HOW to raise CHICKENS for eggs 

My children like to put on aprons and carry around our Rhode Island Reds in them , they call this “ Chicken in a pouch”. The chickens love it and sometimes fall asleep in the pouch 😂.

I wanted to get chickens for 20 years and my hubby poo pooed the idea. But a month ago I got 8 laying hens that were just starting to lay. And they lay blue, green and pink eggs. And I only paid 2.00 each! So we had the chicken house done and their run that is 30 ft x 30 ft. It's covered with chicken wire also to protect them from bald eagles etc. And it is so funny, my hubby who didn't want chickens. Is now a chicken dad. He's always checking for eggs, watching their antics etc. So if someone doesn't think they will like them? We have been enjoying them so much. They know me as the treat lady. And when they see me they start clucking and run up to the fence for their treats. It's so funny. Can't sneak up on them. They always know when I'm coming.

I haven't been able to raise chickens since I was young until a year ago. Now I won't ever go without them again.

I had a black chicken called Lunar, she live inside. She used to put herself to bed at night in a cat carrier and loved to be carried around. She sat up on my mum's hospital bed in her room and was her companion to watch tv. When mum passed, Lunar looked everywhere for her. She didn't get along with our other chickens, they picked on her. She was more like a cat or dog than a bird. I miss her.

We have 2 hens and can’t keep up with using all the eggs 14 most weeks, we have Rhode Island reds they’re also our pets that run the yard.

Very Informative Mike, Thanks So Much. Lady L from Irving, Texas, Original Home of The Cowboys lol

Three backyard hens in suburban San Jose! 2 are Fancy-Schmantzy Polish (*Not* productive!), and 1 Brown Sexlink (she is an Egg-Machine!). Want to thank you, again, for inspiring me to turn them loose on my small raised beds! Took 'em 2-3 days, but they cleared the weeds and tilled my soil! Great vid - Thanks for sharing!

Some additional tips I'd love to share: Don't forget about the climate you live in. Some breeds are more heat tolerant while others are more cold tolerant. Proper housing is crucial as well as proper feeds and plenty of clean water! The heat lamps need to be dusted off from time to time to prevent fires (this includes the bulb). CAUTION: the bulb and the shield will be HOT until they cool off after shutting it off in order to dust it off. It is unnecessary to use heat lamps in chicken coops once the birds have feathered out. This has been the leading cause of fires. The dust and dander that accumulate on the bulb &/or sheild can ignite. The other cause is the birds flying in the coop and hitting the lamp, causing it to explode. The hot shards land in the bedding and ignite. Another reason not to use heat lamps for feathered birds is that when the power goes out, they haven't acclimated to the weather (example: northern winters) and quickly die. When chickens are left to acclimate, they build up down feathers and actually put out 5 btu's of heat, each! Once they are feathered out, they are generally safe to put them outside (weather and elements considered). As long as they are kept out of all drafts, and they have ventilation you are good to go. Drafts and moisture are detrimental to a flock. When introducing new birds, use the buddy system (meaning when you add them, add more than one. There is safety in numbers. The old flock will be aggressive for a time as the new pecking order is established.) Be sure to isolate new birds for at least a week. Diotomaceous Earth, DE, (food grade) is a great way to dust the new chickens to mitigate mites etc. Some birds are more flighty than others. Clipping one wing isnt harmful, and makes them off balanced. This helps deter them from flying out of the area you have set up from them. There are great vids out there to show you how to do it. Predators: be mindful of what wildlife you have around you. Electric fencing is great! If you have hawks, you can always use t-posts and drape netting above. Or you could stream wire or string in a random pattern. If you are moving your birds regularly, you may need to find more creative ways to help with arial predators. To have clean eggs to gather, add a small handful of bedding in the nesting boxes periodically. Clean it out as needed. Clean bedding = Clean eggs :) Mike, great vid! I hope that new chicken owners see this vid. I hope i have been able to add more tips that are helpful. Always, sending our best and prayers for you, your family, and your farm. 🚜 See you in the next video!

We started with 4 one year old layers a year ago. Then we added a few older pullets last fall. We stayed in touch with our “chicken guy” and just added another half dozen pullets. We have 13 ladies now. Love my chickens. Definitely don’t regret it. I think we’re going to try meat birds this year too.

