If you’re asking how to take care of egg laying chickens, congratulations! You’re well on your way to your new flock. With so much internet advice out there, learning how to take care of egg laying chickens can seem daunting at first glance. However, I’m here to tell you that owning chickens doesn’t have to be overwhelming. In fact, for me, it’s extremely relaxing and rewarding. Take a step away from all the panic advice out there, and let’s delve into how to take care of egg laying chickens. We made a whole video on chicken care, too! I can’t promise that this list is totally exhaustive, but it should be a good start. This post contains some affiliate links. If you use these links to buy products, we may earn a small commission, which helps us keep the blog running. Thanks!
How To Take Care Of Egg Laying Chickens 101
There are a few major camps out there when it comes to how complicated owning chickens should be. There are those who keep a spotless coop, a pristine run, and purchase only the finest poultry treats. And then there’s… well… me. And others, too! There are those of us who focus more on keeping chickens healthy in tandem with nature, rather than fighting against it. Now, I’m not here to bash one side or the other. I just want to let you know that I’m definitely on the more “hands-off” approach side of owning chickens, and I believe it’s paid off greatly. Here’s why.
Success With Permaculture Chicken Care
I know some gardeners are turned off by the term “permaculture”, but I’m not really here to have a debate. How to take care of egg laying chickens utilizes permaculture methods like:
- The Deep Litter Method
- Composting
- Food Scraps & Recycling
By learning how to take care of egg laying chickens using permaculture techniques, I’ve been fortunate to have a very “hands-off” approach to raising backyard poultry. The result has been very happy, very healthy chickens. We have had a couple cases of sour crop in new baby chicks, but otherwise, zero out of 25 chickens we’ve ever owned have had issues like bumble foot, becoming egg bound, mites, pasty butt, and the like. We’ve been very fortunate so far, but I can’t help but believe that these healthy girls are at least partially due to permaculture chicken care.
Backyard Poultry Supplies Shopping List
Before you buy your chicks and get to work learning how to take care of egg laying chickens, make sure you have everything on-hand that you need. Here are the chicken products we love and absolutely swear by. You can also find this whole list on our chicken gear Kit list.
- This heated waterer. An absolute life saver if you live anywhere it gets below freezing. This one handles our Wisconsin weather just fine.
- This wall-mount feeder. It reduces mess and waste and feeds our chickens for a few days if we need to go out of town.
- A brooder for raising baby chicks. I will never use a heat lamp again for so many reasons, but that’s an article for another time. It’s well worth a few extra bucks for the safety of your flock and even your house.
- This chick waterer and this chick feeder work wonderfully for us when we’re raising baby chicks.
- I always add this packet of electrolytes to the water when I get baby chicks, and I would use it if I ever have a sick chicken, too. It’s an extra boost to give their bodies what they need.
- If they’re really lucky, we feed our girls these mealworm treats. They improve the quality of their eggs, and the girls go totally nuts for them!
How To Take Care Of Egg Laying Chickens Checklist
Here are the methods I use for how to take care of egg laying chickens. This is what has worked for me, but make sure to listen to the professionals when it comes to caring for your own backyard birds.
Daily Care Checklist
- Feed chickens Layer Feed
- Change out water (We use this waterer and we absolutely swear by it — especially for cold winters!)
- Collect eggs
- Let out to roam, if schedule permits (we don’t like to leave them out when we’re not home)
Weekly Checklist
- Clean out waterers
- Break a couple eggs & use as a treat and calcium supplement (more on this below)
- Sprinkle clean bedding into coop, if needed
2-3 Times per Year
- Completely change out deep litter bedding, leaving only a very small layer of composted bedding to maintain microorganisms
- Add 3-4 inches of fresh bedding to coop & run
- Give each chicken a good once-over for any injuries or sickness
And that’s about it! There are many more chores you can add to your list when researching how to take care of egg laying chickens, however, above are the staples that have worked for me.
How To Take Care of Egg Laying Chickens with Deep Litter Bedding?
Listen, I’m no professional when it comes to how to take care of egg laying chickens or the deep litter compost bedding method. However, I’ve been doing it for 3 years now, and I can tell you what I’ve learned so far. The deep litter bedding method involves keeping a high volume of bedding (brown matter) to prevent chicken poop (green matter) from smelling and creating dangerous bacteria. It’s essentially a self-sustaining compost method.
I won’t go too much into the process now, because that’s a whole different blog post in itself. But by using the deep litter method in my chicken coop, I only have to clean the coop 2-3x per year. And the best part of it all is that my chickens DO NOT SMELL! If your coop smells, it means there is an imbalance of green matter to brown matter, and something is amiss. A properly balanced deep litter method coop has no stinky smell at all.
Should Chickens Eat Raw Eggs?
Many people swear by never, ever feeding your chicken whole eggs. Why? The theory is that a chicken who is fed whole eggs will begin to break & eat eggs in the coop on its own. Makes sense in theory, so if this is a great concern of yours, it’s an easy problem to avoid. However, I feed my chickens raw, whole eggs all the time. Still, I’ve never had an egg eating chicken. In fact, I’m not the only one who feeds chickens raw eggs without any issues. I’m not sure how it is nutritionally for the girls, so I wouldn’t necessarily make it their main staple. But I like to throw an egg into their pen when they’re out free ranging and I need to call them back. The broken egg serves as easy, free treats and calcium supplementation for nice hard shells.
Other chicken owners prefer to scramble the egg and crush the shells separately, and if you have time for that kind of added chore, more power to ya! But if you’re wondering how to take care of egg laying chickens the easy way, this is a trick that has worked for me without issue. Though I gave my girls crushed oyster shells the first year we had them, we haven’t given them any oyster shells for 2 years, and their egg shells are just as strong as ever.
What About Apple Cider Vinegar?
Many backyard poultry owners swear by adding apple cider vinegar to the water for their chicken flock. I started out doing this myself. This is the brand I used. Apple cider vinegar is said to have properties that help with calcium absorption, immune system boosting, and de-worming. I did it for the first year that I was learning how to take care of egg laying chickens, and I don’t think it did any harm. However, I stopped adding ACV to their water during years 2 and 3, and I haven’t noticed any difference in the health of my flock. I decided to become more focused on constant clean, fresh water, and we haven’t had any problems yet. But if it floats your boat, so far, it doesn’t seem that it hurts!
Learning How To Take Care Of Egg Laying Chickens Is Easy
In summary, you have to learn how to take care of egg laying chickens in the way that fits your lifestyle best. Sure, there are lists of what not to feed your chickens. There are lists of endless supplements and treats that you can feed your poultry. But when push comes to shove, I’ve chosen to focus on the three “macros” in the world of chicken care. Food, water, and shelter. Chickens are surprisingly hardy, easy to care for, and even personable. Don’t let the online over complication of how to take care of egg laying chickens scare you away from starting your own backyard flock. It’s always best to do a bit of research, but once you’ve done some due diligence, don’t be afraid to dive right in!
This post contains some affiliate links. If you use these links to buy products, we may earn a small commission, which helps us keep the blog running. Thanks!