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Keeping a Flock for Eggs & Meat

If you are fortunate enough to live in a municipality that embraces backyard chickens then perhaps you have considered starting a small flock to supply your family with eggs. A cursory search online can be overwhelming with the volume of information about how to go about choosing the right breed & how to care for them.

Choosing the Right Breed for your Backyard Flock

Right of the hop, chicken breeds are divided into 3 categories. Most widely available are meat breeds, (often called broilers) or layers. A third category exists through hobby breeders & a select handful of commercial hatcheries. “Dual purpose” or heritage breeds can lay a considerable number of eggs per year while also producing a decent carcass for the dinner table. Here is central Alberta, we buy our chicks from Rochester Hatchery in Westlock.

It might come as a surprise to learn that you can buy chicks or chickens at just about any stage of their development. Hatching eggs, day old chicks, ready-to-lay pullets & retired commercial hens are all available if you know where to look. If you are new to chickens completely, retired commercial hens are a very economical way to start a flock. The come without the learning curve & it’s a great way to get up & running right away. It’s how I wish I had started with chickens – instead, I brought 100 heritage chicks home in the middle of winter. They ended up in our basement & we all struggled to get through to spring. Our losses were high, our electricity bill was insane & we still didn’t get any eggs for 24 weeks which just added insult to injury.

Caring for Day-Old Chicks

If you are dead set on buying day old chicks because they are cute then just know it can be labour & feed intensive to get them to the point where they begin to lay. They require extra attention, special brooder equipment & specialized chick feed ideally for best results & minimal losses.

Be sure to clarify if they are sexed, or straight-run. If they are straight run consider buying twice as many as you plan to keep. Be sure to check your by-laws regarding roosters. Sexed chicks are often more expensive per chick & they still cannot guarantee that a male chick didn’t sneak into the bunch! Just know going into it what to expect & have a clear idea of what you need before ordering your chicks.

Planning for Your Family’s Needs – & Your Flocks!

Deciding on the number of female chicks you want depends on how many eggs you expect to get. When choosing a breed research the average number of eggs each hen should lay per year. Bear in mind the majority of those eggs will come between April & September. Your supply will very likely dwindle during the winter. Hens produce eggs based on the hours of daylight, so when the days get shorter it signals to the hens to conserve energy and slow down their production.

You can manipulate them with UV lights in the coop to trick them into laying more. Generally speaking, I am against that & I would discourage you from doing so as well. In the winter, our coop is unheated & often the eggs freeze before I get to them. It’s a nice surprise when I do get a fresh egg, & we treat it as such.

During the peak season, around June & July we are overwhelmed with eggs. We often give them away to family, but we also prepare for the leaner months by preserving fresh eggs. This is easy to do! Various methods exist but the least intimidating is simply cracking them into a silicone ice cube tray, freezing them, and then popping them into a freezer bag. I use these eggs for all of our winter baking needs.

Chicken Flock Behaviour – What to Expect

My rule of thumb is 2 hens per person in the household. A good hen during the peak of her laying period will give you an egg just about every day & a half. Allow for downtime during the winter & also during their annual molt. Production will drop off again to conserve energy & allow the hen to shed her old feathers & grow new ones.

Whether you decide to buy straight run because they are cheaper, or a male chick gets mixed in with your girls, have a plan for what to do if you find yourself with a male chick or two. If you can keep them, I would encourage you to do so. Butcher male birds around the same time your pullets begin to lay – 18 to 24 weeks depending on the breed. Any longer than that & the meat will become tough & the males may kill each other trying to establish dominance. They will also put stress on your pullets & cause injuries. If you decide to keep some males & allow them to mature, keep a ratio of 1 rooster for every 12 hens for a harmonious coop.

Low Maintenance Shelter to Keep Your Flock Content

A good rule of thumb when planning your coop is to allocate approximately 2sqft per bird. This is in keeping with many of the current humane handling practices & organic certification guidelines. It does not include the area considered for free ranging or in an enclosed run, however, so bear that in mind.

Choosing to Free Range or Enclose Your Hens

If you are within city limits, you likely won’t be able to free range your flock so an enclosed run will need to be added to your plans. Ideally, a run should face south and be sheltered from the wind. If at all possible, consider covering the top with wire or netting. Our first foray with free ranging birds ended swiftly once the owls & the hawks discovered the flock. Depending on the predator pressure in your area that may be a deciding factor for you as well.

Chickens that are kept in one area continually will deplete the sod of each and every blade of grass present. They will leave a dust bowl of hard packed subsoil to blow away. Ideally, you would be able to move chickens from one location to another to prevent soil erosion & distribute the beneficial chicken manure. Again, though, if you are planning a backyard flock this might not be feasible.

What Makes a Good Chicken Coop?

