Josh’s Chickens, part 2

I’m back for part 2 in my backyard chicken series. If you’ve missed part one, click here for that post.

Here is my “upgraded” coop, what I like to call the chicken hangar.

Internal square footage, this is three or four times the size of my original setup. It’s also very easy to clean as I can open one side completely and hose down the perches, interior, and rake out the bottom–which makes for the best compost you’ll ever find.

The owl decoy on top serves a practical function to deter hawks, which prey on chickens–especially bantam breeds, like silkies. And speaking of a silkie…

These little birds are marvels of nature. They’re the closest thing you’ll get to a Tribble from the original Star Trek series. Fuzzy puffballs, their feathers have a silky feel and their skin is purple, as is their meat. The hens can also be very affectionate and
they make excellent brood mothers.

The two silkies above are both purebred silkies, but the majority of my flock is hybridized from part silkie and part Blue Ameracauna. Crossing an Ameracauna with any other breed produces a hybrid called an Easter Egger as you can get brown, cream, pink, blue, or green eggs.

The hen above is an Easter Egger, most resembling her mother, who was a pure Blue Ameracauna.

Here is her grandson, our current alpha rooster who protects the flock from predators and ushers them into the coop every night.

I currently have twenty-nine birds at the moment, including three roosters. With the exception of the blue-laced wyandotte hen (centrally pictured at left), every single one has either been hatched under a broody hen or incubated. The wyandotte is four years or older and is a wonderful mother, having hatched and cared for the majority of the flock at some point. The wyandotte breed is also known for its broodiness.

I range the birds on a quarter acre, and I move the fence around to let the land recover seasonally so they always have fresh insects and seedlings. The only feed I give them are table scraps and about 6-10 pounds of layer feed every morning as a supplement.

I’ve found chickens to be great fun–much more entertaining than a parakeet or finches, which I’ve also kept. They’re also a lot easier to keep as they do the work themselves.

The fact their eggs are edible and delicious is a very nice bonus!

Josh