I often get caught up in the what, whys, and how’s of raising homestead chickens, but then I remind myself, don’t let raising a homestead flock become overwhelming, confusing, or daunting. When you stick to the basics, learning how to raise homestead chickens becomes fun, enjoyable, and rewarding! There are 7 main ways you can raise your flock of chickens homestead-style. I have found that these 7 tips for raising a homestead flock make chicken keeping simple and help me stick to the basics of raising chickens naturally and sustainably!
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Why Raise Them Homestead Style?
Even if you don’t consider yourself a homesteader, you should still raise your backyard flock homestead style. Why? Well…. raising chickens homestead style is more sustainable and more natural for your flock. It is healthier for you, your flock, and the environment.
Whether you have a small backyard flock of hens in the suburbs or you actually have a homestead in the middle of nowhere, raising chickens homestead style makes everything more simplistic and keeps you to the basics of raising a flock of chickens. You can raise a homestead flock of chickens no matter where you live!
These 7 basic principles are what I consider the foundation of raising a homestead flock of chickens. Implement these tips and you will find that your flock is healthier, more productive, has longevity, and is more sustainable! Make chicken keeping fun and simple by raising your flock homestead style!
#1. Choose Heritage Breeds
Whether you are looking to start your very first homestead flock or you are wanting to add to your existing homestead flock, make sure you choose heritage chicken breeds. Heritage chicken breeds are breeds that have been around for a long while. Genetically pure strains will be quality chickens that have a preserved gene pool. Heritage breeds are breeds that were developed in the past and have been selectively bred to preserve their attributes and improve the breed. They are also breeds that the early pioneers would have raised!
These ‘clean genes’ allow heritage breeds to have overall better characteristics than hybrid breeds or modern day chicken breeds. Heritage breeds often have better personalities, longer life spans, better and longer production cycles, and are better able to resist disease or illness. They may have more traits of their ancestors, such as being good foragers, hens willing to be broody, and responsible roosters.
Often times heritage breeds are dual-purpose breeds, meaning they are good egg producers but they can also be used for meat. This is great for homesteaders who are looking for a chicken breed that can be used for both purposes! For a homesteader who just wants the eggs, heritage breeds are often good year-round layers that are reliable and consistent.
Heritage chicken breeds tend to be very adaptable. They can tolerate a wide range of environments and conditions, and they are in general very hardy chickens. With that being said, still consider the heat tolerance and cold hardiness of the breeds you are wanting to add to your flock!
Heritage Breeds:
- Australorp
- Brahma
- Buckeye
- Dominique
- Java
- Sussex
- Welsummer
- Rhode Island Red
- Rhode Island White
- New Hampshire
- Plymouth Rock
- Orpington
- Maran
Find out my thoughts on a few of those breeds in this Breed Review article!
Note on Sourcing:
Keep in mind that quality heritage chicken breeds may be hard to find. Yes, hatcheries will sell strains of heritage chicken breeds, but they may not be pure strains or quality bred. Look for breeders, other homesteaders, or small farms who specialize in the breed or breeds you are interested in. If the breed has a breed standard with the American Poultry Association, compare the chickens you are going to buy to their standard. Chickens who meet their standards are often quality birds.
#2. Use Holistic Supplements
Don’t let holistic supplements scare you! Stick to the basics and you won’t get confused about using holistic supplements to raise your flock homestead style!
Basically, the purpose behind using holistic supplements to raise a homestead flock is to keep your flock healthy using natural methods. The world we live in now exposes us to many different chemicals and substances that aren’t necessarily good for overall health. The same goes for your flock. Using holistic supplements will help your homestead flock maintain overall good health and reduce the affects of negative environmental factors.
With a few exceptions, most holistic supplements don’t need to be used on a regular basis. Instead, a variety of supplements can be used on a seasonal basis or rotated throughout a several week period. Using seasonal supplements throughout the year based on the weather helps your flock deal with different seasonal stress factors.
Holistic supplements can be used for both chicks and adult chickens. Body size and digestive sensitivity will play a role in the type of supplements, the amount of supplement, and the frequency of supplementation. Using holistic supplements from the very start with your homestead flock will help them grow into healthy adults with strong immune systems.
Here is a brief guide on some holistic supplements to use for raising a homestead flock.
