Raising chickens comes with many positive benefits. Backyard chickens are both easy and inexpensive to maintain. Fresh eggs are nutritious and taste great. Chickens will also help take care of local tick populations and they provide fertilizer for your garden. They are fairly friendly pets and will help to teach your kids about responsibility.

It's no surprise, then, that everyone from the hippy professor to your friendly plumber is discovering the benefits of raising chickens for beginners, whether for fresh eggs or homegrown meat. If you, too, are thinking about poultry farming, here are a few tips to help you get up and running.

Not all chicken breeds for eggs or meat are created equal. Some are bred for egg-laying hens, while others are bred for meat. Understand what your motives are before buying. In terms of flock size, it's a safe bet to start small. Three to six chicks ought to be plenty for you to learn the ropes. Another common-sense question to ask is: does your family love eating fresh eggs? If the answer is yes, you might start with six and think about expanding your flock later on.

All of this interest, of course, results in increased demand. Popular chicken breeds for eggs like the Rhode Island Red and the Golden Comet often sell out. While popular, they are not the only excellent egg-laying hens. Do your research. When it comes time to make your order (earlier rather than later), you'll have options at the ready.

A few mail-order outfits will deliver chickens via USPS to your post office. Ordering early through the mail has the advantage of providing you with a varied selection. On the other hand, most companies want you to order in bulk. If you are looking to start with a half-dozen, using a mail-order service that has a minimum purchase amount of 25 chicks may not be the right choice. Additionally, traveling in a mail truck can be a stressful experience for them and may result in a few deaths when they arrive.

If possible, investigate what is available locally. Feed stores often sell them and are a sensible first place to look. Local farms are another obvious source. The main drawback to sourcing locally is variety. You can only get what's around.

However you obtain your chicks, it will be important to transition them immediately into your brooder setup once you get them home. A brooder is a warm and contained space, designed to keep them in and predators (foxes, cats, dogs) out while providing them with food and water for their first few weeks of life.

• Building a brooder is easy to do and a fun way to get the kids involved. Try converting an old fish tank or milk crate. You'll need bedding (sawdust or wood shavings work well), water, starter feed, and a heat or brooder lamp .
• Baby chicks need a consistent brooder temperature of 95° F for the first week. Reduce the temperature by five degrees for each following week. Make sure your brooder lamp is positioned so that they can move out of the heat, as well. A note of caution, if you're making a brooder out of a cardboard box, be careful with the heat lamp .
• Get a supply of chicken feed, they need a food high in protein, and some starter feed is medicated to help meet your chicks’ nutritional needs. Make sure to keep your water and feed clean of poop, as well.
• Purchase a ready-made chicken brooder starter kit . Kits are available in a variety of sizes and will supply you with everything you need...lamp and bulb, waterer, feeder, and a couple of days' worth of starter feed. Kits are easy to assemble and adequate for the task.

When nighttime temperatures approximate temperatures in the brooder setup, assess whether or not your chicks are ready to move to the chicken coop. Most are fully feathered and ready to move out of the brooder after about six weeks.

Six weeks might sound like ample time to prepare your chicken coop, but you don't want to get caught by surprise. The smartest thing is to have your coop built or bought even before you bring them home. Plan ahead and prioritize your chicken coop requirements as you would your brooder setup. You'll have ample time to deal with delivery delays or construction issues.

Remember, not all chickens are created equal. Some breeds are smaller ( bantam ) than others. Bantam chickens require about one square foot of chicken coop space and about four square feet of open pen space, whereas larger (standard) birds need about two square feet of coop space and about eight square feet of pen space. Inadequate coop space can result in stress for the birds, which may lead to pecking or cannibalism. Make sure your coop has plenty of space for the birds you have and even more if you plan to expand.

Start small, grow strong, brood your chicks with care.

Don't rush! Give yourself time to fall into the new rhythm of backyard chicken farming once they move to the coop. Soon enough, you'll feel like an old pro and find yourself itching to get more.

Do you have an expert brooder tip for the first-timer? We bet you do! Tell us in the comments! Do you still have some questions, or need some advice from our experts? Give us a call at 888-433-5275 today!

Check out this video on Buying Your First Spring Chicks! Looking for additional poultry or gamebird equipment? Check out our selection here.