Gratuitous pet chicken blogging: The new digs
By Gina Spadafori
May 6, 2008
The chicken area within the garden is done, and the hens seem to be happy in it. Part of that surely is the fact that there are now two fences between them and the dogs, but also there’s more space and some dirt they love to roll in. In fact, the space is so nice and so large that there’ll be more chickens soon.
My friend and neighbor Judy is so in love with my hens — and their pretty, delicious eggs — that she asked if she could add a hen or two. I suggested she raise a couple of chicks, so she went to the feed store and came back with … five! After they feather out, they’ll join the flock: Two more Ameraucanas (those cool Easter egg hens), two Silver-Laced Wyandottes (one of the baby SLWs is pictured in Judy’s hand, which is dirty from her morning spent gardening) and one more Rhode Island Red. (I’m thinking of picking up a couple more young pullet Rhodies from the same person I got Beatrice from.)
Eggs, anyone? We’re going to have plenty.
They’re wonderful pets, too. My girls are friendly, curious and don’t at all mind being held (two of the girls actually seem to like it). The dogs never showed much interest in them, but you couldn’t convince the hens of that. Now that the dogs are definitely double-fenced away, the hens are clearly more relaxed and happy.
I get the rooster noise problem, but I honestly don’t understand why many places don’t allow people to keep a couple of hens. Flies aren’t a problem if you keep on top of the clean-up, and hens are much, much quieter than many a barking dog. (For one thing, chickens are completely quiet after dark, which I cannot say for my neighbor’s dog.)
Pictured above: The girls in their new home. Back row are the Ameraucanas:Isabella, Paloma and Viviana. In the front are Beatrice the Rhode Island Red, Charlotte the Barred Plymouth Rock and Agatha the Delaware.
Would fly predators be worth looking into?
http://www.thebeneficialinsect.....dators.htm
Comment by The OTHER Pat — May 7, 2008 @ 6:21 am
Well, the book on coop designs is on the way. I’m not sure I can wait until next spring. I think there are a lot of misconceptions about chickens as to how much noise they make and how much of a mess they are. They give so much for the little they take. They really complete the garden cycle. They eat kitchen scraps and give excellent fertilizer. You’re so lucky to have a neighbor who will watch them when you’re gone. What ARE you going to do with all those eggs? You’ll have enough for the whole neighborhood!
Comment by C.L.H. — May 7, 2008 @ 6:54 am
Next year, I want to get this:
http://www.omlet.co.uk/product.....glu%20Cube
The version without the run. Currently not available in the U.S., but the U.S. branch of this company says probably next year.
There are lots of great plans for coops, but I’m not capable of building my own and when you add labor to materials, it’s just too much money. I was happy to scrounge and small plastic storage shed to covert to a coop, but I’ll need more coopage soon.
I don’t think I’m going to have any trouble giving away eggs to friends, family and co-workers. Not to mention: The dogs and cats here love them!
You’re absolutely right about how amazing hens are. They do happily munch all kinds of kitchen scraps, produce lovely material for the compost pile and are friendly and relatively quiet. I’m delighted I took the plunge!
Comment by Gina Spadafori — May 7, 2008 @ 7:40 am
I would love to keep a few hens, but the city I live in doesn’t allow it. Or any ‘farm animals,’ the laws being written in such a way that I believe I could keep flocks of parrots or canaries or Japanese quail, but not hens; a guard dog, but not a guard goose; very large dogs, but not miniature goats or horses or babydoll sheep.
Logic, it is not here.
Comment by Eucritta — May 7, 2008 @ 7:56 am
I suspect that in the post-World War II boom when industrial food production really got rolling, there was a lot of pressure to “modernize” — get rid of the coops in the old neighbors and of course, who would want such old-fashioned nonsense in all those new little GI Bill tract homes? Many communities put in codes regarding such “nuisances” and “eyesores” as clotheslines (!) and, of course, chickens, which were seen as something from the Dust Bowl. Backyard chickens? Why, who needed that? We’d all be driving jet-cars to work soon.
Modern America didn’t need to raise its own food! Why, we had experts — with cheap fossil-fuel fertilizers and modern methods —to do that! We were feeding the world!