Regular Use Supplements:
- garlic– once a week, crushed and added to water
- parsley– sprinkled on fermented feed or chopped and put in water
- black soldier fly grubs– offered as a healthy snack
Seasonal Supplements:
- winter– cooked elderberries, soaked whole oats, black soldier fly grubs, whole seeds and nuts, sprouts & fodder
- spring– sunflower seeds, probiotics, flax seeds
- summer– probiotics, electrolytes
- fall– whole seeds and grains, high protein foods
Chick Supplements:
- probiotics
- garlic
- kelp
- crushed whole oats (in moderation)
- crushed black soldier fly grubs
- scrambled eggs
To learn about using holistic supplements with your homestead flock, check out How to Use Homemade Feed Supplements for more tips and advice.
#3. Feed a Natural Diet
You are what you eat holds especially true for homestead livestock that also provide food for the table! Your homestead flock should be fed a natural diet to continue the trend of raising them homestead style. A natural diet allows your flock to have some freedom in choosing what they eat.
The base of your flock’s natural diet should consist of a complete mash or whole grain feed. Mash and whole grain feed consist of a variety of grains, legumes, vitamins, minerals, and other essential dietary components. Instead of being processed into a compressed pellet or crumble, mash or whole grain feeds contain each feed ingredient in its individual state. This allows your flock to customize their diet depending on individual needs and changing environmental conditions.
The base feed can be commercially formulated or homemade. I highly recommend that if you buy a pre-formulated feed that you opt for an organic or non-GMO brand of mash or whole grain feed. Organic and non-GMO feeds are healthier for your flock and better for the environment.
Feed your homestead flock the right diet for the different stages of life. Chicks should be fed a non-medicated starter/grower feed and adult chickens should be fed a layer or maintenance feed. An alternative to feeding mash or whole grain feeds is pasture-raising your homestead flock. This requires a little more planning and maintenance, but it basically involves letting your flock forage in a pasture to meet their dietary needs.
Another homestead skill to learn and incorporate into your flock’s natural diet is fermenting chicken feed! It increases the nutritional value of the feed and helps you save money!
Natural Diet Elements:
- organic, complete whole grain or mash feed
- fresh, clean water
- free-range forage
- source of insects: free-ranging, dried insects, home-grown insects
- source of greenery: garden scraps, table scraps, fodder, pasture, sprouts, free-ranging
- seeds & whole grains: complete feed, healthy treats, table scraps
#4. Offer Healthy Snacks
Offering healthy snacks pairs perfectly with the natural diet that your flock should be fed. By giving your homestead flock the freedom to choose what nutrients they need most from their feed, they can also supplement their diet with nutrients from healthy snacks. Your flock can cater to their dietary needs by being provided all the nutrition they need in their feed but also given the choice to get nutrients form tasty snacks and treats.
With that being said, the right treats and snacks should be provided. If your flock is given unhealthy treats on a regular basis, then their health will suffer. Chickens are like people in the fact that they often LOVE the treats that aren’t the healthiest for them and just LIKE the treats that are good for them. However, your flock can learn to love healthy treats too!
Table Scraps
Let’s start with table scraps. If you are also living a homestead lifestyle, then you shouldn’t have too many table scraps to share with your flock. The table scraps you do have to share will more than likely be healthy leftovers. Things like vegetable trimmings, squishy fruit, or cooked meat scraps are all good additions to your flock’s natural diet. Lots of bread, pastas, crackers, other carb-dense scraps, or foods low in nutrition are not healthy for your flock.
Table scraps can be given to your flock on an as-available basis as long as you aren’t giving them unhealthy scraps every day. Here are some examples of healthy table scraps:
- fruits– apples, pears, berries, melons
- veggies– leafy greens, root vegetables, sprouts
- cooked meat– beef, venison, lamb, chicken, pork
- eggs– scrambled, hard-boiled
Garden Scraps
Garden scraps can also constitute some of your flock’s healthy snacks. Giving them free roam of the garden after harvest time is a great way to let them clean up leftovers and fertilize the garden at the same time. If you have an abundant harvest, then share some with your flock! Just about anything you grow in your garden should be safe to add to your flock’s natural diet.
Garden scraps can be provided on a regular basis if you so desire. Your flock will pick through what they do and don’t want to eat at the time.
Treats
Then there’s also treats. Treats are foods that you choose to buy, grow, or make for your flock. Treats will also constitute a part of your flock’s natural diet, so they too should provide some nutrition. Some treats can function as supplemental treats, such as whole oats during the winter, sunflower seeds during the fall, or black soldier fly grubs as a year-round supplement. Other treats should only be given on special occasions, such as popcorn, scratch grain mixes, or flock blocks.
Making your own healthy treats for your homestead flock is a great, sustainable way to treat your flock! Sprouting seeds, growing fodder, making quinoa cakes, or preparing overnight oats are all great homemade treats for your flock!
