My neighbor and I share 6 hens: three Buff Orpingtons
and three mixed RIR, Ameracauna, and something else but I forget what the seller told me. Anyway, the Buff's are young and not laying yet. We learned the hard way about adding pullets to an established flock. One hen got badly injured, then jumped back into the established flock for a second beating. She recovered while we separated the two groups, then jumped back in a for a third whupping! As a result, she has been named Sylvia Plath. After two months, the girls have all settled down, no one is being beaten up, and eggs are at 2-3 a day. Wish we'd read all the articles BEFORE we got the new pullets!
Anyway, we love the fresh eggs and knowing where our food is coming from, what the hens have been eating, and that they are not confined to cages. We plan to expand to a larger flock, probably a dozen or so, when the time is appropriate as other neighbors want to join our egg co-op. First, however, we have to get through the entire chicken life cycle, including butchering them. That'll be a challenge for us Disney-raised suburban farmers. We're hoping to find a workshop here in the North SF Bay Area to teach us how to butcher and dress the poultry without crying or throwing up.
Anyway, we love the fresh eggs and knowing where our food is coming from, what the hens have been eating, and that they are not confined to cages. We plan to expand to a larger flock, probably a dozen or so, when the time is appropriate as other neighbors want to join our egg co-op. First, however, we have to get through the entire chicken life cycle, including butchering them. That'll be a challenge for us Disney-raised suburban farmers. We're hoping to find a workshop here in the North SF Bay Area to teach us how to butcher and dress the poultry without crying or throwing up.
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