Chickens
& Eggs Why Are My Hens Not Laying? Several factors can make a hen stop
laying eggs... do these reasons fit explain your chickens'
lack of eggs? Buy Baby Chickens All egg laying chickens start as peeps,
and raising your own hens from the time they are baby chickens is a
great way to ensure they are gentle and familiar with you.
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Raising
Backyard Chickens Interested in raising backyard chickens?
Many families, from those in rural areas with acres of land to urban
city-dwellers with limited space, are rediscovering the benefits – and
work – of egg laying chickens and meat birds.
Most backyard chicken enthusiasts start just with egg layers, as they
can be the simplest to raise and there’s obviously no butchering
involved. Some branch out to pasture raised poultry for meat purposes,
realizing the superior nutrition of pastured poultry and home-raised
chickens.
There are certain essentials to raising backyard chickens. The first is
a shelter that both contains the hens and protects them from chicken
predators. Even if you intend to have free range chickens
during the
day, allowing the birds to forage for insects in your yard or scratch
through the compost pile for worms, nighttime will eventually bring
trouble if the birds are not protected after coming back to the coop to
roost.
My backyard chicken flock free ranges for about half the day, as we
have had only very occasional daytime predators (such as stray dogs,
hawks, and tom cats) in the area, and are able to keep the birds safe.
They come back into their pen and roost in the coop at night, and we
latch shut the coop door after everyone is safely inside. Hens, once in
the habit, will come into the coop willingly to lay their eggs, even
when they are out free ranging.
Discovering the right chicken breeds for your purposes is one of the
first steps. Those with limited space should consider a few in the
small
chicken breeds category, while those with more land and who
want
as many eggs as possible can choose from the best egg
laying chicken
breeds.
Chickens should be fed according to their age and purpose. Chick
Starter is for birds under three months, who are then transitioned to
laying mash or laying mash pellets for pullets (the name for hens
before the are fully mature) or a broiler feed blend for chickens
destined for the oven. Chicken feed can be supplemented by grass,
either given as clippings after mowing or by allowing chickens access
to pasture. They will also gladly peck through kitchen scraps, enjoying
apple cores and bread crusts and the like. Supplementing with grass and
compost scraps has the side benefit of cutting the cost of feeding your
hens.
A plentiful supply of clean, fresh water is paramount to chicken health
and keeping them alive, especially throughout the hot summer months. In
the winter, a heated
chicken waterer may be necessary if you experience
freezing temperatures.
Collect eggs daily to keep your hens from pecking them or sitting on
the eggs (unless, of course, you want your hens to go broody and hatch
chicks for you).
Raising backyard chickens is an adventure – enjoy it!
Go back to Raising
Chickens or home to Egg Laying Chickens.
Read more in Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens.
Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens
 Books ... The Chicken Health Handbook Keep Chickens: Tending Small Flocks
Chicken Coop Living Choosing and Keeping Chickens 
Egg Laying
Chickens Book Store
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