The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started with Backyard Chickens

Get nutritious eggs, great pets and super charge your vegetable patch

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1. Introduction

Backyard chickens are a super-pet that give back way more than they take. They each have their own personalities, are cute and entertaining and great for kids. They are also the most useful pet around, turning bugs, weeds and kitchen scraps into highly nutritious eggs.

To get started you don't need to be a farmer, have a large property or special equipment. With a small urban backyard and 10 minutes a day, you can enjoy a taste of the country life while living in the city. And if you want to grow your own food, chicken manure will bring your soil to life. Soil is the foundation of a healthy garden and healthy food. What more can you ask for from a pet! Who am I?

I'm Marcus, the founder of patchtotable.com - which teaches busy people how to grow and cook Real Food at home - from Vegetable Patch to kitchen Table. Food that is free of chemicals, full of nutrients and super tasty! This brings together my passion for food and over 10 years experience as a sustainability consultant.

To start with, I'm sharing my system for happy, healthy Backyard Chickens made easy. Through Patch to Table, I've been developing and refining practical approaches to backyard chickens and sharing my journey with the world. All my material has been tested in my own backyard, and is designed to be practical and super simple. I don't talk about "ecological design" and instead focus on providing information that gets results.

www.PatchToTable.com Ultimate guide to getting started with backyard chickens

My chicken keeping journey

I got started with backyard chickens when I bought a small second hand coop that came with one lonely hen (a leghorn we named Cluck). I got Cluck some friends (Fletcher and Ruby). I was getting a steady supply of eggs and things seemed to be going along great. But it wasn't long before some problems started.

Rats!

The chicken feed attracted rats who had moved in and were multiplying like crazy. Before I knew it I had a family of rats living in my coop. There were so many rats that my chickens started roosting on top of the coop rather than in it.

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Snakes

I was busy trying to get rid of my rat problem and things got worse. I was woken in the middle of the night by a whole lot of noise coming from the chicken coop. I went out investigate and found a 2 meter carpet python wrapped around the perch and hovering above the chickens as if it was ready to strike. My chickens had a lucky escape that day, but I hate snakes and never want to deal with that again.

Trashed garden beds

I also found out the hard way how effective chickens were at cleaning out garden beds. Those 3 little chickens trashed more garden beds than I would like to remember. Every time I thought I had the problem sorted, I got complacent and ended with a trashed vegetable garden. Looking back I'm not surprised, I'm not really sure what I was thinking with this fence around my garden bed. It not only looks terrible, but there is no way that fence was ever going to keep those chickens out. I really had no idea what I was doing.

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Looking back I'm not surprised, I'm not really sure what I was thinking with this fence around my garden bed. It not only looks terrible, but there is no way that fence was ever going to keep those chickens out. I really had no idea what I was doing. I was pretty close to packing it in - this wasn't what I signed up for!

It doesn't have to be that hard - there is a better way!

I knew there had to be a better way and stuck with it. After a lot of reading, problem solving and experimenting, I developed simple solutions that make chicken keeping easy. I learnt the hard way that chickens are way easier to look after and have a lot more to offer if you understand and work with their natural behaviours.

Happy, healthy hens

Fast forward to today and I have happy healthy hens, that make great pets and provide an abundance of nutritious eggs without all the hassles that previously came with it.

Getting started with Backyard Chickens can be overwhelming

There's so much information out there, its overwhelming. And information by itself is simply not enough.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

This guide will show you how to get started with backyard chickens in a way that saves you time and that avoids all the pitfalls. You'll find easy to follow guidance that will help you get:

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Confident

It can be hard to get started when you don't know what you're in for. Learn the basics and get the confidence to get started straight away. Clear

There's so much vague and conflicting information around - reading thousands of forum posts with conflicting opinions leaves you feeling confused and uncertain. Stop spinning your wheels and get started with clear, step by step instructions that are tailored to you and your situation. Equipped

Getting setup is often the hardest part. If you don't know what you're doing it can take forever, you'll end up with the wrong coop and it’ll cost you a bomb. The right advice will help you get setup quickly and avoid lots of hassles down the track. I'm sharing what I learnt to make an impact on the lives of each and every reader and their families

I created patchtotable.com to share what I've learnt and make it easier for more people to get started with backyard chickens. I'm doing this to make a dent on the food industry and have a real impact. An impact on the lives of each and every reader and their families. And I’m certain that this impact will flow over to our community and our world.

www.PatchToTable.com Ultimate guide to getting started with backyard chickens

The backyard chicken movement

Backyard chickens are gaining a huge momentum as part of the organic and urban food movements. During WWII - Backyard Chickens made up the majority of egg production

If we look back to the 1940s during World War II, half of the US population depended on home gardens for fruit and vegetables. This came to 18 million gardens. And many of these gardens included backyard chickens, which made up the majority of egg production at the time. With the industrial revolution - commercial eggs became cheap and convenient

But with the Industrial revolution in the 1950's, there was a massive shift from family farming to large scale factory farms. Commercial eggs became cheap and convenient to buy from supermarkets. At the same time, creative advertising and packaging kept alive the perception that these eggs were coming from family owned farms. The realities of factory farming were kept out of sight and out of mind. Chicken keeping even became illegal in many parts of the US, because of 'health reasons' or some may say to protect the poultry industry. The veil has been lifted

People are becoming more aware of the realities of factory farming. Aware that large corporations have manipulated our food to make the largest profit possible. Even though these profits inflict a great deal of suffering on chickens and come at the expense of our health and the health of our environment.

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Resurgence in backyard chickens

More and more people are taking action, which has resulted in a massive resurgence in backyard chickens. Its gained enough momentum to force dozens of major cities to legalise urban chicken keeping. More than 90% of US cities now allow urban backyard chickens. In Australia, backyard chickens are taking a chunk out of supermarket sales. Eggs laid in backyards across Australia are estimated to make up around 12 percent of total egg production. Food is love!

Its a trend thats gathering huge momentum and I believe its part of a big shift in our relationship with food. Healthy food is the foundation of our health, the health of our families, the health of our communities and the health of our environment. Food is love! Quiz: Are you ready for backyard chickens?

Backyard chicken aren't for everyone. Before you get started - take this short quiz to find out if your ready for backyard chickens. This will help you get clear on the benefits and to identify any barriers to getting started. The rest of this guide will then take you through each of the topics in more detail, to resolve any doubts or uncertainties and help you get the most out of backyard chickens.

Start the Quiz.

www.PatchToTable.com Ultimate guide to getting started with backyard chickens

Here's what I'll cover in this free guide to getting started with backyard chickens Part 2: Why chickens? 7 reasons that will inspire you to get started

Getting started with backyard chickens can be overwhelming. There's so much information out there and so many options. Here you'll learn about everything chickens have to offer, so you can get clear on what you want to achieve and the best way to go about it.

Part 3: Chicken keeping and your lifestyle

It can be hard to get started when you don't know what you're in for. Learn about the practicalities of chicken keeping and get the confidence you need to get started straight away.

Part 4: Chicken keeping and your backyard

Before you jump in and get started with chickens, you need to make sure your backyard is well suited for chickens, to avoid problems such stressed chickens, predator attacks and fines. And a little bit of planning will help you get the most from your chickens.

Part 5: Next Steps

At this point, you’ve learned some of the key strategies that you need to get started with backyard chickens. The next step is to jump in and start planning your own chicken keeping system. By designing a system that works with their natural behaviours and needs, you'll avoid the common pitfalls and have happy, healthy hens that are easy to look after. And that means learning more advanced strategies.

www.PatchToTable.com Ultimate guide to getting started with backyard chickens

2. Why Chickens?

Backyard chickens are easy to look after, but they do take some effort to get started. So what are the benefits and why should you bother? Are the eggs really worth it?

In this section I'll take you through the benefits of backyard chickens. This will help you get clear on what you want to achieve and the best way to go about it. But to start with, it's useful to compare your options to put things into perspective.

