You've decided you want to raise chickens. Well, good for you. It's not as difficult as it sounds and has several wonderful benefits. Firstly, compared to other pets, chickens are easy and cheap to feed and maintain. They have personality, are friendly, they'll keep your yard free of weeds and bugs, you can have fresh eggs, and they produce the best fertilizer in the world.

The downside to raising chickens is that there are a number of diseases they can catch that will wipe them all out. You have to keep their surroundings clean, and never feed them old or moldy table scraps. You also have to make sure there are no stagnant pools of water around. Mosquitoes can infect chickens. A lot of diseases are brought in from the outside. Wild birds, germs on people's clothing, shoes or items brought from chicken suppliers. Be aware of these possibilities and do your homework on the diseases your chickens can catch.

You can acquire chicks several ways. You can hatch them by using a homemade chicken incubator. You can also contact a chicken supplier, or check out a local Feed Store in early spring. Chicks are often given as pets for Easter.

For the first sixty days keep the chicks in a "Young Chick Brooder." This could be a rabbit cage or a strong cardboard box. For the first week you need to keep the temperature between 90 - 100 degrees. You can put one 100 watt light bulb in the corner to keep it warm. Lower the temperature five degrees each week until they are adapted to the normal temperature for the season. For flooring, use pine shavings.

Feed your chicks "chick crumbles" and purchase a "chick waterer" You need to play with them a little so they get used to people and section off a part of your yard so they can run around and do a little scratching in the dirt. Don't make it too big or you'll have a hard time catching them when it's time to go back inside.

After sixty days move your chickens into a chicken coop. Provide between two and three square feet of room in the coop per chicken and between four and five square feet per chicken outside in the run area. A lot of animals like to kill chickens, so make their hen house secure. Nothing is sadder than entering the coop one day to find all of your beautiful chickens deceased. Protect them.

For the coop flooring, stick to the pine shavings, although you might want to try deep litter for less maintenance. Brazil Frozen Beef WholesalerFeed them "chicken layer feed" and use "chicken waterers" to keep them happy, fertile and healthy.

Chickens, like any other pets, appreciate tasty treats. When you're feeling magnanimous, give them bread, "chicken scratch" which is made up of wheat, cracked corn and milo, bugs and vegetables. They'll love you for it and there will be a lot of happy clucking in the hen house.