There was a time in U.S. history when itwas common to see poultry beingraised on most farms as a source of

eggs,meat, and a secondary income. AfterWorld War II, the poultry industry began toexperience very drastic changes. As pro-duction systems became larger and morespecialized, poultry products becamecheaper and more available to theAmerican consumer.As operations became bigger and morespecialized, the number of poultry-produc-ing farms became fewer and fewer.

There has been a resurgence in home-raised flocks, as small farms look for waysto diversify and take advantage of newmarketing opportunities, as well as toengage in a rural lifestyle.

The decisionAre you contemplating raising poultry on asmall scale? Whether as a hobby or as asource of food or extra income, the raisingof poultry must be carefully consideredand planned.Questions to be consideredinclude the following:

� What are your goals?

� Is it necessary that this venturegenerate income?

� If so, is there a market?

� How long do you intend to be in thebusiness?

� What are the time requirements—hours/day, days/year, and busiesttime(s) of the year?

� What are the required investments—initial,maintenance,monthly, andyearly?

� Do you have all necessary facts regard-ing zoning restrictions/requirements?

� What is unique about undertaking thisoperation in Wisconsin versus otherstates?

HousingAs with all animals, appropriate housingmust be considered.While housing forpoultry need not be new or elaborate, itshould provide a clean, dry, adequatelyventilated, and draft-free environment.Housing for chicks will require supplemen-tal heat during the brooding period.Housing should also provide adequatespace for each bird (table 1). It is essentialthat special consideration be given duringthe winter months, as supplemental heatmay be needed for adult birds. Litter man-agement is also very important at this timeof year.There should be a litter layer at

Guide to RaisingHealthy Chickens

A3858-01

Adam Hady and Ron Kean

Table 1.Minimum space requirements

Species (age) Requirements (ft2)

Layer type (pullets) 1.5

Layer type (adult) 2

Broiler type 2–3

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For more information contact:

Adam Hady608-647-6148adam.hady@ces.uwex.edu

Ron Kean608-262-8807rpkean@wisc.edu

least 2–3 inches deep to help provide insu-lation from the cold. Keeping the houseand litter dry will reduce cold-relatedinjury and disease.The housing must alsooffer protection from predators. In mostcases, it will be necessary to keep the birdsenclosed in some sort of pen. Regular orelectric fences may be used, as may smallportable pens if they are moved to a newrange on a regular basis.You may be ableto allow the birds to range freely, but pred-ators are often a problem in the absence ofsome form of protection.

EquipmentVery little equipment is needed for raisingpoultry.The basics are a water system anda feeding system. Feeding and wateringequipment should be easy to clean andprovide adequate space for the number ofbirds (see table 2).There are many types offeeding systems ranging from a simpleopen dish to hanging feeders.Wateringsystems are just as varied with systemsranging from a pan to and an automaticsystem.

Brooding chicksThe heat source is the first piece of equip-ment to consider when brooding. A heatlamp with a 250-watt bulb will accommo-date as many as 50 chicks.There are othercommercial brooding set-ups availablethat utilize a variety of energy sources.Youwill also need a brooder guard, which issimply a ring that is placed around thechicks to prevent drafts and corners.This isnecessary to counteract the chicks’tendency to pile on one another incorners.

Laying hensExtra equipment that should be taken intoconsideration for laying hens includes aroost and nest boxes.Typically, 8 inches ofroost space per bird is recommended.Onenest box or one square foot of nest spaceshould be provided for every four or fivebirds.There are many types of nest boxesavailable. In general, nest boxes forstandard chickens are 9–14 inches wide,12–14 inches tall, and 12 inches deep.

BroilersAfter the brooding period, equipmentrequired for broilers is very minimal; basicneeds are feeding and watering systems.Other equipment concerns will depend onthe system in which the birds are beingraised. For example, if raising pasturedbroilers,movable pens will be a considera-tion. In confinement, fans or a ventilationsystem will be necessary during thesummer months.

