Interested in easy methods to increase chickens at house and if it’s one thing you’d prefer to strive? Diana Fijalkowski shares her expertise and a few suggestions for fulfillment.
In what looks like one other lifetime, I discovered myself smack in the course of Central America. I’ve all the time hated bugs, but by some means I’d mistakenly thought the palmetto monsters of North Carolina had ready me for the onslaught of multi-legged nightmares nearer to the equator.
I used to be improper.
Quickly after arriving in Nicaragua, I used to be cleansing the home and walked via the corridor to the entrance door to find an eight-legged wooly beast roughly the scale of my head parked in a nook, simply ready for the fitting second to suck all of my blood. (Clearly I had watched an excessive amount of Svengoolie as a toddler.) I stood, frozen, with a brush as my solely protection. At that second, my pal, a neighborhood, walked via the entrance door. She laughed and requested what I used to be doing. I pointed on the spider. She rolled her eyes and casually stated, “Oh, that’s a horse killer.”
I requested in the event that they have been toxic. She shrugged and responded, “Eh, mas or menos,” then proceeded to crush it together with her sandaled foot. Mas or menos? Kind of POISONOUS and he or she’d smooshed it with an virtually naked foot?! She then checked out me and stated, “Gallinas!” And that was it.
Gallinas. The answer was chickens.
My early days of elevating chickens
I rapidly constructed a ramshackle coop out of a picket delivery container and a borrowed display screen door from the home. I paid about 5 cordobas for 2 chicks, and my youngsters named them Elvis and Bella.
Chicks are fairly fragile creatures. Sadly, Elvis solely lived for about two weeks. We buried him within the yard throughout a brief, but somber ceremony simply earlier than the college bus arrived. That afternoon, my daughter’s first-grade instructor referred to as to let me know that Emily had been telling her classmates that “Elvis is buried in my yard” and that she thought I ought to know. After I clarified which Elvis she was speaking about, we laughed and laughed. Children, proper?
Simply previous to Elvis’ premature demise, the unique duo was accompanied by a number of extra chicks, and after that, the numbers simply stored climbing. At one level, we had 20 hens and two roosters defending us from all the things in sight—–snakes, spiders, lizards. Even a possum met the ugly finish of my son’s rooster, Stretch, one evening.
I swore by my feathered guardians and promised myself that I might have them once more as soon as I used to be completed transferring all over the world.
Elevating chickens 2.0
A number of years in the past, my husband and I made a decision to construct a house on 4 acres in semi-rural Virginia. I knew transferring right into a primarily wooded space meant I might be coping with snakes, spiders, and ticks. He knew from the start what was coming. Chickens have been going to be a necessity. Our builder even wrote a “Diana Clause” into our HOA settlement that allowed chickens as a result of we weren’t shopping for the property except we may increase them.
The primary couple of years, we busied ourselves by planting gardens, portray rooms, ending closets, and simply settling into our new house. Ultimately, I started potential coop areas and including cute coop plans to my Pinterest rooster board; all whereas ready for the fitting time to return. In January 2020, I informed him it was the “12 months of the chickens.” I needed a number of chicks to start out, and I’m fairly positive I informed him about every considered one of my plans and hopes and desires. Like every good husband, he nodded and mumbled “Sure, expensive,” and went about his enterprise.
I began Googling all the things I may associated to chickens. I used to be going to be one of the best rooster tender on Earth. They’d have one of the best natural feed, home-grown herbs for his or her bedding, and the cutest names. It was going to be nice. I purchased two books that turned my favourite reads: How one can Converse Hen by Melissa Caughey and Contemporary Eggs Every day by Lisa Steele. I dug out what would turn out to be a raised herb mattress—who am I kidding, I made the youngsters dig it for me—particularly to develop herbs to help in sustaining my flock’s well being. Ahhh, preparation.
We’re associates with a farming couple who increase each egg and meat chickens in addition to pigs, cows, horses, goats… you identify it. Our husbands work collectively and he or she and I’ve identified one another for years. She had messaged me religiously every spring to ask if I used to be prepared for chickens, and when she contacted me in 2020, I lastly stated sure. We talked about breeds and I started my analysis. She was ordering chicks and I needed in. Ten, please—regardless that my husband remembers pondering six was a great even quantity. Sorry, chum. I positively NEEDED ten.
