CatMom2
Chirping
- Mar 29, 2019
- 15
- 48
- 70
I live in the foothills of Northern California and currently have 16 hens. We’ve been keeping chickens for about 3 years now. The first 2 hens were several years old when we got them and one died of old age about 8 months later. We still have the other one 3 years later. We estimate her age as about 6-7 years old. The others are various ages. 6 are new & about 4 1-2 months old, just beginning to lay eggs. I love my chickens. Most of the older girls know their names and they all have their own voices and sounds that I recognize. They are marvelous pets as well as gift givers of eggs. Our weather is everything from snow to 100+ Degree heat and our hens have faired well in all types of climates. This winter due to an extra amount of snow and cold days we insulted the coop with burlap bags and the coop was warm. During the summer months they find places to stay cool. They are free to roam & forage our acreage; however, they stay close to their coop, garden and our houses. They are very people friendly & like to stay near us. Our German Shepherd is very protective of them and keeps watch over them. I’m looking forward to reading articles about chickens and their owners. I loved the article on aging chickens. We don’t eat our old hens. Once they come to live with us they are with us until the end. I loved the comment that their personalities are enjoyed as much as their eggs. In my case, I love their personalities even more.