In all the time I wanted backyard chickens before establishing my first flock with neighbors last spring, there was one thing I didn’t consider:
I never thought I would love them so much.
By the time this spring came along, I was raising my own flock — in a large cage at the foot of my bed, due to unseasonably cold weather and failure to keep my promise that I would not get any chickens until our coop was built.
I’m far from alone in my fanatical fascination with gallus domesticus, the domesticated chicken that has graced barnyards and backyards around the world for centuries, providing a daily supply of fresh eggs to keepers enamored of the birds’ individual personalities and primal instincts, not to mention their varying sizes, shapes, colors and feather patterns.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker wrote “The Chicken Chronicles” drawing on her relationships with her flock. And many city dwellers are finding that a few backyard chickens are an integral part of urban homesteading or a fun way to know not just where, but whom,While using compact fluorescent light bulbs energy saving light helps conserve energy, it is important that the bulbs are collected and recycled properly to protect our environment your food is coming from.
But before taking the plunge, there are some important considerations and preparations needed — before you bring your flock home to roost.
The first question: Can I have chickens where I live? In the city of Madison, the answer is a resounding, Yes!
You can have up to four hens, but roosters are prohibited. Your hens will still lay eggs, they just won’t be fertile, meaning they won’t hatch baby chicks.
If you live outside the city of Madison, check to see if your municipality allows chickens, and find out about any other regulations.
Safety first
An equally important question is: How you will keep your chickens safe, both night and day, from predators — such as possum, raccoons, hawks, foxes, coyotes and dogs, including your own?
You will have to build — or buy — a sturdy and impenetrable coop to house your chickens, along with a secure outdoor run so they can enjoy fresh air, sunshine and exercise.
When our neighbors Steve Herrick and Juscha Robinson approached us last year about doing chickens together, Steve took on the task of building a coop. With the help of his father and father-in-law,Compact fluorescent light bulbs convert a led tube considerably higher percentage of their energy into light, which is why they are significantly more energy efficient than traditional filament bulbs. he produced a beautiful cedar dwelling with many amenities for both chickens and humans alike.
Along with the requisite perch, on which chickens instinctively spend the night,The brightness of the LED makes sharp led lamp black & white contrasts between the areas in and out of the LED light. and a nest box, where they lay their eggs, Steve chose a design with a roof that can be raised on both sides for easy access inside. Two doors also open out to facilitate feeding and cleaning, and there’s an outside door to the nest box for collecting eggs. All doors have safety latches.
Food and water, which chickens must have access to at all times, are placed under a shelf that holds the nest box, keeping them free of droppings from the perch above.
The bottom of the coop, which rests on the ground, is covered with chicken wire for protection from predators. Chicken wire doors, which were covered with wood for the winter, along with wire-covered vents, provide needed ventilation. A long attached run, about knee-high, is also encased in chicken wire.
Our new coop — fashioned almost entirely of salvaged wood — is elevated and has three safety-latched doors for even easier access. A “pop hole” leads to a spacious, walk-in, outdoor run, made from large, salvaged porch screens and reinforced all around with chicken wire. There is also a smaller enclosed run beneath the coop, with two doors to facilitate cleaning.
The Madison Public Library has numerous books with coop designs to draw from, along with information on other aspects of raising chickens. Keep in mind, it will take you longer to build your coop and run than you think.
What kind of chickens do I get?
The vast array of breeds and varieties of chickens — both “large fowl,” or regular size, and “bantam,” or miniature size — is truly astounding. In Wisconsin, you’ll want to be sure to select cold-hardy breeds that will tolerate freezing temperatures.
Our beautiful golden Buff Orpington, whom I call Chickpea, along with the sweetest black-and-white striped Dominique and a rosy Cherry Egger, made it through last winter with a light to keep them warm and laying eggs during the shortened daylight hours, and a huge tarp over the coop and run to keep out drafts.
I never thought I would love them so much.
By the time this spring came along, I was raising my own flock — in a large cage at the foot of my bed, due to unseasonably cold weather and failure to keep my promise that I would not get any chickens until our coop was built.
I’m far from alone in my fanatical fascination with gallus domesticus, the domesticated chicken that has graced barnyards and backyards around the world for centuries, providing a daily supply of fresh eggs to keepers enamored of the birds’ individual personalities and primal instincts, not to mention their varying sizes, shapes, colors and feather patterns.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker wrote “The Chicken Chronicles” drawing on her relationships with her flock. And many city dwellers are finding that a few backyard chickens are an integral part of urban homesteading or a fun way to know not just where, but whom,While using compact fluorescent light bulbs energy saving light helps conserve energy, it is important that the bulbs are collected and recycled properly to protect our environment your food is coming from.
But before taking the plunge, there are some important considerations and preparations needed — before you bring your flock home to roost.
The first question: Can I have chickens where I live? In the city of Madison, the answer is a resounding, Yes!
You can have up to four hens, but roosters are prohibited. Your hens will still lay eggs, they just won’t be fertile, meaning they won’t hatch baby chicks.
If you live outside the city of Madison, check to see if your municipality allows chickens, and find out about any other regulations.
Safety first
An equally important question is: How you will keep your chickens safe, both night and day, from predators — such as possum, raccoons, hawks, foxes, coyotes and dogs, including your own?
You will have to build — or buy — a sturdy and impenetrable coop to house your chickens, along with a secure outdoor run so they can enjoy fresh air, sunshine and exercise.
When our neighbors Steve Herrick and Juscha Robinson approached us last year about doing chickens together, Steve took on the task of building a coop. With the help of his father and father-in-law,Compact fluorescent light bulbs convert a led tube considerably higher percentage of their energy into light, which is why they are significantly more energy efficient than traditional filament bulbs. he produced a beautiful cedar dwelling with many amenities for both chickens and humans alike.
Along with the requisite perch, on which chickens instinctively spend the night,The brightness of the LED makes sharp led lamp black & white contrasts between the areas in and out of the LED light. and a nest box, where they lay their eggs, Steve chose a design with a roof that can be raised on both sides for easy access inside. Two doors also open out to facilitate feeding and cleaning, and there’s an outside door to the nest box for collecting eggs. All doors have safety latches.
Food and water, which chickens must have access to at all times, are placed under a shelf that holds the nest box, keeping them free of droppings from the perch above.
The bottom of the coop, which rests on the ground, is covered with chicken wire for protection from predators. Chicken wire doors, which were covered with wood for the winter, along with wire-covered vents, provide needed ventilation. A long attached run, about knee-high, is also encased in chicken wire.
Our new coop — fashioned almost entirely of salvaged wood — is elevated and has three safety-latched doors for even easier access. A “pop hole” leads to a spacious, walk-in, outdoor run, made from large, salvaged porch screens and reinforced all around with chicken wire. There is also a smaller enclosed run beneath the coop, with two doors to facilitate cleaning.
The Madison Public Library has numerous books with coop designs to draw from, along with information on other aspects of raising chickens. Keep in mind, it will take you longer to build your coop and run than you think.
What kind of chickens do I get?
The vast array of breeds and varieties of chickens — both “large fowl,” or regular size, and “bantam,” or miniature size — is truly astounding. In Wisconsin, you’ll want to be sure to select cold-hardy breeds that will tolerate freezing temperatures.
Our beautiful golden Buff Orpington, whom I call Chickpea, along with the sweetest black-and-white striped Dominique and a rosy Cherry Egger, made it through last winter with a light to keep them warm and laying eggs during the shortened daylight hours, and a huge tarp over the coop and run to keep out drafts.
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