Option 1. Buy your eggs from the supermarket (Factory farming)

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The easiest option is to stick with the way things are and buy your eggs from the supermarket. But regardless of how they're labelled, eggs from the supermarket are supplied by factory farms or Confined Animal Farming Organisation (CAFO’s). These are large corporations that operate by keeping tens of thousands to millions of chickens under one roof. While these eggs might seem cheap and convenient, they come with hidden costs to the environment, our health and our humanity.

Option 2. Buy your eggs from local farmers

Supporting local and ethical farmers is a good alternative to buying your eggs from the supermarket. These are local and usually small scale egg farmers, who support a sustainable and ethical approach. This tends to be a bit more work than getting your eggs from the supermarket and mean an extra trip to the farmers markets. It can also be a challenge to find a good local farmer you can trust, as there aren't any guarantees that you get what you pay for. Look for farmers who have pictures of their farms, have an open door policy and welcome visitors.

Option 3. Get started with backyard chickens

Backyard chickens provide an abundance of nutritious, freshly laid eggs. And they're way better than any eggs you can get from the supermarket. They taste better, are much more nutritious and are free from chemicals and contaminants. You simply haven't had a real egg, until you've tried a freshly laid egg from your own backyard. And once you get started, you'll realise eggs are just the tip of the iceberg. Chickens are such great pets, that have so much to offer and need very little in return. On top of the that, backyard chickens have a positive impact on society and the environment. The only downside is they take a bit of extra effort to get setup. But for your effort, the returns are magnified ten times. And with the right information and support, you'll find chicken keeping a fun and rewarding experience that gets the whole family involved.

7 reasons to get started with backyard chickens

Here are 7 reasons to inspire you to ditch the factory farmed eggs from the supermarket and join the backyard chicken movement:

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1. Goal - happy, healthy pet hens

Supermarket and backyard eggs are produced in a completely different environment and with a very different purpose.

Supermarket eggs - Produced as cheaply as possible

www.PatchToTable.com Ultimate guide to getting started with backyard chickens

The problem with eggs you buy from the supermarket is that they're produced as cheaply as possible, in order to make the biggest profit for shareholders. There’s no concern about how nutritious the eggs are or how the chickens are treated, because they all look the same on the supermarket shelf.

Backyard Eggs - Happy, healthy hens

With backyard chickens, the goal is happy, healthy pet chickens that provide nutritious eggs for the family. 2. Transparency - you know exactly what your getting

When it comes to food, transparency is super important. You want to know what your getting and how healthy it is.

Supermarket eggs - Deceptive marketing means you never know what your getting

There’s lots of deceptive marketing used which make commercial eggs sound better than what they are. People often pay twice as much for eggs labeled as free-range as they would for cage eggs, believing that they meet certain standards. But in most countries, standards that define free range don't exist or are very loose. Egg companies have exploited this, producing eggs which are no where near expectations of what free range actually means.

To market eggs as barn laid, they simply take the chickens out of their cages and cram them into a large barn. If they go a step further and add a small opening to a barren dirt paddock, these eggs are labelled “free range.” Even though the reality is that most of the hens will never venture outside.

www.PatchToTable.com Ultimate guide to getting started with backyard chickens

Backyard Eggs - You know exactly what your getting

When you keep backyard chickens, you know exactly where your eggs come from and the conditions they're raised in. You have control over what they eat, how they're treated and the environment they live in.

3. Nutrition - the healthiest food on the planet

Eggs from backyard chickens are a nutritional powerhouse and can’t be compared to conventional eggs from the supermarket. Thats because the hen's diet hen has been shown to have a significant affect on how nutritious the eggs are.

Supermarket Eggs - Nutrient deficient

So called ‘free range’ eggs from the store often come from hens that are fed solely on grains, with limited to no access outdoors – let alone grass and bugs. As a result they are not as nutrient dense which means the eggs have a lower concentration of vitamins and minerals. The use of cheap soy based proteins and a lack of variety means they also have an unbalanced fatty acid profile, with a much higher ratio of Omega-6 compared to Omega-3.

Backyard Eggs - The healthiest food on the planet

Backyard chickens are also fed grains, but a significant amount of their diet comes from foraging on grass, insects and healthy kitchen scraps. Because of this, the eggs have a much higher concentration of vitamins and minerals. They also have a balanced fatty acid profile with a higher ratio of omega-3 compared to Omega-6.

A comparison of Pastured vs Caged eggs

A s​tudy by the Pennsylvania State University shows that real free range eggs raised on pasture (land covered with grass) are much more nutrient dense:

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Vitamin A - 160% more concentrated: Critical for eye health, boosts your immune system, is a powerful antioxidant, fights inflammation and supports skin health. Vitamin E - 200% more concentrated: Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that fights cholesterol oxidation, reduces free radical damage, reduces inflammation, repairs damaged skin, thickens hair, balances hormones and improves energy.

Omega-3 - 290% more concentrated: Omega-3 maintains cardiovascular health, stabilises blood sugar levels, lowers inflammation, improves mood, is essential for brain development, reduces the risk of cancer and improves skin health. Its important to note that this study is based on 'real' free range eggs, that are actually raised outdoors on grass. This doesn’t include the typical eggs you find in your supermarket, even if they are labelled free range or organic.

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4. Contaminants - organic eggs, free from nasty stuff

Contaminants

With the scale and density of industrially farmed eggs, there's a much higher risk of the eggs being contaminated with harmful bacteria and antibiotics, compared to backyard hens.

Supermarket Eggs - Are laced with antibiotics and Salmonella Food poisoning

When you buy factory farmed eggs, they're more likely to be contaminated with harmful bacteria such as Salmonella.

Salmonella was not a problem until the early 1980s, when mega egg producers formed. Factory farmed eggs are now the leading cause of Salmonella infection, which cause more than 142,000 incidents of food poisoning in the US every year. Its a billion dollar public health problem.

Conditions in factory farms provide an ideal environment for the spread of Salmonella. When you have more than 100,000 birds living in crammed conditions under a single roof, this creates a massive amount of manure dust in the air that can rapidly spread harmful bacteria. This is compounded by:

Hens that have compromised immune systems from the stress of confinement Hens with un-healthy digestive systems (gut micro-flora) because they are not exposed to the natural environment. Ideal conditions for disease carrying rodent infestations and flies.

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Antibiotics The poultry industry uses significant amounts of antibiotics to prevent and treat diseases. As this research paper explains, one of the problems with antibiotics used in laying hens is that it accumulates in their eggs for weeks after treatment. In some cases traces of antibiotics are found in eggs more than 50 days after treatment. Many of these antibiotics are so toxic they could never be used in medicine. Because of this, their effect on humans have often not been studied and are largely unknown. From studies that have been performed, some of the health impacts of antibiotic residues in food can include autoimmune disease, cancer, allergies, damage to your digestive system, reproductive disorders, kidney disease and liver damage.

Because of the contamination risk, there are a lot more restrictions on antibiotics used in laying hens compared to meat hens. There are certain antibiotics that are not licensed for use in laying birds and withholding periods are used, which mean eggs can’t be sold for a certain period of time after treatment. Despite this, antibiotics still make their way into eggs at levels that are likely to be harmful to your health. Antibiotic residues often come from cross contamination of medicated feed at the mill, or when drugs are given off-label.

As this research paper explains, babies and young kids are particularly at risk given:

Egg yolk are often recommended as a weaning food for babies as young as six months old because they contain high levels of essential fatty acids. Eating only one egg yolk contaminated at some of the recorded levels, would result in the infant consuming 5 times more antibiotics than safe levels. Antibiotics are passed through human breast milk (transfer rates vary depending on the antibiotic). Egg-yolk lecithin is included in some infant-formula milks, which are not tested for all types of antibiotic residue.

