Foundations of Chicken Care

This unit introduces essential knowledge and skills for starting and managing a small chicken flock, including legal requirements, basic anatomy, breed selection, housing, nutrition, biosecurity, and early-life care. Learners will apply planning, cost estimation, and basic health-management practices to prepare for more advanced production and disease-management units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze local regulations, zoning, and biosecurity guidelines to determine legal constraints and compliance steps for establishing a small flock
• Apply knowledge of chicken anatomy, breed characteristics, and production types to select appropriate breeds and develop a flock plan with size, purpose, and basic cost estimates
• Demonstrate proper housing and brooder setup and maintenance, including bedding selection, ventilation, nest and feeder placement, predator deterrence, pest control, and sanitation procedures
• Evaluate basic flock health and management decisions—such as feed selection, disease and parasite prevention, treatment options, incubation basics, and brooder care—to create a preventative health and response plan