As for the coop itself, it could be as inglorious as a converted garden shed, or it could be as magestic as you want to make it – but I’d caution against going too crazy. Pre-made coops are available at rural hardware stores, online through specialty lifestyle vendors & even Amazon. These prefab coops often come with a hefty price tag – & you’re paying for convenience & aesthetic more so than animal preferences.

All your coop needs is a snug shelter that is draft free, dry and lets in plenty of light & fresh air. Secure any access door for the chickens to move between the coop & the run. Your chickens can be trained to go in at night but always double check that everyone is accounted for.

Providing the Right Bedding for Your Chickens

Bedding depends on what you have access to, but for us we have found woodchips work best. Straw can be difficult to muck out in the spring & may be difficult to source in town for a reasonable price. Wood chips are available at any pet store or rural feed supply & last long. Begin with at least 6″ deep of bedding & add new clean bedding occasionally as litter builds up. Clear away any wet spots from a water spill & add to the compost.

You don’t need to replace the bedding constantly; a good annual mucking is often more than enough. It is good practice to disinfect the coop between mucking out the old bedding & laying down the new. If you can smell your chicken coop – it’s time for new bedding. If you find you are changing it more than once or twice annually, it’s possible you have too many birds for the size of your coop or your bedding is too stingy. Be generous with it!

Providing Heat in Winter

Heat in a coop isn’t necessary, & often heat lamps can be dangerous. Providing a heat source can also make it harder for your birds to acclimatize to changes in the season & will leave them dependent on the heat-lamp for warmth. If you loose power for whatever reason your birds will struggle if not die in the middle of winter. Heat lamps can also cause unnecessary humidity in the coop which will aggravate frostbite more so than a dry cold & can also lead to respiratory issues with your birds. If it’s possible to insulate your coop, then the body heat of the animals, the decomposing bedding on the floor, south facing windows & the insulation will all go along way to keeping the coop livable & comfortable for your birds all winter long.

Nesting Boxes & Roosts – The Final Touches

Provide a bank of nesting boxes for your hens to choose from but don’t be surprised if they favour one over the others & compete for access to it. That’s just how chickens are! The minimum number of nest boxes per bird is 1 box for every 4 birds. Nesting boxes should be a minimum of 2ft off the ground. I would also recommend a nestbox design that includes a roosting bar. The bar works in such a way that prevents hens from roosting in the nestboxes overnight and soiling the bedding in the nest box. Be sure to include a roosting perch on the opposite site of the coop than the nesting boxes. Allow 8″ of roost per bird. These can be constructed from loose branches from your yard, or 2″ thick roundstock from the hardware store.

Feed & Water Requirements

When it comes to eggs, the expression “it’s what’s inside that counts” really rings true. The prettiest shell variety of natural blues, greens, dark browns & pinks are nice to look at on your counter – but what do they taste like?

Eggs are the end result of all of your hard work to keep your flock healthy & happy. How you care for your chickens affects the quality & quantity of eggs you get out of them – so don’t skimp!

Chicken feed is available at all rural feed supply stores but you certainly don’t need to rely on it. With a bit of searching around you should be able to source the raw ingredients needed to make your own chicken feed if sourcing a natural, GMO or organic feed is a priority for you.

DIY Feed Recipe for Backyard Chickens

Chicken feed primarily comprises of cereal grains & legumes in a fixed proportion of protein, fat & carbohydrate. You also need to include a vitamin A, D, & E to ensure an adequate supply in your flocks diet.

Here is the recipe we use:

• 45 lbs of wheat
• 25 lbs of oats
• 5 lbs of barley

Mix these grains, & grind them into a coarse feed. If grains are too large they can be difficult to digest. If they are ground into a powder, the feed could cause respiratory issues for your hens.

To this mix, add 25lbs of poultry supplement. Be sure to verify if the supplement you are using has added medication to prevent illnesses like coccidiosis. If it does, & you are planning on butchering your roosters, withdraw feed according to the label’s instructions – typically 2 weeks prior.

Be sure to add free choice calcium in the form of oyster shell, & grit to aid in digestion.

I also recommend milling this feed in small batches to maintain freshness. Whole grains go rancid quickly once ground, so try measuring enough for a week at a time & grind it at home if you are able. If this isn’t a possibility, try sprouting your grains by soaking in water overnight prior to feeding to aid in digestion.

Improvising Feed Solutions

If poultry supplement is totally unavailable to you for whatever reason, you can still make your own feed.

To the above recipe add the following:

• 25lbs protein; either peameal or dried mealworms
• 5lbs flax or kelp meal

In my experience purchasing chickfeed is the best way to feed juveniles. If you are going the DIY feed route, you can slowly transition them from storebought chickfeed to your own mix gradually.

