The Chicken Keeper’s Survival List

What does raising a homestead flock entail? Find out what skills and knowledge you need to have in order to succesfully raise homestead chickens! Welcome to the chicken keeper’s survival list!

The Chicken Keeper’s Survival List is a compilation of tasks that you will need to know how to do when raising homestead chickens! If you have the knowledge to complete all of these tasks, then you are all set to take care of your first homestead flock! Maybe you already consider yourself a successful homestead flock owner, I still encourage you to scan through this list. If you find that you are lacking in a few areas, don’t worry, raising chickens is a learning experience, and you never stop learning along the way! Take a look at this list and see how prepared you are to survive with your homestead flock!

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First Aid Survival Skills

Learn these basic first aid tasks so that you are prepared to deal with any injuries or ailments your homestead chickens acquire.

Recognize a Sick Chicken- The key to keeping a healthy flock is being able to recognize a sick chicken before it becomes fatally ill. Do you know the signs and symptoms a sick chicken exhibits?

Stop Bleeding- One of the most common first aid treatments you will have to administer is stopping bleeding. Do you know the fastest and more efficient way to stop a cut or wound from bleeding too much? (Chicken First Aid Crash Course)

Treat Comb and Wattle Injuries- Combs and wattles are one of the most frequently injured body parts on a chicken. The basics to treaing comb and wattle injuries intails stopping the bleeding and keeping the chicken quarantined until the blood is cleaned up and the wound has started healing.  

Fix a Broken Toe or Leg- While not quite as common, broken toes and legs can occur in a backyard flock. You should know how to reduce swelling, relieve pain, and splint broken legs or toes.

Treat Limping- Chickens are notorious for developing a mysterious limp. Sometimes you can identify the cause of the limp, other times you can’t. Often times a daily foot soak in warm epsom salt water will help solve the issue.

Dealing with Bloody Feather Follicles- Because chickens are covered in feathers, you are bound to end up having to deal with a feather injury. You may be familiar with skin injuries, but do you know how to treat feather injuries? (Hint: next week’s article will be about caring for molting chicken injuries!)

How to Set Up An Infirmary Pen– An infirmary pen is a lifesaver for any backyard chicken keeper. Do you know to set up an infirmary pen so you are prepared for an ill chicken? (Caring for a Sick Chicken)

Poultry Management Skills

Managing your backyard flock is important for their health and happiness. Find out if you know some of the basics for managing your flock.

Integrating New Chickens- Chicken math is real, but so is the pecking order. That is why integration is so important. Do you know how to integrate new chickens into an established flock? (Integrating New Chickens into a Flock)

Catching a Chicken- Hopefully you will be able to raise a flock of friendly, docile backyard chickens, however, even the tamest chicken will appreciate being caught correctly. Try not to chase your birds or intimidate them.

How to Hold a Chicken- Once you have caught your chicken, you must know how to hold it properly too. Making sure you have a firm grasp on the legs and a gentle pressure against the wings are the basics of helping a chicken feel secure when it’s being held.

Chicken Health Checks- Chicken health checks are helpful for monitoring the overall health of your flock. Do you know how to preform a health check on your entire flock? (Performing a Chicken Health Check)

How to Bath a Chicken- You may not have to bath a chicken too often, but it is still a good skill for homestead chicken keepers to know. Do you know how to bath a chicken properly? (Preparing a Show Chicken)

Dealing With Roosters- A backyard flock can function just fine without a rooster, but you just can’t avoid dealing with one rooster, or two, during your chicken keeping experience. Do you know how to deal with a rooster? (How to Manage Multiple Roosters)

Treat External Parasites- Part of managing your flock will involve preventive measures for controlling external parasites. Do you know how to prevent and treat external parasites? (Treating Northern Fowl Mites)

Recognize Behaviors– Chickens are fun to watch! Knowing what their different behaviors mean can help you as you raise your homestead flock. (What is My Chicken Doing?)

Preparation Skills

Before you get your chickens, do some preparation. Find out what it involves to raise chickens and learn how to care for baby chicks.

