Crazy Chicken Lady In The Making
I’ve had a surprising number of people asking me if I would write a post about our chickens. So, here it is folks. As promised, our journey into chickens on the farm…
Two years ago I went to the feed store for horse feed and came home with a peeping cardboard box holding five fluffy chicks. Derek was quick to point out we didn’t have a chicken coop but I blew that off. Chicks had to stay inside with a heat lamp until they were bigger anyway so we had plenty of time to build a coop. For easy clean up and to keep them safe from our cats I set the chicks up in a plastic tub in our master bathroom under a heat lamp.
They quickly learned to fly out of the plastic tub and we still had no chicken coop so they were relocated to the bathtub. A few weeks later I got a text from Derek that included a photo of a chicken roosting in his sink: “Heading to work. Chickens learned to fly.” Building a chicken coop moved up on the priority list.
Fortunately, my father-in-law came to our rescue and helped us (ok, helped Derek) build the chicken coop of my dreams. A well ventilated hen house, a big run, nesting boxes accessible from the outside, safe from predators- it really is pinterest worthy and it’s one of my favorite things about our little farm. My contribution was building the door on the coop which took me as long to build as it took the guys to build the entire outdoor run.
Shortly after the chickens were settled into their new more appropriate outdoor home our neighbors asked if we would take their rooster who was the sole survivor of their flock after a fox attack. I was hesitant because all the roosters we had when I was growing up were assholes, but I said yes. It turns out they wanted me to take him right that moment and that night I found a dog crate with a rooster in it on our henhouse roof. We affectionately named him Doodle and fortunately he’s very friendly.
He is responsible for my bathroom once again housing chickens last spring. Two of the hens started nesting and we had our first batch of chicks on the farm! We also had a fire ant infestation in the chicken coop. I was afraid the babies would be killed by the ants, so I moved them into the house. Their mama did not appreciate my helpfulness so she got moved inside with them and I returned to starting each day by greeting the chickens on my way to the toilet.
Out of the five babies, three were roosters- and they were not as nice as Doodle. I would have allowed them to hang out forever on the farm but they started attacking the hens, and each other, and me so they found their way to a local family’s dinner table. The other two babies grew into hens that now help provide us with so many eggs we always have plenty to eat ourselves and to share.
Raising chickens has not been without its mishaps. The rainy season started and the hinged doors on the nesting boxes started leaking, so we ended up caulking in all the gaps which means of course they don’t actually open anymore. Not that it matters because the chickens went rogue and started laying eggs on the floor of the hen house anyway. And that coop door that took me hours to build? It’s the only part of the coop falling apart. It turns out my craftsmanship is not quite up to par with the craftsmanship of the Muscato men. We lost one hen when she made the poor decision of flying into the pen with the three dogs. This year five hens started nesting- and then five hens abandoned their nests- which left us with more than 50 rotten eggs to dispose of. But, there is something incredibly relaxing about having a glass of wine under the oak tree and watching the chickens scratch around the yard. Plus, we never waste any food because chickens are feathered garbage disposals.
One of the best parts of the farm is allowing kids to experience all the animals and the chickens are some of the most accessible animals we have. They’re small so they’re approachable and letting the kids gather eggs provides a great teachable moment to talk to them about where their food comes from. Plus, gathering eggs is fun! It’s like Easter morning every day and it’s so special to be able to share that with our friends and family.
If you are debating making the leap into chicken ownership, I highly recommend going for it! Just make sure you have a spare bathtub available.
Do it all with love.
Saundra Rohn
June 21, 2016This was a light hearted and fun read for me. Brought back memories of our attack rooster, Rocka Roo and sweet Henny Penny. So glad you started writing this blog.
Judy
June 21, 2016Nice post Annie. Like I was right there. You are turning into a farmer!
Doris
June 21, 2016I enjoyed your post. Will you take it a step further? Someone needs to start a conversation about whether people should be allowed to have chickens in non-rural neighborhoods. Chickens, not roosters. Chickens are quiet. Chickens give eggs, they don’t need roosters. Chicken coops can be moved around a yard. I believe everyone should have the right to feed themselves by being allowed to garden and raise chickens in their own yard. Amazingly, a lot of towns, cities, neighborhoods prohibit this. If we ever have to grow war time victory gardens again, will the average person have the knowledge to do so? You inadvertently started a debate about breast feeding and rude people. I wish you would start a debate about zoning or other restrictions on a family’s ability to feed itself.