backyard chickens
19 January 2013, by gj
There are a few things about eggs that might surprise you.
Can you believe what you read?
1. The term ‘free range’ only means the chickens have access to the outdoors. It does not mean they actually go out.
“What?”
Yep, that’s right. A coop with a window technically has access, yet the chickens may remain indoors and even in cages 24/7, and their eggs can still be labeled ‘free range’.
really free
2. Eggs most likely carry GMO’s and are probably not organic. Unless the farmer is using certified organic and GMO-free feed, the chickens are probably eating corn produced using genetically engineered seed. Even backyard chickens are most likely eating genetically engineered feed. The eggs will contain some of the byproducts of the pesticides.
Know whats in your food
3. Real free range chickens get dirty. If you have your own Ladies, you have probably already found this out. When chickens are allowed to be outside, and the ground is wet, their claws get muddy when they scratch looking for food. When they then go to a nest box to lay, they may walk right over another egg, getting it a little dirty.
Not to worry, this is normal.
Just don’t wash the egg, at least not until you are ready to use it.
Egg shells come complete with a coating to prevent bacteria from getting inside. Washing the egg removes that coating, so just wait until the last minute.
Here's looking at you kid.
4. Color doesn’t matter. Store bought brown eggs are probably no better for you than the white ones. Different breeds of chicken lay different color eggs, that’s all. The egg producer may want you to think they are better so you’ll pay more, but unless there is another reason to buy them, don’t waste your money.
Here the thing:
Healthy, happy, uncaged, free range chickens eating veggie scraps and bugs they find produce eggs that taste different and the yolks are a darker color. They have been found to have a better nutrient content as well. If you are buying eggs labeled ‘free range’ from the market and see no significant difference in the yolk color, they are probably from chickens that only have a window.
If you can buy locally, you are better off. Just don’t assume the chickens really get outside. I know a farm that advertises their eggs as free range, I also know for a fact their chickens have a screened in coop they never get out of. It’s still better than factory farmed eggs, but not free range.
If you are allowed chickens where you live, go for it. Really they take less care than a cat.
If you are not allowed, and not in a homeowner’s association, challenge the ruling and see if you can get it changed.
More and more places are allowing chickens, which is a very good thing.
Here are more posts about our Ladies.
Categories: backyard chickens
Subscribe
26 October 2012, by gj
Sounds like the opening line to a good joke, doesn’t it?
Well, at first anyway, we weren’t laughing.
feathers won't feed the family
Before I go on, a few things about hens:
1. You don’t need a rooster to get eggs, only to get chicks.
2. Chickens lay less as the days get shorter.
3. They lay less when molting or otherwise stressed.
4. They lay more eggs if a rooster is nearby.
We currently have 10 chickens- 5 are too young to lay eggs yet, 3 are molting, and 1 is still upset about the new ladies.
You get the picture.
So it was about a week ago at 4:30 am I was awoken by a loud and irritating sound. Only 17 seconds later, there it was again.
Mandolin mumbled something about a “Rooster” and “Not dawn yet” before rolling back over and putting the pillow over his head.
Actually, there were a few adjectives in there as well, but there’s no need to repeat those.
slim pickins
If you ever hear a rooster crow for real, and nearby, you’ll understand why many urban settings don’t allow people to have them.
This is no Cock-a-Doodle-Do like in the Old McDonald song, this is more like a Scree-ScreeScree-ScreeSCREECH as the bird builds up the steam to really let the sound out.
Every 12-17 seconds, I timed him.
At first we couldn’t figure out why this new to the neighborhood bird would start his day at 4:30 am, take a break at 5:30, and then resume at 6:00 only to continue on all day long. Even odder, why would we hear him every morning, but some days he was quiet later on.
It hit me one day, much like that startling noise before the dawn has broken.
Some chicken keepers put a light in the coop, to make the chickens’ day seem longer so they will lay more eggs. And perhaps 5:30 is when the guy across the road goes into the coop to attend to the flock.
Hmmm, maybe our hens will start laying more eggs, this has possibilities.