Picking out the Right Chickens- There are lots of chicken breeds to choose from, and you need to decide which breeds are right for you! Do you know how to pick out chicken breeds that will be right for you? (Show Chicken Breed Reviews)

Must Have Poultry Books- Having even just a little bit of basic knowledge about chickens will help you raise your flock better. Do you have poultry books to learn from and use as a reference? (Backyard Chicken Book Reviews)

Know Your Poultry Ailments- Knowing some of the most common poultry ailments will go a long way in diagnosing and dealing with injuries and illnesses in your flock. How many poultry ailments do you know?

Pros and Cons of Free Ranging– Deciding whether you want to free-range your flock or not is a decision you will have to make. Do you know about the benefits of free-ranging as well as the risks? (Pros and Cons of Free-Ranging)

Chicks:

Setting up a Brooder- A brooder is where your baby chicks will stay for the first few weeks of their life and it is very important for their survival. Do you know how to set up a good brooder? (Brooder Set Up Essentials)

Treat Pasty Butt- One of the first issues you should know to deal with is pasty butt, which is common in young chicks. Before you get your first batch of cute fluffies, you should know how to reconize pasty butt and how to gently treat pasty butt.

How to Make Sugar Water- Baby chicks benefit from some additional sugar and calories in their diet when they are just a few days old. Make sure you know how to create a simple batch of sugar water using honey and warm water!

Basic Chick Care– Before you even get chicks, you should know about the basic care that they will need on a daily basis. See if you are prepared to do these tasks:

• clean the brooder every day
• refresh water on a daily basis
• fill feeder on a regular basis
• monitor for ailments
• adjust heat source according to heat needs
• graduate the growing chicks to a grow-out pen

Coopkeeping Skills

You have prepared for your homestead flock and you know how to manage your homestead flock. Now it’s time to cover some of the basic coopkeeping tasks you will need to know!

Daily Chores– Caring for your flock is a daily commitment. Make sure you know how to do these daily tasks so that you can keep your flock happy and healthy!

• remove droppings
• clean water system and refill with fresh water
• refill feeders as needed
• keep the coop tidy and clean

Recognizing Predators- Before you can deal with predators, you must first know how to recognize the common poultry predators in your area. What predators live around you? (Predator Awareness)

Working a Live Trap- Knowing how to ethically and legally deal with poultry predators is something every chicken keeper must know how to do. Live traps come in handy for dealing with common poultry predators. Do you know how to set a live trap?

Managing Poop- Chickens poop, a lot. And everywhere. Poop management can be tricky but it is not impossible to have a tidy, clean, good smelling coop and enclosure. Setting up a compost pile is a great way to naturally degrade chicken poop into helpful fertilizer!

Make a Dust Bath– Chickens need to bath in dirt in order to keep their feathers clean and to help prevent external parasites. Make sure you know how to construct a dust bath spot for your flock in their enclosure. The basic ingredient is lots of loose dirt!

Cleaning Skills:

How to Vacuum- Just like you vacuum your own home, the chicken coop will need to be vacuumed periodically. However, you will probably need to use a more heavy duty vacuum!

How to Clean a Coop– While knowing how to clean the litter, manage poop, and vacuum are all important to cleaning a coop, do you know how to do a thorough cleaning of the chicken coop as well? (Cleaning the Chicken Coop)

Cleaning Litter- Litter is the bedding that you put down in the brooder and the chicken coop. Do you know what the best litter is and how frequently to clean it? (Choosing the Right Coop Litter)

Shelter Essentials

Chickens need shelter. Their shelter must protect them from the weather, keep predators out, and provide for their basic, everyday needs.

Grow-Out Pens– As your chicks grow they will need more space! You could move them right out to the chicken coop, however, if environmental factors inhibit this move, you may need to construct a grow-out pen. Make sure you know how to build a functional grow-out pen for growing chickens!

