Many small farms have chickens: they are easy to manage, forage for some of their food, and the fresh eggs are tasty and a good source of protein. We generally have 20 – 30 laying hens. In commercial flocks, the hens are usually slaughtered after a year of laying; we keep ours 3-5 years. After 2 years, production decreases and occasionally one will die – apparently of “natural causes” (whatever those are).
Every few years we replenish the flock: sometimes, we have “broody” hens that will sit on eggs (about 8 – 12 eggs) for 21 days until the chicks hatch and then take care of them; this is the natural way – but many things can go wrong – mostly, the hens get tired and after a week or two, lose the maternal urge and abandon the eggs, sometimes laying hens get into the same next box to lay a new egg and break some of the eggs, etc. We also have a home made incubator that keeps eggs at the correct temperature. We have done all of these things.
The current chicken manager, Michael, decided to order baby chicks from a local hatchery this year – it allows us to try new breeds. On June 10 we received 25 chicks and 10 turkey chicks via the post office. The turkeys are Spanish bronze – a heritage breed. The chicks (supposed to be all females) are a mix of silver laced Wyandottes, light Brahmas, and New Hampshire Reds. The photo is of the chicks – 4 days old.
In nature, moma hen keeps the chicks under her to keep them warm; we provide a light bulb for warmth. They are very fun to watch: full of enthusiasm – when one chick finds something interesting, all the others rush over to try to share the treat. Within the first week, their feathers start to come in and they practice being a bird – flapping their little stubby wings and running fast – to mimic flying. What a riot!
This photo is of our main chicken house – made of straw bale walls with clay/sand/straw plaster. This is where they will live most of their lives.
Feed: we grow most of our own chicken food: wheat & oats; we buy some roasted soybean meal for more protein – especially for the chicks. We grow soybeans but they have to be roasted to make them digestible. The hens are fed whole grains – their “crop” grinds the grains to digest them. For the chicks, we grind the grain (in nature, momma grinds it for them with her beak) until they are older and their crop can handle whole grains. Michael also feeds them chopped greens and worms & insects when available.
