FAYETTEVILLE -- Washington County Cooperative Extension Service offers many workshops, and one held recently was for those interested in how to get started raising their own poultry.
Ronnie Horn, a former agriculture teacher at Farmington High School and now the agriculture extension agent for the cooperative extension service, led the two-hour workshop at the extension office at 2536 McConnell Ave. in Fayetteville.
"There seems to be a lot of interest in eggs, and with the price of eggs going up, I thought we'll just talk about some basic stuff in how to raise chickens," Horn told about 15 people at the workshop.
He advised those interested to first find out the regulations and restrictions for raising poultry on their property if they live within the city limits. Some cities do not allow chickens in residential areas, and others have restrictions on the number of chickens allowed, Horn said.
Fayetteville, for example, is one of the most liberal in the area when it comes to animals in the city, Horn said. Fayetteville allows four chickens with a maximum of 20, depending on the size of the property. The city has requirements for chicken coops, including the location of the coop and setbacks from neighboring properties.
Farmington allows chickens, with restrictions, in agricultural zones and residential estate zones. Lincoln allows fowl in agriculture zones, allows two or more chickens that are kept as pets and allows chickens kept for educational purposes.
Horn said chicks can be purchased from local feed stores, online hatcheries or neighbors or residents can hatch their own. He said he purchases his chicks from an online hatchery, usually 100 at a time. The chicks are shipped overnight through the postal service, and he said he will get a call from the post office to come pick up his birds.
Chicks that come from a commercial hatchery are vaccinated to help prevent diseases that are common in poultry, either in the egg or as soon as the chicks hatch. Horn said he prefers for his chicks to be vaccinated because he wants a healthy bird.
Horn said it's a state law that if purchasing chicks from a local feed store, the customer must buy at least six chicks.
"This is because chickens are a social creature," Horn said. "They like to interact and hang out together."
Many different containers, such as large rubber tubs or wooden boxes, can be used for chicks when they are first purchased. The point is to keep them contained and warm, Horn said.
"Chickens are very susceptible to cold. That is the one thing that will get them the fastest. It can happen."
Shavings can be used for bedding in the container, and this bedding needs to be fresh, especially around the food and water.
A heat lamp also is important to maintain the temperature, along with a thermometer. Horn showed several examples of heat lamps and said the bulbs can be either white or red. He prefers red bulbs because the chicks seem to sleep better at night when it's darker.
Horn said it's very important to have the lamp tied up tightly above the container so it does not fall into the container and risk the chance of catching the bedding on fire.
"I do not want this thing to fall," he said. "It's probably one thing that makes us lose sleep."
Chicks will find their "comfort zone," just like people, Horn said. They will come to the heat lamp to get warm and will go away from the light if they are too warm.
Temperature recommendations for the chicks are based on their age. For the first week, the temperature in the container needs to be 90-95 degrees. The temperature goes down about 5-10 degrees every week until the chicks are 9 weeks old and then the minimum temperature should be 65 degrees.
When nighttime temps are in the 60s, then the chicks can go outside. Before then, Horn said, they need to have a heat lamp on in their container.
When it comes to the feeder and the waterer, Horn said the lip should be level with the chick's back, and then it is raised as the chicks grow.
Chicks need protein. The first food, feed that is broken up into small pieces, has about 20%-22% protein.
Water is the most important nutrient, and Horn said chickens will consume twice as much water as feed. Whether it is hot weather or cold weather, chickens need a lot of water, he added.
Predators can be a concern for chicks. Horn said he places wire over the top of his container of chicks to keep predators, mainly cats, out of the box. Other predators are snakes, dogs, owls, hawks, opossums and raccoons.
A hen has to be 18-20 weeks old before it can start laying eggs, Horn said. On the average, a chicken will lay three to six eggs per week. In a year, a hen will lay 200-300 eggs, depending on the breed.
It takes 24-26 hours from the time it starts until a chicken lays an egg. Most eggs are laid in the morning, and within the next 15-30 minutes of laying the egg, the next yolk ripens and begins the process for the next egg.
"This is very hard on a chicken," Horn said. "It takes a lot of energy to produce an egg. I don't think people are aware of that. There are a lot of nutritional requirements, and it is a lot of stress on a chicken."
Horn also discussed chicken coops, noting there are a lot of places to buy coops and a lot of designs if people want to build their own.
"The whole point is to keep them clean and keep them dry," Horn said.
He pointed out that chickens need to roost. They do not like to sit on the ground but want to sit on an object. Chickens like to get up in the trusses of a barn, or if they are outside, they will roost in the trees.
"Give them a place to sit," Horn said.
Nesting boxes filled with straw can be placed in the chicken coops, but at the same time, Horn said hens will lay eggs in the weirdest places.
"They want to feel secure and protected when they are laying their eggs," he said, adding he picks up eggs every day out of the feed bucket.
Horn gave out other information about raising hens. For one, Arkansas law requires that if someone is selling eggs, the eggs must be refrigerated and must be washed.
Hens establish their own pecking order if there is not a rooster around. Even with hens, there is one that "rules the roost" and is the top hen in the flock, he said.
"It's obvious who is in charge," he said.
He shared some poultry terms and definitions:
Broiler, bred to be consumed as meat.
Layer, female bird kept for laying eggs.
Pullet -- 12 months of age.
Chick, newly hatched.
Cockrell, young male.
Cock, 1-year-old male, or referred to as a rooster.
Dual-purpose chicken, a big body hen that when she is finished laying eggs is used for meat.
Clutch, group of eggs.
Brood, when a hen sits on a clutch of eggs.
Horn went over many different breeds of chickens. He encouraged anyone interested in raising their own chickens to pick a favorite breed and then do research on it.