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Sunday, March 17, 2019

Keeping Chickens

Dear friends,

Thank you for your comments on my last post. You're just the best friends ever.  My intent was to reply to each comment, and then keep up, for goodness sake!...but I have failed again. I've been off in la la land and wondering if this new perm has affected my brain. I simply have not been able to post anything.  


However, Deb asked if I would talk a little about raising chickens...the pros and cons. Thank you Deb.

I'm simply terrible at doing something like this and won't be much help, but will tell you... 

We've had chickens around here for a long time. In fact, a little chicken house was the first thing Poppy and I built out here on our teeny tiny farm. I was so excited the day Poppy came home from work with three hens. These are Red Sex Links, he said. Good layers.

We've had many different breeds here since those days, and our favorites have been the Giant Brahmas, Speckled Sussex, Dominique and Plymouth Rock, the Buff Orpington, and these Araucana...



It's fun gathering the blue green eggs along with the regular eggs.  Araucana hens are sweet natured hens. 

Oh, and country fresh eggs are so much better than store bought eggs. That's a real plus!


This spring I hope to get few of the larger breed chicks to raise. Our flock has changed in the last few years and here's why.


You know how "Henny Penny Lane" seems to attract unwanted animals...well one day back in 2007 that little dark red game hen (in the above picture) showed up in our driveway, starving. We fed her, named her Jewel, and she stayed. Not only did she stay, she hatched dozens and dozens of baby chicks through the years, each chick carrying that "game" blood line. 

Little Jewel is no longer with us. She wandered too far one day, with her chicks, and a fox caught her. We have loved and cared for all these hens but want no more of that "game" blood line. Those game hens lay smaller eggs, like to fight, are ill natured, and good at flying over fences.

and here's a couple of pros... 

the joy and sweetness of baby chicks in the spring.




but there are times I've wished we didn't have chickens at all...

You see, I get attached to every animal that sets foot on this property, so there are sad times too. I've buried many a chicken here, and also cared for many sick or wounded chickens that, had I been a real old time farmer, would have put them down. But not me. For several years I cared for a one-legged rooster and that got to be "work".  

Keeping a chicken waterer clean can be a job. Algae makes the waterer look dirty. Seems like I am always cleaning them.  A little natural cider vinegar added to the water helps keep the algae away, and is also good for the hens. 

Keeping anything clean, in or around a chicken coop, is a job.  Chickens are messy! 




Then there's all that feed to buy and deal with. I keep buckets of feed in the pantry which keeps it dry, and also makes it easy to get together every morning. To me, this is fun. :)



Shiver...then there's rat snakes which had rather have eggs than rats. I vividly remember the day this picture was taken. I had walked in the chicken house to gather the eggs and met this fellow, then turned to leave, looked up and saw this one...


Two snakes! in the chicken house at the same time!

Our little chicken house has a dirt floor, (not a good thing), so I keep a thick layer of wheat straw or cheap hay covering the floor in the winter, then clean it out in summer months. Dust, cobwebs, and dirty roosts inside the house are pretty disgusting too.

But to me, the pros outweigh the cons. Makes me laugh to hear the chickens squawking and running toward the gate when they see me. Have you ever seen a chicken run? It's a funny sight. Have you ever heard a hen sing? Hope we always have chickens here on Henny Penny lane.

Oh, and just think of all the string you can save off those feed bags. :) 



I know, crazy, isn't it. But, I have saved every string off every bag of feed since day one. This is not a new picture. The ball of string is bigger now. I'll be back with a new picture.

Gosh, am I really going to publish this? Might as well. Deb, hope you aren't sorry you asked. 

Thank you friends!

Love,
Henny








 










75 comments:

  1. The snakes...

    That's what my mother-in-law told me. If you have chickens, you have snakes!

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    1. and the snakes are the worst part of keeping chickens.

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  2. I was raised on a farm and one of my chores was to look after the chickens and gather eggs. I still look back with pleasure on that experience. We didn't have snakes but we had the odd weasel.

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    1. It is fun to take care of chickens and gather eggs. I would probably be more afraid of a weasel than a snake. :)

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  3. Scary snakes! You are so brave Ms Henny. I love your ball of string...you are so incredible...hope you know it...diana

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    1. I'm really not so brave.:) I stuck the camera inside the door and took the picture then closed the chicken house door until Poppy got home. Diane, are you the Diane that had a birthday yesterday?? If so, Happy Birthday!!

