How to breed chicken?

Breeding chickens is a great way to create a sustainable flock, and should be learned by every chicken farmer and enthusiast. Watching the process is a fantastic learning tool as well, thanks to the short amount of time that the eggs need to incubate. Follow this guide to start breeding chickens yourself.

Find out if it is legal to keep chickens in your area. Some places have strict laws on keeping chickens whilst other places have rules on keeping roosters and the number of chickens you have. To avoid a fine it is best to check your local laws and regulations in your area.

those of us who are learning how to breed chickens or teaching others how to breed chickens must realize that breeds of poultry cannot be maintained. Your fowl are either improving or degenerating with each passing generation. Selective breeding is the only means by whereby a flock can be improved: this type of breeding demands the culling of all birds that do not measure up to the standard of the breed. Every breeder has a standard; if not, then they are multipliers and not breeders. The written Standards of the American Poultry Association and the American Bantam Association are great places to begin your journey in poultry breeding. These Standards do much more than articulate plumage colors. If you want to learn how to breed chickens, this is where you will discover the best body type for the production of meat and eggs; as well as the correct type needed for gameness. It is also best to take the opportunity to visit a breeder of the same poultry you intend to keep if possible. Visiting a local poultry show will also give you a better understanding of the birds’ overall appearance.

There is more than one way to expand your chicken flock. You can buy more chickens or you can breed the chickens you currently have. Breeding your own chickens is relatively easy, and lots of chicken keepers choose to do this.

If you plan to put your chickens into poultry shows, you will definitely be breeding your own show chickens. It can be great fun and a process that your whole family will enjoy.

If you don’t own a rooster, you can get one from a reputable breeder. If you are breeding for showing purposes then you should go to a breeder who has a good reputation for providing good parent stock. Your own breeding flock should be founded in the springtime.

Many people don’t take into account that when you breed chickens, you will end up with significantly more chickens than you started with. Ensure that your chicken coop is ready for the new additions to your flock.

Keep spare coops and equipment around so you're prepared to separate roosters or bullies of the flock. Sometimes you just won't have enough room to keep all chickens in one coop or you might get a few more roosters than hens that are aggressive towards each other.

Looking at your flock of backyard chickens, you need to ask yourself a really important question: Can I get to where I want to go from here? For example, if you want to begin to enter a competition with your birds, then there is a good chance that you might need to add a show-quality bird to your flock. Or, if you want to achieve a higher rate of egg production then you might need to add a bird from such a flock to your own. This is probably something you have already considered during your research and interaction with other breeders before learning how to breed chickens. Depending on what trait your flock is lacking will determine if you purchase a cock or hen. The old adage, which is generally true, is the hen sets the type and the cock the color. We know a lot more about genetics nowadays than when that phrase was in vogue, but it is still good basic advice especially as it has to do with type.

As soon as you’ve decided which roosters you want to breed to your hens, make sure you remove all other roosters before adding your chosen room. Leave your rooster with your hens indefinitely.

He will dance for the ladies, win them over, and eventually mate with them without any extra effort from you.

If your rooster is lazy, obese, or injured, he may not mount your hens. Keep watch and make sure he is doing his job. If he’s not, something may be wrong. For the next 2-3 weeks, your hens will continue to lay eggs fertilized by any previous roosters you’ve housed them with.

Furthermore, if you’ve just introduced a rooster, don’t expect fertile eggs for at least 2 weeks. That’s just how a hen's reproductive cycle works.

You will need to collect the eggs regularly, even if you plan on having one of your broody hens hatch them. This is so you can choose the best eggs for her to brood. It is also believed that storing fertilized eggs for 24 hours before they are incubated ensures successful hatching. Fertilized eggs will not turn into embryos unless they are correctly incubated.

When you are collecting the eggs, make sure you have clean hands so you don’t pass any pathogens onto the eggs through their porous shells. Take care when handling the eggs so as not to break them. It is also important to keep the nest free of droppings or mud to keep the eggs clean. If you do this you won’t have to worry about cleaning the eggs prior to incubation. If you do have to clean the eggs you should use an egg sanitizer and warm water. When choosing eggs to store and hatch. choose ones that are a regular shape and have no cracks.

When you store fertilized eggs you should store them at the pointy end down in an egg box. They can be stored for up to 7 days before being incubated. You should store them at 13°C in a place with high humidity. You will also need to turn the eggs to ensure the inner membrane doesn’t get stuck to the outer shell. You can simply place a thick book or an empty egg box under one end of the egg box and change ends once in the morning and then again in the evening to tilt the eggs the other way.

After about two weeks, you will start to notice that your eggs will look a little different when you’re preparing breakfast. Eggs that are fertilized will have a small white splotch that resembles a bullseye.

Bullseye…your eggs are fertile. If you wait for longer, you will begin to see red splots and veins. Check our guide on how to know your eggs are fertilized here.

It’s tempting to start putting every egg into the incubator immediately, but doing so only creates problems come hatch day.

You see, eggs must be rotated, chicks must be removed from the incubator when dry, and opening the incubator when other eggs are in the hatching process may actually kill unhatched chicks.

You should keep your hen and chicks separate from the flock until the chicks are 6 weeks old. You should also keep them inside for a week as it will be too cold and probably wet outside. You should provide chick crumbs and water in a specific chick waterer. After a week the chicks can go outside onto short grass. You should keep them in a secure run that is covered over to stop any predators from getting to the chicks. Your mother hen will teach them everything they need to know.

You should keep your hen and chicks separate from the flock until the chicks are 6 weeks old. You should also keep them inside for a week as it will be too cold and probably wet outside. You should provide chick crumbs and water in a specific chick waterer. After a week the chicks can go outside onto short grass. You should keep them in a secure run that is covered over to stop any predators from getting to the chicks. Your mother hen will teach them everything they need to know.

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