13 April 2012

Simple Backyard Chicken Keeping

This post is written by contributing author Deborah Jean.

If you ever dreamed of having a farm or your own, keeping a small flock of backyard chickens will make you feel like the farmgirl/guy you are! 




When we first began keeping our small flock of backyard chickens 6 years ago, we got some funny looks (and questions) from our neighbors and friends:
Chickens? Really? 
Why would you want chickens? 
Why not just buy your eggs at the store like everyone else? 
Well, I'll tell you why. 

Keeping backyard chickens is one way to experience a small sample of living a more sustainable lifestyle and is often the gateway into deeper homesteading practices for people who are striving to create a healthier, simpler life. 


Why keep chickens?
It's true, at first we didn't know just how simple keeping chickens would be. With so many helpful books, links and a few chicken keeping friends to glean information from we were on our way!


Chickens provide fresh eggs daily 8- 9 months out of the year. Unlike chickens at large poultry farms who never get a break from laying eggs, your backyard chickens can take the winter months off unless you provide artificial light to keep them laying. When spring arrives they'll begin producing eggs again throughout the summer, fall and early winter months. We still get a few eggs in December and January! 

Chickens are natural composters. Rather than tossing our kitchen scraps on the compost pile we give them to the chickens. They in turn fertilize the soil in their run, which we shovel out every couple of months and add it to the compost pile. 


Chickens love to scratch and peck at the earth for bugs and worms. If you are already a gardener they make the perfect companion! Chicken compost added to top soil adds natural nutrients to your flower and vegetable gardens. If you like your garden to look nice year round don't let them near it until it is finished producing for the year, then you can let them have at it doing their magic on the soil for next year! 

Where to keep them?
Once you have ordered (or hatched) your first flock you'll need to start thinking about housing for your "girls". There are several options for the backyard chicken enthusiast! Coops come in all shapes and sizes. 
  • You can buy plans online and build your own;
  • have one built;
  • buy one locally from an agricultural/tractor supply store;
  • or build something UNIQUE from RE-claimed materials. 
We chose the latter and built our own chicken coop after being inspired by coops we saw online. We created a passive-solar salt box design large enough for 10 laying hens and painted it a traditional Barn Red! 


Bonding with your chickens
Of all farm animals, chickens are the simplest to keep and the most practical but there's also romantic side! You can bond with your chickens just like any other pet. There's the smell of fresh pine shavings in a newly cleaned chicken coop on a warm spring day. Or, watching the girls stretch out in the sun and take a dust bath. I especially enjoy listening to my girls cackle and cluck as they lay eggs throughout the day. Best of all, they're always up for a little "GIRL TALK".


For endless backyard chicken keeping information and inspiration, visit Backyard Chickens and join their community of cluckers! And, visit my blog on April 17th for the second annual virtual Hen House Hop

Come by, enjoy, and share a post if you have chickens! 

I'd love to know how many of you keep or are considering keeping backyard chickens!

Deborah Jean writes from a little yellow house near the shores of Cape Cod Bay in America’s Hometown. It wasn’t her dream house in the beginning but the dandelions that grace her front lawn each year have taught Deb many important life lessons. She blogs about them from her homemaking blog aptly named Deborah Jean’s DANDELION HOUSE where she shares creative seeds for your homemaking hands, heart and soul. Deb's world is centered around her husband, two teens, their beloved Corgi Max and "her girls" - The Cottage Hens!   Stroll  her gardens (weeds and all) and enjoy fresh, wholesome, organic cooking from her kitchen.  She’s no stranger to making do, recycling and upcycling. She loves giving pieces of the past a new look and purpose!  Connect to Deb via pinterest and facebook.

28 comments:

  1. Brilliant post! A few of my friends keep chickens and they're fab but I lust after ducks! I adore their eggs but I'm not sure what the legislation is for keeping them in a built up area due to noise.Rx

    http://sandersonsmithstory.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Brilliant indeed! I am so happy you felt the same after you read Deb's post, Rachel!