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  4. You take such good care of them! I like farm fresh eggs too they are the best!

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  5. oh my goodness those beautiful EGGS!!---THE COLORS!!!! love the pictures of the chickens and I liked reading about taking care of them, since that is something I have never done. Baby chicks are so cute aren't they?

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    1. Thank you so much! Baby chicks really are the cutest things!!

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  6. I can't have chickens where I live but I still sure enjoyed hearing all about them! It would be wonderful to have chickens and fresh eggs. However...I would have a problem with snakes - yikes! I am scared to death of them. Since Deb lives so much further north maybe she wouldn't have snakes? (Well, I'm hoping for you Deb!)

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    1. Thank you Bonnie, I was thinking that too...that Deb probably would not have a problem with snakes. Hope they don't.

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    2. One snake and I'd be running for the hills, Bonnie.

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  7. It seems it would be wonderful to have a chicken house and such friendly chickens as you have, but I wouldn't be able to handle those snakes! I'm too much of a coward.

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    1. Yes, the snakes are the worst part. I am scared to death of them too.

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  8. It was so interesting to read about your adventures raising chickens. I didn't know there was a breed of chickens that are game hens. I'm not surprised that you want to get rid of those bad-natured ones. The other hens that you have look so contented. It's that love that you give them along with their food!

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    1. Thank you Granny Marigold. I do enjoy keeping chickens.

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  9. You did a wonderful job of outlining the pros and cons of caring for a flock of hens. At one time, my hubby said he thought every egg we gathered probably cost us at least a dollar. Every spring I have to resist the temptation to, once again, bring home a box of soft little baby chicks from our local feed store. And, then, it would start all over again. Who know, maybe this time each egg might cost us at least two dollars each. :~)

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    1. Thank you Chip Butter. I am probably the worst person Deb could have asked about raising chickens. I'm not good at things like that. That's funny what your husband said, my husband says the same thing. There is no way we make any money selling eggs for 2.50 a dozen. I can't resist baby chicks either. :)

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  10. Hi Henny - this is real Farming- just love chooks, roosters and chicks...back in the 1960s my Uncle Ciril had chooks and little chicks in his yard along with wild Emus (Osteridges) out back...cannot beat fresh eggs. Cheers. KEV.

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    1. Hey Kev, and thank you. I've never heard the word chooks before. I'm going to Google that and learn something. :)

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  11. Oh! Wow! Well the thing that does it for me in
    this post...Is! Is! The Rat snake..I~LOVE~SNAKES.
    Amazing...! :).

    Chickens always make me laugh, HeHe! They are great
    little birds, well, not so little..and guess what l
    had for Sunday lunch yesterday! :).
    And..their very clever birds to, after all, what
    other bird can lay it's eggs in a cardboard tray like
    they do..very clever..! :).
    And..laying all those eggs..with no 'shell' shock....
    Amazing things..HeHe! :). Bless! Cluck! Cluck!

    AND...Do chickens sing.....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msSc7Mv0QHY

    ¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨) ¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)

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    1. Willie, you are so funny! I thought you might like seeing the snakes in our chicken house. I remember that you like snakes and spiders. I did listen to some chickens sing on Youtube. Our hens sing a lot.

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  12. Here's summat of interest......
    Controlling Snakes In Your Chicken Coop - YouTube....

    https://www.google.co.uk/search?source=hp&ei=GEGPXKqpI6zikgXOspAg&q=keeping+snakes+out+the+chicken+house&oq=kee&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.35i39j0i67j0i131i67j0i67j0i131i67j0i67l2j0i131j0l2.2017.2695..5822...0.0..0.92.256.3......0....1..gws-wiz.Nc-gkFKbhtA

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  13. We too keep chickens, we have 6 black rocks. They are the funniest things when they run and are such sweet natured. They crouch right down to be picked up and petted and are great layers. Thankfully we don't have those awful snakes, I am not sure I could cope with them.

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    1. I am so glad you have chickens now. I like the black chickens. Glad you don't have to deal with snakes.

