Updated May 12, 2021
With all of The Open Sanctuary Project’s offerings, we know it can be difficult to know how to navigate it all, especially if you are new to the topic of chicken care! This outline is intended to help you make your way through our resources in a way that ensures you don’t miss anything and that you don’t find yourself reading the same material unnecessarily (though we encourage you to review information as needed).
1) Introduction- For information on starting a sanctuary check out the following:
- So, You Want To Start An Animal Sanctuary
- What Defines An Animal Sanctuary
- What Does It Mean For Each Animal Sanctuary Resident To Be An Individual
- Choosing The Right Site For Your Animal Sanctuary
- Understanding Your Sanctuary’s Zoning Rights And Restrictions
- Determining Your Sanctuary’s Capacity For Responsible Care
- Starting A Non-Profit Organization For Animal Sanctuaries In the United States
2) For a very brief history on domestic chickens, read:
3) Complete Basic Chicken Care Part 1or Basic Large Breed Chicken Care Part 1(and if you’d like to learn about both large breed chickens and non-large breed chickens, complete the appropriate supplemental course):
- In addition to new material, these courses cover and expand upon the following published resources from The Open Sanctuary Project (and can, therefore, replace the following):
- Creating A Good Home For Chickens
- Daily Diet, Treats, And Supplements For Chickens
- How Chickens Get Along With Other Species
- Maintaining A Healthy Rooster Flock (Information is divided between Part 1 and Part 2)
- Appropriate Enrichment Options For Chickens
- Protocols For Egg Laying At Your Animal Sanctuary (Information is divided between Basic Chicken Care Part 1 and 2, but is not covered in Basic Large Breed Chicken Care)
- Large Breed Chicken Additional Care Considerations (The first four sections of this resource are covered in Basic Large Breed Chicken Care Part 1, and once Basic Large Breed Chicken Care Part 2 is available, this resource will be fully covered in the Basic Large Breed Chicken Care courses)
- Recommended Reading: The following resources are not fully covered in these courses, and offer additional information:
- Breaking The Mold: How Animal-Centered Design Can Transform Sanctuaries
- Chicken Living Space Maintenance And Cleaning
- How An Animal Sanctuary Can Respond To “Backyard Egg” Questions
- Preventing Hardware Disease At Your Animal Sanctuary
- Fire Safety At Your Sanctuary
- Things That Are Toxic To Chickens
- Compassionate Wildlife Practices At Your Animal Sanctuary
- The Pecking Order: How Does It Affect Flocks?
4) Complete Basic Chicken Care Part 2 or Basic Large Breed Chicken Care Part 2* (which is currently under construction, as are the supplemental versions):
- In addition to new material, these courses cover and expand upon the following published resources from The Open Sanctuary Project (and can, therefore, replace the following):
- How To Safely Handle A Chicken
- The Importance Of Regular Health Examinations For Residents At Your Animal Sanctuary
- How To Conduct A Chicken Health Examination
- How To Trim A Chicken’s Nails, Spurs, And Beak
- New Chick On The Flock: The New Chicken Arrival Guide
- Animal Sanctuary Resident Record Keeping Basics
- Techniques And Practices For Responsible Chicken Care
- Recommended Reading: The following resources are not fully covered in the course and offer additional information:
- Potential Chicken Health Challenges (not necessarily meant to be read straight-through, but gives an overview of other health challenges you may encounter)
- Suprelorin Implants
- Building And Maintaining A Good Relationship Between Your Animal Sanctuary And Veterinarians
* Much of the information in Basic Chicken Care Part 2 can be applied to large breed chickens; however, this course will focus on health conditions and challenges specific to large breed chickens. While waiting for this course to be released, you can read more about heath care note for large breed chickens and specific handling requirements, here.
6) Further Reading:
We have hundreds of available resources covering a variety of topics, so if there is something specific you are looking for, be sure to check out our resources to see if we’ve covered it. If we haven’t, feel free to contact us, and we’ll let you know if it’s something we can work on. Also keep in mind that we are constantly creating new content and updating our published resources as we get new information to share- if you’re interested in getting updates about newly added or updated resources, sign up for our newsletter!
- General: We have numerous resources available that discuss various aspects of animal sanctuary operations and management, but a few that might be helpful when first starting out include:
- Chicken-Specific (Stay tuned- we have plans for more chicken-specific resources in the works!):
