Chickens - Raising Small Animals - page 105

of the process because you do not want find yourself wondering what you should do next at
any point. Live animals will not wait for you. Each day will be an adventure, and if you are
not prepared, you might miss out.
In the beginning, it is important to start small. As a new breeder, you will want to gain some
experience before you tackle large amounts of birds. Start small by owning and breeding one
rooster and two hens. Do not get two roosters because they will fight for male dominance. In
the future, you may want to produce more than one type of chicken, and at that point, you will
need more than one rooster. But in the beginning, keep it simple. It is natural to want to take
on more, but be aware that if you are successful from the beginning and your hens' eggs are
fertilized, you could end up with many eggs. Those eggs will hatch baby chicks, and before
you know it, your flock is more than you may be able to handle.
CASE STUDY: STARTING FROM SCRATCH
Jesse Dykes
Jesse Dykes and his wife, Jessica, live outside of Nashville, Tennessee, on five acres of
property. The rural location was a prime environment for ticks and spiders. “It was so bad
that we would have several ticks on us from the time it took to walk to the house from our
car,” Dykes said. They decided to get some chicks to help with insect control. In just a few
months, the ticks were almost nonexistent. Now their flock is primarily for eggs and meat.
Dykes and his wife started out with eight chickens of mixed breed from Tractor Supply
( www.tractorsupply.com ) to help learn about them without spending much money. Now
nearing a flock of 50 birds, they currently have Rhode Island Reds, buff Orpingtons, and
barred Rocks, and they are in the process of getting some Jersey Giants.
Dykes recommends starting with day-old chicks, as opposed to hatching your own eggs. He
said, “From my experience, it is not economical to buy an incubator, eggs, and then hatch
them. Most hatcheries charge more for eggs than day-old chicks.”
He continues, “We initially bought our day-old chicks from the Tractor Supply Store. We have
since found a local hatchery by the name of Poultry Hollow. My wife and I also source our
chicks from Mypetchicken.com and Mcmurrayhatchery.com. My Pet Chicken is excellent
about shipping low number orders. In general, I would suggest new chicken owners buying
from their local co-op or Tractor Supply Store for their first batch. The store clerks are very
knowledgeable and willing to help customers with questions. In the end, the store route was
less stress on us when we first got into raising chickens.”