The road to successfully keeping happy chickens is by providing them with the appropriate housing, food and water.
Whether you are wanting to keep a hen or two or ready for a whole flock, you will want to maintain the proper accommodations to keep them healthy and safe.
You can find a wide selection of blueprints for a chicken coop by simply searching the internet.
Depending on what types of chicken you are wanting to keep, you may need to adjust the types of food and accommodation.
The nesting needs of chicken that lay eggs for food or chickens for the breeding of chicks, have little variation in the accommodation they need.
Chickens that are bred for their meat will not require a nesting box, but they will need a place to roost during the night.
You will need to provide adequate space for your chickens to exercise, whether you are keeping chickens for their eggs or their meat.
Fresh food and water is always available in mass producing egg facilities, as well as clean cages.
Hens are kept individually, each with their own cage.
As a backyard farmer, you can give them more room, which can increase their longevity.
There are many chicken owners that treat their chickens as pets.
Before building the proper pen, you need to decide what you are keeping them for and how many you will want to keep.
The larger egg laying chickens are some of the best pets to keep.
These are calmer birds and apt to come running every time someone comes out to see them.
They are easily taught how to take food from the hand, although they do not like to be picked up.
Their behavior and expression seems to indicate that they actually are more aware and understand what you are saying to them, than is really true.
All of this, plus their egg-laying ability make this group a great one to work with, for the first-time fancier or the long-time bird keeper.
Chickens that have fancy feathers on their feet and head and bright coloured markings are some of the more popular breeds today.
These are usually smaller chickens, lay smaller eggs and are a bit more skittish.
They are attractive and draw much attention to the garden as well as the show ring, if you are into wanting to show, or have children in 4-H.
Fresh food and water will always need to be provided whatever type of chicken you decide to choose.
Chicken scratch is mostly corn with some other grains and is a good stable food for pets and non-egg-layers.
However, chickens that lay eggs on a regular basis and young growing chicks require higher levels of protein and calcium.
A chick start formula is good for the young ones, and a mash or layer crumble is good for the adults.
When building their coop, think not only of containing the chickens, but of keeping out potential predators as well.
If the coop is not surrounded by other fencing, you will want a stronger type of fence link with smaller mesh to protect them from dogs, opossums, fox and coyotes.
For smaller birds, you will also want their home to have a covering to keep out owls.
Some chickens are flyers, so you may have to put a roof over the coop to keep them in, but you can always clip their wings if this is not an option you would like.
Also provide some type of shelter from the elements.
Younger birds will need some type of heat source in winter months, especially in colder climates, such as a heat bulb.
Before you purchase any chickens, there is a lot to be considered.
Look at the various blueprints for a chicken coop that you think may be right for your situation and make sure it is right for you.
Weigh the options of what you want to keep, how it will work in your yard and, of course, your budget.