Predators are a more serious problem, and raccoons have claimed a few
members;of;our;flock.;To;gain;access;to
a;tasty;dinner,;they;will;take;advantage
of;any;crevice;they;can;find;in;the;coop.
We;have;also;had;foxes;attack;chickens
in;the;yard,;and;once;a;red-tailed;hawk
swooped;down;and;grabbed;a;chicken.
To;deter;birds;of;prey,;we;let;the;chickens
out;in;an;enclosed;pen.;(Predators;from
the air need more ground than the pen
allows, to come in for a landing.)
2. Chickens in the Winter
Chickens can be kept in the coop
throughout our New England win-ter.;We;don’t;use;a;heater;;their;feath-ers;keep;them;warm,;and;they;huddle
together. There is less opportunity to
browse the offerings of the yard in the
winter;when;the;ground;is;frozen,;but
they;still;like;to;go;out.;The;fresh;air
is;good;for;them.;Chickens;have;weak
lungs and may succumb to pneumonia if cooped up too long. When it
snows, we shovel a small yard for them
and throw out some scratch (cracked
corn), and we shovel a run so they can
get some exercise without sinking in
the snow.
Frozen;drinking;water;is;a;concern.
We place an electric heater under their
water can or use a heated can. To encour-
age them to continue laying through the
shortened days of winter, we light an
electric bulb in the coop for a few hours
at the end of the day.
Benefits of Raising Chicken
1. Eggs
There are many advantages to raising
chickens.;Depending;on;their;breed,;in
their prime, hens lay one egg a day, every
day.;From;those;dozen;chickens;we;start-ed;with,;we;received;a;dozen;lovely;eggs
every day, most of them larger than the
ones at the grocery store.
We raise a variety of breeds, and they
lay different-colored eggs. We have white,
cream, brown, and green.
2. Chores
Tending the chickens is David’s ( 12)
job. He lets them out in the morning,
fills their food and water containers,
collects;eggs,;and;locks;the;chickens;up
at night. He also cleans out the coop.
To maintain a really clean coop, this
chore;should;be;done;once;a;week.;We
free-range;our;chickens,;so;their;coop
doesn’t get as messy as if they were
always cooped up.
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
Chicken Breeds
There;is;a;wide;variety;of;chicken
breeds from which to choose. You
may even decide to mix and match.
Which breed to choose? Of
course,;there’s;an;app;for;that!;It’s
Pickin Chicken Breed Selector by
Mother Earth News (Funny Farm
Industries).
There is also a fun site for those of
us;without;an;iPhone.;It;shows;Hen-derson’s Chicken Breed Chart, an
alphabetical list of more than sixty
breeds with comparative informa-
tion,;at;bit.ly/X7JEp.
Price of Feeding vs.
Price of Eggs
A 25-lb. bag of chicken feed costs
about $15. With twelve pastured
chickens,;that;bag;may;last;a;month
or two. Even if the bag lasts only a
month,;twelve;chickens;each;laying;an
egg;a;day;will;produce;a;dozen;eggs;a
day for your family. If a carton of eggs
at;the;grocery;story;costs;$3;( 25;cents
an egg—can you imagine?), you are
getting;$90;worth;of;eggs;a;month;for
$15.;And;they;taste;better!;They;are
bigger and better for you and, accord-ing;to Crunchy Betty, 1 you can use
them for facials too. What a bargain!
Endnotes:
1.;bit.ly/1aFwHVU
This chicken lays white eggs but will lay them beside the brown and green eggs laid by other hens.
They often share a nesting box, which keeps the eggs clean.
Depending on their
breed, in their prime,
hens lay one egg a day,
every day.
A basket of multi-colored eggs
