My First Year as a City Chicken Owner

or What I Wish I'd Known 12 Months Ago :)

It's been just over a year since I inherited my first chickens. I now have six hens, two of them new this year. Here's what I would tell someone who is considering chickens. (Please add your comments too!)

1. City chickens are healthiest when housed on the lawn, but it doesn't work so well in the Enumclaw winter. My chickens love the lawn and the greens make their egg yolks a bright orange color. However, moving my chicken tractor around in soggy weather just tears up the grass! Although it's not ideal, I have a permanent pen where my hens stay in the winter. I spread straw on the ground to minimize the mud. The chickens do enjoy a chance to dig in the dirt.

2. Grow lots of cool-weather greens! (See this post.) Kale and chard during the rainy season help to make up for the hens not being on the grass.

3. Three square feet per (full-size) chicken isn't really enough. (That was a measurement I got from the Chicken Tractor book.) My hens grew A LOT over their first winter, and seemed to totally fill their tractor by spring! They also produced more manure than they had in the fall, so I had to move the tractor more than once a day if I wanted them to be able to find any grass on the ground.

4. Introducing new hens to the flock is a tricky business. I was oh, so careful, but my two new girls are still sometimes picked on even after six weeks. The "pecking order" is a real thing!

5. Keep your chickens entertained. Vary their food, let them run a bit (I have some portable fencing that I use to give them more space), or visit them often. Bored chickens get into trouble--like picking on each other and eating eggs. I learned this the hard way, and had to take an egg eater to the auction. :(

6. Be patient when your girls are molting. For some, it is a long process. They don't lay well, and they're grumpy. This, too, shall pass.

7. Chickens breeds are not all the same! I have three kinds now, and I think my favorites are the Buff Orpingtons. Every breed has its fan club, however.

While I would LOVE to have a more land and the chance to let my chickens run free, life with city chickens is pretty good too.

Chicken Update

It's been seven months since I wrote about raising city chickens, and I'm feeling a bit more experienced. I originally planned to write this post about the superiority of homegrown eggs (and the eggs ARE great), but I've learned that raising chickens has many other advantages as well. They make wonderful PETS!

Helping in the Garden

My chickens spent most of last winter camped out on top of various garden beds in my yard. I put their chicken tractor on the raised beds, and "the girls" provided the fertilizer for this summer's crops. (I added straw to balance the high-nitrogen manure.) Within a month of moving the birds off, each bed had beautiful, worm-filled soil.

Creating Companionship

I had never realized how nice it is to hang out with chickens. They make happy little noises all day long. They also make other sounds we've learned to recognize--like what my son translated as "Look, look, look EEEGG!" when they want to make an announcement. They each have a unique personality. I like to be with them!

Being Neighborly

Best of all, chickens are like magnets for attracting friends. There is the man who whistles to the birds every time he walks past my yard. One of my neighbors often brings over "past their prime" fruits and veggies, while another neighbor pokes weeds through the fence for the chickens to eat. A young family stops their car to get a closer look and the kids are excited to be able to pet a chicken. The whole neighborhood comes together around a few little birds!

This YouTube author experienced the same thing:

If you want to learn about other chicken talents, I recommend the book City Chicks by Patricia Foreman. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.

Eggs

"Propaganda: Eating eggs leads to heart disease: throw out the yolks!

Reality: In reality, eggs are high in choline and B6, both of which are used to combat hardening of the arteries. Eggs are nutrient-dense and contain all the amino acids, a vast array of minerals and vitamins, and antioxidants.

Tips:
Good sources of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxamthin: eggs, broccoli, spinach.

Drinking plenty of water (five or more glasses a day) can protect the heart. Try replacing other drinks with pure, filtered or natural spring water flavored with a twist of lemon or lime.

To get the greatest benefit from eating eggs, purchase organic eggs from free-range chickens. They are higher in omega 3's, vitamins A, D, and E; and do not contain the potentially dangerous traces of antibiotics and pesticides that regular supermarket eggs do."

- Michael Barbee, C. D. C.
Politically Incorrect Nutrition: Finding Reality in the Mire of Food Industry Propaganda

Click here to order this book from Amazon.com.

An Easy, Delicious, Fresh Fall Salad

Here is a tasty, protein-filled, salad recipe for those remaining beets in your garden. The textures and flavors are excellent together---especially with fresh beets. I recommend doubling the recipe for those wanting 'seconds'.

Harvard Beets and Boiled Eggs

• Trim and boil 3 cups of medium-sized beets 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cook, peel and slice. Save liquid.
• In a sauce pan cook 1 cup of reserved juice, 1/4th cup vinegar of your choice, and 2 Tblsp. of raw honey.
• Add 2 cloves, 1/2 tsp. of salt, 3 peppercorns and 1 bay leaf.
• Add soft-boiled eggs and onions as desired.
• Marinate for 2 days, covered in the refrigerator, for full flavor.
• Serves 3 easily as a side dish.
• Enjoy!