Still that doesn’t explain why he has some quiet days.
The answer is funnier than any joke would be.
We were chatting in the FB group Gardenaholics Anonymous about chickens, when my friend Aud (who knows way more about things than I do) mentioned something I had never heard of.
Rent-a-Rooster.
Yes friends and neighbors, boys and girls, that’s right- if you don’t have a rooster for whatever reason, and want to raise chicks, you can rent one.
“He’s renting out his…rooster?” Mandolin asked, giggling, when I told him.
Boys never actually grow up, do they?
this goes for roosters, too
The next morning around 4:30 he wasn’t laughing anymore.
I do believe he mumbled something about “renting that rooster”, but “only for 10 minutes.”
Categories: backyard chickens
Subscribe
2 October 2012, by gj
With 5 hens in the backyard coop we have too many eggs to eat ourselves, but too few to sell.
The solution? Eat more eggs.
Er..no.
We got more chicks.
aww...they're so cute when they're little
The thing is, hens form a pecking order, and don’t want to let anyone else into that group.
Last fall we moved our hens to their new coop. We also introduced two new hens to the flock, by bringing them into the coop at night when all the ladies are mellowed out.
Chickens really do calm down before they sleep.
Still, a new pecking order needed to be established and as such they chased each other around for a few weeks.
You can read more about that here.
finding one of the roost areas
These little chicklets were far too little to defend themselves, so they had their own makeshift coop for the past few months.
The runs were side-by-side, so each group was familiar with the other.
When they would free range, the hens would chase the chicks just enough to get them to go in a different direction.
They grow up so fast.
Two months later and the chicklets, technically now ‘pullets’ (between 2 months and 12 months old) have grown, and the nights are getting colder.
It’s time for them to get together.
This change was much easier, only a day of chasing each other and not nearly as nasty as the last one.
The older hens dominate, but everyone gets along.
Whenever there is stress though, the hens don’t lay.
happy together
So now we have 10 chickens, and no eggs.
Even though it’s only a temporary thing, you’ve got to love the irony.
Categories: backyard chickens
Subscribe
11 September 2012, by gj
So you got yourself some chickens, and just maybe- like me- you didn’t keep perfect track of when the eggs went into the refrigerator.
If it was less than three weeks ago, you’re still ahead of the factory farmed eggs.
Perhaps you know all your eggs are fresh, but you want the freshest to make eggs over or sunny side up- the fresher the egg, the better the result.
not the best way to store
Now you can just crack open the egg.
If it smells rotten, oh my- that really has been in there a long time.
If you crack it into a pan or onto a plate, notice how far the white spreads.
The thinner the white or albumen, the older the egg.
This is often how cooks will decide not to use an egg.
But maybe you don’t want to wait to the last minute.
Here’s a simple test you can use:
Carefully place your egg in water.
If it sinks completely, it’s very fresh.
the freshest egg
If it leans towards the top, less so.
not quite as fresh
And if it stands up- still edible but better for baking.
least fresh
If it floats, that’s the worst- crack it open to decide.
And remember you don’t want to do this far in advance, this test is akin to washing an egg. That removes the protective barrier eggs naturally have to keep bacteria out.
‘But GJ, I’m getting more eggs than I can use, they’re starting to pile up- what should I do?’
Glad you asked 
freeze them.
Freeze them shelled in ice cube trays to use to bake with in the winter when your Ladies are producing less.
Once frozen, remove and bag.
Or make a big batch of your favorite scrambled eggs- with veggies, cheese, whatever- and freeze that in small cups. Make a fritata or quiche and put that in your freezer.
Microwave to serve.
brrr... the ladies as winter approaches
Not only have you saved some eggs, you’ve saved time-
enough to spend a few extra minutes under the quilts on some cold winter mornings.
Categories: backyard chickens, keeping up with the joneses
Subscribe
3 January 2012, by gj
Chickens can handle the cold, so winterizing a coop is more about you than them.
the ladies as winter approaches
Since my Ladies don’t like to walk on the snow, I cover the first section of their run with some 4 mil plastic (I just use a drop-cloth from the hardware store.)
