Chickens

Getting chickens was a big step for us, it was the first real livestock we owned, and we also went in completely self educated, which I think is important to highlight. You can do anything you intend to do, you can manifest any want, need, or desire in strong repetition and focus. I specifically remember writing down a list of goals in 2015 that we wanted to achieve by the end of the year in 2016, and bees and chickens were on that list. The man of the house built the coop, free handed, from a pile of used pallets, and I’m beyond grateful to say, it still stands as sturdy as ever today. Equipped with windows, a double level, and a raised roost it’s done us just fine through 4 years of Ohio seasons and weather. The coop is fenced in with a large run that goes off both sides of the coop. We took our time to find locally owned hens instead of going to a commercial hatchery, which I stand firmly against. And in just a few short months, after setting those goals, through the friend of a friend, who lived literally right down the street in the same neighborhood, we bought our first flock of hens. Which was especially challenging going into the winter, but the girls made it through, and I can always tell when spring is here by the way they start laying hens again after their (long) winter break. Keep in mind that because we don’t have a rooster, I will not be discussing roosters in any of these categories, I debated on whether or not to omit roosters from this information, I’m just simply not familiar enough to write about it, or attempt to educate anyone else on rooster ownership.

I think what’s most important to talk about as far as an urban setting or city plot like ours, is the predator issue. Even though were right on the outskirts of downtown, and still considered the inner city, we are in the hills of Ohio, and wildlife surrounds us. Possums, raccoons, foxes, even large birds like turkey hawks are a threat to a small backyard flock. Ground rodents like possums, foxes and raccoons will kill, eat organs on site, and try to drag the body out. Large birds will snatch up a chicken right out of the yard and carry it away. I have our run completely netted in with bird net. I did that to not only keep them in, because they can and will jump the fence, but to also keep predators out, at least larger flying ones. We do shut the coop at night but there have been several raccoons who are smart enough to squeeze through, they’re even clever enough to open latches, which is another reason we built a raised coop. The door latches to the laying boxes is one pallet length off the ground, so there’s no way even a standing raccoon can reach those latches.

The first thing I do when I’m up and alert in the morning is tend to the chickens, they are up much earlier than I am, and there are months where they can go without being shut in the coop, and are allowed to free range in the yard, but still need to be fed and watered. I would like for us to come up with a rain water system that allows us to filter and give to the hens, but for now everything is filled by hand, which we love to do. I’m grateful for our close communication with the hens, they know what food is by sound, they know where to go when directed, they’ll even let you hold them as long as you want. This also gives us the opportunity to be one on one with the hens and a good time to check for lice, mites, bumble foot, loss of feathers, feel the crop, all that good stuff. Of course as always I highly recommend you do as much research as possible, and this time I’m going to suggest social media for your self educated journey. Our fellow humans are some of the greatest teachers on Earth. Having the ability to talk to the world at your fingertips, is priceless and beyond amazing, so utilize all those chances you get to ask questions and seek answers.

Hens love to sun bathe and they love to give themselves dust baths. They especially like a fine dirt sand, a lot like what you find on the baseball field, in a designated part of your run or wherever your hens frequent. Our coop and run is built right on top of the yard, so everything just gets added in layers, and naturally composts itself. In the winter months I rake out straw a lot more than the summer months because straw holds moisture, and with all the rain and snow, cleaning out the coop and the run is a must far more often than the warmer months. Keep in mind that straw does not absorb, so heavy saturation will not drain off or disappear. Also something important to keep in mind, and I can’t say it enough…..

Hay is for horses, not hens! Lol

So make sure you’re buying straw, which is the byproduct of grain crops, you’d be wasting your money buying hay, which is used for feed for many animals, not just horses. Also be weary of the kind of sand or dirt you put in your coop, sharp pebbles or shells can cause a cut, or even worse bumble foot in your hen, and make sure it is away from the food. Sand is commonly mistaken for a sufficient grit option, and that is not the case, as it’s quite possible those tiny grains of sand get stuck in the crop causing all kinds of issues for the hen. Give your girls a good hose down or water soak every once in a while, and be sure to clean those feet.

We spend the extra few dollars to buy organic NON GMO feed, and mix whole grain with pellets. We give them single grains for scratch, and of course anything fresh that goes to them and not the rabbits, worms, or compost. I was told by the lady who sold me our first flock, that each hen will be perfectly happy with 1/3 lb. of food per day, that includes free ranging, and anything fresh you feed. I weighed it out once, and have used the same cup ever since, our number of hens has varied so depending on that, decides how many cups per day to give them. Grit is just as important, we prefer crushed oyster shells, and a 5 lb. bag goes a long way. We mix ours in with the feed, some people leave a separate little bowl or can of grit in the coop or run for them to take at their leisure, but I like to keep it simple. You certainly can use crushed egg shells for grit, but only as an extra additive, you do not want the hens to recognize what they are or they’ll start pecking their own eggs, which is a bad habit to break. So never use ONLY egg shells, but feel free to add them to the feed or other grit, and make sure they are as fine as you can get them, the bigger chunks the more likely the hens will get used to it.

If you plan to let your chickens free range, make sure you have everything you want growing blocked off. They WILL destroy your entire yard, all your garden beds, any perennials you have they will absolutely ruin it all, this is another reason we built such a long run, I do let mine out in the fall and winter months to free range their little hearts out, and I have regretted that every year since. I’ve learned to cover and heavily compost anything I want protected.

Hens will also establish a pecking order, do not interfere with this natural process, although it might seem as they are being bullied, this is important for the flock to know which hen is leader of the pack. This happens especially often when there is no rooster. We do not choose to have a rooster beings that we are on such a small plot of land, and we really like our neighbors, and we like that they like us. I’m also not interested in raising baby chicks, not yet at least, so our eggs remain unfertilized. And on a side note, I’d prefer unfertilized over all because its an excellent opportunity to educate those that are unaware of the whole process of egg bearing. Regardless of being fertilized or not, hens will still go into a ‘broody’ stage of expecting chicks to hatch so they will peck their breast feathers off, and lay on the eggs for days at a time. A decoy egg is recommended for this process, but they don’t care, they’ll lay on the decoy too. Just be sure to harvest daily, and it will make no difference to the eggs.

Be sure to make it a priority to learn the internal and external anatomy of a chicken so you know how digestion works, what to keep an eye out for if things seem abnormal, and if you plan on harvesting and processing that is vital information. Check the crop to make sure its firm but not rock hard, check the beaks and nails for any brittle cracking or issues. And notice the color of the comb and wattles, that will be bright red in hens that are laying, and fade color in the cooler months when they start to molt and egg laying slows down. As always use as many resources as possible, and happy homesteading!