Many of us start a new year thinking about personal goals, from eating better to exercising more. But for chicken keepers, the new year can also be a time to set goals for our flocks. Whether you’re raising a handful of hens or managing a larger backyard flock, there’s always room to improve their care, comfort, and health. Here are some practical and inspiring chicken-keeping resolutions that can help make this year your best for flock-keeping yet.
1. Feed Your Flock Better
A popular resolution among backyard flock keepers is to switch their birds to a more wholesome feed. “I’m tired of fillers in their food,” noted Cammy G. “I want everything my birds eat to be good for them.” Looking to offer your flock more nutritious eats? Check with your local feed mill or farmers co-op for suggestions; some feed mills can formulate feed to specifically suit your flock’s nutritional needs.
2. Keep Runs Dry and Safe
Frequent rains can leave many a chicken run soupy, marshy and muddy. Putting down shavings, straw, sand and other absorbent materials to sop up the excess run moisture is common and can help prevent adverse effects, such as bumblefoot and parasites. It also helps so your chickens don’t look like they just fought in World War II trenches.
3. Decide on Flock Size
Many chicken owners plan to expand their flocks in the spring, and many plan to purchase chicks locally or from online hatcheries come March or April. Some are looking to trim down their flock to a more manageable number. Either way, make sure to match the number of chickens in your flock to your available space, budget and available time to care for your flock.
4. Upgrade Coop Comfort
Many chicken keepers have a poultry resolution to improve their hens’ housing with a brand-new coop. “I’ve added a few more hens over the years than I bargained for,” Rick K. explained. “It’s time I gave my girls a home they can actually spread their wings in.” For some poultry owners, a new coop is more about human convenience than chicken comfort. “I’m planning for storage shelves for feed sacks and spare equipment,” Hoon H. shared, “and human access so I can actually stand inside.”
5. Limit Unplanned Rooster Guests
Sometimes, chicken keepers can be overly hospitable when it comes to giving homeless birds a place to call their own. “My New Year’s resolution is to stop my husband from ‘finding’ roosters to bring home,” asserted Cristy R. “By the way, does anyone need one (or two)?”
6. Share Kitchen Scraps Wisely
Providing extra treats is a common poultry resolution, much to the delight of numerous chickens throughout the country. A quick tip to make this happen is to, instead of throwing away or composting kitchen scraps, offer them to your flock. “I was composting vegetable butts and meat trimmings after Thanksgiving when I looked out the window and realized my chickens could be eating these,” said Angela D. “I got caught up in Christmas prep and didn’t start doing that yet, but I will once all the holidays are over.”
7. Hatch Your Own Chicks
Those lucky enough to receive an incubator as a holiday gift have a very specific resolution to hatch their own chicks. From mini-machines that carefully coddle six eggs to cabinets that can contain hundreds, the holidays were happy ones for those with peeps in their plans.
8. Maintain a Clean Coop
Probably for all chicken owners, a perennial resolution is to keep a cleaner coop. “Work, kids, clashing schedules … I can barely keep my own house clean,” Melissa C. commented. “This year, I’m going to keep on top of keeping the waterers and feeders clean.” Some ways to do this include changing coop litter more frequently, scrubbing out the coops themselves, and ensuring no insects, mice, or parasites set up shop inside.
9. Prioritize Flock Health
Among the universal chicken-keeping resolutions is improving the health of your flock, whether it means getting birds tested yearly for pullorum, fowl typhoid and avian influenza; checking birds regularly for frostbite and bumblefoot during the colder months; and inspecting for mites, worms and other parasites on a regular basis. “They’re my feathered babies … it’s time I took care of them like my own kids,” declared Carmen M.
10. Welcome New Chicken Keepers
To those for whom getting new chickens is your chief New Year’s resolution, we all welcome you to the world of chicken keeping!
This article about chicken-keeping resolutions was written for Hobby Farms and Chickens magazines. Click here to subscribe.
One reply on “10 Chicken-Keeping Resolutions to Improve Your Flock”
I would like to add to this good list that we should promote chicken-keeping more in our communities, be aware of the laws, and be a good example of poultry possession. 🙂