Living With Backyard Chickens: Choosing Breeds, Raising From Chicks and Introducing Them to the Great Outdoors
I have chickens living in my backyard. It took me years to talk my husband into keeping chickens. "You'll have fresh beautiful eggs" I told him. "They are noisy" he countered. "Chickens are quiet" I said. "They only make noise when they lay an egg, you'll never know they are down there." Right. I kinda lied. I didn't mean to, I just wanted chickens so badly, I started believing my own propaganda. Then one day my dear husband acquiesced. Oh happy day, I won! I think...
Choices, choices, choices
Having done extensive research, I knew what chicken breeds I wanted. So when spring came I was ready. My local feed store received deliveries of baby chicks 3 times a week for several weeks. All I had to do is look at their list and choose the day that the chicks I wanted were to be delivered, arrive bright and early to assure my picks. Not so fast! The feed store's combination of breeds did not coincide with mine. Apparently you have to get chicks exactly the same age or the older ones will use the younger ones as pin cushions. Chickens can be bullies. Where do you think the term "pecking order" came from?
Temperament, consistent egg laying and egg colors were important to me. Based on that I chose 2 Ameracunas, 2 Cuckoo Marans, one Buff Orpington and one Andelusian. Along with these day old chicks, I needed a heat lamp, food and water dishes, food and a cardboard "brood box" to house them. All in all the chicks were by far the least expensive part. So far.
The where and the when
I kept them in my dining room for a few weeks, I don't recommend this unless you like massive amounts of chicken dust on every surface. Chickens and birds in general produce this dust as their feathers grow in. I learned the hard way. Chicks grow out of the brood box quickly and will need to be contained. You will need something large enough to house your chicks until they no longer need the warming light. Mine lived in the potting shed with a plywood barricade. Just like plants, the chicks will need to be hardened off before you place them in their permanent home. This is done when they have all or most of their feathers. You do this simply by moving the heat lamp further away from them and lowering the temperature in their enclosure daily until they are ready for the great outdoors.
Cute has a shelf life
It is important that you handle the chicks daily, right from the start. I didn't do this enough. I broke my ankle three weeks after bringing the chicks home. Guess who had to care for the chicks while I was laid up? Yes, I do have a wonderful husband. But there was no way he was going to chase these little guys around just to hold them for a while. As a result my Marans are less than social. Being a naturally shy breed, they avoid me at all cost. A friend of mine attributes their "stand offishness" to the fact that they originated from France. Fancy French birds.
Next time I'll talk about chicken coops and runs, plus my ongoing experiences. In the mean time, if you want more information I recommend the book "Free Range Chicken Gardens, How to Create a Beautiful Chicken Friendly Yard," writen by Jessi Bloom. Also an excellent website for just about anything chicken related, backyardchickens.com. I also welcome any comments or feedback you may have. Bon Jour, for now.