Building a Chicken Coop- I don’t know how else to put this, but, do you know how to build a chicken coop? Or at least, do you know how to design one? Consider the following essentials you need to know about designing a functional coop! (Chicken Coop Building Essentials)

• where to put roosts and how high to put them off the ground
• how many nesting boxes your flock needs and how high they should be off the ground
• the number of feeders and waters you will need (as well as the type and style)
• do you want electricity out at your coop?
• where are you going to store the chicken feed and cleaning tools?
• make sure you have the right amount of ventilation

How to Build an Enclosure- A safe enclosure is equally as important as a cozy coop. Make sure you design a large enough enclosure and I highly recommend making it covered so it can be used year-round!

Making a Chicken Tractor- Chicken tractors have been a life saver for me over the past years of raising chickens. They come in handy for all sorts of chicken management, such as for baby chicks, broody hens, or ailing chickens. Do you know how to make one?

Food & Water Essentials

Proper food and clean water is essential to raising a happy and healthy flock. Find out the basics to meeting these needs in your flock.

Building a Feeder and Waterer– While there are plenty of pre-made options for buying feeders and water systems, you should also know how to make your own. There are many unique and simple ways that you can fashion your own feed and water systems for your homestead flock, just do a quick Pinterest search!

What to Feed Chickens- Some of the most important knowledge you should have as a chicken keeper is knowing what to feed your flock and what not to feed your flock. Do you know what to feed your flock at the different stages in their life?

What Table Scraps to Feed Chickens- Every homestead flock is bound to get a few scraps from the kitchen! Do you know what is safe for your flock and what is un-safe for your flock? (Good and Bad Table Scraps for Chickens)

How to Cook and Bake with Eggs- This skill is not so much for the chickens as it is for you, a modern pioneer life skill! Do you know what to do with all those fresh, nutritious eggs you will be getting? (50 Healthy Ways to Eat Eggs)

How to Use Herbs & Supplements– Natural supplements and herbs can be used to keep your flock healthy on a regular basis. Make sure you know how to use feed supplements and herbs properly! (How to Use Chicken Feed Supplements, How to Use Herbs for Chickens)

Fermenting Chicken Feed- One natural homestead chicken keeping skill you may want to add to your list is learning how to ferment your flock’s food! Fermented feed is great for chickens and for your budget!

Calcium for Laying Hens– Knowing when and how to provide supplemental calcium for your flock is essential for helping your hens stay healthy and lay quaility eggs. Make you know all about the calcium needs of your flock!

Seasonal Conditions

The region where you live may play a role in how you care for your backyard flocks. Different regions present different challenges for backyard chicken raisers!

How to Winterize a Coop- If you live in a region where the winters get cold and brutal, you will need to know how to winterize your chicken coop. Do you know the important tasks that must be accomplished before winter? (Winterizing the Chicken Coop)

Keeping Water from Freezing- Again, if you live in a colder region, you will be presented with some different challenges while raising your flock, such as keeping the water un-frozen. Having some tips and tricks for keeping your flock’s water un-frozen is essential for northern chicken keepers.

How to Keep Chickens Cool- If you live in a region that has hot, humid summers you will need to know how to keep your flock cool. What steps can you take to keep your chickens cool during the summer? (Keeping Chickens Cool)

How to Deal with a Broody Hen- A broody hen can be a dangerous thing to deal with at times! Do you know how to break a broody hen? Or, maybe you want to know how to let a broody hen hatch out chicks?

What to do During the Molt- Every chicken will go through a molt, which can be a stressful time for the whole flock. Do you know how to help your flock through a molt? (Molting 101)

Do You Have What it Takes?

There you have it, a list of skills and abilities you will need for raising chickens! From preparing for your first batch of chicks all the way to caring for your flock through their first winter, you should be all set to take the best care of your flock! You may not be able to learn everything all at once, I know I didn’t, so work on these skills one step at a time. Do some rearch a little bit at a time to slowly master all of these chicken keeping skills.

Simply reading through a helpful poultry keeping book could help you learn how to do many of these chicken keeping life skills! The more experience you have with your homestead flock, the more these skills will become second nature to you! However, it’s good to have a basic knowledge of the skills you need to raise homestead chickens no matter where you are at in your modern pioneer journey!

Will you survive as a homestead chicken raiser? I hope so! Our modern pioneer newsletter is a great resource for weekly tips on raising your homestead flock and mastering these chicken keeping skills!

by Alexa