Does your family want to raise chickens and can’t afford them?
This has been discontinued due to the expense of it
There are amazing benefits to home grown eggs and chicken meat. See my blog for more information on that. Past those benefits, it is priceless to be able to take care of yourself by growing your own food and raising your own meat and eggs. (Disclaimer: I have never killed a chicken–ever. I just can’t do it so we don’t eat ours).
We are a small company so our programs are small but we offer, several times a year, free chickens to low income families. Our main goal is to pick a family with kids.
We publish what we have on Facebook so watch our Facebook page please. What we offer is below. You can only pick one and we only do it once per family:
- 3-5 day old baby chickens. If they are an auto-sexed breed or easy to sex via feathers, we give out 3 pullets. If they are straight run, we give 5 chicks. If you don’t want the roosters, you can eat them, give them away, or whatever you choose.
2. Several times a year, we have “older” hens. Meaning they are past their prime but they are still laying. They are usually getting close to 2 years old. Lots of times, I donate younger ones around 14-18 months old. Depending on how many we have, you can get 3-5 hens (and a rooster if we have any).
3. We do our best to make them all the same breed but that does not always happen.
Qualifications:
You have to be a low income family or can’t afford chickens of your own. If you tell me that you’re a kid and mom and dad won’t buy you any, that counts as long as you have mom and dad’s permission to get them.
Next, you have to meet me with your parents in a public place. I don’t deliver to homes.
Next, you have to prove to me that you know how to take care of them. Write me an essay, send me an email, make a video, or jot something on paper telling me that you know about them needing heat, water, and food.
Next, I need lots of pictures. First, I need a picture of your brooder (or box or tote or whatever you are using) to show me that you are ready. I need to know that you have feed, heat, and a water thing. If they are adults already, I need pictures of where they are going to stay to get out of the bad weather and keep them safe from predators.
Next, I need pictures of your baby chickens as they grow for my website. You don’t have to be in the picture unless you want to be. Two pictures of your birds a year is fine. An added picture of eggs once they start laying is awesome.
Next, we are thinking of changing the rules so that you have to be in a least one picture: the picture of you picking up your birds so we have something to publish on our website.
*We have not decided yes or no on that one as we have so many people that do not want their children’s picture online but I went to a free kids Christmas event last where they were giving out free gifts. If you did not let your child take a picture with the gift for their website, then you didn’t get the gift. It’s important to us to advertise the program with others and share pictures of the good families are doing with our birds.
This is only open to older kids–we have seen way too many younger kids squeeze baby chickens to death. You must be 8 and up to participate.
Last, I don’t supply the food. Adult chickens can free range as long as they have predator protection and the weather is nice. They still need laying pellets but not as much as if they were cooped up. Cooped up adult birds probably eat 3 lbs. of feed per week per bird. Free ranging adults will probably still eat at least 1-2 lbs. of feed per week. They may or may not eat that much depending on the availability of bugs, grass, etc…
Baby chickens eat ALOT! It will probably cost you $20 per chick just in feed to raise it to adulthood. This does not include the added costs of your set up, waterers, heat lamp, electricity, housing, etc… I do not pay for any of that. I only donate the chickens.
Little Rock Poultry 