A Treat Before Bed

 
    I finally got my camera working so I decided to show the active hens enjoying a quick treat before bed. The other four hens are broody right now so they spend almost all day sitting on eggs. The pictures below are of those four hens taken over the last few days. They are currently not distracted by snacks and only leave the nest when they need a quick bite to eat and a drink. Other than those brief moments when they take a break they won't leave their nest.
 
    Our broody hens have been a heated topic around our house lately due to a lack of egg production. We had the debate and decided that we would acquire some fertilized eggs and allow the hens to sit on them until they hatch. We hope they do! We happened to get a group of hens that is really good at sitting on eggs so we hope the effort pays off. We should know by next week when the 21 or so days it takes to hatch them is up.
 
    The hen shown first is Big Mama and she is at the top of the pecking order. Next is Queeny and she was the first to go broody. I believe this may be her first year at it but she is a natural. In the third picture is a hen named after a princess so I won't name her. However, I will say she is very good at defending her eggs and has a very sharp beek! In the final picture is Blacky or Beauty as I call her. She is a natural at the motherhood thing and I love her because she is docile and easy to check under for eggs. She will be a good hen to have around.
   

    We made a decision that almost all keepers of hens have to make. Do you stop the broody hen in her tracks through a difficult but usually short process or do you acquire fertile eggs and give the hen a chance to hatch them? It is an individual decision with consequences either way. For my family it was a heated debate at times. Eventually giving the hens a chance won out because fertile eggs are readily available thanks to a friend who's flock includes roosters. I was curious to see which hens would actually last the 21 days it takes to hatch the eggs. That can be risky because the chickens may die in the process or just not last through it and that means a lot of wasted time and energy.
 
    I hope this was enjoyable to read and look at. It will get better with time! Until next time enjoy your flock and keep fresh food and water out there it is is getting hot.

Chickens in my backyard...

    I originally said this would be a guide to how I was able to start my backyard flock without very much money.  I guess that's true in a sense. After my first post I decided that a more interactive day to day approach to the life of my flock would be more interesting and helpful to anyone getting involved in a backyard flock of chickens.  I will make sure to include any expenses that come up as I raise my flock. 

    The up front cost of my flock came out to about $150.00 The things I had to purchase before bringing home my birds were 2 feeders, 2 water containers, a 50 lb. bag of pellet food, a 50 lb. bag of scratch corn, 1 bag of starter feed for my younger hens, 1 small bag of oyster shell to add to my feed, 1 50 lb. bail of coastal hay for my floor and nesting boxes, bulk nails of different sizes to help with constructing the nesting boxes and roosts, 6 T-Posts, and the most expensive part of the deal 100 feet of fencing. I used hardware cloth with half inch holes for my fencing. I wanted to discourage any unwanted visitors. I was overly cautious most people do not fortify their coops as I have.

    I was extremely lucky when I got started with my flock. We started with 5 laying hens at least 1 year old and 5 immature hens not yet laying that were around 3 months old. I picked up the hens at night because that's what the books said was best if you are trying to catch chickens. We must have done something right in the transportation and introduction of the birds into their new home because on day one we had three eggs in our nesting boxes. I was also extremely lucky because our hens cost us nothing. The friend we went to see to get ideas about our new flock of chickens had so many birds they decided to give us some as a gift to get started.

     Once we had our chickens in the backyard Rebecca and the kids went to work coming up with appropriate names for the hens.  Without getting in trouble I will mention that each of the younger ones has a princess name and the older ones have names fitting their looks or status in our flock like "Big Mama" who is at the head of the pecking order.

    The kids are able to handle the younger hens fairly easily and they come when the kids approach with food or treats. The older ones stay clear and avoid us until we throw food. I guess that is typical behavior for chickens. The more you handle them the tamer they will be.

    Our chickens have become productive pets. At this point we would have a hard time time getting rid of them. I think I will talk more about the reasons I've thought about culling or thinning my flock and what solutions I have come up with to keep them alive and away from my dinner table. So far keeping the chickens off the dinner plate and in the pen has worked to keep the peace in our home.

(Pictures Coming Soon)