The coop of my desires
Because the months dragged on, the fertilized eggs arrived at their farm, and my pal incubated and hatched the little ones, nurturing them till they have been prepared to maneuver to their at-that-time-imaginary and thoroughly appointed woodland house. Throughout their hatching and brooding weeks, I’d sometimes remind my husband that I’d ordered chickens and that they wanted a spot to dwell. I despatched him hyperlinks for the coop I needed. It was what I known as The Taj Mahal of rooster coops—”The Backyard Loft”—and I needed to have it. I bought the plans on-line, downloaded them, and despatched him the PDF file. I even printed them for him. Nonetheless, no motion.
The chicks have been now about 13 weeks previous. At some point at work, one other co-worker informed my husband that he higher get his chickens quickly. My husband was confused, so he went to our farming pal’s workplace to determine what was occurring. Farming pal stated, “Your spouse purchased chickens and it’s time for them to go.” Instantly, actuality hit. This was taking place. He got here house from work and stated, “So, I hear we’re getting chickens?” as if he’d simply heard it for the primary time, though there had been a number of conversations about it. He requested what number of. I sheepishly stated, “10.” I received’t get into his response.
The subsequent few days have been an costly blur of journeys to the house enchancment retailer, clearing an area within the woods, shopping for supplies, and making modifications to the plans to suit our wants. My once-reluctant husband didn’t complain in any respect and as an alternative acquired proper to work, knocking it out of the park with the gorgeous coop he constructed for our ladies to name house in every week’s time.
Meet the women
The day earlier than rooster pick-up day, my pal referred to as and stated she’d miscounted. If we took the initially agreed upon ten, then she’d have one left by herself. She requested if I’d thoughts taking 11 as an alternative? In fact I wanted 11 chickens! We drove to the farm to seek out all of our ladies packed comfortably into a big canine crate. My husband tethered the crate to the again of the pickup whereas I fretted that the wind would trouble them and requested “…can’t they please trip inside with us?” That didn’t go over significantly properly.
We by some means managed the 45’ish minute journey again house. We took the chickens on to the coop, however they refused to return out of the crate, so he not-so-delicately extracted them one after the other. They ran round and flapped about however rapidly settled into their new house. That day, we welcomed 14-week-old Teriyaki, Lucy, Ricki, Darleen, Chickaletta, Woman Cluck, Caroline, Josephine, Henny, Mrs. Pecks, and Cruella to the household.
At that age, pullets have lengthy grown out of their cute fuzzy chick stage they usually’re gawky and awkward and even somewhat ugly. Teenage chickens. As a result of we hadn’t hand-raised them since hatching, they have been afraid of us and weren’t very cuddly. In actual fact, they didn’t allow us to maintain them in any respect. I imagined I’d win them over sooner or later and we’d turn out to be finest associates. (I’m nonetheless ready for that.) The primary evening, we spent over an hour catching them, one after the other, to throw them via the door into the protected coop the place they may safely roost for the evening.
Holding the women protected
The primary nights have been nerve-wracking for me. To allay my fears, my husband put in movement sensor lights, Ring safety cameras on the entrance and the again of the coop, and path cams within the woods—as a result of we knew we had predators like possum, raccoons, fox, and bear and I used to be satisfied we have been going to get up to carnage on daily basis. I may barely sleep, and once I did, I’d get up each hour, grabbing my cellphone to observe the dwell digital camera or peeping out the window into the darkness, straining to listen to any clucks of misery.
In time, I relaxed, figuring out that my pullets have been safely tucked in every evening.
After about three weeks within the coop, the women have been 17 weeks previous, and a few appeared to start out to consider laying. A pair would hang-out the nesting bins; the others would ignore them. As a result of they have been now snug of their coop and run, I slowly started to free-range the chickens beneath shut watch. They liked selecting via the grass, consuming the clover, demolishing each bug they may discover. I used to be positive that quickly we might be tick-free! The women would save me. They fortunately ate the wild berries and pecked round my flower beds.