This keeps the snow from falling, or even blowing in.
snow free zone
If anyone besides us could see this, I’d probably try to make it more esthetically pleasing.
Maybe next fall. 
Since we only have a small backyard flock and no barn, I keep some straw close at hand and dry in a Rubbermaid storage container.
This one holds almost a full bale.
handy is dandy
Nearby is a compost container as well, to put the older straw in as needed.
This is an easy way to have fresh litter handy when the temperatures drop.
the garden will be happy
To keep their water from freezing, we have a warmer stand we bought for this purpose.
The plug is securely and safely attached to an outdoor extension.
water won't freeze
And to make feeding easy, we have a large hopper that only needs to be filled weekly.
actually it's quite cozy
Of course I visit the girls everyday- to gather eggs and check on them;
winterizing just limits how much time I need to be out in the elements.
Lucy and Nugget ready for the snow
just in time
Categories: backyard chickens, faq's, keeping up with the joneses
Subscribe
29 November 2011, by gj
We’ve had some of our chickens for a year and a half, and although it seemed that our White Leghorn Pertelote was at the top of the pecking order, and actual order wasn’t too clearly defined.
they look innocent enough
That was until they got their new coop.
I guess the change in environment prompted them to work on establishing a more definitive order, so they promptly started to pick on the smallest lady, our little Americauna Pooka.
She reacted by getting out of the coop, crawling underneath it before it was closed off; and she would sleep away from the rest of the flock.
I admit I felt bad returning her to what I knew would be harassment by the others, but it is nature and she’d otherwise not survive the winter.
Nugget the Not-so-very-nice-as-she-used-to-be
It’s been about 2 weeks now, and although the bottom of the order is known, the top is still be decided.
Our Yellow Leghorn, Nugget (whom we changed her name from Nugget the Hungry to Nugget the Nasty) seemed to be clearly on top.
Up until then, Pertelote pretty much stayed out of the affray.
But then, just when the dust settled and all seemed well, she decided to reclaim her place at the top.
quietly contemplating
And I’ll admit to you in all honesty, that when I saw her go after the very Lady that had chased all the others, I smiled.
Well played, Pertelote…well played.
The Ladies working out their differences in a lady-like way.
Please note that in the film linked above, Pertelote is molting and not looking her best.
She has since regained all of her feathers, and apparently, her confidence as well.
Oh and PS- while they go through this behavior, they just may stop laying.
I almost had to buy eggs from the neighbor.
Categories: backyard chickens, keeping up with the joneses
Subscribe
24 November 2011, by gj
Sassy
We recently brought home a few more chickens and naming them has been fun… but we have one yet to go.
My FB friend Jack suggested a chicken-naming contest.
Love it!
So far we have:
Nugget
Nugget the Hungry- The yellow Leghorn, Leader of the Pack and the first to the food.
Pertelote the Pretty- Our White Leghorn, named from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
Lucy the Loving but Loud- A Rhode Island Red name after Lucille Ball that makes more noise than any of the others.
Pooka- The smallest of the Ladies, an Americauna named for the mythical creature.
Sassy (Short for Sasquatch)- our pretty Brahma that Mandolin thought resembles another creature.
Robin the Hood- our magnificent Black Americauna that flew 6 ft. straight up and a good 20 Ft. away from the coop, the first day we had her. Geez. Mandolin also named her, but not for her amazing feat- he thought she looked like she was wearing a black hood.
Pertelote
And then there’s…
Robin and ?
So leave a comment with your idea for a name suggestion for our latest Americauna.
All I can tell you is that she’s ‘blonder’ or ‘more golden’ than Pooka, yet gentle. She’s also comparatively big.
I’ll let SaveTheWorld choose the name from all those ideas before the weekend is over.
The winning suggestion will receive this Pop-Up Herb Planter!
pop-up herb planter
Hey- it’s just a name for a chicken
NOTE: 11/28/11 Rhanks all for so many great names! SaveTheWorld chose the name Cheese Wiz- so the planter goes to Susan Preston. Congrats Susan!
