You need to provide a coop for your birds to roost in and lay their eggs away from nighttime predators. As with all other animals, water and food need to be available to your chickens. Once you have those three things, you can sit back and watch your chickens play in the yard, and start enjoying your fresh eggs.
The Coop
Most chicken-raisers provide some sort of "lodging" for their birds. There is no optimal coop design, you should build a coop that works with you and your birds needs. There are plans available online at many different websites, or you can design one yourself. You should provide a door that closes and latches at night to protect your birds from raccoons, skunks
and other nocturnal predators. Your
coop can be large enough for you to
walk inside to collect eggs, or a small
one with just enough room for your
chickens to sleep and lay eggs.
Nest boxes should be provided in your
coop for your hens to lay their eggs in.
These can be easily made out of ply-
wood, or purchased online.
Food is easy to provide for your chick-
ens. In addition to weeds, bugs and
grubs, most people feed their birds
a layer feed, such as Layena. This can
be bought at most feed stores.
There is also organic chicken feed
available at some feed stores.
15 Southwest Highways & Fields
Above: Walk-in coop, originally children's playhouse
Below: Small 2-bird coop
Bottom Left: Handmade nest box
-Eamon Decker