Each they and I turned braver every day, and I ultimately began letting them free-range unsupervised (regardless that I regarded out the window each 3 minutes). They started transferring into unauthorized territories, a kind of being our neighbor’s storage. At some point I acquired a textual content saying, “I’m sorry, please come get your rooster. She received’t go away our storage!” They’d chased Chickaletta out a number of instances, however she stored going again. The three of us adopted her out and in of the storage earlier than deciding to attend and see what she was doing. This little hen crawled beneath a dusty shelving unit far behind a big toolbox. I waited for her to settle in, we moved some issues round to get to her, I snatched her up, and that’s once we noticed it. Our first EGG!
Chickaletta was not pleased with me, so I took her and her treasured egg again to the nesting field and grounded her till she figured issues out.
Pecking order
Teriyaki is a Buff Orpington. She’s a wonderful tawny buff shade and is fairly quiet and shy. My husband named her.
Caroline and Josephine are Easter Eggers. I had no concept this breed even existed, however I quickly realized that they lay essentially the most attractive blue/inexperienced eggs. They give the impression of being nothing alike. Josephine—she’s my favourite, don’t inform the others—is small and black and brown with attractive amber highlights in her feathers. She’s quiet and candy, and towards the underside of the pecking order.
Caroline, properly, she’s a bully. She’s very showy together with her golden and white feathers and her poofy cheeks that seem like ridiculous mutton chop sideburns. She tends to peck on the others. Her solely saving grace is these stunning eggs, and he or she didn’t lay these for a protracted darn time.
We’ve acquired three Barred Plymouth Rocks named Lucy, Ricki, and Cruella. They’re in all probability the least good, however they’ve turn out to be wonderful layers and get alongside properly with everybody. Darleen, Chickaletta, Woman Cluck, Henny, and Mrs. Pecks are our Black Intercourse Hyperlinks. Darleen is all black. The others have reddish-brown and auburn in them, and Woman Cluck has a beautiful auburn hood. They’re unbelievable diggers, robust layers, get together with the others, and are essentially the most talkative of the unique eleven.
My farm pal and I incessantly message each other, and sooner or later, she talked about ordering some new breeds. I figured the husband and I have been professionals by now, having stored our flock alive for 2 complete months, so I ordered a Silver Laced Wyandotte, two Speckled Sussex, and a Golden Comet. My husband was not even somewhat bit excited once I knowledgeable him that we have been including 4 extra to the flock, however he went together with my loopy plan. My rooster dependancy was confirmed. As soon as once more, our pal hatched and raised the chicks till they have been prepared to return house, this time at about ten weeks. We picked Cookie, Belle, Chalupa, and Wynonna up in somewhat cardboard field. I had hoped they might be younger sufficient to imprint on me and let me love them, however they have been terrified. Nonetheless, I had hope.
That is essential: You probably have an current flock, it’s a really dangerous concept to combine new birds into it with out taking correct precautions. Fortunately, as a consequence of perception from associates and Google, our new chicks survived their introductions. Integrating new birds (particularly youthful ones) could be very labor-intensive. We stored them in a small cat service inside a big canine crate contained in the enclosed run initially in order that the bigger ladies would get used to them. At evening, we’d put them into the cat service and transfer them to the within of the coop. Within the mornings, we’d transfer them again down and allow them to run round within the canine crate.
This went on for weeks, after which we determined—after I freaked out and requested everybody that I knew if it was okay—it was time. The canine crate was opened. They slowly started to attempt to dwell aspect by aspect with the older hens. Caroline was the worst—she’d peck them in the event that they tried to eat or drink close to her and would chase them away. After a tough couple of days, they turned one large pleased flock.
Hen Daddy and Mommy
The person who initially didn’t need chickens rapidly turned Hen Daddy. He’d go to the feed retailer for tractor components or rooster feed and are available again with treats or new concepts for entertaining them. He’s one of the best at getting them into the coop within the evenings, and he’ll by no means admit it, however he actually likes having chickens. I’m just about simply the loopy meals girl who sings to them. Darleen particularly likes her identify sung to the tune of “Jolene.”