The first contest.
Follow that Bird -Waylon Jennings sings my fav song from the movie.
Categories: backyard chickens, keeping up with the joneses, special posts
Subscribe
5 November 2011, by gj
Over the past year that we’ve had The Ladies we’ve learned a lot about what they need and like.
Mandolin had built them a basic coop, which sufficed, but we’re looking to expand the flock come spring and it was time for a more permanent structure.
concrete piers for support
We had 5 concrete piers left over from when we took down an old deck, so started there.
extra support near the door
This coop is tall enough to walk into, which will make cleaning much easier.
building the frame
The frame is 2 x 2′s and 2 x 4′s.
finish the frame
Two roosts were added, at different heights and a foot apart.
2 roosts
You can see the two 2 x 2′s in this picture. Enough perching room for lots of Ladies.
another view
The coop is taller on the side where the door is, so that rain and snow will run off the roof.
We used plastic ‘corrugated’ roofing for the top, in a pretty shade of green.
a window for ventilation
We looked at some finished coops, and they all had some form of ventilation; not only for any gas the chicken waste may give off but also for those dog days of summer.
Mandolin used two old screens on opposite sides of the coop.
Since the cold weather is upon us, he boarded them up for now.
and another for cross ventilation
I’ve heard and read that chickens will pretty much use the same nest box, but we did put in two just in case.
This coop will be holding about 10 Ladies eventually.
two nest boxes
It was funny that no sooner had Mandolin added the two roosts, the Ladies began checking out the coop.
I don’t know if they knew it was for them, or if they just were going to take it anyway.
Lucy checks out her new digs
An early 12″ snow storm came not long after the coop was finished.
The Ladies didn’t mind a bit.
finished just in time
Because there are many more pictures that would help you to see what we did, I made a video.
Categories: backyard chickens, keeping up with the joneses
Subscribe
28 August 2011, by gj
- their first day ‘on the range’
We’ve had our Ladies for over a year now and have learned a lot about keeping a small backyard flock.
The most often asked question is ‘don’t you need a rooster to get eggs?’ and the answer is ‘nope’.
You need a rooster if you want to raise chicks; we just want eggs to eat, and we prefer them to be unfertilized.
I understand chickens will lay more eggs if a rooster is around.
We’re lucky there is one across the road whom we hear crowing daily, so I’m thinking that’s close enough.
One interesting fact is that an egg, when freshly laid, is soft; though the shell hardens quickly.
I have a duck egg that is flat on one side, having been laid on a brick.
happy chickens
Here’s what you might be surprised to learn:
Chickens have distinct personalities:
-Nugget The Hungry (the yellow girl) is always the first to get to the feed, and will fly up to try to take treats from me before I get to the rest of the flock. She is so quick to feed she almost always gets food on her.
-Pertelote The Clever (the white chicken) has been the first to find any way out of the enclosed run. She’s also the only one light enough to fly higher than 4 ft., and the fastest and most elusive runner; much to her advantage.
-Lucy The Loving (the reddish-brown named by the readers) knows the sound of my voice, and when I call out “Lucy, I’m home” will come running to be petted.
-Pooka The Pretty (our Ameraucana) is our least smart and most docile member of the flock; she also gives us the prettiest eggs.
a summertime treat
There are some other fun things you might not expect from chickens:
- They LOVE watermelon! They do not like cucumbers, though; and they definitely don’t like zucchini. If Nugget spots red in my hands, she comes running.
- Speaking of which, seeing a chicken run towards you can cause the strangest sensation that you’re in Jurassic Park.
- Chickens will automatically go to their perch as night falls, and will sleep in the same left-to-right order. We sadly lost our Barred Rock chicken M.J. (the first of the five to die, as Mrs. Jones so cleverly pointed out) a few months ago. Now there remains a vacant spot second from the left on the perch each night.
