24 Jun Chick Crazy

You can hear them even if you don’t necessarily see them all over town these days. Neighborhoods that once greeted dawn with the dulcet tones of doves or grackles stirring are now full of the morning-heralding songs of roosters. Seems lots of folks have been bitten by the backyard-chicken bug.

Some claim it is to save on the cost of store-bought eggs. Some are into it for fun, some to teach their children about food sources. Others hope to control what they themselves ingest by what they choose to feed their flocks. There are chicken-raising Web sites popping up as quickly as hen houses to support this “new” movement and it gives pause to the age-old query about chickens and eggs…

In most cases the answer is, first come newly-hatched chicks then full grown birds and *then* eggs. Chicks are available via the internet, or from local feed stores. The varieties are astounding. I have one friend who has been keeping chickens for years, and now adds to her flock based on the color of eggs the hens will produce. A box of her chicken’s eggs runs the gamut from white through shades of blues and greens to light beige and ruddy brown. Beautiful!

Bear in mind, though that chickens and eggs are easy prey for a variety of critters, some of which you might never have seen in your yard before they discovered your new hobby. Snakes, skunks, coons, possums, all can view your babies as dinner. Foxes and even coyotes may find your yard a veritable buffet.

If all goes well and the flock stays safe, chickens are a commitment. Average life expectancy varies, but some varieties of chickens can live up to 15 years according to some experts. Of course, this assumes no predators, diseases, or accidents. It is wise to consider the ramifications of taking on these new household members. Chickens can quickly strip a yard of any greenery without discriminating between grass and weeds.

I had a few chickens myself many years ago, when I had a fenced yard and an empty dog house that would easily house three Rhode Island Reds. When I found that I needed to move out of state I was lucky enough to have a friend with an established flock that could handle taking on my three hens. Be sure to consider, as you would with any new pet, how you might manage finding safer or more appropriate homes for your chickens should the need arise.

These days, as I love to travel and am unwilling to deal with probable havoc in my yard I’m finding that the swimming pool adage holds. Better than having a pool, they say, is having a friend with a pool. I’m very happy to support the local farmer’s market folks who raise chickens for meat and eggs without having to do it myself! I’d love to hear about *your* experiences, though, so please leave me a comment!