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    2. Hi Sonya and Rachael,
      I recently tried duck eggs.. They are fabulous for baking! I've been considering keeping ducks as well, but I've got bigger eggs to fry a the moment! Something to keep in mind down the line...Visit your town or city website and look for urban farming laws in your area for more info on what is allowed.

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  2. Great post. I want to keep chickens but unfortunately my landlord won't allow it - maybe one day! :)

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    1. It is great, I agree! I love the passion in Debbie's words :) and I wish you to have your chickens some day soon!

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    2. Don't give up! One day you'll have your own little flock too!

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  3. I remember when I was little, I would go to a local farm with my mother to buy fresh eggs. They were wonderful! You have the prettiest hen house I have ever seen Deborah! Thanks so much for sharing this experience with us!

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    1. Thank you Laurie! My grandparents always had chickens, but I was raised in suburbia so we never did... I'm having fun playing farmgirl now though!

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  4. I have been wanting chickens for so long now and have finally begun to look into it. I'm hoping to build a coop in the next month so we can get a small flock started. Thanks for sharing and I love your coop!

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  5. Hi Brooke! Goood for you! Keep us posted on your progress won't you? You will love it! What breeds are you thinking about?

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  6. My daughter and her family have nine chickens in their backyard. They love all the fresh eggs, and so do I when I visit :)

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  7. They are yummy aren't they? We have 9 at the moment too! Thanks for your note!

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  8. Great post!!

    We want chickens and have the room for them, but our local city ordinance doesn't allow them within certain boundaries. :-(

    Finally back and trying to catch up on blogs and blogging!!

    Happy Weekend and hope all is well!!

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    1. Oh, I do hope for you your very own chicks someday... in the meantime, you can enjoy them in blog land!

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  9. fabulous post!
    Your barn rocks!
    I have friends who have 2 chickens they love as pets. They find them very entertaining, too.

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    1. Thanks! Yes! Thank you for reminding me.. chickens are VERY ENTERTAINING!

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  10. That chick is so cute! Also, your coop looks fantastic. :)

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  11. We are getting a few next month! So excited! We were even able to find Auracana's locally-maybe a set of soy candles matching those beautiful egg colors!!

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  12. Great breed Tammy! That's what we have and I love that lovely green egg color! Might paint the inside of my pantry that same shade! Thanks for reading and best to you and your " girls "

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  13. I adore chickens, and find them one of the most peaceful pets I've ever owned. You can often find me on a warm spring afternoon contemplating the chickens... sounds strange, I know, but they put me in a completely meditative state with their scratching and pecking! :) I prefer bantams, they all kinds of adorable but they don't do damage to my lawn and gardens. :)

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    1. Hi Melinda! I too enjoy just " hanging around " the chicken run with my girls... It's very relaxing and FUN! Thanks for your note!

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  14. Great informative article! I don't have chickens at my home but we have lots of them at work. They can be fun to watch.

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    1. Hi Sheryl,
      Thank you for your note! Chickens are fun to watch.. for sure! :)
      Where do you work where you get to watch chickens?

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  15. I want to get a couple of chickens but we rent and my husband is in the Navy, so we will be moving around a lot. Any suggestions?

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    1. Hi Kandi,
      The best thing to do is check with your landlord. You would need permission ofcourse, then find out what your local laws are on keeping a small flock. Some cities/counties have a limit on how many you can keep. Even three will keep you in fresh eggs and small coops and runs are easy to find online.

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  16. I love the idea of having chickens. We can't have them in our yard in the town I live in, but a good friend of my has them and I love to go visit to get fresh eggs and play with the chickens. Great post.
    Valerie
    Everyday Inspired

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    1. Well, good for you Valerie! You get to live vicariously!!! Nothing beats those fresh farm eggs! Thanks for reading

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