This video is amazing! The way you explain everything is so clear and easy to follow. I learned so much, so cool.

Muncie Indiana just passed a law No chickens in the City so i went over to KFC and told them to get out of Dodge. LOL.

Incubators have come a long way. 62 years ago they were metal I remember seeing my mom and dad checking on them with us in the coop.

We love keeping chickens. When the pandemic hit the prices we were getting for chicks and pullets went way up. I told my grandson crystien that I was afraid it would be short lived and people would be dumping animal's soon. I am glad to see the majority of folks in our area are staying interested and keeping chickens. I think you did a great job with the education part of the video and lot of people needed some help with that. I enjoy watching the kids working with you. Keep up the good work and God bless you all

Thankfully our land allows us up to 10 chickens for the size of land we own. The eggs are great for eating but also the shells are great for the compost as they provide calcium.

Hello from another NC guy. We've been "meanin' to" for a while on chickens. It happened this week. We lucked out and found a guy in the county who had to move quickly. We got a 9wx12Lx7H run, coop, 8 birds, chick supplies, extra wire, tposts and 150# of feed for $100. Healthy curious free range birds who were already laying! Love the content, been lurking for a long time.

Thanks for such a good video! I've had chickens most of my life, now I just raise egg layers. One other thing to consider before you buy chickens is your climate- the breeds I raise in the desert southwest may not do well in Montana or Minnesota. I choose breeds that are heat tolerant, you may need chickens that are cold tolerant instead.

👍👍Good show!!! You are right fresh eggs are really delicious, way better than the supermarket!!! My old friend's doughter and her husband give me fresh eggs every week! 😋😋😋 I'm having a egg sandwich for supper tonight!!! Yummy... 😁

I don't have any plans to get chickens for myself, but I learned a lot from your discussion. Lots of good information. Good job!

Love the sound of baby chicks. Very informational video, thank you! First year raising cornish cross here and the growth rate is amazing. I've also had a small flock of layers for about 3 years, currently have French Black Copper Marans which is another good dual purpose bird, mild temperament towards people, and they are also a super broody breed that love to hatch out their own eggs. Keep on trucking, looks like it might be your best season yet!

We are planning on getting some chickens soon first timers my husband built our coop. I have watched a lot of chickens videos and yours by far is the best! Thank you for all of this information!! I love your personality and I can feel the love and passion you have when you talk.

I remember when I was a child, people in the countryside not having incubators but using the "natural method " for getting chicks having chickens "incubating" the egs. Sorry for my english.😁

I watch a lot of your videos and this was really well done. It's very informative for people that don't have it know what to do with chickens. The video was well put together and entertaining as well. We've raised chickens for a while now and this video just reminded me of our beginning and how very little we knew as well as how far we've come and had to figure out on our own.

AWESOME INFO ‼‼‼ Thank you Sir 👍🏾👏🏽🙏🏾‼‼‼

I love this presentation, very well done! You have a great personality for RU-vid video’s and you obviously know what you’re talking about when it comes to small farm life or homesteading!

I bought 400 chicks last year. Raised to 10 weeks and sold some at 7.00. Went up 1.00 a week til 9.00 and all the ones I chose to sell were gone!.I kept Black copper marans, blue gems and houdans. I definitely still have too many. I am incubating eggs because I have too many to eat. Plus I have about 50 quail.

Mike this was an exceptional video with lots of great information and how to! Very helpful and great video to save for future reference. Thank you!

I don't have chickens but you make me want some.Although I am responsible so I have to wait.

I always loved 🐔and since moving to a small subdivision in Texas I have them again. I should have watched your videos first though because i went a little crazy at Orschlens and bought 30 chick's 12 Ameraucana, 6 Gold & 6 Silver Wyandottes and 6 Barred Rocks. They outgrew the coop we built so we sold the coop, Barred Rocks and one Ameraucana rooster (Rusty) to a friend of ours. Now we are waiting on our new coop and added 6 French Copper Marans for their dark chocolate eggs. We already have customers lined up once they start laying. We love our girls.

Thanks for educating peeps! I live in suburbia and am allowed 10 so I bought 10 last July. After the Rubbermaid tote I got a watermelon box from the grocery store. Perfect size until they were ready for the coop/run I built. I get 8 to 9 eggs per day (1 was a roo.) and great additive for my garden beds! Blessings to your family!

