What I Wish I Knew Before Keeping Chickens

Valentine’s Day weekend 2021, we bundled up and drove to our local livestock shop to buy six baby chicks right before an arctic blast hit our neighborhood. We were fortunate to find a filthy, but otherwise excellent brooder box in the barn when we cleaned it out, so the chicks had a place to live. Because of the weather, however, we carefully moved it from the garage to the basement utility room so that the baby birds would not freeze to death. Reader, this was a good idea, but also a bad one. In the three years we have cared for these birds, we have learned a thing or two.

Buy two brooder bulbs. Maybe we were naive or maybe it was because we also had an infant human to care for, but it did not occur to us that the brooder bulb would go out. It did. In the wee hours of the morning. Fortunately, Julio was awake and dashed over to the hardware store to buy one the second they opened. The brooder bulb provides warmth that the little chicks need to survive, and remember we were in a deep cold snap. Save yourself the worry and buy a second bulb up front.

Breed matters. Some breeds are bigger than others. Some lay more eggs. Some are fluffy. Some get broody. Think about what you want in a chicken and decide which kind to get. We do not plan to eat our animals and did not want an enormous coop, so we chose medium-sized birds. They can keep themselves warm, but won’t get very big. We wanted friendly birds because we have a small child. We didn’t want especially broody chickens, because we don’t plan to breed them. So, we got two Red Sexlink (Peggy and Antiope), two Black Sexlink (Angelica and Persephone), and two Easter Eggers (Eliza and Diaphena). The Sexlink chickens are called that because you can tell what sex they are when they hatch. Not so with the Easter Egger, so my favorite chick, Diaphena, actually turned out to be a rooster.

Chicks are not necessarily the best option. We really enjoyed watching the chicks grow, but the next time we get chickens, we do not think we will start from hatchlings again. One advantage of chicks, aside from their cuteness, is that they grow together so are less likely to get violent toward each other. On the flip side, given Colorado’s bumpy springs, they were in our basement for three months. The brooder was getting cramped, they were hopping out, pine shavings were everywhere. We couldn’t move them until it was warm enough overnight out in the coop, though. That dynamic is something to be aware of in acquiring your birds.

(Video: Chicken Hijinks)

You are Mama. If you start with chicks, you have to teach them how to drink and eat. They could dehydrate inches from water, if you do not show them where it is, dipping their beaks in every few hours. You also have to check them for pasty butt, making sure their little bottom vent is open so they do not go septic. They are vulnerable. One might die. The first week they take a lot of care. Julio was our mama hen and he did a great job.

Everything wants to kill your birds. Hawks. Foxes. Raccoons. We’ve had multiple neighbors lose chickens to their own dogs. Our coop has wire running all the way under the bottom of the run, which provides a lot of protection, but we cannot protect them from everything. I dread the day a raccoon decides to just open the door.

Coop placement matters. Our coop weighs hundreds of pounds, so moving it would be a real undertaking. Many places have rules about how close coops can be to fencelines. We did not want it too close to the house because of mice. We put it next to the barn for a windbreak. I wish we had placed it so that it would be easier to free-range the chickens in the backyard. Alas.

You’ll get attached. Chickens are funny and they make sweet noises and they learn to know you and that you might have an apple for them. You might notice that one of your hens is really clever and another…not so much. Prepare your heart.

Consider biosecurity. Remember when the price of eggs skyrocketed? That was because of a bad bird flu. In Colorado, if any of your birds got sick, the whole flock had to be culled. Birds can get sick from other flocks of birds or from wild birds. A covered run can help prevent disease from wild birds. Keeping good biosecuirty practices can also help. We have shoes that are only used with our animals so we do not track in germs from the trail or from our neighbors’ chickens—or vice versa.

Community helps. When it turned out Diaphena was a rooster, we decided we had to rehome him. We did not have enough hens to keep a rooster. (The ideal ratio is 10:1.) We did not want our beautiful boy to end up in someone’s freezer, so no Craigslist. But, Julio was in a backyard chicken forum and was able to find a little farm with 30 hens who wanted Diaphena. He is now living his best life as Valentino with a considerable harem. We also trade chicken-sitting duties with neighbors when needed. Julio’s friend Jeff brews beer and gives our chickens the spent grain from his homebrew. Community just makes things easier and better.

You will not get rich on eggs. Commercial egg farms have different practices than most backyard chicken coops. Most chickens do not lay eggs consistently year-round. It is hard on their bodies. They slow down when the days are short or when they molt or when they get older. We thought we would sell lots of eggs, but have not managed to. We sold several dozen, gave some away, ate some, and then egg production fell off. We love our lazy birds anyway. There are some things we could adjust with feed and breeds and timing for the future. For now, we are just enjoying our middle-aged flock.

Further Resources (Includes affiliate links)

• How to Speak Chicken

• A Kid’s Guide to Keeping Chickens

• Backyard Farming: Raising Chickens

• Farmer-ish has many posts and articles about backyard chickens

• COOP is a lit mag all about chickens