Home Grown Poultry Magazine | Chickens - Waterfowl

Build nest boxes where your chickens can cozy up and lay their eggs. A little bit of straw (not hay) to make a nest goes a long way.
Give your chickens room to roam. If you have a safely fenced yard or an off-street area, let them wander free during the day. If you give them a good spot to get out of the weather and up off the ground, they usually won’t go very far from it. Often chickens prefer not to go anywhere they can’t see their coop from. If you can’t let them roam free, try making a little run for them out of hardware cloth (strong, welded wire fencing that has small, square openings–most hardware stores have it by the roll), or if you have to, you can keep them in the coop with a small run attached to it. Don’t use chicken wire, as it is way too flimsy and is easily torn into by predators such as dogs, and even humans. Spend a little extra money on good fencing materials and save yourself the heartbreak of finding your birds torn to shreds one day.
Purchase food for your chickens before they arrive. Feed supply stores are a good source as well as the Internet. You should have a bag of pelleted poultry feed (for large breeds) or crumble (for bantam breeds). Put the feed in a covered feeder and replace it regularly, as it does go stale. Never let your chickens eat damp feed! Chickens also love table scraps. They are effective weed eaters and insect control. Fresh and cracked corn is a favorite as well as tomatoes, apples and anything baked. Steer clear of giving your chickens onions and garlic, as it can flavor the eggs. Also, chocolate, raw potatoes, and avocados are toxic to birds and your chickens should never eat it. A good rule of thumb: if it’s healthy for you, it’s usually healthy for your chickens. Use common sense and keep pesticides, antifreeze and other chemicals out of your birds’ reach. Clean up uneaten food before it spoils and stinks up their home.

Find your chickens. There are many ways of finding local chicken farmers. Ask around at farmers markets, health food stores and feed supply stores. Check the classifieds for a livestock section. The other option is to purchase your chickens online. Your county fair, 4H Clubs, county agriculture extension service–all are good starting points. You can even buy fertile eggs to incubate and hatch on your own! Hatching your own chicks is an amazing experience, especially for kids. If you decide to do this, be well prepared and do your research–it’s fairly easy but you need to be prepared for those little balls of fluff.
Keep everything clean. Once every week or two (depending on how many chickens you have in how little space), clean out the coop, wipe down the perches, and scrub down their feeders. If they are laying, thoroughly clean their nest boxes, especially if an egg cracked at one point. Keeping their environment clean will also keep your neighbors from complaining.
Watch your chickens. Check the feed and water every day. Observe them regularly and look for changes in behavior and habits that will alert you to ways you can improve their habitat:
Are they eating their food and drinking their water? Always make sure the food and water are fresh, cool, and clean.
Are they huddling together in a particular spot? It might be too cold for them, or there could be a draft.
Are they breathing heavily? Check that they have enough shade to find a spot where they can cool off.
Are they losing feathers? The proverbial “pecking order” may be in effect. If any of the chickens are bleeding, consider separating it, as other chickens will continue to peck at the wound.
Are they all there? Count your chickens every day, especially if you have more than ten.
Be on the look out for signs of disease. Some possible symptoms to look for indicating injury/illness/disease include: Coughing, wheezing, labored breathing, warts/scabs, swollen joints, loss of feathers, reduced egg production, thin egg shells, fever, abscesses or open wounds, paralysis, twisting of neck/head, discharge from nose/mouth, diarrhea/blood in stool, not eating/drinking, weight loss, retarded growth, lack of coordination, enlarged abdomen.

Tips:

Find an avian (bird) vet before you need one. 2AM Sunday morning is no time to be stuck running around trying to find someone to treat your chicken! (However, this is only important if you have show quality chickens. Find the local livestock veterinarian for mass problems. Otherwise, chickens take care of themselves pretty well if they have enough food, water, and space.)

Find a “chicken sitter” if you ever plan on being away from your home for more than a day. Chickens need to be tended to at least twice a day (to let them out of the coop or put them in, to check their food and water, etc.). If you’re not around to do it, you need to get in touch with someone who’s responsible and comfortable with this task.
Buy a book on keeping chickens for reference.