We’ve discovered that watching the chickens is ridiculously enjoyable. There are days once we’ll sit on the hill and simply watch them peck and run and play. We hung a raggedy garden chair on the again of the coop so we are able to sit contained in the jail yard with them; the extra curious ladies will work together with me. I may sit with them for hours—it’s therapeutic, actually.
What number of eggs a day can chickens lay?
Final 12 months, as soon as they hit their stride in late summer time, the women have been producing 10 eggs a day. Mixed with the extra 4 hens, it’s not unusual for us to get 14 eggs a day now. The eggs are available beautiful shades of beiges and browns and turquoise-y greenish blue.
What I didn’t learn about eggs earlier than elevating my very own chickens is that as a hen lays an egg, it will get wrapped in a micro-membrane referred to as a “bloom.” The bloom is a protectant designed to maintain potential child chicks clear, dry, and protected. Eggshells are porous, and eradicating the bloom offers micro organism and different nasty issues a chance to get via the tiny crevasses within the shell. In order gross because it appears, it’s finest to disregard the feathers and bits of rooster poop till you’re prepared to make use of the eggs. Imagine it or not, if the bloom is undamaged (the eggs should not washed), contemporary eggs will likely be good for 2 weeks at room temperature and as much as 3 months if refrigerated. We all the time have so many eggs. Baskets of eggs. We simply collect seven to eight dozen every week. I promote some, give some to neighbors, we each take them to work, and, after all, we eat them. Effectively, I do.
There’s nothing like a farm-fresh egg, with its brilliant yellow-orange, custardy yolk. They take advantage of wonderful omelets, scrambled eggs and quiches. They’re scrumptious. I ought to in all probability point out that now that our 4 youngsters have “flown the coop,” I’m the one one in our home who eats eggs. And sure, I nonetheless want 15 chickens. They full me. Come to consider it, I’d want a pair extra.
How one can know if elevating chickens is best for you
If you happen to’re contemplating elevating chickens, there are particular issues you need to be conscious of. You would possibly turn out to be obsessed. Each considered one of your pals would possibly begin to ship you all of the chicken-related jokes and memes on the web. In case your neighbors are as superior as ours are, a chick-nic desk could seem in your entrance porch. Your birthday and Christmas items will probably have chickens in them or on them. You would possibly put up a chicken-themed Christmas tree. And eventually, the produce column of your grocery listing could develop since you’ve found: that your flock loves watermelon and pumpkin, that hanging a head of cabbage within the run supplies hours of leisure as they play tetherball, and that radish, turnip, and beet greens are their most favourite treats ever.
Most of all, you’ll come to grasp that the “fable” of rooster math is actual. You’ll assume you need 4 chickens, however the infants are cute, so that you order six. They usually develop, and there are different breeds, so what’s two extra? After which three extra? It’s a scientific phenomenon. Additionally, you could be tempted to sneak new birds previous your partner. She or he could or could not discover. Might the percentages be ever in your favor.
Attending to know your chickens
Now that every one of our hens are a 12 months previous, a few of their personalities have actually come out. Cookie and Belle, the Speckled Sussex, are skittish however so curious. If I’ve something in my hand, they dance round my toes ready for me to indicate them what it’s or to offer them a deal with. If I’m sitting in my raggedy garden chair with them, they’re the 2 that may forage perilously near me simply to see what I’m doing.
Chalupa (I name her Lulu more often than not) is the one who runs into the coop once I’m amassing eggs. She’s inquisitive and chatty. We have now one of the best conversations via these nesting bins, me on one aspect and her on the opposite, and he or she does an ideal job keeping track of me. She additionally needs to be the primary one to stroll on and dig into any contemporary bedding.
Woman Cluck was the boss, however I believe she’s stepped down, and Wynonna has taken her place. They actually don’t inform me a lot about their social construction. Quiet sorts. And Josephine continues to be my favourite. I don’t know why.
