Raise Village Chickens in a Small Yard: 6 Tips That Work

Raising chickens is a profitable and promising business. The reason is that the chicken business will never die: as long as people like chicken, demand will stay high. What makes it especially interesting is that chickens are not only eaten at home. They are also used for certain events, such as wedding and birth celebrations (hajatan).

Beginner farmers can raise village chickens, known in Indonesia as ayam buras (short for bukan ras, or non-breed chickens). Why this type? It is much simpler than other types of chicken, and the farming techniques for non-breed chickens are much easier, which suits beginners. But what if you only have a small yard? No need to worry. Here are several ways to raise village chickens in a small yard:

Contents

The Right Breeding Hens
A Compact Coop
A Run
The Right Feed
Vitamins
Keep the Coop Clean

The Right Breeding Hens

One way to raise village chickens in a small yard is to choose the right breeding hens. Whether the yard is large or small, the right breeding stock is essential. Without quality breeders, the chicks will not be good quality either. High vitality only comes from quality breeders, so do not expect quality chicks if the breeders themselves are poor.

A Compact Coop

Another way to raise village chickens in a small yard is to choose a compact coop. A compact coop can hold two pairs of breeding hens at most, so the yard you need is not very large.

A Run

To avoid complaints from the neighbors, always keep the chickens confined to your yard. If they are left loose and drop waste everywhere, it will cause problems and draw complaints. So when raising village chickens, it is important to provide space for a run (umbaran), also called a play area. Without a run, chickens get stressed easily because they are always shut inside the coop.

The Right Feed

The next step is to give the right feed. Feed is one of the factors in successful chicken farming. When it comes to feed, village chickens are not fussy the way breed chickens are. They accept almost any food as long as it is not spoiled. Factory-made feed, grains, chopped vegetables and more can all end up in a village chicken's stomach. You should also mix in food that strengthens eggshells so the eggs form properly.

Vitamins

Village chickens are known to resist many kinds of disease, but when the weather is unpredictable, as it is now, giving vitamins is strongly recommended to avoid illnesses that spread easily in this kind of weather. Prevention is better than cure.

Keep the Coop Clean

The last step for anyone raising chickens, even in a small yard, is to keep the coop clean at all times. Village chickens are not in the coop all day, but cleanliness still matters a great deal. A dirty coop only becomes a nest of germs that can cause disease.

You can start raising village chickens even in a small yard. It may not be ideal, but raising chickens in a small yard is one way to gain experience. With the experience you build raising village chickens in a small yard, you can later expand to raising chickens in a larger yard.