A study was conducted in Britain which focused on just one antibiotic called Lasalocid. A summary of some of the key findings include:

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The antibiotic is permitted for meat chickens but not in egg production. At the same time contamination of chicken meat is low and contamination of eggs is high. More than 12% of samples tested contained Lasalocid residues. Lasalocid was estimated to be in 3 million eggs eaten in Britain every day. Many people will have eaten quantities of Lasalocid which exceed (sometimes many times over) safe levels (the Acceptable Daily Intake). It's effects on humans are largely unknown, however animal studies show that it's likely to have toxic affects on the heart and nervous system, which are linked to conditions such as Cardiac arrhythmia and Alzheimer's disease. Backyard Eggs - Organic eggs that are free from nasty stuff

With backyard chickens, you know that your eggs come from healthy hens that are free from harmful bacteria and antibiotics.

Food poisoning

Risk of salmonella contamination is much lower with backyard chickens that are kept in a clean and well maintained coop. An extensive Salmonella survey conducted across the European Union, found that free range eggs have a 98% lower risk of being contaminated with Salmonella compared to caged eggs. And with a small backyard flock, if any of your hens actually do get sick with salmonella, it will be very obvious. A hen that is sick with salmonella will be weak, lethargic, have a slightly purple comb and watery green diarrhoea.

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Antibiotics

You are much less likely to need antibiotics when you keep chickens in your backyard. A stress free environment, more natural diet and a healthy digestive system mean that your hens are much more healthy than industrial layers and are much less likely to need treatment with antibiotics. If they do happen to get sick, you're in control of and aware of what treatment they receive. And because the health of your family is your first priority, your motivated to take a more cautious approach by ensuring that sufficient time has passed to prevent contamination. 5. Taste - fresh and tasty eggs with naturally bright yolks

Our perception of taste is very psychological. We eat with our eyes first which is why appearance and colour are so important. Colour and appearance entices us to eat a particular food and changes our perception of taste. Once we put food in our mouth, what we "taste" is a mixture of flavour, smell and texture combined into a single sensation. And the interesting thing is that studies have shown that flavour and colour are an indicator of the nutrient content of food. For example, the same compounds that make tomatoes nutritious also make them more tasty.

​When it comes to eggs, the biggest difference in taste relates to colour and texture. Eggs are not a strongly flavoured food, so there's not a huge amount of difference in the flavour itself.

Supermarket Eggs - old and tasteless, with artificially brightened yolks

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Colour If you think bright orange egg yolks are a sign of nutritious free range eggs, think again. Most eggs you find on supermarket shelves have yolks that are artificially brightened by adding manufactured food dyes into the feed. Because commercial hens are fed a grain based diet without access to forage, the eggs yolks would be a pale yellow colour. Rather than improve the hens diet, commercial producers have found a shortcut. They have identified the specific plant pigments (carotenoids) which are responsible for bright orange and yellow yolks. This process has been perfected to the point that it's become a lot like mixing paint. They’ve done studies to identify the egg yolk colours most preferred by different cultures around the world. Based on this they've developed a colour fan, with 16 egg yolk colours to choose from. Each colour requires a specific quantity and type of additive to achieve a precise and consistent egg yolk colour. You can easily tell when eggs have been artificially brightened because they are all exactly the same colour, at any time of the year. In comparison, the colour of egg yolks from backyard hens vary a lot.

Texture

Eggs from the supermarket can be months old by the time you eat them. Because of this they have a cloudy appearance, flatter yolks and thinner consistency. They don’t hold together very well and tend to spread out across the plate.

Backyard Eggs - fresh and tasty with naturally bright yolks

Fresh backyard eggs taste amazing and can’t be beat. If you have not tasted a fresh backyard egg, then you don’t know what you are missing.

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Colour Because Backyard chickens forage on lots of different bugs and plants, they naturally have brightly coloured yolks, that varies from rich yellow to a deep orange colour.

Texture

Eggs from backyard chickens are super fresh. Because of this, they:

Are richer and creamier Have tight whites that hold together Have tall yolks when cracked open on your plate. Look clearer and more healthy than eggs from the supermarket. 6. Ethics - Family pets that are treated with love

“Over the past century tens of billions of animals have been subjected to a regimen of industrial exploitation who's cruelty has no precedent in annals of planet earth. Modern industrialagriculture might just be the greatest crime in history.” Yuval Noah Harari, Sapians.

It can be confronting to hear about the cruelty and torture inflicted on chickens by commercial egg factories. It hits close to home. Its uncomfortable. Its possibly the last thing your want to think about after a hard day at work, or a busy day chasing after the kids. It would certainly be easier and more fun for me to talk about making cute little treats for your chickens.

But its an important topic which comes with a positive message. Getting into backyard chickens is one of the most powerful ways to take action and to make a real dent on the egg industry.

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Supermarket Eggs - Tortured hens treated like egg laying machines

Agricultural productivity has exploded during the last century, thanks to the industrial revolution. Productivity gains have come from machines such as tractors, artificial fertilisers and insecticides.

Source: USDA

Productivity has also came from treating farm animals like machines in a production line. Chickens are treated as if they are incapable of suffering and don’t feel pain or emotions. But it’s been proven that birds feel pain, have emotions and have social needs. Chickens have a strong urge to forage, groom themselves, build nests and establish a social pecking order.

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Even though it's been proven that chickens do suffer physically and emotionally, modern factory farms keep them in tiny cages, often with the space of an A4 piece of paper to live in. They are crammed in so tightly that they can’t express their natural ‘chickeness.’ They can’t even flap their wings or stand up straight.

These highly stressed chickens go a bit crazy in the head, which causes severe feather pecking and cannibalism. To stop the pecking, they are tortured even more by searing off their beaks. A chicken’s beak has lots of nerves which means debeaking causes significant pain.

Factory hens have also been bred to pump out as many eggs as possible in the shortest time possible. They’re spent and exhausted by the time they are 18 months old, when they are slaughtered and replaced with fresh hens.

Egg laying hens can be compared to to slaves. The slave trade existed because people were indifferent and just accepted the way things were. As a society we have lost our connection with the food we eat. We buy our food from supermarket shelves, which means the realities of factory farms are out of sight and out of mind. Things would be a lot different if eggs were sold next to the cage they were laid in. A factory hen is not a pretty sight. No one would ever buy these eggs.

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Backyard Eggs - Family pets that are treated with love

One of the biggest impacts of backyard chickens is awareness and empathy. Many people start out with chickens because of the eggs. But then are surprised that they make such entertaining pets for the family. Chickens can be trained to come when you call them (they are a lot smart than you think) and have a clear pecking order which makes for some interesting antics. You see first hand that they are social and emotional creatures with individual personalities. This makes it hard to imagine them beak-less and crammed into dark cages. And it becomes clear that chickens are not machines and shouldn’t be treated like one.

Backyard chickens live a lot more closely to the way their jungle fowl ancestors live. They are able to express their natural behaviour, their "chickeness" - as they spend their days flapping around and foraging for food in the sunlight and fresh air.

This connection to our food and the awareness and empathy it creates, gets passed onto our kids, neighbours, friends and the wider community. I got started in chicken keeping after a family friend was telling me about his chickens. The idea stuck and I was inspired to take action. So without even trying your likely to inspire some of your friends, family and neighbours to get into backyard chickens. Or at the very least inspire them to support local farmers who raise their chickens in a more natural and ethical way.

Backyard chickens should come with a warning - they’re highly contagious and the bug is spreading!

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7. Environment - Eggs that don't cost the earth Supermarket Eggs - factory farms that impose a significant cost on the environment

Factory farms are able to produce eggs a low monetary cost but this comes at the expense of the environment. Environmental impacts are one of the many hidden costs of factory farmed eggs. You might assume that factory farms produce low cost eggs because of increasing modernisation and efficiencies. But the truth is, a full accounting of the cost of eggs reveals that these large corporations are far from efficient. Consumers are actually paying a very high price for factory farmed eggs, with hidden costs that factory farms are not being held accountable for. These costs are either passed onto consumers through taxes or deferred to future generations to deal with.

