Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
A good dust bath keeps your hens healthy. This Ameraucana is bathing and attracts the attention of the
other hens in the flock.
Regular Maintenance
While chickens are a relatively low-maintenance livestock option, that doesn't mean no-
maintenance. In order to provide everything they provide for you, there are certain minimum
requirements that must be met. We teach our children that happy chickens make happy eggs.
Feeding your flock.
There is a wide variety of feeding programs that range from 100 percent
commercially purchased feed for a totally enclosed and dependent flock, to 100 percent free-
roaming chickens that aren't supplemented with any feed at all. In some areas of Oklahoma I even
see households where the chickens are practically feral and fend completely for themselves. Most
backyard farms fall somewhere in the middle.
The less feed you have to purchase, the more self-sufficiency and the fewer feed bills you have.
Feeding your flock directly from your kitchen or garden as much as possible just makes sense to
increase their health and lower your overall expenses.
Chick starter has a high level of protein to help support developing chicks as they experience their
rapid growth, so we always use this prepackaged food as the main source of food for our chicks.
