Incredible Homestead Chickens

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Not all chicken breeds have a strong instinct to hatch eggs and nurture young. To foster these traits, the author is working on an experimental cross of old English games and rose comb Dorkings. HARVEY USSERY

Eggs from backyard flocks are of a quality and nutritional density that those dependent on the supermarket can only dream of. Necessary culling (of excess males and non-productive females) graces the table with flavorful meat. But backyard flocks can contribute to self-sufficiency in more ways than simply putting food on the table. They offer bug control, tillage and great entertainment.

Poultry are incredible starter livestock for most homesteads, because their needs are easily and cheaply met, and the homesteader can start on a small scale.

Coming Home to Roost

One reason poultry are the easiest livestock is that their housing can be simple. All domesticated poultry are hardy and will do well if given protection from predators and the extremes of weather. Any housing that protects the birds from wind, rain and snow will be adequate for your flock. (Remember, too, their need for shade on the hottest summer days.) You should provide a minimum of 3 square feet per adult bird — 4 or 5 would be even better.

Chickens, guineas and turkeys all have an instinct to roost at night and will be more content if given perches to do so. Any structure that allows them to sleep perched above ground level will satisfy their urge to roost.

If there are laying hens in your flock, you should provide nests. I make my own (12 inches high and wide, 16 inches deep) and fill them with straw, leaves or other clean, soft material.

Almost any structure can serve satisfactorily for housing poultry. I strongly advise leaving an earth floor in the coop and covering it with a deep layer (up to 12 inches) of organic matter (see “Deep Litter System: The Best Plan for Chicken Poop,” below).

All domestic poultry are quite cold hardy. They don’t need added heat here in Hume, Va., (with temperatures down to 10 below zero) as long as they are protected from the wind in the coldest weather. I make certain that their house is tight against drafts, while at the same time providing essential ventilation. Occasionally, cocks (males) suffer frostbite to their large combs and wattles (the red, fleshy protuberances on top of and hanging from their heads). If you live further north, you might want to consider breeds such as the chantecler, which have minimal combs and wattles that are almost impervious to frostbite.

Another winter care question is whether to use artificial lighting to mitigate the natural drop in egg production during the dark winter months. My own practice is not to use such lighting. We simply adjust to a greatly reduced egg supply in the winter. But if your flock is in good health and you are feeding them well, you can certainly keep lights on them in the winter without major ill effects. It is most convenient to put the light on a timer. Set the timer to provide earlier light in the morning for a total of 14 hours a day. Allow only natural light in the evening so the birds aren’t surprised when the artificial light suddenly shuts off. A single 40- or 60-watt bulb should be adequate.