LightingLighting is an important aspect in poultryproduction, and egg production in particu-lar. During the winter months, supplemen-tal lighting will be required in order tokeep hens laying eggs; 14–16 hours oflight is optimal for egg production.Lighting is also important for young chicks,and 24 hours of light is needed for the first48 hours. Natural light can be used suc-cessfully for growing meat-type birds,although there is some evidence thatextended exposure to light leads toextended feeding times and, consequently,an increase in growth rate.

Breed selectionGetting started with any system mustinclude deciding which breed of birds toraise, among the hundreds of breeds andvarieties that exist. So, how do you decide?The best way is to first determine whichprimary purpose you’d like the breed tofulfill. Next, consider each breed of chickenwithin that category and select a breedthat sparks your interest.You’ll be morelikely to spend time with the chickens andtake pleasure in them if you choose abreed that you enjoy.

Chickens may be categorized into fourbroad types: egg,meat, dual purpose, andBantam.

Egg-type breedsEgg-type breeds are usually finer-boned,lighter-weight chickens that excel in eggproduction.These birds are moderate- tofast-growing and will begin to lay eggs at20–25 weeks of age. A more refined typeof bird, the egg-type lacks the musclestructure to make them a quality tablebird. Breed examples include Leghorns,Minorca, and Buttercups.The Leghorns aregenerally the best producers, and many ofthe egg-type breeds are now used morefor ornamental purposes.There are alsoseveral “sex-link” varieties, which are oftenvery good producers of brown-shelledeggs.These varieties are hybrids, and arecalled sex-links because their colorationvaries between males and females.

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Table 2. Feed and water spacerequirements in linear inches/bird

Water FeederAge space (in) space (in)

0–4 wks 0.25 1

4–8 wks 0.5 2

8–16 wks 1 3

16+ wks 1 4

Meat-type breedsMeat-type breeds have a heavy structureand grow to become a high-quality tablebird.The commercial broiler birds (usuallysold as Cornish-Rocks) are extremely effi-cient and fast growing, providing a hand-somely dressed bird in eight weeks or less.There are also a few pure breeds ofchicken considered as meat-type chickens.These breeds are not as efficient at con-verting feed to gain and take longer tofinish out.The Cornish breed is anexample, and was used as the foundationstock for most of today’s commercial meat-type chickens.

Dual-purpose breedsAs the name implies, these are birds bredto provide both eggs and meat.They arethe most common breeds found inbackyard flocks in Wisconsin. Slower-growing and somewhat-heavier birds, theytend to be a calmer, hardier bird forWisconsin’s climate. Breed examplesinclude Australorp, Plymouth Rocks,Orpington, andWyandotte.

BantamsBantams are “miniatures”of the larger orstandard breeds.These birds have all of thecharacteristics of their standard counter-parts, except that they are roughly one-third the size. Although some may be fairlygood layers of small eggs, Bantams aregenerally kept as ornamental fowl.

Is egg color important? In chickens, eggcolor is determined by the breed. Ageneral rule of thumb is that if the chickenhas a red earlobe it will lay a brown egg,and if it has a white earlobe it will lay awhite egg. Some hens also lay eggs withblue or green eggshells. There is no differ-ence in the internal components of theeggs, but some people enjoy having eggsof different colors.

Sources of chickensThere are several possible sources ofchickens, and each has positive andnegative aspects.

HatcheriesMany hatcheries sell day-old chicks, whichare generally both fairly inexpensive anddisease free. Show quality is difficult tojudge in day-olds, and most hatcheries willnot sell fewer than 25 chicks so that thegroup is sure to stay warm duringshipping.

BreedersBreeders usually offer high-quality stock,especially if you are planning to show thebirds.You can often buy smaller quantities.Good health is less certain than in chicksfrom hatcheries, but day-old chicks are stillusually a safe bet. Plan to pay more for thechicks, because the breeder may havemore money invested in a smaller numberof chickens.