As reported by the ​Food and Agriculture Or​ganisation (FAO) of the United Nations, some of these environmental impacts include:

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Waste

Waste disposal: Bulky and heavy manure needs to be transported for disposal, which causes significant transport emissions. Water pollution: Large stores of manure often results in runoff and leaching of waste into surface and groundwater. Poultry manure from factory farms contains concentrated amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, antibiotics, heavy metals and pathogens. These substances then contaminate drinking water and kill aquatic and plant life in local streams and estuaries. Its estimated that 75 percent of antimicrobial agents administered to confined poultry may be excreted back into the environment. Air pollution: Airborne ammonia has a sharp pungent odour and can cause respiratory irritation and disease

In large concentrated egg farms, manure is collected and stored in piles or lagoons. With so much manure concentrated in a small area, this has significant environmental impacts:

Food miles

Commercial eggs usually come a long way to make it to your dinner table. They are trucked long distances from the egg laying shed, to a distribution centre, to the supermarket and then to your home.

Backyard Eggs - eggs that don't cost the earth

Backyard chickens provide an opportunity to have a positive impact on the environment and to inspire your neighbours, friends and families to get on board.

Chicken Manure to turbo charge your vegetable patch

Rather than being a problem like commercial egg production, manure from backyard chickens is a valuable resource that can help you build healthy soil and turbo charge your vegetable patch.

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The average soil in backyards needs a lot of work and a lot of organic material. Healthy Soil is alive, full of organisms such as bacteria, fungi and worms. The living organisms break down organic matter and turn it into rich soil. And healthy soil produces healthy food.

Backyard chickens provide a free, convenient and chemical free source of manure. Forget paying $20 a bag for manure or compost. Four pet chickens will easily give you that in a week. The best part is you don't even have to think about it, because chickens spread their manure around for you while roaming around your backyard. It saves you a lot of time and money, saves transport emissions and eliminates packaging waste. My lawn is luscious and green and I've never had to buy fertiliser. Our chickens also love to hang around under our fruit trees, which keeps them well fertilised and full of fruit. Having your own source of manure enables a more self sustaining garden, with less organic material that needs to be brought in to your backyard. It's a system that just makes sense.

Food miles

Eggs from your backyard don’t have to travel anywhere. Straight from your backyard to your kitchen table. Compared to eggs from the supermarket, backyard chickens save a tonne of energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

Chickens turn waste into food like magic

With a few chickens at home you can easily reuse all your food waste, which is usually about 5% of total household waste. That's a pretty significant amount of waste, that would otherwise end up in landfill. Rather than all the valuable nutrients and energy from your vegetable scraps ending up in landfill, it's converted to food for your chickens and fertilizer for your garden. It creates a mini natural ecosystem in your backyard.

Chickens as farm hands - chemical free insect control and weeding

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Chickens love to eat protein packed insects and will even gang up to chase down a tasty bug. Because they love to snack on insects, you will never have a problem with lawn grubs or ant mounds. They also keep insects like grasshoppers at bay, that would otherwise be feasting on your vegetable patch. They are also known to eat ticks and spiders. They are the natures equivalent of an automatic vacuum cleaner, except are way more efficient.

Chickens also love to eat weeds which keeps them under control and saves you time. They are great for prepping soil before planting.

Key Takeaways

You might not realise it, but you are currently making a choice. Your making a choice to outsource egg production to someone else. The problem is, deceptive marketing means you never know what your getting.

With a little bit of effort to get started, backyard chickens are a great alternative that just make sense in so many ways:

The eggs are way better than any eggs you can get from the supermarket. They make great pets and have way more to offer than just eggs They have a positive impact on society and the environment. It can be hard to get started with chickens when you don’t know whats required or what your in for. In this section I will help you work out if chicken keeping is right for you and your lifestyle. I'll take you through the practicalities of chicken keeping, to give you the confidence you need to get started straight away.

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3. Are Backyard Chickens right for your lifestyle? 1. How much time does it take to look after chickens?

Chickens are a relatively low maintenance pet. But you will still need to invest some time to make sure they are well looked after, healthy and productive. And by spending the time upfront in planning and regular maintenance, you'll avoid lots of problems, save a tonne of time down the track and you'll find chickens are really very easy to look after. To give you a clear idea of how much time it takes to look after chickens, I have broken it up into 3 phases:

1. Setup phase: Time required before you get chickens, to get prepared and to setup the coop. 2. Maintenance phase: Time required ongoing, to keep your coop clean and chickens healthy. 3. Ad hoc / problem solving: This is the time taken to deal with problems as they come up 4. Im pro v e m e n ts : After the initial setup, you may want to make improvements or upgrade to a bigger coop.

1. Setup Phase

The time taken to get setup with backyard chickens can vary a lot, anywhere from 2 days to more than 6 months. You can buy a pre-made coop and be setup in a weekend, or make your own coop which could take many weeks or even months to build.

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Its important to remember that its not a race. Enjoy the journey rather than just focusing on the destination. For example, setting up a chicken coop is the perfect project to work on with your kids.

Planning (1 to 2 Weeks)

Abraham Lincoln

Investing time up front for planning will save you a tonne of time and problems down the track. It can be tempting to jump straight into chicken keeping, without any planning or preparation. I know, cause that's exactly what I did. But taking a little bit more time upfront, will give you a much better and more rewarding end result.“If I had six hours to cut down a tree, I’d spend the first four sharpening the saw.”

As the first step of the planning process, its important to learn the basics of chicken keeping, so that you know what your doing. The problem is, you could spend weeks or even months filtering through thousands of forums and books to get the information and the confidence you need to get started. But you don’t have to worry about that. I’ve done the work for you and distilled everything you need to get started into this guide.

Once you've learnt the basics, the next step is to spend some time planning things out. For example, what type of coop do you want? Will you make the coop yourself or buy a pre-made one? Where will you put the coop? What breed of chickens will you get?

Setting up your backyard (1 day to 6 months)

If you intend to let your chickens roam around your backyard, then you'll need to make sure your garden is ready. The time it takes to prepare your backyard will depend on the how big it is and how much work it needs. If you need to put in fences and covers for garden beds, this all takes time. On the other hand, if you already have an area that's well fenced in, then you might not need to do much at all.

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Setting up your coop (1 day to 6 months)

The type of coop you want will make a big difference to the amount of time required.

Pre-made (1-2 hours): You can buy coops that are already made and assembled. You just need to get the coop into your backyard, into position and your done. Transport can be a challenge, which might also restrict the size of coop you can get.

Built for you (1-2 hours): If you don't have much time, you can pay someone to build a coop for you. Its a more expensive option, but the outcome is a custom built coop that you can enjoy for many years.

Ready to assemble coop (4-5 hours): An easy option is to buy a coop that comes in parts and just needs to be assembled. Depending on the size, they usually only take a few hours to put together.

Do It Yourself - DIY (2 days to 6 months): Making your own coop will take more time but can be a lot more rewarding. The time it takes to build a coop will depend on how experienced you are and how complex the design is.

2. Maintenance Phase

As a rough guide, a decent setup for 3-4 chickens will cost around $500. However you can easily spend way more than this ($1000's), or next to nothing if you make a coop using recycled materials. Once your setup, chickens cost about $30 a month ($360 a year) for upkeep. Its also smart to budget a little extra ($100) for ad hoc issues that need to be resolved

If you've done the work upfront in the setup phase, on-going maintenance doesn't take much time at all.

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Daily (5-10 minutes a day): The daily routine for chickens is super quick. It basically involves checking in on your chickens each morning and night to collect the eggs, make sure they look healthy and safe and have plenty of food and water.