- Chickens can move their eggs. I guess I just never thought of it before, but I found that when they lay an egg outside the nest box, they will move it in- even over rocks or other obstacles if necessary.
- Our Ladies also like bread, but not bread crusts; lettuce, head only- not leaf lettuce; and not surprisingly sunflower seeds. They also do like tuna fish, a lot.
- Happy chickens lay better tasting eggs. When they’re really happy- running around freely- they lay bigger eggs, too.
And like with a lot of relationships-
when the girls are happy, we’re happy.
the song reference
Categories: backyard chickens, keeping up with the joneses
Subscribe
18 April 2011, by gj
the girls the first day
I know some people who’d like to have chickens, but just aren’t sure.
I also know some people who cannot imagine life without chickens.
But mostly I know a lot of people in between.
Like me.
I admit I was skeptical at first, when SaveTheWorld suggested we get a small flock.
But I was also intrigued.
I had read a lot about how chickens are farmed for their eggs, and didn’t want to be a part of that if I could help it- and I could.
the teen years
So now we have “The Ladies” who lay the most fabulous eggs, have unique personalities, and are quite funny to watch.
But don’t just take my word for it.
I polled my FB friends from the The Chicken Group! what they would tell a couple considering getting chickens.
Here’s some of their responses:
- Love my chickens…very smart….lay yummy protein…have great personalities!
- Their eggs are healthier/lower cholesterol than store bought eggs.
- They eat bugs, small snakes, and other creepy-crawly things!
- Chemical free fertilizer and pest control. Eventually pillow stuffing. Last but not least fried chicken, and the freshest turkey for thanksgiving you could want.
- Our eggs are fresher, will keep longer. Store bought eggs are almost three weeks old by the time they hit the store shelf. We know what goes in our chickens. Ours really are free range. Chickens LOVE to eat mice!! I watched two rip one in half fighting over it. Small snakes too.
- Chickens (like pigs) are only as dirty/stinky as the owner allows. If you keep their home clean there isn’t a bad odor.
- All natural pest control, eat the grubs in the lawn, great at raking the leaves away from foundations and stone walls in the spring, they eat all sorts of bugs, mosquitos, ticks, ants, and even will kill mice and snakes.
- Another great point is that they are a really good alert system for anything out of the ordinary on the property, not to mention the free eggs they provide and the money that can be made from selling the eggs!
- My hubby is not a chicken person by any nature, but since he has been helping me off and on when I’m running the son or am gone, he has really started to appreciate their beauty. And he tells people how beautiful, colorful, and fat my chickens are. And brags about my colorful eggs. He even has a couple of favorite hens (by color).
Course he isn’t a cat person either and now that we have one (and she has claimed him) he says he would have a house cat over a house dog any day.
- My fiancé was the same way about the chickens and the cats and he still tries to act like he could do without them, but he loves them now as much as I do. He loves on them and tells them how pretty and sweet they are. He must think I’m not looking.
And he LOVES the eggs!
- I never understood how people could be against low cost eggs & meat. Why wouldn’t you want to raise chickens?
- You can cancel your cable TV. . .thus saving $1,200.00 annually. The chickens will give you endless entertainment! You will not need a composting unit. . .thus saving $230. Put a pile of needles or leaves in a back corner of their pen, throw some green weeds on top, and watch them turn it professionally! No need to purchase compost and fertilizer. . . .thus saving another $100. The litter will serve your plants well. By selling 2 doz. eggs weekly, a small flock of hens will pay for their food.
I’d add- Just like homegrown veggies, the taste of fresh happy chicken eggs vs. store bought will shock you.
they grow up so fast
So if you’re thinking of getting a small backyard flock, you should join the group.
There are some people there new to chickens and some still deciding.
And a wealth of information.
happy eggs
I’ll warn you though- their enthusiasm is contagious.
Special thanks!!! to my chicken group friends:
Debbie P. M., Laura W., Jackie H. M. , Cynthia N. T., Darleen S., Laurie H., Sarah B., Otg N., and Tami G.
Categories: backyard chickens, keeping up with the joneses
Subscribe
