Four Tips for Raising Your Own Chickens
In a time when convenience and cost are so important, it can be difficult to eat healthy. Time restraints simply make it easier to run to the local fast food restaurant. Even when you do attempt to eat healthy, you can never really know what is in the food items you purchase at the local grocery store. Really, the only way to ensure that you are eating healthy and fresh is by growing and producing your own food sources. For this reason, chicken nesting and the collection of fresh eggs is more popular than ever. Even you can raise your own chickens and have direct access to the healthiest and freshest of foods.
Start out with a couple of chickens
Starting out with a couple of chickens is ideal. It can take some time to get used to the raising, feeding, and collecting process. You will also have to take time to set up an appropriate nesting area. Without a good chicken nesting box, you will not see good results. However, if you do build a successful chicken nesting box, you are likely to see an increase in the number of chickens. Typically hens will start to lay when they are around 5 to 6 months of age and will lay approximately 200 to 300 eggs annually, based on the breed type. Because of the rapid growth and egg laying, it is important to start out small.
Benefits of chicken nesting boxes
Chicken nesting boxes are absolutely necessary in the successful raising of chickens and eggs. Without enough nest boxes, your chickens will not successfully lay enough eggs. One box for every 4 to 5 hens is the minimum for your hens to feel comfortably laying them. If you can encourage comfortable laying, you will see many benefits to chicken nesting boxes. When you buy nest boxes, you receive an increased number of eggs, as well as better quality of eggs. The nesting box also acts as a storage device, carefully protecting the eggs until you are ready to collect them.
Importance of clean nesting boxes
Creating a metal chicken nesting box is not enough for successful chicken raising and egg collecting. The boxes also need to be extremely clean for the chicken to feel comfortable laying its eggs in it. Clean nesting boxes includes fresh water, fresh box contents, and regular cleaning of manure. Cleaning manure up is one of the hardest parts of keeping the nesting boxes clean. Managing chicken manure is all about minding the bedding. Consider that it absorbs both the manure substance and the moisture that goes along with it. Chicken manure is essentially made up of 85% water.
Convenient storage of nesting boxes
Nesting boxes only need to be used when the chicken is actively laying eggs. If you have a period of rest, the nesting boxes could potentially get in the way of other raising duties. Consider purchasing a rear roll out nest box for easy storage. With a rear roll out nesting box, you can easily roll them underneath the shelves and then pull them back out again when nesting restarts. However, be careful to replace the nesting and to properly clean the nesting box in between nesting times.
There are many benefits to producing your own food sources. When you grow and raise your own food, you have more control over the health of your ingredients. It can also be more convenient than running to the grocery store every time you need something. However, raising chickens and nesting can also be a lot of work. It is important that you are prepared and that you have sufficient knowledge to provide the right materials and raising environment. Chicken nesting boxes that are of high quality are important to the entire process.
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