Weekly / Monthly (2-3 hours): These are jobs that need to be done each week, month or every few months. This includes managing chicken manure in the coop, topping up on food supplies, worming, health checks and cleaning the coop. Overall, it should only take you 2-4 hours each month for a small backyard flock.

3. Ad hoc / problem solving

These are jobs that pop up from time to time and that are not part of any routine. This includes things such as coop repairs, sick hens, broody hens, dealing with pests and predators and repairing damaged gardens. With a well planned setup and regular maintenance, these problems can be avoided or at least kept to a minimum.

4. Improvements

Improvements are not required, but there is no doubt that you will end up making some upgrades and improvements to your coop over time. This could be a bigger coop for more chickens, experimenting with different types of natural food, new equipment or working on your backyard to better incorporate chickens. Chicken keeping is addictive and I can't promise you won't end up spending way more time pampering your pet chickens.

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2. How many eggs will I get?

A good egg laying hen will lay 200 to 300 eggs a year. But one of the realities of backyard chickens is that hens lay less eggs as they get older. Hens are in their peak during the first few years and then egg production gradually declines from there. Thats why commercial egg layers are slaughtered and replaced after around 2 years to maintain a high production rate.

With backyard chickens, hens are kept as family pets, just as much as they are kept for their eggs. This means that you end up with an over supply of eggs in the first few years and then have a major shortage when egg laying starts to drop off. And if you already have the maximum number of hens allowed in your backyard, you won't be able to top your egg supply by getting more chickens.

Thats why its important to be aware of and plan for a decline in eggs as your hens get older. The best way to do this (without slaughtering your chickens) is to keep a rolling stock. This involves starting out with just enough hens to meet your needs and then adding new hens when the quantity of eggs starts to drop as your hens gets older.

Here is an example of how a rolling stock works:

Capacity

Total capacity of hens for your backyard: 7 hens (this will vary based on local laws)

Year 1:

You might start with 3 hens. Assuming they lay about 200 eggs in the first year, that will give you around a dozen eggs per week.

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Year 3:

After 3 years you might only be getting 6 to 8 eggs per week. You can now get 2 more hens which should now bring you back up to more than a dozen eggs per week.

Year 6:

After another 2 to 3 years you can add another 2 hens. At this point you will have 7 hens. This should continue to give you around a dozen per week.

Year 9:

Hens generally live for around 8 - 10 years, which will make room for more hens over time.

3. How much does it cost to keep backyard chickens?

Chickens are relatively cheap pets but there are some setup costs involved. The up side is that once you have set up, they don't cost much to look after and you can generally recover your costs within a year.

As a rough guide, a decent setup for 3-4 chickens will cost around $500. However you can easily spend way more than this ($1000's), or next to nothing if you make a coop using recycled materials. Once your setup, chickens cost about $30 a month ($360 a year) for upkeep. Its also smart to budget a little extra ($100) for ad hoc issues that need to be resolved.

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Summary of costs and value received

Costs

Setup costs: $500 +

Maintenance costs: $360 per year ($30 per month)

Ad hoc costs: $100 per year

Value Received Eggs: $650 per year

Manure: $160 per year

Bug & weed control: $100 per year

Total: $910 per year Time taken to recover setup costs

$500 setup: 1.1 years

$1000 setup: 2.2 years

In the sections below I have broken this down further to give you a better understanding of the costs involved. But before I get stuck into the detail, I think it's important to put things into perspective and to challenge any preconceived mindsets about spending money on backyard chickens.

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Mindset

When your thinking about the costs of getting started with chickens, compare it to your attitude towards spending money on a kitchen. A decked out kitchen full of cooking utensils often costs ten’s of thousands of dollars. All this to enable you to cook your own meals at home. You could try to work out if a kitchen is a good investment compared to buying take out every day. But we don’t, because its hard to compare a home cooked meal to take out.

A home cooked meal is generally better for you and you know exactly what your getting. Its convenient to quickly whip up a meal or snack People also get lots of enjoyment from cooking and creating meals for their family and friends.

All these things make logical sense, but are intangible and difficult to put a value on.

In some ways, I think chicken keeping is the same. How do you put a value on the health and wellbeing of your family. Or the enjoyment you get from watching your chickens roam around the backyard. You can worry about how much it's going to cost you and try and figure out if it makes financial sense compared to store bought eggs. But the problem is, its not that simple and eggs are only part of the story. There are lots of benefits that you simply can’t put a price on. So how much is it going to cost me?

Even though it’s not all about "financial return", its still important to understand the costs involved before you jump in a get started with chickens. And as it turns out, even if you just factor in the value of things that can be measured, the numbers stack up pretty well.

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Setup Costs

As a rough guide, a basic setup with 4 hens will cost about $500:

Coop: $200 Backyard / Run: $100 Feeder and waterer: $100 Point of lay hens: $100

Here is a bit more of a break down of each of these costs:

Coop ($200) The cost of a chicken coop depends on what your looking for and how big and fancy it is. If your on a budget, its possible to build your own coop for virtually nothing using recycled materials. On the other end of the scale, you can easily spend thousands on a custom built coop with all the bells and whistles. As a rough guide, $200 is the starting point for an average 4 hen coop.

Equipment ($100)

Aside from the chicken coop, you’ll need about $100 for a feeder and a waterer. You can save some money by making your own, or spend a lot more than this for something with all the bells and whistles.

Backyard / Run ($100)

Aside from the coop, your chickens will need some space to run around outside. This can either be an extension of your chicken coop (a chicken run) or your backyard. At a starting point, $100 should cover the cost of a basic chicken run or some fencing to section off your yard. From there you can spend a lot more on fencing and landscaping your yard, depending on how much work needs to be done and how much you want to spend.

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Hens ($100) Four point of lay hens should cost you about $100 ( or $25 each). But the price will vary a lot depending on the breed and where you're buying them from. If your trying to do things cheaply, then keep an eye out for people giving away their hens. You just need to make sure you know how old they are and keep in mind how many years of egg laying they have left in them. I got my first two hens together with a second hand coop and they are still laying eggs four years later.

Upkeep and maintenance costs ($360 per year)

Routine upkeep and maintenance will cost around $30 a month or $360 per year, for 4 hens. This covers the cost of chicken feed, worming medication, and bedding material for the coop.

Ad hoc / problem solving costs ($100 per year)

As well as regular upkeep costs, you need to budget for additional unplanned costs that can pop up from time to time. This covers things like coop repairs, sick hens, repairing damage to your garden and dealing with rats or predators. As a rough guide you should allow for an additional $100 per year for this.

What do you get in return

So what do you get in return from your hens? Based on the benefits that can be easily measured, you get about $900 worth of value back from your hens each year.

Eggs: $650 per year

Manure: $160 per year

Bug & weed control: $100 per year

Total: $910 per year

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If you buy hens that are good egg layers, you will get at least 200 eggs a year from each hen (this is being conservative).

4 hens x 200 eggs per year = 800 eggs (65 cartons)

At $10 a carton x 65 = $650

You might wonder how I came up with $10 carton, especially when you can get eggs much cheaper from the supermarket. The point is, eggs from backyard chickens are way better than any eggs you can get from the supermarket. Because of this, I have added a premium to factor in their extra value. And if you happen to find a local farmer who sells real free range eggs - that's a pretty reasonable price to pay.

Manure ($160)

Another benefit you get from chickens is manure.

40kg per hen / per year x 4 hens = 160kg manure

$1 per kg (Dynamic lifter)

= $160 worth of manure

Bug and weed control ($160) Organic bug and weed killers: $160

Other benefits (can't be easily valued)

Then there are all the other benefits which I haven’t included, because they are hard to put a value on:

Family Pet Garden helpers More sustainable (waste, energy and emissions, food miles)

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Time taken to recover setup costs

Setup costs are recovered in a pretty short amount of time. It depends on how much you spend and the number of chickens you have. To give you a rough idea, the time taken to recover setup costs of $500 and $1000 are provided below based on 4 chickens.

