Are You Interested In Raising a Chicken As a Pet? Here Are Things That You Need to Prepare
In these days, raising a chicken is a great hobby for many people. I am one of them. Whenever I am feeling down or bored, just looking at them pecking around in my backyard, it instantly brought a smile on my face. They are also great pets for my children because they are really easy to care. However, the first thing you should do before buying a chicken, you will need to check with your local council to find out whether they allow you to keep chickens at your place.
Here are things that you need to prepare to raise chickens.
* Chicken house and Protected place to run – You need to make sure your chickens are safely kept away from their predators. There are pre-built chicken coops available for you to buy, but it could be costly. Alternatively, you can build one by yourself. There are many chicken-coop plans you can refer to. However, just make sure if the instructions are easy to follow even you don’t have any experience on woodworking projects.
* Small pebbles or grit – Chickens don’t have teeth like us, so they need small pebbles or grit to digest their food. If you plan to raise your chicken at a free range, then your chicken will get enough of them naturally otherwise you can get them from a pet shop near you.
* Feed – You will need to feed crumbs for the chick and mash/pallets for chicken, which is around 16 to 18 weeks old. Furthermore,to get good quality eggs, make sure feed them egg shells or Oyster shells.
* Heat Source – During the cold winter you should make sure keep the coop nice and warm. You could place your chicken coop where it can be exposed much to the sun light. It is better to have your chicken coop insulated.
* Nest Box – This is for the hens. They need to have a dark secret place to lay their eggs.
* Bedding – The things you should consider when you choose bedding materials are cost and manageability of materials. Personally, I don’t recommend hay as it can attract fleas and mites.
* Fresh Water – Make sure you give them fresh water at all times.
* Roosting bar off the ground – Chickens do not sleep in their nest box or on the floor of their coop. They sleep on the roosting bar at night.
Please don’t be overwhelming by these things. Most of them are easy to get it from your local pet shop. There are so many benefits you can receive from raising chickens. You can have fresh eggs daily. Your garden will be bugging free and neutralized. You will get an excellent fertilizer, and most of all you will have a wonderful live entertainment every day.
Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Are-You-Interested-In-Raising-a-Chicken-As-a-Pet?-Here-Are-Things-That-You-Need-to-Prepare&id=6390297