Swap meets, auctions, andalternative sourcesChickens are typically very inexpensivefrom these sources.You can oftenpurchase mature birds, so you can seewhat you are getting. As good health isalways more questionable from sourcessuch as these, there is a definite riskinvolved in purchase.

FeedingFeeding your birds will be the largestexpense you will incur as a poultry owner.Commercial feeds are readily available andusually come in three forms, namely astarter, a grower finisher, and a layer ration.Starter rations are usually about 22%protein and should be fed until the birdsare approximately four weeks old. At thispoint, birds are switched to a growerfinisher diet that contains roughly 17–20%protein. For breeding and laying hens, alayer ration is recommended. Layer rationsare generally around 16% protein andcontain higher levels of calcium. A consid-eration for layers is access to additionalfree-choice calcium sources such as oystershell. Grit may be provided but is notessential with commercial mashes.

If you are planning on developing a homerecipe, consult a nutritionist or your localExtension office for guidelines.

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Biosecurity & healthBiosecurity involves the prevention ofdisease outbreaks.The following are a fewsimple strategies.

� Keep housing and equipment cleanand sanitary.

� Keep wild birds, rodents, and so onaway from the birds’ area.

� Limit the amount of human foot trafficthrough the birds’ area.

� Group birds in separate areas by age.

It is also wise to keep new birds separatedfrom the main flock for one month prior tointermingling.

RegulationsThere are many state and local regulationsand ordinances governing poultry produc-tion in Wisconsin. A first step would be todetermine the zoning regulations for yourmunicipality or jurisdiction.

Sale of table eggsNo license is required to sell table eggsdirectly from the farm (the consumercomes to your farm to buy the eggs).Theseeggs can be sold only to the consumer ofthe eggs.To sell table eggs wholesale or atfarmers’markets, contact the Departmentof Agriculture Trade and ConsumerProtection (DATCP) Food Safety division at608-224-4700.

Sale of broilers/roastersNo license is required to sell broilers/roasters from your farm, provided fewerthan 1,000 birds are sold annually in thismanner.To sell more than 1,000 birds, tosell wholesale, or to sell at farmers’markets, contact the DATCP Food Safetydivision at 608-224-4700.

Live birds and hatching eggsTo sell live chickens or hatching eggs, itmust be determined that the birds or eggscome from a pullorum/typhoid-cleansource.This can be done through bloodtesting of individual mature birds or byparticipation in State or Federal flockprograms. For more information on testingrequirements and flock programs, contactthe DATCP Animal Health division at608-224-4872.

Additional resourcesUniversity of Wisconsin–Extension Animal

Science—poultry pagewww.uwex.edu/ces/animalscience/poultry/index.cfm

University of Wisconsin Center forIntegrated Agricultural Systemswww.cias.wisc.edu

The Feather Site—poultry pagewww.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html

American Poultry Associationwww.amerpoultryassn.com

Texas A&M University Poultry ScienceVirtual Librarygallus.tamu.edu/library/dother.html

Penn State Agriculture Alternativesagalternatives.aers.psu.edu

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Copyright ©2008 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System doing business as the division of CooperativeExtension of the University of Wisconsin–Extension. All rights reserved. Send copyright inquiries to: Cooperative Extension Publishing,432 N. Lake St., Rm. 231,Madison,WI 53706.

Authors: Adam Hady is an agriculture educator in Richland County with University of Wisconsin–Extension, Cooperative Extensionand Ron Kean is a poultry specialist in animal sciences, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison andUniversity of Wisconsin–Extension, Cooperative Extension.

Produced by Cooperative Extension Publishing, University of Wisconsin–Extension.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S.Department of Agriculture, University of Wisconsin–Extension, Cooperative Extension. University of Wisconsin–Extension providesequal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA requirements. If you need this information in analternative format, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs or call Extension Publishing at 608-262-2655.

To see more publications or to order copies of this publication, visit us at learningstore.uwex.edu or call toll-free:877-WIS-PUBS (947-7827).

Guide to Raising Healthy Chickens (A3858-1) I-06-2008