My Little Piece of Reality Now Includes Chickens
During the first birdemic lockdown of 2020, I spent the bulk of my time renovating a dilapidated building in my backyard that the property's previous owner had used as a chicken coop or hen house. I completed the work within a couple of months and vowed to procure chickens immediately after but somehow did not get around to it. Well, it's taken two years, but the hen house finally has some residents -- twelve of them to be exact.
Three weeks ago, I purchased a dozen six-week-old hybrid egg-laying hens. Not knowing much about how to care for poultry, I asked my neighbors for some tips and tricks. It turns out that there isn't all that much to know when it comes to keeping chickens. Give them fresh water, feed, and some space to run around, and the chickens pretty much take care of themselves. To keep "the ladies" happy and healthy, I installed some roosts and nest boxes in the hen house and provided them with a large, fenced-in run full of vegetation. If all goes well, they will lay their first eggs in August.
I never had much of an opinion about chickens before I got them, but now that they are a part of my reality, I find them to be surprisingly delightful. Their presence also adds a little life to the yard and creates a comforting and warm ambiance.
I get the sense that hens will become a permanent fixture in my life. Next up -- goats!*
* I have to be careful with that one because my wife has bluntly informed me that she will leave me if I dare to bring a goat within a hundred meters of the house.
The ladies, numbers 1 to 8 . . . 
. . . and 9 to 12 (though I think Lady Number 6 -- the prima donna -- appears in both photos).
Three weeks ago, I purchased a dozen six-week-old hybrid egg-laying hens. Not knowing much about how to care for poultry, I asked my neighbors for some tips and tricks. It turns out that there isn't all that much to know when it comes to keeping chickens. Give them fresh water, feed, and some space to run around, and the chickens pretty much take care of themselves. To keep "the ladies" happy and healthy, I installed some roosts and nest boxes in the hen house and provided them with a large, fenced-in run full of vegetation. If all goes well, they will lay their first eggs in August.
I never had much of an opinion about chickens before I got them, but now that they are a part of my reality, I find them to be surprisingly delightful. Their presence also adds a little life to the yard and creates a comforting and warm ambiance.
I get the sense that hens will become a permanent fixture in my life. Next up -- goats!*
* I have to be careful with that one because my wife has bluntly informed me that she will leave me if I dare to bring a goat within a hundred meters of the house.
The ladies, numbers 1 to 8 . . . . . . and 9 to 12 (though I think Lady Number 6 -- the prima donna -- appears in both photos).
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