sebrights are flighty and too nervous for my open mixed animal operation. My cuckoo marans only layed 2-3 eggs per week, and are very meaty. Meatier breeds need more feed for maintenance and thus are more expensive to upkeep. I wouldn’t describe the marans as downright mean, but they certainly were very defensive. For example, if I catch a buff to clip her wings, she may make a little noise, but for the most part she is still and allows me to clip her without much ado. I have had marans rather than run from me, come at my face in attack mode when I am trying to catch them. Then when I do get a hold of them they scream as if they are being tortured and try to tear my hand apart as I clip their wings. This temperament may not be indicative of all Marans strains ( I bought mine from ideal poultry), but I have found it true of the ones that I own.
How many?
This is more than a simple question of how much space you have. I have kept as little as 3 chickens and as many as 30. I personally favor 8-10 hens. When I was at my “hen max”, the eggs were literally taking over my fridge and it was costing me around $30/month to feed the flock. Not to mention they were stealing dog and goat food and trashing my yard. When it was just me and my daughter Ava, 3 hens was the perfect number for us. We even had a surplus of eggs during the summer.
Housing
Whether your hens are enclosed or free range, you’ll need somewhere they can be entirely enclosed in case of increment weather (snow storm, hurricane, etc.). I prefer a combination of the two (enclosed in the winter, free range in the summer). The following chart shows the pros and cons of raising hens free range and enclosed.
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PROS |
CONS |
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CLEANUP |
Enclosed |
You don’t have to worry about poop on your back poarch or in your goat’s hay rack. When bedded properly, soiled bedding can be removed every month or two and replaced with fresh bedding. The soiled bedding can be applied sparingly to gardens. |
This option will stink. There is no getting around it. Confined livestock always stink and invariably attract flies. |
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Range |
There is almost no cleanup here. When bedding is used in the roost area, it only needs to be replaced around 3 times per year. NO ODOR here. Well I guess if you stuck your head right in the roost, you would smell a slight stinch, but nothing compared to what you get with a confined operation. |
Chickens spread their poop all around – not completely a downside. This is only a negative thing when your chickens go poop in places you don’t want them to like your back porch or on your patio furniture, or the kids swing set. |
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FEEDING |
Enclosed |
You can control exactly what your chickens are eating. |
More expensive to feed this way since they can’t forage for any of their own food. Fresh greens must be supplied if you wish to have eggs that taste like old fashioned “yard eggs”. |
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Range |
Eggs are more flavorful. Feed cost is reduced. Chickens have a more varied, healthful diet. |
Sometimes the things your chickens eat can produce off flavors in the eggs. There is something that grows during the winter that gives my hens eggs a very peculiar taste. Confining them in the winter alleviates this problem. |
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EGG GATHERING |
Enclosed |
Very easy. Hens lay their eggs right where you want them. |
I have experienced no issues. |
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Range |
It’s kind of fun playing “easter egg hunt” every day. My dog enjoys feasting on the lost eggs. |
The eggs can be hard to find. If you find a new hiding spot full of eggs, you have to discard all of them as you don’t know how old they are. You can alleviate this problem by leaving “dummy” eggs where you want the hens to lay and they’ll usually oblige you. |
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DISEASE |
Enclosed |
If you do get worms or a disease in your flock, you could replace your entire flock with new hens and put the coop in an entirely new spot. This eliminates the need to treat your hens with medication. |
Worm loads in the hens guts can get high causing poor health and necessitating the use of a chemical wormer. Any disease pathogens will have a much easier time causing infection in confinement than the would in a range fed operation. |
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Range |
Disease and excessive worm loads are very rare. |
Free to roam, your hens could expose them selves to a larger array of pathogens. |
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PREDATORS |
Enclosed |
Hens can be easily protected with sturdy fencing and/or electrical wire. |
If the enclosure is less than a fortress, the hens are an easy target for many predators including opossum, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and dogs. |
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Range |
Chickens have plenty of room to get away from bad guys, if the need arises. |
The Chickens are easy targets for hawks and other birds of prey. If they don’t have a secure place to roost at night, they may be preyed upon by opossum, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and dogs. |
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MENTAL WELLBEING |
Enclosed |
I don’t know of any benefits to enclosing chickens for their entire lives. |
Chickens may become bored and start pulling each others feathers out. They don’t seem to be as happy. |
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Range |
The chickens can do what chickens do. They can chase after flies, take dust baths, and choose from a buffet of insects, grasses, and weeds. |
I don’t know of any downside to allowing chickens to roam freely. |
NEST BOXES
The nest boxes need to be at least 1’ wide x 1’ long and 1.5’ high. They would need to be a bit larger for some of the meatier breeds. They need to be placed somewhere dark, out of the way, and off of the ground. This will prevent egg eating and soiled eggs. The boxes need to be easily accessible and must be checked AT LEAST once a day for the freshest eggs. I have read that chickens should be done laying by mid-morning. My lazy girls usually aren’t finished laying until 1 p.m., so I find it convenient to check the nest boxes when I come home from work in the evening.
If you have any questions about chickens, send us an email. As my late uncle Wayne told me when he gave me my first set of hens, “You’re in the chicken business now.”
Good Luck,
Suzanne |
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