Here Chicky, Chicky!

I was sitting on the porch for a milli-second earlier, and realized just how crazy fast these gals have grown! Since they're the first animal addition to our little homestead, it seemed only fitting they got their own post on the inter-webs detailing some of the cool things we've learned so far; and to remind myself of some simple goals were setting for ourselves in our fresh egg pursuits

So we will get to the thick of it: Chicken Lessons 5 months in....

1) Chicks are cute; but they stink! Without a brooding mama hen around for warmth this means part of my home stunk while we wait for them to grow. Sure there are some things we did to curb smell. Things like fresh pine shavings every other day, placing by a window with fan blowing out... but by nature, they just smell funky. This motivated me to be certain that the coop is ultra safe, because while they're cute and it had been fun, I do not want to raise chicks again!

2) We have a lot of chickens for first timers! We were advised by many to get a few more than we thought we'd need because several will die during the first month.... well, seven months later and all 32 were still chirping away quite happily! I'm very thankful for this, but a little concerned with what I may need to do to keep roughly 54 dozen extra eggs from spoiling each month! May just turn into Gaston and have to eat 12 dozen each morning.

3) They don't cost as much to feed as everyone said they would; At least for now they don't seem to! We get some organic, high protein feed for about $1.30/lb at a local Co-Op and water them 3xdaily. They're doing great.

4) Pecking order is real. We do have a one eyed bird as proof! I was ready to dispatch a certain hen then learned they can think the eyes are bugs.... well since her behavior chilled out over the following weeks, she still lives. But the injured chick and I keep an eye on her...

5) We are the "just do it and ask questions later" kind of people when it comes to things like this. We've spent the last 3 years deeply researching and over thinking everything. And we've also had a partially built coop in our yard for a year because we kept finding more things we thought we needed to figure out first and the coop just never got completed. Until I showed up with stinky birds and said "Hey, we need that coop finished in the next month or we will be buying chicken diapers!". And here we are, on week four with the coop getting wrapped up.

6) They bring my little animal lovers pure joy! And that is making this adventure worth it. Stink and all. Even before the eggs start raining in :]

To answer a couple questions about our flock. We are fairly confident we have a flock of 34 hens and 4 roos. Our hens consist of Rhode Island Reds, Sexlinks, Dominiques, Americanas, Brahmas, Marans, jersey giant/ayam ciami cross, and Wynodettes; and one of our roos are a Whiteleg Long Horn. They've all gotten along super well, too. I was really adamant that our flock consists of dual purpose birds. I wanted to know that if we had too many, or if one gets an attitude that can't be curbed we didn't have to dispatch and waste a bird. I don't believe in that at all for the sake of pretty egg baskets. However, I did pick breeds that have a bit of a color pop to them, because let's be honest, a colorful egg basket on that counter just does something magical to a kitchen.

Hubs built a custom coop that is technically big enough to house roughly 50 birds, but I'm praying we don't ever get that many or I'll be forced into a sketchy night life dealing eggs on the down low to the locals.

One fun feature we trying to incorporate into our coop is a detachable run that doubles as a chicken tractor! I can't wait to share the plans for that as well. I've expressed several times when talking about gardening that we really try to avoid waste and upcycle as much as we can without looking 'junky'. I'm looking forward to sharing with you ways we did this once we've wrapped it up.

These chickens will play a huge part in keeping our cows' pastures teeming with life! As part of closed loop farming efforts, they will help ensure parasites don't grow, the ground stays healthy to receive seed and help keep pests away from the corals. so beyond eggs and maybe one day meat, the ladies are providing a large work force effort that'll also help tend to and protect our cattle!

Because we run a small space operation, it is absolutely vital that all forms of life work symbiotically here on our farm. It is imperative that anything we grow feed not just human bellies, but those of chickens, ducks and cattle. It is important to me that the milk extras go to the garden and the birds. The birds get all the bugs from the garden and the cows.... and so on. You get the picture. It all requires extra planning and a little extra time. But if you're like us and do not have 50+ acres to just 'drop' farm projects or residents on to do their own thing, you really have to be creative because our goal is always to heal and preserve the land so that the land can in turn produce and support in a way that heals and preserves us and the farm.

These feathered flocks are a huge part in that all for us!