How to Breed Chickens
Find out if it is legal to keep chickens in your area., Make sure that you can house the new chickens., Decide if you want to take a chance on more roosters., Obtain a rooster., Start breeding in the spring., Decide between incubating the eggs...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find out if it is legal to keep chickens in your area.
Some places have strict laws on keeping chickens whilst other places has ruled on keeping roosters and the amount of chickens you have.
To avoid a fine it is best to check your local laws and regulations in your area. , Many people don’t take into account that when you breed chickens, you will end up with significantly more chickens than you started with.
Ensure that your chicken coop is ready for the new additions to your flock.
Keep spare coops and equipment around so you're prepared to separate roosters or bullies of the flock.
Sometimes you just won't have enough room to keep all chickens in one coop or you might get a few more roosters than hens that are aggressive towards each over. , Breeding chickens will result in about 50% male chicks.
Male chickens will not contribute to your egg production, eat larger amounts of food, and will significantly increase the noise level of your flock.
Be aware that breeding chickens will always result in having to deal with roosters., In order to fertilize your hen’s eggs, you will need a rooster in prime breeding condition.
The rooster does not need to be the same breed as your hens in order to mate.You should have 1 rooster for every 10 hens.
Try to find a rooster from a good breeding stock.
His eye color should be even, and his feet should be free from deformities.
The rooster’s comb should look like a standard comb for his breed.
Be prepared for noise.
Roosters are loud animals, and many cities and suburban areas have laws against owning roosters due to the noise.
Make sure that you can legally own a rooster.
If you cannot, you will need to purchase fertilized eggs to hatch.
Some breeds can be fairly aggressive.
Make sure that you pick a rooster that is even-tempered, especially if you have children. , Although you can breed chickens throughout most of the year, chickens bred in the Spring tend to be stronger.
Chickens born in the Spring will begin producing eggs in Autumn.
You do not need to do anything special in order to breed your chickens, just introduce the rooster to your flock and let nature take its course.
Make sure both your hens and your rooster are eating quality food.
This will ensure that their reproductive systems are as strong as possible.
If you are breeding second generation or third generation chickens, be very wary of inbreeding issues.
Try to tag your chickens so that you know which ones are related to the rooster.
You can keep the rooster separate and only allow in the hens that you want to breed.
You may also consider getting a new rooster each year., If you rely on your hens for egg-laying, letting the hen raise the egg will result in about 3 months of lost egg production (21 days to set and hatch her clutch, and another 2 months to raise her babies before she starts laying again).
You will also need a “broody” hen, which means she is willing to sit on the egg for the entire incubation period.
Most chickens have had the broody trait bred out to keep them productive.
Some of the broodiest breeds include:
Silkies, Serama, Brahma, Jersey Giant, New Hampshire Red, Sussex, and others.
If you have a large number of eggs to incubate, or are incubating to sell, it may be worthwhile to invest in an incubator. -
Step 2: Make sure that you can house the new chickens.
-
Step 3: Decide if you want to take a chance on more roosters.
-
Step 4: Obtain a rooster.
-
Step 5: Start breeding in the spring.
-
Step 6: Decide between incubating the eggs yourself
-
Step 7: or allowing the hen to raise her chicks.
Detailed Guide
Some places have strict laws on keeping chickens whilst other places has ruled on keeping roosters and the amount of chickens you have.
To avoid a fine it is best to check your local laws and regulations in your area. , Many people don’t take into account that when you breed chickens, you will end up with significantly more chickens than you started with.
Ensure that your chicken coop is ready for the new additions to your flock.
Keep spare coops and equipment around so you're prepared to separate roosters or bullies of the flock.
Sometimes you just won't have enough room to keep all chickens in one coop or you might get a few more roosters than hens that are aggressive towards each over. , Breeding chickens will result in about 50% male chicks.
Male chickens will not contribute to your egg production, eat larger amounts of food, and will significantly increase the noise level of your flock.
Be aware that breeding chickens will always result in having to deal with roosters., In order to fertilize your hen’s eggs, you will need a rooster in prime breeding condition.
The rooster does not need to be the same breed as your hens in order to mate.You should have 1 rooster for every 10 hens.
Try to find a rooster from a good breeding stock.
His eye color should be even, and his feet should be free from deformities.
The rooster’s comb should look like a standard comb for his breed.
Be prepared for noise.
Roosters are loud animals, and many cities and suburban areas have laws against owning roosters due to the noise.
Make sure that you can legally own a rooster.
If you cannot, you will need to purchase fertilized eggs to hatch.
Some breeds can be fairly aggressive.
Make sure that you pick a rooster that is even-tempered, especially if you have children. , Although you can breed chickens throughout most of the year, chickens bred in the Spring tend to be stronger.
Chickens born in the Spring will begin producing eggs in Autumn.
You do not need to do anything special in order to breed your chickens, just introduce the rooster to your flock and let nature take its course.
Make sure both your hens and your rooster are eating quality food.
This will ensure that their reproductive systems are as strong as possible.
If you are breeding second generation or third generation chickens, be very wary of inbreeding issues.
Try to tag your chickens so that you know which ones are related to the rooster.
You can keep the rooster separate and only allow in the hens that you want to breed.
You may also consider getting a new rooster each year., If you rely on your hens for egg-laying, letting the hen raise the egg will result in about 3 months of lost egg production (21 days to set and hatch her clutch, and another 2 months to raise her babies before she starts laying again).
You will also need a “broody” hen, which means she is willing to sit on the egg for the entire incubation period.
Most chickens have had the broody trait bred out to keep them productive.
Some of the broodiest breeds include:
Silkies, Serama, Brahma, Jersey Giant, New Hampshire Red, Sussex, and others.
If you have a large number of eggs to incubate, or are incubating to sell, it may be worthwhile to invest in an incubator.
About the Author
Hannah Kelly
Experienced content creator specializing in organization guides and tutorials.
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