I am a country girl, born and raised. I've been raising chickens for 20 years. What started as a 4-H project became a life-long addiction. Now, the more the merrier!
Right now I have a dozen (give or take) chickens gracing my backyard, providing fresh eggs and hours of entertainment. I have raised most breeds of chickens, but my favorites are Barred Rocks and Silver Laced Wyandottes.
My flock is mostly free-range and as organic as can be. During the day, they have access to a large covered run attached to the coop, but they get to roam free in the evenings and on weekends when I am home and working outside. They love to "help" me garden (my other favorite pastime) and can usually be found flattening the flowers, bulldozing the beans, terrorizing the tomatoes, and crushing the cucumbers...all in the name of good chicken fun! At least they keep the bug population under control, even if they do eat the good bugs, too.
They get plenty of goodies, including oatmeal for breakfast, yogurt, kefir, sunflower seeds, and flax seed to name a few -- and if I don't bring treats, I get some serious stink eye!
We have plenty of eggs for family and friends. The extra eggs get donated to Hoo Haven, a wildlife rehabilitation center that is dedicated to rehabilitating and releasing sick, injured, and orphaned North American Wildlife. They do wonderful work and we've been donating for about 10 years!
Here are a few pictures of the animals that have brightened my barnyard over the years! Enjoy!
(She's very much alive, just dust bathing!)
(What a choice of nest box!!!)
(So pretty, but such a pig!)
(This cat, a stray, loves to watch the sunset. Each of these pictures is two separate occasions.)
Eggs!!!!!
Right now I have a dozen (give or take) chickens gracing my backyard, providing fresh eggs and hours of entertainment. I have raised most breeds of chickens, but my favorites are Barred Rocks and Silver Laced Wyandottes.
My flock is mostly free-range and as organic as can be. During the day, they have access to a large covered run attached to the coop, but they get to roam free in the evenings and on weekends when I am home and working outside. They love to "help" me garden (my other favorite pastime) and can usually be found flattening the flowers, bulldozing the beans, terrorizing the tomatoes, and crushing the cucumbers...all in the name of good chicken fun! At least they keep the bug population under control, even if they do eat the good bugs, too.
They get plenty of goodies, including oatmeal for breakfast, yogurt, kefir, sunflower seeds, and flax seed to name a few -- and if I don't bring treats, I get some serious stink eye!
We have plenty of eggs for family and friends. The extra eggs get donated to Hoo Haven, a wildlife rehabilitation center that is dedicated to rehabilitating and releasing sick, injured, and orphaned North American Wildlife. They do wonderful work and we've been donating for about 10 years!
Here are a few pictures of the animals that have brightened my barnyard over the years! Enjoy!
(She's very much alive, just dust bathing!)
(What a choice of nest box!!!)
(So pretty, but such a pig!)
(This cat, a stray, loves to watch the sunset. Each of these pictures is two separate occasions.)
Eggs!!!!!