Well, we're chicken farmers now.
The more I learn about the things we eat, the less I want to eat at all... which led us to the idea of raising our own (happy, healthy, free-range, pesticide-free) chickens for eggs. I went online to soak up every possible bit of knowledge about backyard chickens. I tend to get a little, uh, temporarily obsessed with new ideas (which makes the internet a perfect drug) so after a few days worth of research I was ready to get down to chicken business.
The three chicken breeds I chose were Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, and Black Australorps. (chosen because they are all quiet, gentle, and good egg-layers) We used the girls' abandoned playhouse for the coop and decided the chickens could have the too-shady-for-vegetables side of the house. I made a nest box out of a rubbermaid container with a door cut in the side of it, Jacob put 2 roosting poles in the house, and we were ready. We got 3 Buffs from our friend and midwife Wendy, and 2 Barred Rocks from a farmer in Mesa.
Cut to 9 days later....
It's been over a week, and I have to say I LOVE having chickens. I wish we would have done this a long time ago. They are a lot calmer and quieter than I thought they'd be, and the girls love feeding them weeds and vegetable scraps. The 5 ladies have plenty of space (about 15' X 30') so there isn't any smell at all. They spend the day either scratching and eating, or laying in the shade. They do "beg" to be let out into our yard sometimes. We have tons of spiders and other crawlies around our fence line, and they like to do perimeter sweeps. I thought they'd just let themselves out-- it's only a 3' fence-- but they're too fat and lazy to jump, so they stand at the gate and purr until we give in.
The only thing that's been a problem so far is the "egg cackle." Luckily it hasn't been earlier than 9am, and it's not as loud as a dog barking... but it's definitely not quiet. We only have 2 that are laying so far. Rose sneaks into the nestbox, does her business, and goes on with her life. Bluebell lays an egg, then tells the world about it. (buck buck buGOCK! buck buck buGOCK!) The first time was the loudest, and she seems to be simmering down with the more eggs she lays, so hopefully she won't end up on a plate. :)
