Appendix A: Poultry from Scratch Worksheet
IN EACH SECTION, circle all answers that apply. Add additional information where needed.
1. General
I am interested in raising:
• Chickens
• Turkeys
• Ducks
• Other
I want to raise poultry because:
• Pet or 4-H project
• Meat and/or eggs for my family
• To make money
• Novelty, just to try something different
• To breed and/or show
• Other
My family and home situation is:
• I have a job outside of my home (PT or FT?) and am away ______ hours per day.
• I have ______ children at home, of whom ______ are old enough to help with birds.
• I have dogs or other outdoor pets and/or livestock (list type and number of each).
Other family-related concerns or questions that occur to me:
2. Time
• I have plenty of time to spend learning about and caring for my poultry.
• I have limited time due to (circle) my job, family issues, other animals.
• Other time-related questions and concerns: 
3. Space
• I have plenty of room for my birds to roam or free-range during the day.
• I have limited space and will need to confine my birds to a coop or pen.
• I plan to free-range my birds, and understand how many birds I can keep on the amount of pasture or yard space I have.
• Other space-related questions and concerns:
• I have already prepared (circle all that apply) housing, roosts, nest boxes, fencing.
• I have a good supply of appropriate bedding for the coop(s).
• I understand how often I need to clean out the coop(s) and have a plan for this.
• My coop(s) have adequate ventilation.
• Other housing-related questions and concerns:
5. Feed
• I understand what feed is appropriate for each stage of my birds’ growth stages.
• I have located a nearby source of the correct feed (Name, hours and contact info):
• I haven’t yet located a reliable source of the feed I want.
• Other feed-related questions and concerns:
6. Health
• I am willing to spend some time learning about common poultry health issues and take appropriate preventative measures (list):
• I know of a local veterinarian who handles poultry (Name, hours, contact info):
• I have a plan for dealing with sick or injured birds who may be suffering:
• Other health-related questions and concerns:
7. Breeding
• I want to breed poultry mainly to replenish my flock each year.
• I want to breed poultry seriously to help preserve a rare breed or to show.
• I have prepared additional housing and nest box space needed for incubating hens.
• I plan to collect hatching eggs and incubate them artificially.
• I am prepared to brood chicks if a hen should abandon her nest.
• I have a plan for dealing with extra roosters, inferior birds and other cull issues:
• Other breeding-related questions and concerns:
8. Predators
• Possible predators in my area include:
Owls
Hawks and eagle
Coyotes
Dogs
Cougars
Bobcats
Weasels or mink
Raccoons
Rats
Other
• As far as I know, there are no potential predators near my poultry.
• My plan for minimizing or preventing daytime attacks is:
• My plan for minimizing or preventing nighttime attacks is:
• Other predator-related questions and concerns:
9. Egg birds
• There are _______ egg eaters in my family. I plan to keep ______ laying hens to supply enough eggs for us.
• I’m thinking of raising a larger laying flock and selling the extra eggs.
• I am aware of local and state licensing laws related to selling eggs. (Describe)
• I don’t want to sell eggs, but I have a plan for dealing with extra eggs when there is a surplus.
• I have a plan for dealing with older hens who are past their prime laying years.
• Other egg-related questions and concerns:
• I plan to raise ________ meat birds per year for my family.
• My preferred breed for meat birds is:
.
• I know of a nearby source of appropriate meat bird feed (Name, hours and contact info):
• I own or have access to appropriate slaughtering equipment.
• I know someone with slaughtering experience who is willing to show me the ropes.
• I have decided which method of slaughtering meat birds is preferable for me:
• I plan to raise fast-growing hybrid meat birds, and am confident I can get them slaughtered in a timely manner.
• I have plenty of freezer space to store _______ whole birds.
• I want to raise meat birds to sell, and am aware of local and state licensing regulations and facility requirements.
• Other meat-related questions and concerns: