Raising Chicks

Spring Chicks

hanging out in the guest bathtub to keep warm. Seven Buff Orpingtons and five Americaunas made themselves right at home and prepare to join the rest of the flock.

As a girl, I never dreamed of being a chicken lady. In fact, my family owned a commercial layer farm; raising the chickens that laid the eggs that became the chicken you bought at the grocery store. I grew up as a tiny cog in the wheel of a Poultry Giant. My folks contracted with a few different companies over the course of my growing-up years, but they were all big companies complete with their GMO feeds, mortality limits, and bean counters. I didn’t think much about it at that time. It was how we put groceries on the table and where I learned what hard work really was. Fast forward 25 years,

Now, I have backyard birds and they make me happy. I started with “sacrificial chickens” in August 2018. Don’t freak out. I had a lovely friend with a large flock who were past laying age. She gifted me 10 ladies to start with. See, I have bloodhounds and they needed to be exposed to the birds and taught, “Chickens are friends, not food.” We have six of those original 10 left and the dogs leave my ladies alone. Mission accomplished.

When I received these “spent hens” they were actually laying three to five eggs a day from 10 hens. Not bad for ladies that were supposed to be past their prime. Through this winter, my girls have gifted us with three to five eggs a week, and now we’re back up to three a day from my six hens.

Why have I invested so much time and effort into adding to my flock? Backyard eggs are the best. That is the bottom line. More details? Ok. Here goes.

“Backyard eggs have approximately 25 percent more vitamin E, 75 percent more beta carotene, and as much as 20 times the amount of omega-3 fatty acids as do factory farmed eggs. Backyard chickens, if given the option, will eat vast amounts of green vegetation (high in beta carotene and omega-3's and low in cholesterol), bugs and tons of grains. Their eggs are a byproduct of this nutrition.”  from Mother Earth News

In addition to the nutrition value listed above, I get to choose what my hens eat. It’s not cheap to do so, but I refuse to feed them anything genetically modified, no corn, no soy, no chicken by-products. They range freely on an acre, helping control the bug population. They’ve been spotted fighting over some baby snakes lately and I heartily support this behavior.

Today it’s 73 degrees outside and my new girls are being introduced to the old biddies. They will nest together tonight but remain separated during the days for a few weeks. Wish the new family members all the best!