$500 setup = 1.1 years

Calculation: Value per year ($910) - maintenance costs ($360) - ad hoc costs ($100) = $450. Setup costs ($500) / $450 = 1.1 years

$1000 setup = 2.2 years

Calculation: Value per year ($910) - maintenance costs ($360) - ad hoc costs ($100) = $450. Setup costs ($1000) / $450 = 2.2 years

4. How do you look after chickens when on holidays?

Something you need to think about before you get chickens, is who will look after them when your away? Do you travel all the time for work? Do you take regular family holidays? You don't want to get stuck in a situation where you need to go away but are worried about who will look after your chickens. By thinking about this up front, you will have a plan when the situation comes up.

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How long can chickens left alone for?

When planning for trips away, the first question is how long you can leave your chickens alone for? Some people might say that you can't leave them alone for even a single night. But I think this is overly cautious and not practical. And it really depends on your setup. My general guide is that they should be fine for up to 3 days with the right equipment and preparation. Any longer than that and you will need someone to check on them and do some basic maintenance.

But the key word here is "should" because there are no guarantees. If you go away for a few days there is still a chance of something going wrong. Here are some of the main problems that you will need to think about:

Running out of chicken feed because of the feeder capacity, a blocked feeder or feed that gets wet. Running out of water because of limited capacity or because the waterer is tipped over. A day without water in the heat is enough to cause problems. A build up of eggs in the egg laying box Predator attack A dead or sick chicken

How did I come up with 3 days?

Capacity of food, water and egg laying boxes It is a short enough amount of time so that if anything does go wrong, its likely that it can be fixed when you return, before it causes any major problems. Being prepared

Short trips (less than 3 days)

With short periods away, your chickens should be fine without anyone needing to check in on them, as long as your prepared. Some key things to consider when preparing:

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Use a reliable feeder with enough capacity. Reliable means it won't easily get clogged, will keep feed dry and is not likely to be knocked over. Use a reliable waterer with enough capacity. Water is one of the most critical things while your away. Its critical that the waterer doesn't get knocked over, jam up, freeze or dry up for any reason. Having more than one waterer is a good idea to make sure there is a backup if one of them fails. Setup a secure outside area which gives your chickens some space to flap around while secure from predators. A good chicken run connected to your coop will do the job. Make sure your egg laying boxes that are large enough to accomodate 3 days worth of eggs. Multiple egg laying boxes are a good idea for this reason. An automatic door opener can be handy but is also something that can fail if not reliable. Longer trips (more than 3 days)

If your away from your chickens for more than 3 days, you will really need someone to check on them and do some basic maintenance. This could be:

A neighbour, friend or family member Bribe them with free eggs or pocket money for kids. It also helps if you get people interested in your chickens before you go away. You could do this by giving away some eggs from time to time. The rule of reciprocity means people are more likely to return the favour when you have given them something in past.

Find a hen sitter Check online classifieds or consider services such as www.airtasker.com

Jointly owned chickens Consider jointly owned chickens where you share the work and share the benefits. This makes it much more likely that there will always be someone around to look after the chickens.

Make sure you give your hen sitters good instructions and make the job easy for them:

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​ Keep things simple and stick to the essential tasks that need to be done Provide a schedule of when to check on them and a detailed checklist of things to do Do a walkthrough before you leave of exactly what needs to be done to avoid any confusion If you won't be easily contactable, provide an alternative contact to call if something goes wrong. 5. How do you deal with sick or dead chickens?

What will you do if one of your chickens get sick? It might sound like a strange question because it goes without saying that you would take a sick dog or cat to the VET. But when it comes to backyard chickens, it's a little more complicated. Rightly or wrongly, most people have a different attitude towards chickens. People eat chickens every day, which might make it seem a bit ridiculous to spend a lot of money to take your sick chicken to the VET. Backyard chickens are pets

But at the same time, most backyard chickens have names and are treated like pets, which can make the decision less clear. By thinking about this ahead of time, you'll at least know what to expect and have a plan for how you will deal with it. Prevention is the best medicine

The first thing to point out is that prevention is the best medicine. If you provide a nutritious diet, keep the coop well maintained and keep your hens happy, then you should be able to avoid having too many problems. Your options

But when the situation does arise and your faced with a sick hen, you have 3 options:

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1. Pay for a VET

Would you be prepared to pay for a VET which is usually an expensive exercise? If you don’t want to deal with sick chickens yourself, then this is your only option. So before you rush out and get chickens, it's a good idea to know what your committing to. Talk to your local vet to get an idea of the costs you might be up for to treat a sick chicken or a least to get the vet to put it down for you so that it does not suffer.

2. Treating chickens yourself

To avoid expensive trips to the vet, you need to at least know the basics of chicken health. This involves learning how to identify and common problems that can be treated easily e.g. intestinal worms.

3. Put chickens down

It's cruel to let a sick chicken suffer, so at the very least you should be prepared to put the chicken down yourself if it comes to that. My thoughts on this are that anyone who eats chicken meat should be prepared to kill a chicken themselves. By being connected with the process of producing meat, you better appreciate the sacrifice that is made. The result is less food wasted and less mindless eating. 4. Are Backyard Chickens right for your backyard?

Before you jump in and get started with chickens, you need to make sure your backyard is well suited for chickens.

If you don’t do your homework, it can cause all sorts of problems. It can result in stressed chickens, cause arguments with your neighbours, get you evicted or even fined by your local council / government.

On the other hand, a little bit of planning will make sure you avoid any problems and help you get the most out of backyard chickens.

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1. Is it legal to keep chickens?

While backyard chickens are allowed in many places around the world, it varies a lot depending on where you live. So before you get started, you need to check what the rules are to make sure you not breaking any laws.

Where are the laws set?

Often regulations for chicken keeping are set by local governments, so thats the place to check.

Australia

Backyard chicken keeping regulations are set by local government councils. Chicken keeping is generally allowed in urban areas, with no roosters allowed and restrictions on the number of hens depending on where you live.

Canada

Backyard chicken keeping regulations in Canada are set by each city (municipalities) in their animal by-laws. Many urban areas in Canada don’t allow backyard chicken-keeping at all.

USA

Chicken keeping ordinances and laws are set by local governments for each jurisdiction (e.g. city, town, parish). There are still many urban areas in the USA that don’t allow backyard chicken keeping at all (around 10%). Although this is changing, with a groundswell of successful petitions to have laws changed.

United Kingdom

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In the UK, there are no specific laws against keeping backyard chickens. However at a local government level there may be by-laws in place that stop or restrict backyard chicken keeping. Also, if have over 50 birds (way more than you would want in the average backyard) then you are required to register them with Department for Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Common Rules and restrictions

Where chicken keeping is allowed, there are often certain rules and restrictions to follow.

Number of chickens

There is often a restriction on the number of chickens you can keep. This can be a fixed number or is sometimes based on the size of your property.

Roosters

Roosters are usually not allowed in urban areas because they have a loud crow that starts at the crack of dawn. This isn't a problem for egg laying, because hens don’t need Roosters to lay eggs. You only need a rooster if you want to fertilise eggs, to breed chicks. Without a rooster, the eggs will be infertile and cannot turn to chicks.

Hygiene

There are often hygiene standards you have to follow when looking after your chickens. This means:

Keeping rats and mice under control Managing chicken manure to prevent a stinky chicken coop Keeping flies under control and eliminating any mites.

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Noise

There is usually a requirement that chickens don't cause nuisance from excessive noise. Chickens typically make a lot less noise than barking dogs, so in my view this shouldn't not be a problem. But even without roosters, they do make some noise. It can be annoying to neighbours if its early in the morning or right outside their window. This can be managed by:

Keeping the right number of hens based on the size of your backyard Choosing breeds that are less vocal Keeping the coop away from neighbours where possible. Coop Placement

Sometimes there are rules on where you can put your coop. Usually this means keeping the coop a certain distance from your neighbours fence, house or roads. I have also seen some rules which require coops to have a concrete floor.

