Have We Discussed Chickens?

Poultry farming is the form of animal husbandry which raises domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese to produce meat or eggs for food.

Food? These animals are not food unless you count food for hawks, raccoons, bears, etc. Eggs, maybe if they decide to lay eggs. They only lay when they want to and when conditions are just to their liking. They don’t lay when the days are short, they don’t lay when the weather is hot, they don’t lay when they are molting and they don’t lay when they are “broody”. They don’t lay when they have baby chicks to take care of and it seems they get Sundays off and every State and Federal Holiday.

They also do not lay in times of stress. Let’s evaluate that for just a minute. High quality poultry feed is kept by them 24 hours per day. The water is changed and refilled daily. They have a roof over their pretty heads when they choose unless they choose to free range on their dedicated 2 acres of grass and woods. Both grass and woods provide a multitude of bugs, seeds, worms, etc.

I hated poultry all my life. Matthew asked for chickens and I said never at this house. But….. I garden like a maniac. It is a gene that you cannot ignore. Similar to the bucket gene. If you have it, there will be buckets everywhere. A house where a Duty lives can be distinguished by the number of buckets in the back yard. A story for another day. If you garden, and if you garden in raised beds, you need compost. If you are impatient, your compost pile will not compost fast enough for you unless you add chicken manure. And once you have fresh eggs for breakfast and for baking, you can’t go back.

Gene built me a chicken mansion when I swore I would never have more than 20 chickens. We bought and had built the Taj Mahal Chicken house when that number really increased. Let’s just say I found homes for 24 roosters this spring. I really do try not to count.

Have I told you I love baby chickens? I really love the baby chickens who are raised by Mama hens. So much easier and so much fun. A lot of heartache because some babies don’t make it, some Mama hens are not as good as others. But Boy! When you have bantam hens, they are always good Mamas and they will take and raise any hen’s chicks or bought chicks. Of course, none of this being broody, sitting on eggs, raising babies increases egg production. I think I have 13 broody hens sitting on eggs right now and two ducks and probably 12 mamas with babies running around all over the chicken yard. And I love it!

Poor Gene! He hates everything about the chickens and the ducks. He goes every afternoon and helps with the chicken chores. He does the water changes while I feed and gather eggs. I love the chicken chores. Him not so much. Gene maintains the facilities, helps reprogram the automatic chicken doors to let them out and close them in, and fights the predators. as well as goes with me at dark to make sure everyone is up and safe for the night. This includes counting the ducks.

The hawks are the usual predator. The roosters sound the alarm and I run with the dogs. Despite my best efforts I lose one every now and again. When Mama Fox has babies in March and April, the Ducks have to stay up during the day. Raccoons are heartless, they kill for sport. Anything left out at night is gone. All of this I have adjusted to as best I can.

Now we have a BEAR! All my years of chicken farming, Gene has always told me two things. One, if the bear wants in, he will get in. Two, you cannot out run a bear.

So far, the bear has killed and eaten a hen and a rooster. He/She has eaten all the eggs in the poor Duck’s nest and lots of chicken eggs. A lot of those eggs were getting ready to hatch. The bear has destroyed one small coop I used for mamas and babies, tore holes in the netting covering the chicken run, and taken the fun out of going to the chicken yard.

The Conservation Police has been here. We now have 3 new strands of electric fence and rubber bullets to shoot the bear in the butt. You realize we have to be there when he is there to shoot said bear in the butt. Cameras everywhere to monitor the visits. With an orchard and a chicken yard, this young bear has found his “all you can eat buffet”.