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How to make the most from backyard chicken farming. incorporate backyard chicken farms into gardens- Visit http://compostteam.com/chicken-farming to find out more information on backyard chicken farming and free range chickens. There is a lot of information on backyard chicken farming and free range chicken farms but there are a few universal truths. A single chicken can be a sad chicken. You should Plan to have at least two as they are flock animals and need the interaction and companionship of other chickens. In general, three to four chickens can become compatible and be easily maintained in a typical city environment. Individual chicken's age and their temperament can and will affect their compatibility. Over crowding chickens is a common mistake that people make. You need to ensure that they have enough room to establish and maintain their social order. Sometimes single chickens can thrive with people and have a good human friend especially if they have special needs. However they are not easily house trained! Protect your birds by building a chicken coop and outdoor enclosure to keep your birds dry and free from drafts. On hot summer days you will need to think about how to keep your coop and birds cool. You can do this by placing your coop in a shaded area. You can also spray the coop, not the birds with water to help cool it. If there is little or no air movement you may consider providing a fan on very hot days. Chickens can put up with quite a bit of cold weather but you will need to make sure that their drinking water does not freeze. Ensure that their coop is not drafty or damp. The majority of chicken's waking hours are spent in active grazing and foraging for food. They will eat plants, bugs and given the chance, occasionally small rodents. Hens will spend their days scratching for food, dust bathing, preening, playing and occasionally having a nap. Hens will begin to lay eggs at about six months of age. Domesticated hens have been selectively bred to lay one egg a day but by 18 month of age the frequency of egg laying will generally diminish and many of the adult or senior hens stop laying altogether. To restrain or transport your chicken for examination, drape a towel over its shoulders like you would a cape and then wrap it around the chicken's body. If you bring in other birds and chickens are already present a two week quarantine in a separate area is a good idea, as this will allow you to watch for signs of illness and parasites. Avoid noisy areas with high traffic to allow the birds to acclimatize before introducing them to your other chickens and animals. Taking a really good dust bath is the closest thing to heaven for a chicken. They like to bathe in the sun in dry soil depressions with fine grit in it. It is the grit in the dirt which cleans their feathers, scratching themselves and getting rid of parasites. Chickens will usually dig their own hole to have a dust bath. If you search online for terms such as: chicken farming, backyard chicken, laying hens, free range chickens, chicken farms, chicken care, free range chicken farming, egg laying chickens, how to care for chickens, all about chickens, farm chicken, chickens for eggs, taking care of chickens, how to start a chicken farm, free range chicken eggs, chickens and eggs, care of chickens, how to grow chickens, what to feed chickens to lay eggs, how to farm chickens, chicken egg farming, urban farming, chicken farm, about chickens, how to keep chickens for eggs, chicken farming for eggs, backyard chicken eggs, you will find some really good info. Related links; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickens, http://youtu.be/8k8gMPYVL7s, http://youtu.be/jrTZ7thjlfI, If you need to provide heat for your chickens you may be able to use a heat lamp to provide what you need. If you keep your hens dry and their coop does not have cold drafts your chickens will not need too much heat. You do need to be careful when considering what sort of heater to put in your coop as heaters and lamps can cause fire hazards. Be careful with fire dangers as your coop can have a lot of dry combustible materials such as straw and feathers. Chickens are very sociable and intelligent creatures that can form lifelong bonds with each other and with other species. Because of their keen intelligence and their instinct to indulge in physical activity, they do need to have a stimulating environment. Chickens will waste a lot of food and you can save a lot of money by investing in a good automatic chicken feeder. Check them out here: http://compostteam.com/automatic-chicken-feeder