Holding chickens protected
As the women grew, we continued to free-range a few hours a day, and I believed we have been being tremendous vigilant. However animals don’t usually comply with guidelines, and I realized some fascinating classes about trying to foretell nature:
- Crows is usually a rooster’s finest pal. They may name out if there’s a predator approaching—particularly a hawk. Chickens by some means know this and can run again to their coop if a crow caws.
- Foxes don’t hunt solely at evening. They may come at any time of day from deep within the woods, the place the crows can’t see them.
Our first assault got here round 5 pm on a Tuesday. I used to be inside making dinner and occurred to look out a window once I noticed the chickens immediately working and flying up the hill in direction of the home and scatter. I noticed a chestnut blur and knew.
I ran exterior to the deck, screamed as loud as I may and scared the fox, who fortunately deserted his mission. Mrs. Pecks had taken a direct hit to her tail, dropping most of her feathers in her efforts to flee. They have been all shaken, however my husband and I managed to get them again into the coop safely. We did a headcount, locked them up, and adjusted our safety efforts.
There was no free-ranging for some time. We had thought-about clipping their wings earlier than this occasion however the one cause Mrs. Pecks survived the preliminary strike was that she was partially airborne. If she’d been on the bottom… I shudder to consider having to observe that fox drag my poor lady into the woods.
We continued to see the fox and his associates on the digital camera for a number of days following the assault and did our greatest to discourage them. After a few fox-free weeks, I made a decision it was time to offer the free-ranging one other strive. I stayed exterior with them for about an hour as they shuffled across the leaves within the woods, guiding them into the yard. Inevitably, after I went inside, they’d begin to roam again towards the woods.
At some point, I heard the panicked squawking and noticed that acquainted auburn streak. Once more, I ran exterior and screamed. This was the final time. The worst time. It was just one pm. There have been feathers in every single place. My son helped me acquire the hens we may discover, however solely 14 got here again. One was misplaced. Darleen.
We locked the others up and continued our seek for her—even simply components of her—however there was nothing apart from her feathers. So many feathers. The search went on for an hour earlier than we determined it was in useless. We walked again, solely to discover a trembling little black hen hiding, terrified, beneath the bottom leaves of a poplar tree close to the coop. I cried, grateful however unhappy as a result of I’d let all of them down. Her tail feathers have been totally gone and there was a messy gash close to the highest of her tail. She was in shock and he or she wouldn’t allow us to close to her. She appeared okay, however I used to be satisfied she was a goner. We stored an eye fixed on her for days. She by no means let on that she was in ache; by no means acted sick. She stored consuming and laying and finally recovered fully. She earned her full identify that day: Darleen, the Miracle Hen.
Following the second assault (and the anxiousness that got here with it), my husband constructed the women a big, protected, fenced-in space that we lovingly name the Jail Yard. We have now lots of tree cowl close to the coop, and he used goat fencing between inexperienced metal farm fence posts and the bushes to surround the world. After a number of hens determined to fly over the fence (as a result of the grass is certainly greener), he added poultry netting, stopping escapees with demise needs from getting out and random wild birds from getting in. They now spend their days safely digging, taking filth baths, and chasing squirrels. The ticks and spiders? They’re nonetheless after me.
Chickens and different forces of nature
Whereas I wouldn’t belief simply any canine to be round chickens, we’re lucky to have an previous man who can’t be bothered with chasing birds. He was interested in them at first, however as an alternative has since developed a style for no matter is on the chick-nic desk or on the bottom. Canines are fairly gross. He visits the women with us every morning and night and will get upset if we overlook him. The women don’t get enthusiastic about him being there, however he doesn’t thoughts. If he lies down, Wynonna will get very courageous and stroll fairly near him.
Many an evening was spent scouring Pinterest, chicken-related Fb pages, and Google in hopes of completely making ready the flock for winter. In central VA, the temperature not often drops to single digits, however we do get exhausting freezes, and with the leaves gone from the bushes, we knew we needed to defend them from the chilly winter wind. We wrapped all the open space of the coop with thick plastic sheeting, leaving sufficient house on the high for sufficient air flow. (Wrapping too fully can create a buildup of ammonia fumes that may kill the chickens.)