Delay is such a sweet daughter and helper to mom and dad. But do not forget that she also helps so much to watch after her and guide her brothers. God bless her as she grows older and even more beautiful than she already is. May the Lord protect her and guide her.

This summer we’re downsizing & moving from an urban condo in the middle of town, to some acreage in the country. (Just a little over an acre.... but it’s a lot to us!) Part of the desire to simplify is to grown our own food and.... chickens! For eggs!! (We are Ketovore/carnivore and eat a lot of eggs 😝) I want chickens.... but it just seems so complicated and completely outta my league. Thank you thank you for this video!

We raise Speckled Sussex for eggs. We only have 8 hens and one rooster but I collect 15 eggs almost every day and there is only two of us these days. They are good layers and friendly birds. According to Murray McMurray these birds are a great meat bird too.

Thank you. You're the first person to mention putting a chicken in a stroller

Hi I’m from Ohio. I’ve been enjoying your channel and have subscribed. I really enjoyed this video. I am going to be getting chickens for the first time soon. Thank you and God Bless you and your family

I enjoy watching your videos thanks for sharing all the tips I just ordered 15 Rhode Island reds and 15 late Orange from Is Meyer hatchery

We live in a county that allows chickens and we started with 5 pullets about 7 yrs ago; I highly recommend that. I still have a chicken from our original flock, and she's still laying eggs! Now we raise chicks, but we are the victims of "Chicken Math." We only have "THREE" chickens; you hear me?-- THREE!(more like 30😳), but THAT'S IT!😏😂 Our new neighbors were raised on property, so they love that we have chickens, and they said they were amazed that our chicken run didn't smell bad. That's the carbonaceous diaper working.😉 And I love how you worked in the Bible in the breakfast shot!😉

We started raising chickens for eggs 12+ years ago because store bought eggs made my stomach hurt 🤢 Now we raise chickens for eggs and meat 🙂

Greetings Mike, Lacie & family! Such a great video for folks trying to get into backyard poultry 👍👍 -Josh

Just started with chickens. I have 5. I believe 2 are at least roosters. They are of a barn yard mix? Not sure. That's what the seller told me. We got them mainly for pets but eggs are a plus. Love you channel. Lots of great education for starters like me. We just moved into 8 acres of land and I plan on doing some neat things out here.

Very nice presentation Mike , I really enjoyed it !

Thank you for so much info on chickens bro I just moved out the city and want to start raising them for eggs and start a vegetable farm

I really enjoyed this video. It was very informative. We are considering getting chickens in the future so I am trying to get as much information as I can. Hopefully next spring if so I’ll let you know. Thanks for sharing.

Super informative video. We always enjoy adding knowledge to the farm.

How long can you store your eggs after you have collected them and are still safe to eat? What temperature should they be stored at? I find your videos so educational. Thank you for sharing your ideas, knowledge and making homesteading so much fun for the whole family. Have a wonderful growing season. Lacey will you take us on a foraging trip in a forest. You are so knowledgeable on what you can and can't eat. Love you guys and your darling hard working family. :)

Hi, from Cardiff, Wales. Enjoyed your video as it reminded me of when we kept 6 urban chickens. Loved them. Is it possible that you produce a video on mite control, our birds had red mite when we bought them which we were unaware of at the time. It was a bit of a trial learning how to get rid of them. Also some suggestions on leaving them if you have to go away, how long they can be left unattended, the use of automatic doors to shut & open, automatic feeder/water systems etc. Many thanks for you well produce video & it’s informative content. Rob

Hi..... Mike Dickson nice to see you, thank you for sharing your video homestead 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 🎥👍👍👍

Thanks your info was very helpful, I have land in the country (75 acres) but the wife doesn't want to move there. My backyard here (Outside of Wash. D.C.) is a veritable vegetable garden.

great advice

My 5 Amrocks get Wheat sprouts, that I pull up. They re multi purpose for my salad and bread rolls too. Very nutrient and cheap Protein Source. Producing one Sprout Glass a Day and in 3-4 Days they re ready.

Great video Mike.

Its like getting a present every day I'm getting my own labels mad for my cartons

Pullets are any female chicken under a year old. If you hatch eggs or buy straight run, you have a chance of having 50% 🐓 roosters. People should know to consider this.

I got a friend of mine some Houdans!pretty!

