We live in a town of about 40,000 that allows its residents to keep backyard chickens. We took the plunge about 5 years ago and have NEVER regreted it. Delicious eggs, non-stop comedy routines and even an occasional cuddle. We converted a corner of our shed/garage into the coop to keep them out of the wet and wind. 2 lights in the winter is the only heat source with homemade blankets around the outside of the cage to further prevent draft. A heated dog watering dish prevents their water from freezing. Add a little hay and some chickens and you are in business. For our household of 2 we have 3 hens but only 2 are currently laying which gives us about 10 free range eggs a week. They come running from all corners of the yard whenever they hear the back door because they know either we have treats in hand or they can talk us into some (they are a little spoiled). They love grapes, peanuts, stale popcorn, crackers, bread, leftover rice, oatmeal or tortilla chips along with their crumbles. They take about 5 minutes a day work but we spend more time than that with them usually. You will get beautiful eggs with super yellow and firm yolks and thick shells. If I lay in the hammock they always sit on the ground around me and nap to keep me company or one will fly up to sleep on my chest for a bit while I read my book. My neighbors may think I'm nuts but I find it endearing. Another bonus, if you are collecting those pesky japanese beetles they will gobble them out of your hand along with any grubs you dig up in the yard. If your community allows them we highly recommend getting a few birds. You can learn much, much more at backyardchickens.com including coop designs and information about different breeds. The cost of day old chicks is minimal (just a couple dollars a piece) and the cost of food and oyster shell is also cheap but building a coop does require some investment of time and money. For us, knowing that our eggs are coming from happy chickens who enjoy the outdoors and are able to live a normal chicken life instead of being confined in cages in a horrible warehouse makes the investment more than worth it.
Monday, March 8, 2010
City Chickens
We live in a town of about 40,000 that allows its residents to keep backyard chickens. We took the plunge about 5 years ago and have NEVER regreted it. Delicious eggs, non-stop comedy routines and even an occasional cuddle. We converted a corner of our shed/garage into the coop to keep them out of the wet and wind. 2 lights in the winter is the only heat source with homemade blankets around the outside of the cage to further prevent draft. A heated dog watering dish prevents their water from freezing. Add a little hay and some chickens and you are in business. For our household of 2 we have 3 hens but only 2 are currently laying which gives us about 10 free range eggs a week. They come running from all corners of the yard whenever they hear the back door because they know either we have treats in hand or they can talk us into some (they are a little spoiled). They love grapes, peanuts, stale popcorn, crackers, bread, leftover rice, oatmeal or tortilla chips along with their crumbles. They take about 5 minutes a day work but we spend more time than that with them usually. You will get beautiful eggs with super yellow and firm yolks and thick shells. If I lay in the hammock they always sit on the ground around me and nap to keep me company or one will fly up to sleep on my chest for a bit while I read my book. My neighbors may think I'm nuts but I find it endearing. Another bonus, if you are collecting those pesky japanese beetles they will gobble them out of your hand along with any grubs you dig up in the yard. If your community allows them we highly recommend getting a few birds. You can learn much, much more at backyardchickens.com including coop designs and information about different breeds. The cost of day old chicks is minimal (just a couple dollars a piece) and the cost of food and oyster shell is also cheap but building a coop does require some investment of time and money. For us, knowing that our eggs are coming from happy chickens who enjoy the outdoors and are able to live a normal chicken life instead of being confined in cages in a horrible warehouse makes the investment more than worth it.
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