Neighbour complaints

Even if there are no specific restrictions, your local government is likely to investigate any complaints about noisy or stinky chickens from your neighbours. A general nuisance or public health requirement can usually be enforced if you don't look after your chickens properly.

What to do if chicken keeping is not legal?

If chicken keeping is not legal in your area - stick up for your rights and find like- minded people to petition for change! There have been lots of communities that have been successful in getting the rules changed, to allow backyard chickens. 2. How much space do you need to keep chickens?

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When your starting out with chickens it can be hard to know how much space you need. Most people overestimate the number of chickens their property can handle, and this leads to problems.

Coop and run

Chickens are social animals which means you need at least 2 together. The minimum space for 2 chickens in a coop and run setup is about 9 square meters (100ft squared). This is about the size of a small bedroom

Free range

If to many chickens are let loose on your backyard, the chickens will turn your backyard into a barren wasteland. With a coop and run, the damage is contained to an area set aside for chickens. But when you let them loose in you backyard, you're inviting trouble. Grass and plants will be stripped bare because of the impact of:

Foraging - which involves scratching and digging for bugs. Manure - if there is to much chicken manure concentrated in a small area, then grass and plants will burn and die off.

Because of this, you will want to generously overestimate the outdoor space needed. As a general guide, you should have a maximum of 3 hens per 50 square meters (550 square ft) of free ranging space. This is based on an estimate of the manure load (40kg of manure per hen / per year) and the amount of scratching and digging that your grass or garden can sustain. This is a very rough guide only and it would be a good idea to start with less than this to see how your backyard holds up. It can also depend on a lot of factors such as the type and age of plants in your yard. And if your hens are only free ranging for part of the day, then they will have less of an impact and you won't need as much space.

Measuring your property

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Before you launch into things, a good first step is to work out the size of your backyard and the size of the total area that will be used for chickens. When measuring, exclude areas that the chickens won’t have access to, such as pool areas and other fenced off parts of your backyard.

Using a tape measure

It will take a bit of effort, but the most accurate way to measure your yard is to use a good old tape measure and map it out. If your area is an odd size, you can measure your backyard in sections. But remember, you don't need to get an exact measurement. So if the area is not exactly square, a bit of rounding and guess work is fine.

Using Google Maps

Another option is to use google maps. This will give you a more rough estimate of the area and is a great option if you’re just after a quick idea of how much space you have to work with.

Open​ Google Maps Search for your property Zoom into your property Right click on your starting point and select "Measure distance" Click anywhere on the map to create an area to measure Once complete, the total measured distance is then shown at the bottom of your screen

Here is my poor attempt at drawing a chicken with the google maps distance measurement tool.

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3. Keeping chickens in a rental property

If your renting your house, you'll need to make sure you're allowed to keep chickens. One of the downsides of renting can be that pets are prohibited. Those who rent often might find themselves pleading and making promises before they can get a pet. The alternative is to hide your pets from landlord, but keeping chickens without permission from your landlord would be tough. It might be possible to throw your cat over your neighbours fence during a property inspection. But I don’t think it would be that easy with a bunch of chickens and a chicken coop. And what about all the chicken poop around your backyard! If your landlord finds out, you could be forced to get rid of your chickens, get evicted and loose your bond. That could make your backyard laid eggs a pretty costly and stressful exercise.

On the other hand, if you make sure you're allowed to keep chickens in your rental property, it will give you peace of mind to enjoy your chickens without the stress. Check your contract

Check for any “No-pet” clauses in your rental agreement. If its a bit unclear on your contract for any reason, then its worth raising the question with your landlord.

Put together a chicken keeping plan to discuss with your landlord

If landlord is unsure, put together a plan which directly addresses the concerns. Some things you could consider including in the plan are:

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The rules and regulations in the area for keeping chickens and how these will be adhered to The number of chickens you will keep How and where the chickens will be kept How any potential negative impacts on the property and neighbours will be reduced or eliminated, making sure you cover any specific concerns raised by your landlord. Information on the benefits to the property such as bug and insect control How the yard will be kept or restored in a similar condition Contract clauses:

Including specific conditions in the contract might also provide the landlord some peace of mind. 4. Moving Chickens

If you’re likely to be moving houses in the next couple of years, you'll need to plan for this before you get started. Even if your not planning on moving, its something you should think about. Because hey, who really knows what they're doing 3-5 years from now.

Decide on what you'll do with your chickens

If you know you are moving or area likely to move in the next few years, you have a few choices. which I will go through below. Some factors that will come into these choices:

How far you will move How long until you move How regularly you will move Option 1. Hold off on getting chickens until you move

You could hold off on getting chickens if you know you are moving, want to avoid the hassle and are patient enough to wait it out.

Option 2. Take your chickens with you when you move

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You can get started with chickens now and plan to take them with you when you move. In this situation, you should plan ahead of time how you are going to move them and consider the cost and time involved.

Mode of transport

Car - if you only have a few chickens and you don't have far to go, then you should be able to move them yourself in a car. Truck - If you have lots of chickens to move, then you could use a truck. if you don’t have one, you could hire or borrow one from a friend or family member if possible. Specialist pet transport company - If you have lots of chickens or simply don't want the hassle, you could use a specialist pet transport company.

What to transport them in

You will also need to consider what you will transport them in, such as boxes and pet carriers.

Moving the coop

Consider the type coop and how difficult it will be to move or sell. It wouldn’t make sense to build a $1000 Taj Mahal coop that can’t be moved or that is a real pain to move. You could think about getting a more portable style coop that will be easy to move or disassemble.

Number of chickens

Consider the moving process when your deciding on the number of chickens to get. Moving a small number of chickens (e.g. 3-6 hens) will be way easier than 20.

Option 3. Sell or give away your chickens before you move

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Unlike dogs or cats, most people don't have the same level of emotional bond and attachment to chickens. This makes it easier to give them away, if it comes to that. However thats not to say there'll be no emotional attachment. When you give your chickens a name, they become household pets and not just animals that provide eggs. Everyone will handle this differently. Personally I care for my chickens, but I wouldn’t have an issue giving them away if I needed to. It can be hard to predict, but you need to think about how attached you and your family are likely to become.

You also have to be prepared for the situation that no one wants your chickens, even if they are free. This is likely to be a problem if they are older and not laying many eggs.

Option 4. Kill your chickens before you move

Another option is to put your chickens down. If you can’t find another home for your chickens and its not feasible to move them, then you might be faced with the task of killing your chickens. If you eat chicken, it may not be a problem philosophically, but killing an animal yourself can be tough and confronting. Personally I think anyone who eats meat should kill an animal themselves at some stage, to help you appreciate the sacrifice. This often makes you think twice about wasting food when you consider you have taken another animals life for your benefit.

An alternative to killing the hens yourself is to take them to the vet to be put down, but this will cost you a lot more.

5. Neighbour complaints

When planning for chickens, you should consider your neighbours. Badly managed chickens are a sure way to annoy your neighbours. For example:

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Stray chickens that destroy your neighbours garden or poop all over their back patio A stinky mud pit in your coop or run that wafts over to your neighbours while they're out the back trying to enjoy a family bbq Rat infestations that start affecting your neighbours Chickens that start clucking loudly or crowing at 5am on a Sunday

Benefits of being considerate of your neighbours

In the end, it comes down to respect and putting yourself in your neighbours shoes. It pays to have a good relationship with your neighbours:

A bad relationship with your neighbours can turn your home into a stressful environment. No one wants that. Avoid formal complaints to your local government which could force you to stop keeping chickens. If handled right - your neighbour is an ideal person to have on side to help with your chicken keeping efforts. Neighbours are great for looking after your chickens while you're away. Consider jointly owned chickens with your neighbours, where you share the work and share the benefits. This is a great way to build a stronger relationship with your neighbours.

