I've been actively keeping chickens in my backyard for ten years now. My family raised chickens when I was in high school and I fell in love with them and all of their quirky antics. While my patents kept chickens as a food source I always had a stronger attachment to them. My hens now are first and foremost considered our pets and as such they are pretty spoiled. They enjoy a good life with plenty of nutritious food and treats and loads of daily interaction. I find them to be an enormous source of entertainment.
I built the coop and their pen area myself and true to my thrifty nature it was constructed mostly from wood I already had on hand left over from other projects. Over the years I've updated and maintained it, even adding on to the size of the covered pen area so we could keep more chickens at one time. I always have plans to make improvements so my flock continues to be happy and content.
Currently I have
four hens. Edith is my oldest and has
been the one in charge for the past seven years so she is getting up there, but
continues to lay eggs. She and I bonded
when she was a chick and we are definitely buddies. The other three ladies are now three years
old so next spring I may add a couple more girls to the flock, although right
now they lay enough eggs to keep me well supplied. When I have extra eggs I sell them to friends
and use the money towards their upkeep.
Not only are the
eggs a benefit, but they provide me with manure for the compost bin and they are
very efficient and helping me break down leaves and yard debris for mulch and
compost as well. They are also excellent
with pest and slug control. I am
fortunate right now that because I keep chickens I am not as affected by the high
prices of eggs at the stores or the current fertilizer shortage. They've got me covered. My ladies bless me in many, many ways.
Your chickens are beautiful! I have had chickens for 22 years now. I'm down to 6 now, and made the decision this year to start winding down keeping chickens. A couple of mine are getting pretty old, but I still get enough eggs for us and my 4 kids, except for a couple months in the winter. I dont like eggs, but I enjoy the chickens. I'm just tired of hauling water and shoveling snow for them in the winter-montana winters are long and cold! I like to let them out every day for awhile, but with the bird flu I haven't been doing that as much. I live near some ponds that attract a lot of migratory geese and ducks and they visit our property, so I'm just being overly cautious I suppose, but I'd hate to have to destroy my little flock. They are pets to me. I will miss them when they are all gone, but I won't miss hauling water in a bucket down a slippery hill in the winter lol. I also have 2 geese that are 22 years old now. Within the next few years all my feathered friends will be gone.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo of them peeking out the bottom of the coop!
ReplyDeleteWe haven't had chickens since we moved...but I miss them. I would think, though, about getting three more now -- your three-year-olds definitely are going to start levelling off. I'm surprised Edith is still going strong, quite frankly.
Chicks aren't that expensive. It wouldn't be that difficult to take care of them, at the same time you're caring for the older ones. They'll be good company for you, now your youngest girlie is leaving home -- and they'll start laying about when your older chickens stop. Just a thought.
Thank you so much for writing about them. I've been wondering. Cheers to Edith, especially!