...Figuratively, that is. We’ve developed a great network of friends in the time we’ve lived in Yellow Springs, including several current or aspiring chicken owners. Given that we plan on roosting some birds of our own in the spring, we jumped at the chance to take care of our friends’ 6 chickens and 2 guineas over Labor Day.
Seriously, can chickens really be this easy? I know it’s supposed to be a breeze, but I spent more time taking care of the three cats of theirs than the birds. Yes, I don’t need to muck out the coop or reroute fencing over the short 5-day period, but it still adds up to less time than a litter box or walking a dog (thankfully, ours self-walks anyway...).
I stop by in the morning to let the chickens out and check food and water levels. Then a first check for eggs in the early evening (our friends’ rule – those who care for the chickens may keep all the eggs), and a return at dusk to close the coop door, check for eggs and feed levels once again, throw some feed on the coops floor for scratch, and that’s it. I envisioned chasing birds back in the coop every evening, but they are well-trained to return at dusk.
It’s certainly given both me and Crunchy confidence that we will be able to manage well come Spring when we start to build our own flock. With my frequent travels for work, we were concerned about the burden on her when I’m gone, but it doesn’t seem as though chickens will be a significant source of stress.
Now, as we start to consider pasture rotation and chicken tractoring, things get more complicated. But I’m coming to realize that some things -- like chickens! -- really do take care of themselves.
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Chickens!
Hey there! I missed you both. 2009 was rough for us . . . harsh weather, family stuff, more harsh weather, and no end in sight to the hard labor. But I guess we made it through!
We have chickens now. They are laying even though it is winter. They are very easy to take care of . . . but . . . they are more susceptible to diseases than ducks are. If you order day old chicks you will have to assume you will lose some . . . we only lost one, but we were well below average on that score.
If you order from a hatchery, keep an eye on their estimated delivery dates. We ordered in March and got our chicks at the end of June! They only started to lay in December.
Best wishes for 2010!
Thanks!
Jade, just sent you an e-mail. We got some chickens and guineas about 6 weeks ago (haven't blogged about it yet) and have a few more months to wait before we get eggs. A friend of ours incubated eggs and we split the flock when they were old enough. We're both looking to keep an eye on developing breeding flocks so we're not dependent on the mail-order variety.
We lost a sick guinea the first week (we started with four), and the disease that got her ended up being relatively mild in the rest of flock. Part of that was likely our breaking down and buying a heat lamp and running 230 ft. of extension cord out to the barn. Working on a solar solution for that...
Happy 2010 to you as well!