How to be considerate of your neighbours with backyard chickens

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Build a good relationship - if you build a good relationship with your neighbours then you can ask that they come to you first if there are any issues rather than lodge a formal complaint. Follow the rules - If you stick to the rules, then you're in a good position to defend any complaints. On the other hand, if you get a rooster that is not allowed, then you're just asking for trouble. Respect - consider your neighbours when planning for your chickens. Consider where you put your coop, the number of hens you get and avoid roosters if noise is likely to cause problems. Even if its not against the law to keep roosters, consider how close your neighbours are and talk it through with them first. Fencing - Solid fencing will protect your chickens and your neighbours property. If there isn't adequate fencing - find out if they would be open to letting chickens roam their backyard. Some free eggs are a good incentive! Smell and hygiene - keep your coop clean and well maintained so that it doesn't get stinky. Noise - Hens are not that noisy - I think the average dog makes a lot more noise. But if noise is a concern then do your research and select a quieter breed that tends to be quieter. And most importantly, don't get a rooster. Rats - To avoid rats, don't leave spilt food lying around or open water sources. Egg bribes - if you think your neighbours will have any concerns, then eggs are a great bribe. Selling eggs cheaply to your neighbours can also be a win win and enable you to sustainably keep more chickens or even cover a large chunk of the cost of keeping chickens in the first place. 6. Do chickens attract predators? Chickens are tasty

There is a reason that chicken is one of the most popular types of meat Because its tasty and the wild animals in your area think so to. Because you might have never seen or been bothered by predators before, you might assume that they're not in your area and that its not something you need to worry about. But the reality is that chickens are easy prey and any local predators are likely to find them eventually if left unprotected. Chickens are also messy eaters, which can attracts rats and other pests if not managed properly.

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Before you get started with chickens, its important to know what predators are in the area that could be attracted to your chickens. This will help you when your setting up for chickens:

To make sure you focus on providing protection against the predators that are likely to be a problem. This will help you decide how much effort to go to, in order to provide protection for your chickens based on specific threats. For example, in some areas hawks are a major concern and you will need to make sure there's plenty of overhead cover. In others areas, there might not be any predator birds around at all. To help you be more aware of any signs of trouble. To plan for predators from the start when setting up your coop and backyard, rather than trying to patch up your coop afterwards. Prevention is the best approach

In the end - you don’t want to be dealing with predators attacking your chickens or making themselves at home. Prevention the is the best approach and will save you heaps of trouble and stress down the track. Once predators have found a good source of food, it can be a lot harder to deal with.

I also like to keep things practical. The reality is, your chickens can’t be 100% secure. Life is not like that. I don't recommend ridiculous measures that take all your time and energy and cost a fortune.

Use wire mesh to keep predators out, not chicken wire Use a concrete floor or wire mesh to stop animals from digging under the coop Common predators

Predators will vary a lot depend on where you live. Here are some of the most common ones to give you an idea.

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Pet dogs in your neighbourhood - An attack from your neighbours dog is actually the most likely to occur. This could come from either a dog that gets loose or your chickens escaping over the fence for greener pastures. Feral dogs - Pet dogs that are abandoned and turn feral are also a threat. They are usually a hazard to local wildlife and also to your pet chickens. Foxes - Free ranging hens can be a smorgasbord for a fox. If you live in an area with foxes, then you definitely need to think about how you will protect your hens. Opossoms - Common in America, and can be vicious. They are opportunistic feeders and will target eggs and young chickens but are also more than capable of killing adult chickens. Snakes - Some larger snakes eat chickens, but what usually draws them in are the rats that hang around the chickens. Eggs are another treat that can attract snakes. Even if they are not attacking your chickens, its not fun dealing with snakes or having them around. If the snake is poisonous it could bite you or your family, or even if its not it can scare the hell out of you.

How to find out what predators are in your area

Its worthwhile doing some research to find out about predators in your area, to get a sense of how likely they are to attack your chickens. This includes:

What predators are in your area How common they are The areas they are found If they are protected wildlife or a pest. Talk to neighbours or friends that live close by

Talk to your neighbours to find out what dogs are in the area, especially your immediate neighbours. If there's a dog next door that's capable of attacking your chickens, then you'll know that you need to make sure that the fence is secure and high enough to prevent problems.

Google search

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Google is a great tool to learn more about what predators might be a problem in your area. Look for news stories of attacks or information provided by local websites. Here are some useful search terms to get you going:

Pest animals in wildlife attacks Feral pests in

Here are some examples of the news stories that came up when I did some google searches in my area and an explanation of how I used them to plan for predator attacks.

Wedgetailed eagles blamed for animal attacks in Brisbane

WEDGE-tailed eagles are believed to be responsible for a spate of attacks on farm animals on a property at Upper Brookfield.

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I didn’t know eagles were a problem in brisbane, but this story made me realise they’re around. In this news story, the attacks were in a more rural part of Brisbane. So while its possible my chickens could get attacked by eagles, I decided that it was pretty unlikely. My backyard has trees and bushes that provide my chickens cover and I keep an eye out for problems. But I don't take extensive measures such as netting my backyard or locking them up all day to prevent an attack. It's good to know they're around and I'm happy that the preventative measures I take are enough based on a low chance of an eagle attack.

Efforts ramped to reduce Brisbane's fox population as experts grow concerned for wildlife

FOXES have turned Brisbane’s southeast into their own suburban den with population, sightings and pest control requests all booming in the last year.

Its useful to know that fox numbers are on the rise in Brisbane and that a fox attack is a real possibility in my area. I'm also comfortable that I've taken the right preventative measures which make an attack very unlikely. This includes:

Secure fencing around the whole backyard that is more than 4 foot tall in all places. Pet dogs that would bark at and deter any foxes from entering into the backyard A secure coop where my chickens are locked up at night, to prevent any opportunistic attacks.

www.PatchToTable.com Ultimate guide to getting started with backyard chickens 5. Next Steps

Local government websites:

Local government and council websites can be a great source of information. They will often have some information about local pests and feral animals to watch out for, as well as information about protected species.

Local pest animal control business

Your local animal pest control businesses can be a great source of information. The list of services on their website will give you an idea of the problem animals in your area. Information on their social media accounts can also be useful for up to date information.

www.PatchToTable.com Ultimate guide to getting started with backyard chickens

www.PatchToTable.com Ultimate guide to getting started with backyard chickens

5. Next Steps

You've learned some of the key tools, mindsets and strategies you need to get started with backyard chickens from scratch.

In Part 1, I introduced the Quiz to test if your ready to get started with backyard chickens. I also walked through some of the hassles that can come with backyard chickens and how you can avoid chicken keeping hell. In Part 2, I went through the benefits of backyard chickens, to help you get clear on what you want to achieve and the best way to go about it. In Part 3, we talked about the practicalities of chicken keeping to help you understand whats required and what your in for. In Part 4, I helped you work out if your backyard is well suited to chickens, to give you the confidence to get started straight away.

I hope this guide inspires you to join the backyard chicken movement and to start enjoying fresh, super charged eggs, from happy, healthy hens wondering around your own backyard.

The next step is to jump in and get started. And that means learning how to:

Design a chicken keeping system that achieves your vision, fits in with your lifestyle and makes best use of the space on your property. Choose the right breed(s) to get the most from your chickens (e.g. breeds that lay more eggs, are hardy and make good pets). Manage your chickens in a way that works with their natural behaviours and biological needs, so that they are super easy to look after. I give away tons of free material about these topics. I even have a full course on the way, that takes you step-by-step from "scratch" to happy, healthy backyard chickens. The course has not been released yet, but if you want to get a heads up when it opens, click here to get on the waitlist.

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