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Raising Organic, Free-Range Chickens
Information, links & literature
to raise your own flock of healthy chickens
in your back yard or on the farm!
Chickens are the first choice of livestock for a cottage farmer, due to the low cost of start up. Raising chicks from a day or 2 old is a fun project, with a quick return on your investment. Pullets (young hens) will begin laying eggs for you at about 5 months of age. Extra cockerels (roosters) can be butchered before that time for the best chicken you have ever tasted.
WHERE TO GET CHICKS OR CHICKENS:
- Chicks can be ordered and purchased from your local feed store, where it is more likely that the chicks will have been hatched in your own state, but breed purity may not be guaranteed. National mail order companies are also available if you have a breed in mind that may not be found locally. Use key words "chicks hatchery" in your online search for hatcheries. While Organic Standards allow for vaccination of chicks, many organic producers prefer not to vaccinate their chicks. This is a decision you will need to make prior to ordering chicks from a hatchery.
- The very best places to buy your chicks is from small farms and private breeders concentrating on the breed of your choice, especially if that breeder is raising them organically. Place your order with farmers by early spring to get the breed or breeds you wish to raise. There are several methods to locate such breeders. Join the Breeders Club of your breed of choice, where you can locate breeders near you, and even those far away who have the type of chicks you are looking for. You can also do an online search for breeders of organically raised chicks; use the keywords "organic chicks for sale" in your search engine. You can also join the Discussion group below, which allows members to post their For Sale information once per month.
CHOOSING A BREED OR BREEDS:
- Whether you intend to merely keep a few hens in your backyard for eggs, or breed chickens yourself, we recommend choosing a rare or heritage breed. If you breed rare or heritage breeds, you are contributing to their survival for future generations. If you merely keep a few hens for eggs, dispensing information to visiting friends and neighbors about your breed or breeds also helps raise awareness about the breed.
- Many (but not all!) rare breeds in need of conservation are listed at American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. ALBC (see Links page) may be able to direct you to the breeder closest to you.
- Photos of every variety of chicken can be found at FeatherSite.
Listed on these pages are links to websites, books, magazines and discussion groups pertaining to chickens, rare breeds, organic and/or free range methods, and include a number of recipes for mixing your own organic chicken feed or rations, as well as how to butcher chickens. We have also compiled a list of companies producing pre-mixed organic chicken feeds. Visit us at our discussion group below!
- Organic Chickens A discussion list (purely informational; no chat allowed!) at yahoogroups devoted to raising chickens for eggs and meat in a humane manner, advocating organic feed, free-ranging on pasture, and natural methods for prevention and treatment of disease and parasites.