Treats should be provided on a limited basis unless you are using a supplemental treat. Supplemental treats can be given on a daily basis as long as they are beneficial and varied. Specialty treats should only be offered as needed or to meet seasonal dietary demands. Here are some healthy treat examples:
- supplemental treats- whole seeds, whole grains, insects
- specialty treats– meal leftovers, snack foods, store-bought treat mixes, flock blocks, flock suet cakes
#5. Free-Range
Part of raising a homestead flock does necessitate free-ranging. If at all possible, free-range your homestead flock! There are many different levels of free-range flocks, so choose the level that bests suits your situation and your flock.
Some flocks will get free-roam of the whole homestead, other flocks need boundaries. You may choose to do supervised free-range or limited free-range time. That’s okay, just giving your flock the opportunity to free-range even if under limiting circumstances puts you one step closer to raising a sustainable homestead flock!
Free-ranging your homestead flock allows your chickens to engage in instinctual, natural behaviors. Foraging, finding places to dust bath, and roaming the yard are all natural behaviors that chickens love doing! Free-ranging also fits well into the natural diet. Your flock can forage for foods to meet their dietary needs, and all the foods will be natural and beneficial for them.
When you can’t free-range your flock, make sure you have a large enclosure attached to the chicken coop. Giving your homestead flock plenty of space, even when they are penned up, allows them to still engage in some instinctual behaviors.
#6. Use Herbs
Using herbs while raising a homestead flock is another great to get some holistic supplements into your flock’s natural diet! But herbs don’t just have to be consumed. They can be used to make coop cleaners, planted around the coop for décor and pest deterrent, or used to spruce up the inside of the coop and the nesting boxes.
Learning how to use herbs and what to use each type of herb for are great modern pioneer skills to learn for raising a homestead flock. Herbs can be added to your flock’s feed or water to help support overall good health or fight disease and parasites. You can also place them in strategic spots around the coop to freshen up the coop and provide a refreshing aroma.
Herbs can be offered free-choice at all times for your flock to nibble on as they choose. Mild herbs can be chopped and added to the waterer to infuse the water with nutrition. Herbs also make great treat toppers or fermented feed garnishes!
Growing your own herbs to use for your homestead flock is a great way to sustainably raise your flock naturally! Herbs are great to use for maintaining flock health as well as treating various ailments naturally without resorting to chemical treatments.
Herbs to Grow for Chickens:
- parsley– add to feed or water
- rosemary– offer free-choice
- thyme– offer free-choice
- sage– offer free-choice or add to water
- mint– place round the coop and nesting boxes
- lavender– place around the coop and nesting boxes
- garlic– crush and add to water
- cilantro– add to feed or water
- nasturtium– add to feed
Check out the benefits of different herbs by learning about these Beneficial Herbs to Grow for Chickens!
#7. Strive for Self-Sustainability
Lastly, when raising a homestead flock, strive for self-sustainability! There are two types of self-sustainability. One type is where the flock itself is self sustaining. The other type is when you provide the means for your flock to self-sustain itself. If that sounds confusing, then read on for clarification!
A self-sustaining flock involves having a homestead rooster and allowing broody hens to raise chicks. A self-sustaining flock will replenish its numbers naturally and naturally add to the flock every spring. Of course, you can incubate eggs you collect from your flock yourself, but it’s also fun to watch a momma hen do the job too! Having a flock that self-sustains itself helps save you time and money!
The second type of self-sustainability has more to do with coop design and daily maintenance. Having a coop that can be self-sufficient for a day or two is extremely helpful on the homestead. It can cut down on chore time as well as give you the freedom to travel or go about other activities without worrying about the safety and well-being of your flock.
Having a self-sufficient coop may involve these design elements:
- large enough water system to last your flock 2-3 days
- automatic feeding system
- feeders kept in the coop, water kept outside the coop
- an automatic door that opens at dawn and closes at dusk
- droppings boards or a droppings management system that only has to be cleaned minimally
- easy to maintain litter
- a predator proof coop and enclosure
The Natural & Sustainable Way to Raise Chickens!
Learning how to raise homestead chickens is a great way to care for your flock naturally and sustainably! The homestead style of raising chickens functions around a chicken’s instinctual behaviors as well as using sustainable sources to keep your flock healthy and productive. Whenever I stick to the 7 basics of raising a homestead flock, I find that chicken keeping becomes more simple, easier, and tons of fun! My flock stays healthier, my hens live longer, and I find enjoyment out of watching my flock live a more natural life. You can raise a homestead flock of chickens no matter where you live by following these 7 basic principles of raising a homestead flock!
For more tips on how to raise your flock like a modern pioneer homesteader, make sure you get our free ebook on Raising Chickens Like a Pioneer!
by Alexa
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