Secrets of Raising Hens
Although hens may prove difficult to look after for people who are not well informed about them, raising hens can be a very pleasurable venture for those who are well informed. Imagine the pleasure of fresh eggs for breakfast every morning or the sound of chicken clattering in your compound every morning. To avoid complicating the issue, chicken are omnivorous just like human beings, they are also gentle and can mingle freely with humans. These factors among others make them among the easiest animals to keep.
It is important to know what breed of chicken to keep in what area as some are tolerant to some climates while others are not. It has been noted that chicken can be easily conditioned to certain circumstances e.g. if you condition them to feeding at particular times and at a particular place, they will always avail themselves at the place at the very particular time. In this situation, it is easy to mix with them in your environment without interfering with your regular activities as long as you give them the little attention they may demand from time to time.
Chicken in a free-range system can some times wonder into strange territory causing conflicts in the neighborhood. Although some people may decide to put up fences to prevent the hens from straying they are usually surprised to discover that the chicken still managed to get through the fence. It is important for such individuals to know that chicken fly just like any other bird and thus may be capable of flying over the set up wall. To prevent this it is advisable to get hold of the hens and proceed to clip the end of their fore most feathers. This will hold them back when they try to take off.
Feeding
Many people assume that chickens will eat any thing especially in a free-range set up; this may be true although it is also important to know that some foods such as avocados are high in acidity and may cause death to your chicken it is therefore advisable to try to keep such food away from your birds.
Roosters
Roosters fight territorial wars and can prove very difficult to keep together. Some people have nonetheless discovered that two strange roosters may fight to death however, they have also come to realize that roosters who have grown together or in view of each other do not carry this rivalry too far and one usually surrenders making the dispute less disastrous. It would therefore be very advisable to avoid introducing new grown roosters into new territories to avoid such inconveniences. Another point worth noting is the fact that chicken can lay eggs without the presence of a rooster as long as you do not need fertilized eggs. On this point, you can therefore decide to avoid keeping roosters totally, if you do not need fertilized eggs and you do not like roosters either because of their loudness or for the reason that they keep fighting as they struggle for control.
