Chicken Keeping For Beginners
If you’re looking to start your own sustainable backyard that runs on autopilot, why not start with chickens? Raising chickens is fun, easy and the rewards are huge. A big misconception with chicken keeping for beginners is the space that you need to start with. You actually don’t need much space at all! I personally, started with 1 rooster and scaled my to multiple chickens, while learning the ropes along the way. 
If you’re having second thoughts, here are some of the surprising rewards you get by having chickens around.
1. Eggs – Yes, that’s an easy reason, but think about it – How much do you spend on eggs per month? And I’m not even talking about free-range eggs, which are at least double the price! Eggs are used for so many dishes that having them readily available can save you money and a trip to the grocery. Now, don’t be fooled by any larger farms who claim that their eggs are FDA this, free range that or that they have years of experience. Mother nature can provide you with the same benefits that YOU ultimately control!
2. Chicks Who Aren’t Goldiggers – Kidding aside, chickens are pretty low maintenance animals. They don’t need daily walks or have shedding problems. Just keep the predators away and you’ll be fine. The only problems I personally have with them are their early morning wake-up calls. I’m not a morning person, but they did keep me in check!
3. Natural Ecosystem – If you haven’t noticed, chickens love to explore, pick, eat and poop. They do this constantly. They’ll keep insects in check while acting as a natural fertilizer at no extra costs. Not only that, since chickens pretty much eat everything, they’ll help you clean up those plates and the extra foods that you have will never go to waste.
SOME QUICK TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED:
1. Your First Chicken – You need to be a little picky with choosing your first chicken. Probably the most important 
element is where you live. What the weather patterns are and deciding which chicken are better suited for your environment. With so much crossbreeding, there will be a chicken that’s perfect for you. Here are some samples:
- Bantams, Silkies, Leghorns and Americanas. All have their pros and cons. Some are better egg layers; some are better in colder climates. Whatever you choose, do your homework first and you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches.
2. Do You Need a Coop? – The short answer is, yes. It really doesn’t hurt to have one readily available. I haven’t been to many places where there weren’t cats around. Cats can cause havoc and wipe out a family pretty quick. Fortunately, chicken coops can be built by anyone. They’re not that difficult. You can find more information here. But more importantly, chickens like to lay eggs in coops. They want privacy and that sense of protection.
3. Basic Supplies – In the most basic form, you only need to have available water and feeder. But if you want to keep your chickens happy, remember, a happy chicken will produce happy results; you’ll need to step it up a little. Straw will make cleaning after your chickens easier and will give them some material to make use of like sleeping and keeping warm.
For more info on EVERYTHING you need to raise chickens, check out my resource page.
Recommended Resources
Here are some good resources I would personally recommend if you want to start building that self-sustaining, mini-ecosystem in your very own backyard.
DIY Chicken Coops – If you ever considered keeping backyard chickens, Karl Caden has come up with some easy to follow plans. It doesn’t matter if you live in the countryside, suburbs or city.
This has everything you need to raise your own backyard chickens.
