What the cluck?

There are typically two reactions that we get when we tell people that we have chickens -  1) "Oh that is so cool! I have always wanted chickens." or 2)"Why???". The second is accompanied by a bewildered look of disgust. Those people will usually listen politely while we explain our poultry endeavor, but will never quite get why we would go to all this trouble when there are perfectly good eggs in the case at the supermarket. If you are a #1 then I hope that chronicling my eggventures may give you some Inspiraction (a phrase I coined many moons ago which means to inspire to action ) towards starting your own backyard flock. If you are a #2 I invite you to watch in semi-horror as we discuss some fowl things and who knows, you might just find yourself in the mood for a good cluck.

We first began to think about getting chickens last winter. We went and visited our neighbors flock, did a ton of research, daydreamed, planned and waited. When springtime came I was raring to go and David realized he was not getting out of this. So I became the researcher and David was to build the coop. He is VERY handy like that so I do have an advantage there. We brought home our eight, day old, New   Hampshire (that's the breed) chicks at the end of April and we were off. They started out in a plastic bin in Davids' office which they quickly outgrew and were moved to an old dog crate and ultimately into the garage in a refrigerator box. The most invaluable resource to us throughout all the chicken phases has been http://www.backyardchickens.com/  (BYC). Even if you don't want chickens, go there. You will learn some awesome stuff. They have a zillion examples of coops from tiny city dwellings to full scale barns. In fact, our coop won an Honorable Mention in the Summer Coop Design Contest. You can view our page here. The BYC Message Board has information on any poultry topic imaginable and if you can't find what you are looking for you can post a question and someone knowledgeable will give you info. So if you are even toying with the idea of getting chickens, start there. I also took a class on Chicken Husbandry from Yellow House Farm. That gave me a great overview and an up close look at a professional farm operation.

So all went well as the chicks were growing and we eventually decided to turn an old shed from our property into the coop. It now resides next to the garden and is a fixture of our everyday lives. Getting eggs is only one of the reasons why we chose to raise chickens. This is one instance where cost cutting was not a primary objective. These chickens would have to be dropping golden eggs to offset the cost of setting them up and keeping them fed. Our main motivation was to further our efforts at a sustainable lifestyle and to continue to connect our children with the origins of our food. Much like our garden, it gives us and them an opportunity to be involved in every stage of our food life. It is a chance to take on responsibility and to care for another living thing. The kids assist in almost all of the chicken chores, their favorite being egg collecting. Somehow I always get stuck with the poop jobs. This you should know - they don't have a phrase called "chicken shit" for nothing. These babies are poop MACHINES. They poop anywhere and everywhere and it is just part of life with chickens. However, it does not smell terribly and there are lots of ways to keep it under control. Just know that at some point you will come into contact with fowl feces. That's all I'm sayin'.

Other than the poo, I can't think of a downside. It is really easier than I thought it would be and chickens are great therapy. There's a way to save money. Skip the shrink and just get chickens. I don't care how good your psychiatrist is, he ain't gonna drop breakfast out his bum.

We are now nearly six months into this little project and about half our chickens are laying. We get three or four eggs per day and, hopefully, the others will start soon. If not, those will go the way of the crock pot next spring to make room for some more. Yes (gasp of horror), we are planning to eat our chickens at some point. We are not vegetarians and thus it is part of our life to eat animals. We have bought chicken from local farms, but unfortunately we can not afford to do this for 100% of our meat meals right now. In the not so distant future we would like to raise our own meat birds. In the meantime, the reality is that when our  chickens stop laying we will humanely kill them and they will feed us in a different way. These birds live a seriously sweet existence compared to their factory cousins so when it is time for lights out, I will know that they have had a great life. If you are going to consume meat then you need to accept that it comes from an animal. Our culture has been separated from this fact for far too long. Chicken keeping is making a comeback all over the country. Maybe it will make its way into your backyard.