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  14. So glad you published this and I am hoping sometime in the future, we'll get to see a more recent photo of your string ball, : D The photos of the chickens and eggs are gorgeous. If only they didn't attract such scary creatures! I wouldn't be able to keep chickens, my nature wouldn't allow me a moment's rest worrying about what critters were slithering or gnawing their way through the coop. Isnt the chicken feed very expensive, though? Plus the straw? And how do you keep everything clean? There's lots to consider but I'm glad there are people in the world who love the work and care they provide for their animals.

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    1. Thank you Pilar. I will take another picture of the string. The snakes do scare me. I really don't keep everything clean, not all the time anyways. The chicken feed isn't too expensive, but then we have only a dozen chickens.

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  15. If I saw that snake, I'd freak out. If I had a shotgun, probably would do something stupid with it.

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    1. Me too Adam. I don't trust myself with a gun. :)

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  16. Henni lovely post with wonderful pictures of your sweet chicks. I would certainly be put off by finding two rat snakes in the chicken house. Thanks for sharing life in the "chooky" lane. As always I so enjoyed my visit. Hugs!

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    1. Thank you Debbie. Those two snakes gave me a scare too. I ran in for the camera, snapped two pictures, then closed the chicken house door and left it until my husband got home.

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  17. What a fantastic post about chickens. Thanks for sharing!!!

    Have a wonderful 'spring' week ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Thank you Lorraine. Hope you have a beautiful spring week too. :)

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  18. Those hens you call Araucanas are not, they are Easter Eggers, a cross between an Araucana and another breed of chicken. Araucanas don't have the upright tail feathers that we are used to seeing on chickens. And as for the water getting algae, there are waterers on Amazon, that are enclosed so sun and dirt stays out, and have "nipples" that the chickens drink from. No dirty water necessary! It can be easier and more fun having chickens if you look around at what others are doing. Seems like more and more folks are raising chickens these days and enjoying it more too!

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  19. Oh Wendy, thank you. I did not know that about the Araucanas. When the chicks were purchased at a local supply store, they were labeled as Araucanas. I certainly do not claim to know anything at all about raising and caring for chickens, but simply posted about the chickens we've had. Lots more people do have chickens now and that's good. I am probably the worst person ever, to ask for advise on raising any kind of animal. I do love them though.

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    1. LOL! I love them too, not sure why...:) Araucanas are actually quite rare these days and yes, supply stores were trying to sell the Easter Eggers as Araucanas. I hope I didn't come across as a know-it-all, I just know that there is a lot of mis-information out there and don't want it to be perpetuated. Love your blog and your love for all your animals!

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    2. Thank you Wendy. I need all the help I can get. :)

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  20. Oh Henny, you are the best. I expected a line or two about chicken raising and you did a whole post. I really enjoyed reading about your experience over the years and all the photos. Well...except for the snakes. Goodness, I never thought about snakes getting in the coop. I'd be in and out of that coop in a second and screaming like a little girl. That alone might turn me off the idea but then I can take the advice about the dirt floor and learn from it. Safety for the chickens would be priority.
    I also would get too attached to them; they would be named and pampered. And the retired guy fears I will have them joining us in the house on the cold days. Agh!...so much to think about but something I have always wanted to do.
    We just had a fisher visit our property last night...a member of the weasel family but four times larger and more fierce than a barrel of rattlesnakes. We still have snow and its so hard for everything to hunt so they come to feeders and in this case I saw him eating peanuts and washing them down at the bird bath. Geesh! That's a far cry from his usual meat meal. Anyway, hope I don't see him again.
    Thanks again Penny for your info. I will keep it on file while I decide what to do.
    Love to you and Poppy and all the critters. Deb

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    1. No Deb, you are the best! I sure miss seeing a blog post from you. Anyhow, I hope you do get a few chickens. I've heard of a fisher before but know nothing about them. I'm going to Google to see one now. Thank you Deb.

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  21. Wow that was a great post about raising chickens. I toy with the idea every so often. You are right, there is nothing like fresh eggs from home. We had a friend who used to give us eggs from her chickens and the yolks are so golden. I like the colored eggs!!! I wonder how chickens would do during the long cold winter we have here.

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    1. Oh, thank you Happyone. I've wondered too about keeping chickens up north where the winters are so cold. Here in NC the chicken's water freezes on cold nights.

