We have had chickens for years now and they always add such a special touch to the farm. We have well over 50 chickens now and more on the way! Every year we love to hatch baby chicks and this year was extra special. This year we took some of our own chickens eggs to incubate, usually, we just buy eggs from a dealer which we did as well. We also bought chicks from a local retailer that we are raising.
During this pandemic it has really shown me how valuable chickens actually are. I was blessed before being able to have them, but I am even more appreciative of them now. They give us food, their eggs, but they also cut down on the bug and tick population. This is so important especially when I have a bunch of animals and kids running around.
Nothing beats a farm-fresh egg! They really do have such a different flavor from the ones at the grocery store. Every morning we go out and collect the eggs as we are doing the animals. It’s so great to have eggs right in our back yard because we go through them so quickly! The kids love to eat eggs in the morning and I use them constantly for baking. It was funny the other day I was about to bake and looked in the fridge and we were out of eggs. I yelled for Noah to run out and grab some from the coops, it’s so amazing being able to do that!
We have a few different coops that we keep our chickens in. We have the main coop which is where the majority of our chickens go at night. Some of them do sneak into the barn at night when I am feeding the other animals, or some to choose to stay out in the barnyard all night. Our newest babies that are about 6-8 weeks old are staying in the barn in a stall. This is usually when we move them out but it all depends on the weather. Another way to know when it is time to move them out is to watch for there adult feathers, they will begin to come in. Once they are 10-12 weeks we move them outside into their own coop and area away from the bigger chickens. Chickens tend to pick on one another so we always wait until they are fully grown to put them with the bigger chickens.
Just like with all animals even chickens have their own personalities. I love watching them grow up and develop these personalities. Some of them are just so crazy compared to others. They all just act so differently and it’s such a fun sight to see. We have these three that I call the triplets because they are all identical and it cracks me up when they run. When they run they put their wings back and stick their necks out and like stomp towards you, it is the funniest sight to see!
Chickens are really great animals to have and are easy to maintain. They have so much to offer from giving you food to having such fun personalities. I love being able to watch them roam all around the property and just enjoy being free. I would love to hear about your chickens and your story with them! Leave a comment telling us all about them!
