Animals are a daily commitment
Small livestock can be one of the most rewarding parts of a homestead. Chickens give eggs and manure. Rabbits give manure and, for some families, meat.
They also tie you to the place. Animals need feed, water and a check every day, in every season. Someone has to cover for you when you travel or get sick.
Before you buy animals, check local rules. Many towns and some rural areas limit the number of birds, ban roosters, or set distances from neighbors. This course covers only small poultry and rabbits.
What a flock needs
A laying hen is a female chicken kept for eggs. You do not need a rooster for eggs. You only need one to hatch chicks.
A small flock needs:
- Feed: a complete layer feed, plus some scraps and forage. Scraps alone are not a balanced diet.
- Water: clean and unfrozen, every day. In cold climates, frozen water is a daily winter chore unless you plan for it.
- A coop: dry, draft-free shelter with ventilation, roosting bars and nest boxes. Extension guides suggest roughly 2 to 5 sq ft (0.2 to 0.5 m²) of coop floor per standard-size hen, plus outdoor run space. Use the high end where hens stay inside through long winters.
- Predator protection: a secure coop at night. Foxes, raccoons, hawks, weasels and dogs are common threats.
Eggs in, feed out
Choose a number of hens. Compare eggs, feed and water.
Eggs: about 15 to 30 eggs a week in spring and summer, fewer in short winter days.
Feed: about 9 to 16 lb a week. Water: about 0.7 gal a day, more in heat.
Assumptions: Ranges reflect breed, age and daylight. Egg laying drops with age and with fewer than about 14 hours of light.
Feed is the main running cost. Buy it by the bag, and store it in a closed metal bin to keep out rodents and moisture.
Hens usually start laying at around 4 to 6 months old. They lay best in their first two years, then less each year (University of Minnesota Extension). Hens can live many years after laying slows. Decide early what you will do with older hens.
What a flock gives back
- Eggs. About 70 calories each, with protein and fat (USDA). They are one of the few home foods rich in both.
- Manure. Chicken manure is rich in nitrogen. Fresh, it is strong enough to burn plants. Compost it before you put it on a garden. You will see more on this in lesson 41.
- Pest and scrap work. Hens scratch, eat insects and turn kitchen scraps into eggs. They also scratch up seedlings, so fence them out of young beds.
A flock is part of the nutrient loop: feed and scraps in, eggs and fertilizer out.
Text description
A flow diagram. On the left are the inputs to a flock of laying hens: layer feed, the main running cost; clean, unfrozen water every day; kitchen scraps and forage, a treat and not the whole diet; a dry, ventilated, predator-proof coop; and daily care in every season. They all point to the flock in the center. On the right are the outputs: eggs, about 70 calories each; manure, rich in nitrogen; and pest and scrap work, with a note to keep hens off seedlings. Manure goes to the compost pile, covered in lesson 41, because fresh manure can burn plants and carry germs. Finished compost feeds the garden beds, and scraps and greens from the garden go back to the hens.
Rabbits
Rabbits are quiet, use little space, and are often allowed where poultry are not.
- Feed: mostly hay, with a pelleted rabbit feed and fresh greens in moderation. Clean water every day.
- Housing: shade, shelter from rain and wind, and protection from predators.
- Heat: rabbits do best when it is cool. Heat stress can start in the mid-80s °F (about 29 °C). Above about 90 °F (32 °C), especially in humid air, it can kill them (Alabama Extension). Shade and airflow matter.
- Manure: rabbit droppings are a mild fertilizer. Many extension guides say they can go on gardens with less risk of burning plants than chicken manure.
Some families raise rabbits for meat. Humane processing is a real skill. Learn it in person, from your extension service or an experienced local producer. This course does not teach it.
The December slowdown
“Our five hens laid almost every day in June. Now it is December, and we get one egg every few days.”
Clues
- Days are now under 10 hours long.
What is the most likely cause?
Health and hygiene
Backyard poultry can carry germs like Salmonella, which can make people sick even when the birds look healthy (CDC).
- Wash your hands after touching birds, eggs, feeders or anything in the coop.
- Keep birds out of the house, especially the kitchen.
- CDC advises: do not let children younger than 5 handle or touch chicks, ducklings or other poultry. Always supervise children around poultry and while they wash their hands.
- Collect eggs often and keep them cool.
Watch for sudden illness or deaths in a flock. Report them to your state veterinarian or extension office, who track bird diseases.
Chickens or rabbits?
Many homesteads wait until water, power and shelter are working before they add animals.
Check
Why should fresh chicken manure be composted before it goes on a vegetable bed?
Summary
- Animals need care every day, in every season. Check local rules first.
- Hens need feed, unfrozen water, a dry coop and predator protection. Feed is the main running cost.
- Laying drops in short days, during molt, and with age.
- Compost chicken manure before use. Wash hands after handling birds.
Next, you will look at growing food indoors.
Go deeper: flock size and feed math
A rough rule: each standard-size laying hen eats about 0.25 to 0.45 lb (110 to 200 g) of feed a day, more for large breeds and in cold weather. That is about 90 to 160 lb (40 to 75 kg) a year per hen. Eggs per hen vary even more. Penn State Extension gives about 50 to 100 eggs a year for many heritage breeds and 240 to 280 for commercial hybrids. Age and daylight change the number too. Divide your yearly feed cost by your yearly eggs to see what your eggs really cost. The answer is often close to store prices, or higher, once you count the coop and losses.