My Enumclaw Backyard Chickens

For a long time, I have wanted to raise chickens. I live in downtown Enumclaw, on a city lot of about 1/3 acre. I learned that it IS legal to have chickens in the city limits, as long as they are fully enclosed and do not have an odor that can bother neighbors. Then a friend offered me some free chickens, and I knew the time was right. That was just a few weeks ago, so I’m still learning. If you have experience and would like to add your comments, please do!

When I knew the chickens were coming, I started researching how to build a chicken coop. I loved the "hen spa," but couldn’t handle its price tag. I eventually found the book Chicken Tractor by Andy Lee and Pat Foreman, which gave me lots of information. A chicken tractor is any kind portable pen—like the hen spa—which is moved frequently to allow the chickens to eat whatever they find on the ground as well as what they are given in their feeder. The authors discuss the benefits of a portable coop (easier cleaning because there’s no floor and taking advantage of the chicken manure to fertilize the garden). They give detailed directions--although there are some errors and inconsistencies in my edition of the book--on how to build your own tractor. Especially helpful are the tips such as hanging the food and water from the roof so you don’t have pick up anything when it’s time to move. The book also gives guidelines such as 3-4 square feet for each laying hen and 9 inches of perch space per hen. Googling “chicken tractor” on the internet brought many more ideas, including a website with photos of almost 200 variations on the idea of a portable chicken coop.

The Chicken Tractor authors estimate a cost of $75 for their coop (without nest boxes). However, our family was able to round up enough 2’x4’s, chicken wire, and plywood (although it is patched together in places) so that all we had to buy was hardware. A friend gave us the fiberglass roofing material. Our total cost was under $20. It’s good to remember that you don’t want a lot of heavy-duty lumber because the coop needs to be light enough to move!

What we finally ended up with looks like this: Module #1 is 8’ x 3’ and is 2’ high. It has 2 beams across the middle for hanging food and water. It has a door in one end which I close to move the coop. It has 2 sections of roof which open to allow access to food and water, and to the door. The roofs are hooked closed when not raised. Module #2 is 4’ x 3’ and 3’ high. I made it taller than module #1 so that the chickens can move UP to roost at night. The interior design is a close copy of the hen spa, with 3 nest boxes and 2 perches. This

module also has a roof which lifts and a door in one end which pulls up to allow access into module #1. There are plywood walls around the top half, for shelter from our Enumclaw winds. I attached 2x2 boards on the outside as handles, because the plywood made it hard to hold on for moving.

During the day, the chickens have free access to the whole coop—a total of 36 square feet of ground for 7 birds. When they are on the lawn, we move them every day. The grass from previous days does look yellow for awhile, but then comes back nice and green. At first I had problems with the chickens digging holes in the lawn, but that got better when I put grit in their food. Chickens need small rocks to help their digestion, and they weren’t getting enough from my lawn. My morning routine of checking for eggs, cleaning the nest boxes, checking food and water, and moving the coop takes me about 10 minutes total.

Moving the coop was interesting at first. The chickens sort of panicked, and one even got her leg caught under the side the first time. (I felt so bad!--though she wasn’t seriously hurt and probably got over it faster than I did.) After a few days, though, the hens had it figured out. Now they just move along slowly with their house and seem to look forward to finding goodies in their new patch of grass.

Right now, my garden is still growing food, but I plan to have my chickens help me with the garden in the winter. My chicken tractor was made to fit on top of my raised beds. When the vegetables are done, I will put the chickens in the garden to eat up the compost and to till and fertilize the soil. The Chicken Tractor book also discusses how to start new raised beds by leaving the chickens in one place for a month or more and just layering in straw or other bedding. Add a thin layer of topsoil when the chickens are done, and you have a fertile garden bed. I have also considered using some temporary fencing to put them in parts of the yard where the tractor can’t go—like in my raspberry patch. I can move module #2 (with the roosts and nest boxes) right up next to the fenced-in area, and they can scratch the bugs and weeds out of any part of the yard.

The chickens enjoy their yard diet, but I need to buy food as well. I purchased Layer Poultry Feed, which has the calcium which chickens need when they are producing eggs. Since my chickens are just starting to lay, I bought oyster shells as an additional calcium source. As previously mentioned, I also purchased grit. It looks like my 50 lb bag of feed ($12) will last my chickens about 4 weeks. I do give them daily treats of garden trimmings or kitchen compost as well. (They know good stuff is coming and always run to greet me when I go out to the coop!)

