morn

the chicken keeper's morning ritual

We're currently collecting 5 or 6 eggs from our 6 laying hens, daily. Not a significant number enough to sell many but more than we can eat ourselves in a week. Our neighbor relieves us of the small surplus buy buying a dozen or so each week. It's an arrangement that works for all.

At the end of April, it will be a year since we brought home our first tiny chicks. Raising them from puffballs into pullets and then at last, watching them become layers, has been endless fun and learning for us all. We've dealt with death on various occasions, and have needed to trouble-shoot issues like rats (after the chicken feed in the greenhouse), bugs (treating the girls for mites) and needed to replace some fencing they were jumping over so that they can now roam the yard safely and securely. It's been very little work or worry, really, mostly it's been very rewarding.

Hillary, with Sophie (Buff Orpington) and Ruby and Dora the Explorer (both Red Rock X's)

Since having chickens, I feel less guilty at not having met the kids' persistent requests for cats or dogs. They adore animals and having the backyard chickens has really filled that desire for them, they are more than an easy source of protein for us (eggs); they are as good of pets as any, with a minor fraction of the work. And the kids just adore them.