Pick a little talk a little pick a little talk a little
We have talked about raising chickens ever since we moved to Pemberley. Wouldn't it be nice to have fresh, free range eggs? Especially on my new diet, since free range eggs are alkaline and I could eat as many of them as I want. So, today we finally took the plunge.
The kids, oh my heavens, they are giddy. Like, the giddiest kind of giddy. Bennet said that he has never been this excited in his entire life. Not at Christmas, and not even about our trip to Hawaii. Five baby chicks are the best thing that has ever happened to them. (Mental note: Next year for Christmas buy some chicks and save HUNDREDS!)
The kids have named them Afro-dite (Aphrodite, that one has a 'fro.), Peck Peckington, Sweetie, Fluffy, and Gregory Peck. Alright, alright, Mr. Darcy and I named Mr. Peck.
I will admit, I'm a little nervous... How hard is it to raise chickens? Is it pretty easy?
Please tell me it's a piece of cake.
My sister always has chickens roaming her yard. Seems pretty low maintenence--aside from the random stray dog/racoon/coyotee massacres... make Mr. Darcy build them a sturdy nesting house for night time. And the egg yolks look orange compared to the pale yellow of store bought eggs. Stronger flavor too. Looks fun!
Love fresh eggs but Maria is right, where you live I'd be cooping up those little darlings to keep them for being chicken dinner for those roaming coyotes.
They have a really cute coop at Big R or is it called Coastal now?
Build a good coop, with a strong fence around them and lock them away at night or you will lose them to predators. Other than that, chicken feed, fresh water and room to roam is all they need. We used to do 200 chicks every January and slaughter them in August or September. I like the idea of keeping them for eggs much better. They are easy keepers.
http://www.tillysnest.com/
check out tilly's nest. Her blog is packed with chicken raising facts. I sort of thought about it for a whole 15 minutes once, then I started researching.
Decided I'd wait til the kids were older! LOL
They are so cute! We had ducks when I was a kid and lost a few to hawks until my dad put a roof on their pen. Other than that, they were pretty easy!
Def easy, get an enclosed area as well as letting them out. You can also get guinea hens. They are actually good watch dogs and eat the ticks and fleas.
Get a coop with the light on a timer when they are older. We had ours very tame they would squat down to let us pet them. Only thing that ever happened was a duck went missing. Also are they sexed? Roosters can be VERY mean. Next lot get some Aracaunas, they lay colored eggs.
We've been raising four chicks for nearly a year now and it has been a great experience. The eggs taste great and they provide wonderful entertainment anytime you need it. Pretty low maintenance animals and great for the kids to help with.
Fun! My grandson and I wanted to raise some layers but it would have had to be done at my parents and Dad said no. :(
Chase had names picked out... Benedict, Omelet, Sunnyside, Friar, Scramble, ....
I am so jealous. I have hidden ambitions to be a farmer when I grow up....more. You'll be great.
My kids want to do that...I can't wait to hear how it goes for you!! Have I ever told you I want to be like you when I grow up? Except I want to be able to eat at Taco Bell.
Very easy! I had chickens nearly my entire childhood. Keeping your nest and coop clean is important. Our biggest issue was stray dogs, coyotes and stuff getting them if they weren't either locked up at night or allowed to keep their wings intact (some people clip them) so they can roost in trees high enough to get away from predators.
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