Hello Chicken Raising Chicks!
Today I am featuring an article fom Mother Earth News called....
"As the popularity of chicken ownership continues to increase across the country, more families are taking control of what they put on the dinner table by raising poultry as a fun and educational family activity, or even as a small business opportunity in support of the local food movement. Whatever the reason, to make your experience of owning chickens the best it can be, it's a must to arm yourself with all you need to know to successfully own and raise healthy, productive chickens.
The first consideration to address, if applicable, is determining whether residential zoning ordinances allow chickens, backyard coops or chicken houses. Residents should check with their municipality's zoning board for relevant codes and to see if approval is needed before structures are erected. When applicable, check neighborhood homeowner associations as well.
Once conditions of ownership are understood, expert advice and information from the seasoned professionals at Tractor Supply Company can help potential chicken owners start successfully by setting expectations and removing doubt caused by myths and misperceptions.
“One of our main questions was how much noise a flock of chickens would make and how it could affect our family as well as our neighbors,” said Danielle Newman of Livermore, Calif., who has been raising chickens with her family for the past seven years. “We asked the store manager at our local Tractor Supply and were told that since we had no plans to own a rooster, the noise would not be an issue, and it certainly hasn’t been at all.”
In fact, hens are fairly quiet. And roosters are not necessary for hens to lay eggs for consumption. Hens will let out a brief squawk to show off a new egg or if they become distressed. Otherwise, the noise from a hen is almost nonexistent.
Another common myth about raising chickens centers on the smell created by a small flock. In reality, chickens create no more odor than any other household pet.
“We’ve found that smell isn’t an issue in the least,” said Jenn Butt of Ruckersville, Va., a chicken owner for nine months. “We clean the coop regularly, and we really like having the compost for fertilizer. Honestly, the compost was a surprise bonus we weren’t expecting. We saw fantastic results in our garden and flower beds.”
Keep reading: http://www.motherearthnews.com/biz-bulletins/raising-chickens-tractor-supply.aspx#ixzz2NCQnS4GT
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