One other lesson we realized final 12 months was that the watering system that Hen Daddy developed, whereas completely genius, wanted some form of heating aspect. The PVC pipe exploded throughout our first exhausting freeze, emptying the contents of their water barrel into the run. 4 our second winter with chickens, he got here up with a artful watering system with a heating aspect in order that we didn’t must schlep buckets of water down that icy clucking hill to the women every morning.
What to do with a broody hen
The most recent information from the coop is that Josephine has gone broody. Darleen was broody shortly after her assault, however we weren’t prepared. I made a decision (and Hen Daddy rolled his eyes) to let Josephine be our first actual dwell rooster mama. As soon as that was settled, we snuck out to the coop after darkish, pulled a sleeping rooster from her nesting field, and positioned her in a cat service on two unfertilized eggs, in isolation. She’s nonetheless my favourite, however her hormones are raging. She’s been somewhat imply and simply wants a while alone.
We don’t have a rooster (that’s the place the HOA drew the road), so I spent two days emailing, messaging, and calling each farm and chicken-related web page within the state making an attempt to find one or two fertilized eggs for her to incubate. One farm responded that she solely had Brahmas and “collector” birds (pinkies up), one other required me to buy a dozen, yet one more was so great and useful but additionally situated two hours away. I even thought-about pulling into the driveways of full strangers (if they’d chickens of their yard) and asking if they’d any fertilized eggs, however determined towards it. Lastly, I noticed I had one of the best supply of all proper down the highway—and I messaged the sweetest little Farmer’s Market in Sumerduck, VA. The homeowners of The Inexperienced Thumb responded instantly, introduced they have been pleased to assist, and have been so excited for Josephine and me. We made preparations for a morning pickup the next day.
After I arrived on the farm, the 2 fertilized eggs I had requested have been accompanied by eight others. “They received’t all hatch,” I used to be informed. Hen Daddy believed it, too. Precisely twenty-one days later, the tell-tale peeps may very well be heard as we approached the coop. Infants! At first, there have been the 2 we’d anticipated. Then there have been 5, and others have been nonetheless hatching. By day twenty-two, we had 9 new chicks and one proud, however visibly overwhelmed mama hen. All however one of many eggs hatched – and ridiculousness ensued, however that’s a narrative for one more day.
Would I increase chickens if I needed to do it over once more?
In case you’re questioning, I’ve no regrets. I’m so pleased we have been capable of lastly make this occur. Sure, it’s a bit of labor, however I discover it rewarding. It’s enjoyable and soul-soothing.
I can’t inform you if my husband would say the identical factor. He’s put much more blood and sweat into the initiatives than I’ve. I’m actually simply good for concepts and adorning. He’s the muscle. However I believe he secretly likes all of his feathered girlfriends. They definitely love him. He and I spend much more together-time at Tractor Provide Co. We’re there at the very least as soon as every week (date evening!) for feed or bedding, and my husband by no means leaves the shop with out suet or some form of deal with for these chickens he by no means needed. If it’s Chick Days, he is aware of that the second I hear these chicks a-peeping, I’m about to lose my thoughts and wish to purchase extra, however then Hen Daddy says no.
That is our life now. We’re the bizarre rooster folks down the road. Oh, and the natural, all-natural, new rooster mommy mindset went out the window after about three months. Whereas we’re making an attempt to maintain issues as pure as doable, and I AM rising herbs for them, my ladies simply don’t recognize the hassle. They like useless frogs and gross issues, and simply trample over and poop on the lovingly tended lavender, artemisia, and thoroughly plucked marigold petals I give them. Impolite.
Wanting again, it’s been a 12 months of studying, discovering, and slowing issues down. Whereas the pandemic was devastating in so some ways, it additionally allowed us time to create this complete different piece of ourselves we didn’t know we would have liked. Within the final 15 months we realized: easy methods to look after our chickens in any climate, that {hardware} fabric is sharp (he has the scars to show it!), which vegetation are toxic or useful, how water flows via our yard, we witnessed the character and dedication of predators, and a lot extra. However I believe essentially the most beneficial lesson we realized this previous 12 months was simply how a lot we ALL must take a deep breath and sit down with the dang chickens at times.
Initially printed April 3, 2022
