Chickens

I am a keeper of chickens. We started rasing our first birds in 2006. Over the years we have learned a lot, built a dozen different coops, and raised a lot of birds. We have hatched eggs in an incubator, we have put eggs under broody hens, we have mail ordered day old chicks, gotten them from local feed stores and private sellers alike.

I seriously love my hens. They are spoiled. They come when I call them and they help me garden. But my favorite thing is that I never have to worry about rodents, snakes or bugs and I always have the best farm fresh eggs on hand. Most people don't know this, but chickens are ruthless carnivores. They will kill pretty much anything they can and eat it, including other chickens. I have seen them kill mice and snakes, both of which I hate, and generally speaking they don't ask for much in return.

Hens naturally will lay fewer eggs during the winter months. They really like daylight and so with the shorter days, they aren't as motivated to lay eggs. I currently have 17 laying hens and we are getting over a dozen eggs a day, but in the winter this drops to about 4-5 eggs a day total.

There are tons of varieties of chickens, so you can read all about the ones available in your area and decide what is important to you. We will often choose the color of eggs, and temperment of the birds as our top priority, with the amount of eggs laid being a third factor. I would much rather have a sweet and gentle bird that lays 200 eggs a year than a mean hen that lays 300+ a year.

Roosters. I have a love/hate relationship with roosters. Most of the time we have kept birds we have processed out the roosters due to an agressive nature. When they don't understand their role in our flock, they are a problem. Currently, I have 2 brother roosters. They have grown up together and are the same size and breed. They actually keep each other in check and are not aggressive towards humans or hens.

I am regularly observing them to see if they are going to turn on us, and so far so good. I am amazed at their vigilance in watching over the hens and directing them to safety while they are out free ranging in the fields. They vocalize directions if they see a preditor bird and the hens will all run to safety while they stand gaurd and fight to protect them. It is really a beautiful thing.

Right now, we have 6 baby chicks. They are adorable and as with all baby things and three teenage girls, there is a lot of love happening. I think this is part of the secret to our success in raising chickens. We are very personable with our flock and they are used to being handled and given treats.

Overall, my kids have always grown up taking care of our chickens. It has taught them important life lessons including how to raise animals, understand the life cycle, handle loss when a bird dies, and the differences in males and females. Between raising our birds and growing a garden each year, I am fully confident my children are going into the world being able to take care of themselves and others. The additional life lessons of horseback riding, martial arts, cooking, cleaning and laundry, have equipped my kids to embark into adulthood with life skills that will help them in a much more practical sense then most schools would ever provide.