Becoming a Chicken Farmer

Eggs. From baking to breakfast, we use eggs in just about everything. Three years ago, I bought some baby chicks and decided to see why this whole "Urban Chicken" industry was growing so fast.

I started out with fourteen baby chicks, brought them home, and set up our brooder kit that had the walls and post for a brooder heat lamp. I first set it up in my garage worried the little buggers needed to be inside rather than just in the barn outside.

Here's a brooder kit we sell online that can help keep you in getting your new chicks established.

I also realized that they eat and drink a lot  and keeping electrolytes in the water and keeping it clean was a bit tough. Once they started developing their feathers, they became almost self-sufficient.

Meat & Layer Birds: Differences to Learn

As I did some research, I found that meat birds will eat and eat and not stop. This means you have to monitor their food intake, or else they could actually die from eating too much.

Here's our selection of chicken feed we stock online.

The flavor of your meat birds is something you'll appreciate immediately. It's very much different than a store bought chicken. Probably about 10x's better.The process isn't hard at all, and the reward is well worth it.

As for the layer birds, after about 6 months the first eggs were laid. They were so little I don't think it took all but 15 seconds to fry one up. And the buttery smooth taste was again, noticeably different than any store bought eggs.

Disease when it Comes to Chickens

As time went on, winter approached and I noticed that the feathers on the birds were disappearing and, with the cold we have in the Northwest, was wondering if they were going to make it through the winter.

After doing a lot of reading and looking at the chickens, I realized they had mites. So I took some Tempo, and took the chickens out of the coop, cleaned the coop and then sprayed the entire coop down with Tempo.

Chicken medication is available online here.

I later used a new product called Annihilator Polyzone that had a 90 day residual over the Tempo's 30 day residual. Both worked, and after a couple weeks, the feathers started coming back. I also switched feed to the Nutrena Feather Fixer mixed with scratch grains and during the winter put some electrolytes in the water so you can be sure your chickens stay hydrated.

Outcome of Becoming a Chicken Farmer

Two years later I have 17 chickens: white leghorns, barred brahma's and ameraucana's and am getting 14-16 eggs a day.

I enjoy the chickens even if the coop does start to smell from time to time, but cleaning it out and putting down new bedding isn't that much different than using a pooper scooper in the dog run.

I have enjoyed learning and reaping the benefits of what "Urban Chicken Farming" has to offer. If you have any questions, please submit them to us using the form below and we will get back to you within 24 hours.