Treats to Spoil Your Laying Hens

You can also plan to offer corn, but I’d suggest leaving it as a treat & not making it a staple part of their diet. I do not recommend soy for any of the livestock we raise, though it is a significant source of protein in commercial feed rations. Kitchen scraps also make for a nice treat – but it’s difficult to balance the ration & ensure the birds are getting enough protein or calcium for peak performance. Let the kitchen scraps be a treat once or twice a week. Leave out the egg shells or you risk teaching your hens to eat their own eggs!

How much does a Chicken Eat or Drink in a Day?

The amount each hen will eat in a day depends on the time of year, and the stage of life she is at, but you can expect her to eat 4-5 ounces of feed per day during the peak of her laying.

As for water, expect a mature hen to consume as much as 2C of water a day regardless of winter or summer – an egg is almost entirely water!

Butchering Cockerels & Old Hens

After you have been raising chickens for a few years, your original hens may begin to taper off their egg production. At this point, you have a couple choices. On the one hand, if you’ve grown attached to them you could keep them as pets & perhaps bring in new chicks to supplement their production. This can be tricky, though, as hens are remarkably territorial & can be very aggressive towards newcomers. The second option is to cull your older birds.

Preparing for a Chicken Butcher

Backyard chickens are primarily kept for egg production, but their meat is a valuable bi-product that shouldn’t go overlooked. Hens that are over 3 years of age are prime candidates for the stock pot.

If you decide to go this route, plan to withdraw any medicated feed supplements, antibiotics etc at least 2 weeks prior to the planned butcher date.

The day before, remove feed from the coop and allow the chicken’s digestive track to empty. Failing to do so can ruin your carcass!

Humane Slaughter Methods

The particular method for butchering an animal varies. Everyone seems to have a childhood story of watching their grandfather swing an axe, & off the headless chicken runs until someone catches it, however I don’t recommend it. The idea of holding a chicken down with one hand and swinging a sharp axe with the other doesn’t appeal to me at all.

I choose to confine animals away from where they will be butchered, & take them one at a time. Hold them by their legs & gently swing them upside down. This doesn’t hurt the birds – on the contrary, it calms them down substantially & they go prone. From here I recommend using a cone to hold them in place and then using a sharp knife drawn across the soft bit of tissue under their beaks.

Humane practices encourage processors to electrify animals before bleeding out but doing this in the backyard without proper equipment or training can be dangerous.

Eviscerating Your Chicken

If you have effectively severed the main arteries, then a chicken will bleed out in 10 minutes. At this point, the carcass should be dunked in a vat of hot water, measuring 150F-190F to scald the skin and loosen the feathers for plucking.

From here the carcass is ready for butchering!

• Slice skin away from the neck, and remove the neck. From here you can locate and remove the windpipe & the gullet
• Using your index finger, pry lungs & organs loose
• flip the carcass around & cut carefully around the vent but do not cut into it
• Carefully pull out vent & attached intestines
• Pull out remaining entrails, again, take care not to rupture the gall bladder
• Remove feet
• remove the oil glad at the base of the tail feathers

Your carcass is ready for the stock pot or your freezer!

Responsible Waste Disposal

On the homestead, we feed our livestock guardian dog the entrails, the chicken head & the feet. Chicken feet around the world are prized for their nourishing gelatin & collagen. Feet are safe to use for stock once they have been properly scalded & the skin removed. I haven’t attempted this yet & still have hangups about using chicken feet for food. I don’t blame you if you do as well!

Have a plan in place for any unuseable parts of your hen. Depending on your local backyard chicken bi-laws, disposal of the feathers, blood, entrails etc may have specific requirements for you to adhere to. Research ahead of time.

Planning Ahead for Maximum Benefit

If you are retiring old hens, I recommend doing so in the fall, and cleaning the coop out completely. Sanitize the coop and allow it to rest over winter before starting fresh in the spring with a new flock. In an ideal scenario, you could brood new chicks separately from your older hens in late summer or early fall. Plan to butcher the older hens once your pullets have developed their mature feathers & are ready to graduate from the brooder – usually four to six weeks of age.

Brooding chicks in the fall allows them to mature over winter – meaning they will reach their egg laying maturity (18-24 weeks) right around the time that the daylight is increasing. This way you maximize their pre-production months during a period that you aren’t expecting eggs regardless. You also avoid wasting a laying season waiting for spring hatched chicks to reach maturity.

A Flock in Every Backyard

Dual purpose chickens are a great way to supply your family & friends with healthy, homegrown eggs & meat. Chickens are often touted as the gateway livestock because they are so low maintenance. While I contest that notion, I do think that birds are a great way to feed yourself if you live in the city due to their size and space requirements. I’d love to see a flock in every backyard one day!

Stay tuned for a forth-coming article outlining the strengths and features of my favourite breeds available in western Canada & beyond. If you have an amazing recipe for chicken soup be sure to send it my way!