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For all that I have a BOOK blog, most of my incoming searches are on chickens. It makes a little sense, as I am a (sort-of) owner of chickens, and I did review a book on chickens. But there are a few recent search questions that I thought I would answer in one post, per my experience. Please remember that this is just through my experience. If you have real problems, health-wise, or predator wise, please go to your local vet and/or feed store and see if they have any suggestions

1. How long do chickens live?

The average lifespan of a chicken is 7 years. Most people slaughter their chickens after they stop laying eggs at high levels of production (after 1-2 years), but I am raising my girls as pets, so no slaughter for them. There are of course examples of chickens living long lives, and I hope to have a few examples myself! Part of the problem is that even on a small scale where people order birds in quantities of ten or so, they are being bred to produce MANY eggs and still be slaughtered for meat at the age of one or two. Longevity is not a concern for their breeders.

2.How do you keep a chicken warm in the winter?

Two options. One is to keep them inside your house, in a heated space. This can be messy (and depending on how many birds you have, TERRIBLY noisy!) The second is to heat their hen house. A heat lamp can be a good choice, but safety concerns must be addressed. If you have a well insulated hen house, then barring a few very cold days in the bleak months of January and February, your hens should keep themselves warm.

3. What are the options of chicken housing?

The options are ENDLESS. There are many places that you can order pre-made chicken houses, painted or not, your choice! Many people use a shed similar to a garden shed, with windows cut out and roosts and nesting boxes added. If you have a long chicken, a large dog crate can work, though it needs to be cleaned more often. Chickens LOVE to roost, so an enclosure large enough for them to sleep on a stick at night really is all it takes for them to be happy it would sometime seem!
We had an unusable garage that we transformed into a chicken house. It was a large space for them, had enough insulation that they were able to make it through the winter with only a few cold nights, and had access to a fenced in pen that was all theirs. After we gave away the majority of our flock (they can be a lot of work when you have 40…) we were down to 3 and they slept in a dog crate that was in a more secure room.

4. Roosters: Necessary or not?

Not necessary! Chickens will lay eggs regardless if there is a man around. Their eggs will NOT be fertile however, so you would not be having babies, just plain eggs. Please keep in mind that most people do not want their roosters, so if you have the space, you could rescue a rooster that would otherwise be killed. Our rooster is an incredibly nice boy who protects his girls. He has twice fended off dogs that got into the pen, with not a feather disturbed on the hens. I did have his spurs removed because I felt that it was unnecessary for him and they looked scary when he was doing his business with the girls. A painful procedure, but it was done by my vet and we had no complications.

5. What types of predators?

We had raccoons and skunks as our predators of choice, unfortunately. Neither are particularly nice as they seem to enjoy flaying the birds, or just killing as many as possible. While it is important to keep your birds happy and warm, keeping them ALIVE is key. You MUST MUST MUST have a secure hen house because if you don’t, animals WILL get in, even if you live in an urban area. Skunks and Raccoons, among other predators, are EVERYWHERE. Not a sight you want to wake up to, BELIEVE ME.

Here are some fun websites:
Conspiring Chickens
Wikipedia’s Entry
Bird Hobbyist
UK’s Animal Corner
Dr. Bob’s All Creatures Site
Oldest Hen?

I am happy to give advice on birds. Remember that if you want chickens for pets, you can always find older hens that people are giving away, and they still will lay the occasional egg. Also, they are VERY food focused. Just because they are older does not mean that they are unfriendly. They will love you quite quickly if you have food every time you see them!!!

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And for a book with a 2006 laydown date (yes we passed it but hey! it’s available everywhere!), but one with some really interesting information, I give you, “Choosing and Keeping Chickens” by Chris Graham.

A description, from the website,

Whether raising chickens as part of the family or as a livelihood, Choosing and Keeping Chickens provides detailed information about the appearance, key traits, general temperament, health concerns, and estimated life span of the most prevalent types of this popular bird. It also describes characteristics of the eggs laid by each type of chicken, which birds mix best in the coop setting, and seasonal guides that reveal the changing needs of chickens throughout the year along with the best housing arrangements during various climates.

This has some excellent information and photographs of chicken coops. It has information on feed, holding chickens, even incubation for eggs. One thing I particularly like about this book is that it gives real warnings about how chickens need to be checked on every morning and every night. Although they are easy to care for, you do HAVE to care for them. They need safe housing and food and water sources. Graham does an Excellent job of pointing out that although chickens are fun, they are also living animals that need care and respect. The part of this book that is the most fun however is the breed photographs. Some of the breeds, like the Polish Chicken (as seen here..) are just bizarre. But this book gives down-to-earth stats like, “striking looks, high maintenance, exhibition favorite, friendly,” which give you a real idea as to whether this would be a good breed for you.

This book seems to have included mostly chickens that do well in shows. Another segment to the book is how to show and care for show chickens. The Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, Leghorn (FOGHORN LEGHORN), Jersey Giant, New Hampshire Red (I have two of these, and they are described as “a homely breed, good mother, robust, great in the backyard”) are the only chickens that you might see in backyards, but most of the other chickens in the book (like the Transylvanian Naked Neck Chicken) you will probably never see outside of a large fair. I was especially disappointed that besides a single picture of a bantam Araucana, the Araucanas and Ameraucanas did not have any information. For giggles, here is my own Araucana, Francesca (Frannie). She will be five years old this spring.

It really is easy to keep a small flock of chickens. If you can protect the birds from skunks, foxes and raccoons, can keep them warm in the winter, provide them water and feed, then you are all set. I have 2 flocks. The “outdoor” flock is Whitey the Leghorn (and as my mother says, “a very pretty one at that”), Rosie the New Hampshire Red, and Mr. Rooster, an Araucana rooster (he is 4 now!). The “inside birds” (named such because they sleep in a crate next to the kitchen as opposed to in the chicken coop) are Frannie (the Araucana seen above) and Isabella (aka Izzie, also sister to Rosie) who is a New Hampshire Red.

If you do raise your chickens for meat, I recommend NOT naming them. Our chickens are just for fun and the occasional egg, so, they get names! If you have any questions on having a “Barnyard in your Backyard” as the saying goes, just ask! Also, check out (at your local independent bookshop of course!) “Choosing and Keeping Chickens” by Chris Graham, because it really does have some great advice and amazing pictures!!

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