Our Homesteading Series. Laying Hens

Our first chickens

I remember like it was yesterday.  We went over to our friends house to visit, like we had so many times before, however, little did we know, this time would be different...

                           
As we made our way outside to our friends chicken coop, we found our interest growing.  There they were, pecking around in the yard looking for bugs. What can I say... We fell in love with them!  

(We are in transition do to job change. However, I have 3 years of homesteading under my belt that I can still share until we are up and rolling again)

On the drive home, we discussed where we would begin our "chicken" journey.  What breed would be best for laying, and what about meat chickens...Did we even want to  go down that road??                    
 Once we established what LAYING hens we wanted, we made our purchase.  We chose to go with... Rhode Island Red, Plymouth Rock Chicken, Sussex, Australorp and Frizzles. At one time we had around 35 chickens.  (NOTE: To keep a good healthy flock, buy local if you can. We always purchased our baby chicks from our local feed store. Or  buy full grown chickens from a reliable source. Keep in mind that at times no matter how careful you are, you can still end up with a sick chicken. So keep your new baby chicks / grown hens separated from the flock until you know they are healthy)

New baby chicks

    A frizzle chicken is a type of chicken with feathers that curl outwards, rather than lying flat as in most chickens. (when breeding frizzles, it's best to breed a Frizzle bird to a non-Frizzle bird. Otherwise you can end up with an offspring that carry to much of the F gene making them come out almost "naked" (weak or no feathers)

                                                        

  These were a few of our Frizzle chickens

                                                     
         What did we feed our chickens? They free ranged and we supplemented their diet at times with Flock Raiser.  

Our chickens were free ranged 

                     Our chickens  also enjoyed fresh goat milk

Our chickens enjoyed fresh milk

                                                       

                Here is a picture of "Big Red" AKA...The Rooster.
A little information about roosters... To many will stress out your birds, Resulting in lower egg production. The reason is roosters do what roosters do. (talking about mating here) When you have too many roosters, they tend to "attack" the same chicken more then once. So either keep them separated from the hens, or do not have more then a couple of roosters.
                                             

Big Red

The next photo is a picture of my husband and son getting the chicken coop ready.

My husband and son
Did we know what we were doing? Sorta:) But that is all part of the adventure.

Our first chicken coop

                                                                            
 Chickens are not picky. As long as they have a clean place to lay eggs, they are happy. If you do not clean out their boxes (whatever you choose to use) they may stop laying in them / you will find eggs elsewhere on your homestead! 

Broody hen

Note: If egg production goes down, you may check to see if a hen is broody (laying on eggs to hatch) If that is what you desire, then separate her from the rest of the flock. Around  21 days, you will have baby chicks

Cleaner boxes also mean cleaner eggs!

Proof they will lay under the right conditions!

                                                                                 
     Around 6:30AM chickens want out (when the rooster starts crowing, it is time) They love to free range. Looking for bugs, baby snakes, mice, Etc... Yes, I said mice! We saw ours eat just about everything:)

Morning time!

                                               
As evening approaches, the chickens all start to come home to roost. You do not have to worry about gathering them up, they will gather themselves up:) (Be careful if you do free range your chickens. Other animals may take an interest in them for dinner. Especially, Hawks)   
                                                    

       If you decide want to keep your birds in a fence or simply keep them from "flying" over into areas like the garden, clip their wings. Hold the chicken, spread out the wing, and clip all the bottom / outer part of the wing.  

I do not own this photo

       Cut right along the white line (Not above where the small feathers are) The feathers below the white line are called flight feathers.  It does not hurt the chicken.

Q&A

    Are chickens friendly? Yes. Here is a picture of my husband with our Grand-baby. And yes, that is a chicken on his head!
                                                     
     Do chickens get along with your other animals on your homestead? Yes. This picture is our rooster (Big Red) standing on our goat:)
                                                   

Our rooster (Big red)  standing on our goat

         What about eggs? Do you get enough to feed your family?                       It depends on a few important factors.  1: Are they old enough to lay eggs. (Around 4-6 months old) 2:Is it winter? If so keep them warm in their chicken coop. (You can also add a heating bulb to add even more warmth) Also chickens need sunshine and light. Even in the winter months be sure and let them out of their coop. 3: Are they stressed by roosters? Remember, I told you earlier, to many roosters trying to mate with the hens causes stress. Stress = lower egg production! 4:Is their boxes clean? Refer to photo above. Clean laying boxes = more eggs / cleaner eggs.
5: How many eggs can you expect to get a day? 1 egg per chicken per day. 6:How big? Color of egg? That depends on the age and breed of your chicken. The smaller the egg, the younger the hen. 

Our eggs 

                                   

We always gathered eggs in the morning and evening.

                      When eggs were gathered in the morning,I always checked for freshness. I put all eggs in a full sink of cold water. If they stay on the bottom and lay to the side, they are fresh. If they stand up, they need to be used first. If they float to the top, do not use! Finish by laying on clean towel to air dry. 
                                                        

Our eggs

                       The difference in a farm fresh eggs VS store bought.
                      The deeper orange color is from a hen off the homestead that free range and had a great natural diet. The lighter color egg is from the store. The darker the yolk, the better their diet was.

                           Can you eat a fertilized egg?                           
   Yes, you can eat them. They taste the same and as long as they haven't been under a broody to start the incubation it is pretty much exactly the same as an infertile egg.

                                                                                   


Can you sell fresh eggs? Yes and no. Every state has its own set of rules. In CA I could sell them on my homestead, however, I could not sell them off my property. I also could not advertise price. Only "eggs for sale". 

I hope this post has been helpful. Be patient homesteading takes time:)

For further information, please refer to a good "chicken" book. I like this one...   

Disclaimer...                                           

For educational purposes only. Not intended to take the place of you seeking "professional" advice. The above information is simply has been my experience from my homestead.



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