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  22. Mama!! I love this post! You are just the sweetest mama in the world. I love you. Andee ☺️

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    1. Andee! I can't believe a comment came through. Thank you! You are the sweetest daughter in the world! Well, I have the two sweetest daughters in the world. :) Love you too.

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  23. I grew up on a farm and we had chickens. This post brought back good memories! And the eggs are so pretty!

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  24. Delightful blog...I can see from your pictures having yardbirds is not all sunshine and roses. Snakes! who knew? Nevertheless, if I had a small place in the country, I would still have a few. I like the Buff's. And all those pretty egg colors.

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    1. I appreciate that so much. Thankfully, there are not always snakes in the chicken house, but when one does find it's way there, it scares me half to death. :)

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  25. SNAKES!! Goodness Henny, I would have screamed like crazy.
    My parents and sister have chickens. We can have three hens in the village I live in. We have been tossing the idea around about getting three sweet hens.
    Carla

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  26. Snakes are a problem in my hen house as well. Chickens have a way of stealing our hearts, don't they? Wow, that is a great ball of string collected! Are you going to knit or crochet with it?

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  27. Oh I want chickens so bad but I am not allowed to have them because we raise chickens for contract. I have got to make a new blog post. I am so slack. Love you bunches.

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  28. Thought about your chickens when I saw the sign at my farm store... "the chicks are in" Every year the store has a display of stock tanks full of chicks... ready to be bought!!

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  29. Hello Henny! I grew up in my teens with chickens and loved them! I can't have them where I am now, but I can love yours through this blog! It is so interesting the pros and cons and you have done an excellent job of telling us both. We have coyotes really bad here and also loads of black bears. Do you have any trouble with them. Also, the occasional hawk makes off with my friend's chickens. But, they are full of personality and my Dad always was doctoring a rooster here and there. Makes me happy to see this post! Love Terry

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  30. Henny - I love this post on your beautiful chickens. They look plump and their plumage is glorious. It's lovely to see them living a life outdoors as nature intended. It must be lovely to sit and be with them. I would die though if I saw what you did in the coop! A snake like that would send me scooting. Are they poisonous to humans? I would not hurt or kill the snake ever but how long do they stay? Thanks for your lovely blog - Alison

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  31. Thank you Melba and Thank you Deb, what an interesting blog. I have thought about having chickens, but never took the plunge :) I remember the post about the snakes, that might be one of the reasons that we haven't built a chicken coop, LOL. The thought of snakes give me the chills.

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  32. Hi Henny! I loved reading about your chickens. And you are the best chicken Mommy! I’m like you, every animal would be a pet. I even name my plants! Lol But not everyone is like us. I go to a blog where they raise cows. They befriend them, feed them treats and pet them. Then they slaughter them! How can people do that? I love your blog and have been reading it from the start. Just haven’t commented for a long time. Take care! ♥️Darlene from Calif.

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  33. I enjoyed your sharing about owning chickens, and I can relate to everything you shared... except the snakes! We have NO snakes here that bother eggs. One thing I do worry about is dogs and coyotes getting to my chickens, and even raccoons. There is not really any $$ in raising chickens, but I consider them pets, and we all know that having pets is always expensive, except that with chickens, there is a bonus, they do lay eggs to enjoy! No other pet leaves such delightful offerings :) So I consider that when taking into account all the expense and work associated with chickens. I love them dearly, but they truly are so much work. I have a bucket waterer with nipples, and it does keep the water much cleaner. I also use apple cider vinegar to help with the algae that will build up no matter what kind of waterer you use. I really enjoyed all your chicken thoughts! I love them dearly, and they are a lot of work, and you certainly don't make any money with them, but considering them as pets, that they do give back eggs, that's a pretty sweet deal I think :) Just my perspective! Have a lovely week!

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  34. I can tell you really love your chickens. I have a friend who is just like you. I had chickens once, but I found that I didn't have the time needed to take care of them right, so I quit raising them. I do love fresh eggs though! It's good to be back and I am glad I found your blog again. Have a great weekend!

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  35. I do miss having chickens, but your cons are pretty much all the reasons I keep telling myself NOT to get chickens again. I don't want to draw any more predators close to my house, and no doubt the chickens would draw in the coyotes, fishers, foxes, and other things that I don't want near my little pups. Good thing Sweetie made a deal with someone he knows who does keep chickens, and he brings me a dozen fresh eggs every week!