Greetings Friends!!!Great information Mike. We got Deleware and New Hampshire dual purpose birds this time around. Like you we got a plan. Chicks are easy to get started with. You can't beat the experience. Your information will be helpful to a lot of people. 👍👍

Thanks can’t have chickens but I sure enjoy watching

Nice job! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Take care

Great information. We are about to build our turkey and chicken brooder boxes. Chicken one we are going to be using Polyface Design.

for colorfull eggs add black copper maran, olive egger etc

Thanks mike. This was a very educational video for beginners.

Love the chicken videos keep them coming. Maybe you can do a video on fly prevention with your birds? Curious what you do to prevent or limit them.

Thank you!

Great information! I want to find some land and raise chickens for eggs and meat! Your chickens have a really good life, and one bad day.❤️

Great information i went broody this spring We stArted with 4 rir

We got chickens and a few turkeys a little over a year ago, my wife has made pets from them all lol. The two Tom turkeys are on total love with her I think, the only thing they think about is being close to her, they just like to stand beside her, it’s weird. There’s a lone wild hen that come right up to the fence but they just ignore her, (it’s kind of sad) they just want my old lady to baby talk lol.

This was a very informative and interesting video 📹, thanks for sharing 😊👍💕💕💕

Great program a lot of information on chickens and other information

Thank you for sharing this great information! Love my egg laying chickens...

Eggs for PERSONAL use. Do not wash them. If you have a real poopy one wash and use 1st. Unwashed Eggs have a protective layer to keep them fresh.

We freer range our layers. One drawback is when they make a new laying spot that you don’t know about.

This is a Healthy lookin guy....eyes, hair, teeth, skin, are immaculate 👌

very good information for beginner's

Nice video man! We also do a lot of farming at our house too! My kids are asking to get chickens now because they want to collect fresh eggs, so we are thinking about it! But maybe just half dozen chickens only! How many eggs will I usually get with dozen chickens a day you think?

This was interesting. Thank you Friend ❤️

Great video! Really hands on info. One question: do you trim the wings when they are in the electric poultry netting?

Thank you for the information on raising children’s. My vision is not Howell at this. time so I need a little chicken raising tutorial.

Nice video bro, God bless you and your family

My mom raised Dominique for eggs and for eating. She also raised some Bantams but I think she just thought they were cute.

Thanks, Mike, very helpful. Currently looking for land to Homestead on. Any Suggestions? I'm open!

Thank y'all. Blessings

Awesome job at sharing the information

Great vlog, thanks for the chicken information.

Thank you for this video✊🏾❤️❤️❤️✊🏾. Any recommendations or do you have a video for processing? We prefer for meat chickens to have someone teach us in person local wa state?

Loved this show very helpful!

I love your videos. Chicken math is a constant affliction with me so I’m expecting a small incubator in a couple of days to start a new garden with my girl’s eggs. Why buy chicks when you can grow your own? God bless!

Great video. Great help. About how much land do y’all have.

Terrific info , thanks.... VERY Well done....

Happy farming everyone Godbless

Thank you for your video, it was very interesting and helpful, I really want chickens for eggs 😁😄 so this was really good.

Very helpful- thank you!

Images I have Plymouth rock there getting old there egg whites are thinning out but there still laying some but I got 30 chicks in a pool I got to get my new pen made soon but the chickens are in my back bedroom lol

Thanks for the info!

I raise mine for eggs. One year later I am down to 2 out of the 6 I started with. And one of those is soon for the rainbow Bridge. But I got 3 more this spring and hope they fair better.

Chicks are growing so fast

Hi guys ! Pretty soon I will start raising chickens and I like to start w/ chick's are they already vaccinate? When is the best time to get them ? My little hobby farm is in Greenville TN thanks for your educativo video your fan from asheville NORTH Carolina for now 😀

Wow so awesome sir .. from Nepal 🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵

LOVING THIS!

Very 'informative' video! BRAVO!

Love your channel . I tried to keep my chickens in an open fun and the hawks were constantly hovering how do you keep them from hawk attacks?

What's the most economical incubator for hatching duck and chicken eggs ? What do you use? Did you get them from Stromberg's? I would probably not be hatching more than 20 at a time at most. I am thinking a thermostat would be a necessity. Anything else to look for?

I wish you said more about temperature and keeping them fresh.