When oil was cheap, it all seemed so perfect. We’re going to have to rethink all this now.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — May 7, 2008 @ 8:31 am
Eucritta, would you be able to convince city hall that two chickens were PETS instead of farm animals? After all, you’re not living on a farm. The city of Portland, Oregon allows three hens without permit. Madras, Oregon is going the shortsighted route of banning chickens in the city limits. They want to be “modern”. I think the biggest thing is just to make sure all of your neighbors are okay with it. As long as they don’t complain, who will report you? I find it’s always easier to ask forgiveness than permission. I WILL be stringing a clothesline to the deer fence around my vegetable garden this summer. It’s against the CCR’s in my neighborhood, but so is every parked RV and the neighbor’s garden shed right on my property line. I’m prepared to be very feisty this year when it comes to my “carbon footprint”. Once again, why can’t we just do what makes sense????
Comment by C.L.H. — May 7, 2008 @ 9:22 am
I think you’re right — there may be evidence of that in the 1950s and 1960s garden as well, with its plain lawns, broad pebbled concrete patios, and regimented floral borders. And in the old neighborhood compact for our 1952 house, no vegetable gardens are allowed! Good thing it expired in the 1970s!
But I also think there’s another, related, irrational belief at play, that ‘farm animals’ are somehow dirtier and more of a threat to public health than species historically kept as pets.
Comment by Eucritta — May 7, 2008 @ 9:29 am
CLH, I suppose I could sneak a couple of hens under the radar and I doubt anyone in the neighborhood would know or care if they did. But I’d also be putting my vet in the position of providing care for animals she’d know were illegal, and in the event someone *did* complain, I’d be stuck in the middle of a potentially very nasty dispute. Local cases involving pet pigs, geese and goats have not turned out at all well, so there’s some recent precedence to go by.
I’d much rather see the laws and regulations be rationalized first, though at present I don’t think there are enough folks like me who are concerned about it to outweigh those who feel it would erode public health and property values.
Comment by Eucritta — May 7, 2008 @ 9:45 am
There’s a lot of information out there about the benefits of chickens. Quite possibly you could present this information to City Hall and effect a change. Letting your city officials know what the ordinances in other cities are might make them change the laws of your city.
On the gardening scene, there are kitchen gardeners who maintain that British cuisine met it’s demise when the park-like trend for the grounds of large houses won out over the kitchen garden designs that were popular at Versailles and other great houses in France. Maybe that’s what happened in this country. We stopped growing vegetable gardens and forgot what good food was.
Comment by C.L.H. — May 7, 2008 @ 9:54 am
Your hens are beautiful, Gina.
They look like a lot of fun too! Enjoy.
Comment by Marcy — May 7, 2008 @ 11:14 am
The Hens are so pretty and the girls seem to be friendly to each other already too! Wow!
I hope you show photos of where they lay the eggs — so people like me who grew up in a big city can see it… I have no idea, do they make nests or do their people do it for them?
Comment by rose-aka the Drew fan club — May 7, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
Wow, your girls do have quite the estate! Are you planning to let them range the garden and back yard under supervision, Gina? After all, we do know chickens can be readilyclicker trained (chicken camp), and will respond to voice commands. I can see you now, taking your girls on a grub hunt through the squash, potatoes and onions!
Every good chicken yard comes equipped with a hen house, with built in boxes for the hens to nest in. Sometimes individual hens will lay in separate boxes, sometimes they will lay their eggs in just one or two. Sometimes one hen will consistently set the eggs. This is only a problem if you have a rooster and don’t want more chicks. The boxes make egg collection easy.
Last year, the City of South Portland, Maine made it legal for people to keep at least 6 hens ( no roosters). Nancy can correct me if I am wrong. I think more urban areas ought to allow chickens. I just paid $2.59 for a dozen free range organic. Besides, seasoned chicken manure is a tomato plant’s friend.
Comment by Deb — May 7, 2008 @ 2:40 pm
Cool!
I’ve been thinking of getting a few chickens, they are such beautiful birds.
You did a great job on your chicken yard and your birds are lovely.
Good luck with your new hobby!
Comment by Caveat — May 7, 2008 @ 2:47 pm
They will be given access to the veggie garden under supervision. I understand chickens LOVE tomato worms!
The yard outside the fenced veggie garden is going to be off-limits to the hens. I don’t want them interacting with the dogs. Heather I would trust absolutely (mostly because she’s closing in on 12 and can’t be bothered to chase anything), but the younger dogs … hmmm … not taking any chances.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — May 7, 2008 @ 7:39 pm