Chickens are curious and friendly. My kids have named all of them and like to hold them. I enjoy watching and listening to them, and hope they’ll be part of my life for a long time.

Click here to order Chicken Tractor: The Permaculture Guide to Happy Hens and Healthy Soil from Amazon.com

Backyard Sustainably Grown and Fed Chickens

"Bob Cannard, of Green String Farm, has farmed sustainably for 30 years. His father Bob Cannard Sr. was an avid advocate of backyard chickens, particularly in Sonoma, CA. We asked Bob Cannard how he would feed chickens locally. He provided the following chicken meal plan.

Free range:
Within a fenced backyard, periodically rotate chickens in your garden. They will scratch the fence up a bit, but will keep the grass mowed.
With larger property, chickens can free range on a rotational pasture.
Orchards are a great place to let chickens run around.
A good Winter ground cover for chicken runs is crimson clover.

Greens:
For egg laying hens provide 60-70% greens.
Too many greens aren't good for growth or egg laying.
They like greens that are soft, leafy and palatable.
Some good greens are: kale, Swiss chard, beet tops, amaranth, and some comfrey (not a lot).
Kale is a source of protein.
Avoid less sweet greens like mustard.
Pick, chop up, drop in.
Greens are great as long as the chickens are not de-beaked.
Phytochemicals come from greens.

Grow an old fashioned crop of corn as a protein source.
Flint or semi-flint type corn is best--never hybrids or GMO's.
Good choice are Semi-Flint, Semi-Sweet, Country Gentleman.
Feed whole corn kernels---just shell off from the cob.
Corn dried on plants will keep for feeding later.
For 20 chicken you need 1/8 acre of corn.

Alternates to Corn are Millet and Milo and are sources of protein easier to grow than corn. Their yield can be lower depending on how it grows on your property.

All kitchen scraps. Everything from the kitchen including cheese and meat.

Garden Waste:
Weeds - a wheal barrow load each day for 20 chickens.
Anything no longer edible for humans (but nothing rotten or moldy)
Melons, squash, etc.
Pumpkins in the winter are a source of protein. Grow pumpkins around the corn. Chop up the pumpkins and feed all winter long. Get full sized pumpkins: i.e. New England Pie or, slightly bigger, Howden.
A couple of dozen plants are needed for 20 chickens.
20 tons of pumpkin can be gotten from one acre.

Any Squash is a source of protein.
In the Winter: Winter Squash and Butternut Squash
In the Summer: Zucchini, which is high in protein

Other helpful information:
You probably won’t be able to grow all the food you need for your chickens, but you can definitely grow most of it. To feed a flock of 20 chickens once a day, it should take on average 10 minutes. (Some days it will be longer and other days just a few minutes.)
Chickens are extremely efficient animals - converting 7lbs of feed to 1 lb of body.

General Sustainability:
Keep the pen clean.
Conserve manure for compost, and put it back on what you are growing for their food. "

Interview by Deborah Grace Craft at http://www.sustainablechicken.com/.
Learn more from an additional interview by Deborah---"Introduction to Robert Plamondon", (Oregon farmer and writer of practical free-range poultry rearing).

Eggsactly Right

Real foods are usually seasonal—and that includes eggs. This may sound surprising, since eggs are always plentiful at the grocery store. But, in Nature, it is light that gets chickens to lay their eggs. Spring—when the days are getting longer—is the real beginning of egg season. (The factory-farmed chickens live under artificial light to trick their bodies into laying more eggs than they otherwise would.)

Eggs are a perfect food. Sally Fallon and Mary Enig have this to say in Nourishing Traditions:
“Eggs have provided mankind with high-quality protein and fat-soluble vitamins for millennia. Properly produced eggs are rich in just about every nutrient we have yet discovered, especially fat-soluble vitamins A and D. Eggs also provide sulphur-containing proteins, necessary for the integrity of cell membranes. They are an excellent a source of special long-chain fatty acids called EPA and DHA, which play a vital role in the development of the nervous system in the infant and the maintenance of mental acuity in the adult. No wonder Asians value eggs as a brain food. Egg yolk is the most concentrated source known of choline, a B vitamin found in lecithin that is necessary for keeping the cholesterol moving in the blood stream.”

The best eggs are from chickens fed flax or fish meal, or (best of all) chickens that are pasture fed so they can eat bugs and worms. (And “free-range” doesn’t necessarily mean pasture fed.) You can tell a good chicken egg because it has a dark yellow yolk that stands up in the middle of the white. The shell is usually tougher than the shell of a factory-farmed egg, because the pasture-fed chicken is getting plenty of minerals.

Enjoy eggs :)