Chicken Breeding Methods

Everything you need to know about chicken breeding.

Some people who’d like to go into backyard chicken breeding are at a loss as to how to go about and proceed with their interesting hobby. To make the whole process easier for newbie chicken raisers, we have compiled some indispensable information to make you enjoy your relaxing, interesting and amusing hobby to the fullest.

There are two types of chicken breeding techniques – pairs and flocks – each with their own pros and cons. Since we are only interested in backyard chicken raising we will deal more extensively with the flock technique but would explain the pair method as well for the sake of comparison.

The pair technique quite simply means mating several different of chickens. Each chicken pair is housed independently from other chicken pairs. The pairing method provides for a strictly controlled mating environment and obviously you will have more chickens as the ration is 1:1.

The flock mating technique provides a group of hens in one pen with one or two roosters together. The flock technique is more appropriate for backyard chicken breeding because of space limitations and because chickens and chicks can be raised together in one pen. Furthermore, the flock technique is not as time consuming as the pair system when it comes to cleaning of the chicken coop, feeding of birds and general chicken maintenance.

Another consideration that has to be taken into account is how to hatch and raise the chicks? Do you plan to use a brooder or incubator, or would you let the hens set and raise the chicks?

To ensure that all your chicks are of the same age, you have to store the eggs otherwise you would have chicks hatching daily and of different ages. You must store the eggs (they can be stored for 2 weeks) and place them in a cardboard box, with the small end pointing down and one end of the box elevated. The box has to be reversed every day to prevent germs from sticking to the eggshell. Once you have more than 12 eggs (depending on how many were laid during the week) you can put them in an incubator to hatch or if you want to use the natural method, you have to wait until the hen is ready to set.

After hatching, you have to rear the chicks. In the flock breeding technique, you have to separate the hens and their chicks from other hens but if you are using an incubator the chicks can be raised all together under one brooder.

You can make a homemade brooder from an ordinary corrugated carton box 12" wide x 18" long x 12" high. Make sure to cut a 4" area near both ends of the brooder box so chicks can go in and out of the homemade brooder. Do not forget to place a heating lamp on top of the brooding box to keep your chicks warm.

Feeding the chicks is not a problem since there are chick feed starters, either medicated or non-medicated, which you can feed them for a period of 4 to 6 weeks after which you have to switch to a grower type of chicken feed until they are about 4 months of age.