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    1. ps...THOSE SNAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would have had a heart attack right on the spot!

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  36. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this post!!!!The pictures are wonderful. I actually jumped when the picture of the snake scrolled down on my monitor! UG!!! Two of them in one day! I'm hoping they actually will keep rats at bay-I'm sure you don't want them eating all your lovely eggs. The picture of mama and baby together is a prize winner! Hope you are feeling well. Oh-and now I'll start saving the string from the corn bags here. I have 2 geese-17 years old-so I could have had a monster sized string ball. :)

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  37. Henny, your girls are so beautiful! When we finally get to where we're going, I want chickens so bad. I get fresh eggs from my son here and he has a few that lay the pretty colored eggs but none of the blue ones. I may be asking for tips from you one day...but the first day I find a snake, I'm done! YIKES!

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  38. I love the photos of the beautiful chickens. I know it's a lot of work taking care of chickens, but what lovely animals. I especially love the little chicks. Wish I could raise chickens. Looks like a lot of fun and a lot of work, but very rewarding.

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  39. Hey Henry ... I really enjoy chicken ... but I’m like you and give them names then get so attached to them ... OMG , snakes in the chicken coop ..What did you do ? Yikes !!!! We don't have chickens anymore... but I do buy fresh eggs from my girlfriend... They are just the best.... and my little Spaniel dolly loves to play with the Chicky Girls... They tolerate her fine... and don't mind if she comes into the coup...Thanaks for all the great info and pictures... You've got some really goodlooking girls there....ENJOY your day,,,,HUGS

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  40. That was a fun read! Interesting to read someone else's point of view on chicken keeping. Since we have been selling eggs for years, we've stuck with the commercial type egg layers. We usually have about 100 hens, split between two fields and coops. Thank goodness snakes are a NON issue here! We have had a couple of opossums visit just lately. One was a young one that came two times, was eating from the feeder. We caught it the second time and relocated it. Then there was a larger one that did kill one of the old hens (she wasn't doing to well anyway). We tried to trap that one but it must have just been passing through as we never saw it again.

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  41. That is so interesting. My Grandmother had chickens and sold eggs when I was growing up. It was quite a job and I remember helping wash eggs after school some days. I didn't like to go in the chicken houses though...and I didn't even know snakes liked them. Thanks for sharing!

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  42. Goodness, 70 comments! How do you find the time?? Your eggs are like jewels, so pretty. We loved having chickens and miss them but I’ll just enjoy yours. We enjoy the freedom to travel a bit now without worrying about someone to care for them.

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  43. I love the flavor of cage free eggs.
    have a great day

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  44. Oh my goodness, HP, that was fun to read! I am with you on all these points regarding chickens. They are hilarious to watch. Their social order is fascinating and a little mean. LOVE having baby chicks, but chickens are so, so messy and a bit of a pain too. Daily work.
    I like our coop. It's inside of a fenced, covered pen (large). The coop is raised on 4x4 posts well off the ground (about waist level), and its floor is made of hardware cloth, a stiff metal grid that allows air flow and lets the night poop dry and fall through to the ground. It helps a little. In winter I put thick boards on top of this floor to make the coop warmer. Adam built it out of scrap.

    The eggs are the best part. I occasionally sell extra eggs to friends. My favorite thing though, is to discover a broody hen in an evening and realize that babies are on the way :) I like your breeds.

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  45. I guess I missed this post. I'm glad you referred to it in your latest post.
    I'm glad you like chickens. As a farm girl in my youth I had plenty of experience with hens and chicks. While the chicks were cute for a week or two, they soon grew into their ugly stage. Gathering the eggs from under the hens was always risky. I think it's clear that I did not love chickens like you do, but except for the snakes - ugh- this post is beautiful.

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  46. I too loved this post and love chickens. My daughter has some over in the hill country and its fun to watch them... they are so funny... and friendly. One will even jump on your lap. And of course we love the fresh eggs. Your pictures of both the chickens and the eggs are great. I'm late commenting here, but you had so many comments that I read them earlier, but never got around to commenting myself. She also has a problem with rat snakes.

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