It’s been a year of us owning chickens, and I wanted to share some insights for anyone looking to get chickens.
They Have Personality
Chickens have so much personality. When we initially got the chicks, on “May the 4th”, we appropriately gave them all Star Wars type names. As they got larger it was really hard to tell them apart so we scrapped the names and opted for colored leg bands. So now all four hens go by either Red, Purple, Blue or Green.
As they have got older, each really does have their own personality. They are all very calm and respectful to one another but they have their quirks. Blue is always the first one to say hi. She loves to run after you for a quick pet. Purple is the most shy. Always the last to leave the run and take her treats. Green is feisty. She’ll fight getting back in the run when they are left to range. She’ll force you to circle round and round until she finally gives in and goes home. I don’t think we’ll give them proper names at this point, but it would be fun to name them.
They Are Smarter Than You Think
Chickens learn very quickly. Apparently chickens can remember up to 100 different faces. They certainly know who we are and know what different situations mean. They understand that treats mean time to go back to the run. They know they can jump up knock the treat dish out of my hands. And they know when it’s bedtime and to go roost in their coup. We haven’t had a single issue with them getting locked out of the coup.
They Bring So Much Joy
There is seriously nothing funnier than watching a chicken run towards you. They have so much excitement in their faces, their tail feathers bouncing side to side, with a partial wing flap. Our chickens are mostly kept in the run so don’t get to free-range all day, so when they do, boy are they happy. They will run over to their favorite dirt patch to scoop up any worms or bugs, eat weeds – they love dandelions! And they love getting treats.
I wrote about the importance of protein for chickens during the winter. We continue to feed them black soldier fly larvae every day which is high in protein and calcium. They go nuts for it. You can hear the excitement in their voices when they see us approaching the run with a bowl or plate of something. Leftovers, greens, fruit or their favorite – watermelon! We’ve also tried to provide them some stimulation but attaching apples to a string hanging from the run for them to peck at.
They Are Not Noisy
I get a lot of people ask “aren’t they noisy”, referring to the chickens. I actually find that a surprising question as it wasn’t something I had thought about when getting chickens. We did learn that the roosters are noisy, and don’t only crow in the mornings. Our two crowed all day long. But the hens are quiet. Occasionally they will sing their egg song, after laying an egg – so very proud. And if we are outside and they are still in the run, they will quack to be let out. But most of the time they are very quiet.
They Are Not That Smelly
This can be relative, but generally we have not found the chicken coup or run to smell. This is mainly due to what we have used in the coup and run. I discuss what supplies we used in the blog “Introducing Chickens” and we have continued to find the hemp and the pine pellets do a great job in keeping the areas dry and clean. Every couple of weeks we sprinkle more barn lime to freshen things up. In the beginning of April we did a full clean-out of the coup, replacing all of the hemp and nesting pads and gave everything a good wash down. The deep litter method means you do not need to clean out frequently, instead just adding additional layers on top, and doing a full clean-out twice a year.
Fresh Eggs Are The Best
The main reason anyone gets chickens is for the eggs. They are outstanding. Our New Hampshire Reds have been steadily laying since the middle of March, with 3-4 eggs per day. We have had a number of crushed eggs since one of our hens refuses to use the nest box and instead lays on the poop shelf. Despite putting a nesting pad up there, often the eggs roll off and end on the floor. Sharp claws and the occasional peck crush the egg. For those that have been damaged, we add them to a pan shell and all, and scramble. Then feed it back to them. Thankfully though they have not started eating the good eggs in the nest boxes.
Like we did throughout the winter, we continue to collect eggs once or twice a day. The eggs are beautifully large with dark orangey/yellow yolks. We’ve been storing them unwashed, on the kitchen counter.
We have been keeping track of our daily eggs using a egg tracker. We tally eggs obtain from each box, and capture any notes about the eggs, like if the shells were soft, broken, or if we know which egg was using which box. It’s been fun to see the quantity increase as the weather has got warmer.
