Chick Chick HOORAY!

We have chickens! I mean, we’ve had chickens at Food It Yourself HQ since 2017. However, this week we picked up the chicks we ordered from a local farmers’ co-op. Just look at these little fluff balls learning to play the glockenspiel:

As you can imagine, I am a big supporter of keeping chickens. I also support keeping ducks, turkeys, quail, goats, sheep…whatever animals help you make feeding your household a daily DIY project. With egg prices still relatively high there has been a growing interest in backyard chicken keeping. Is keeping chickens (or other egg producers) right for your household?

The USDA has many resources for hobby chicken tenders. I strongly encourage you to take a look at the linked page and all the associated links. Is chicken ownership great? Yes, it is. Does it come with challenges? Also, yes; only you can decide if the challenges are worth the reward. My top tip if you are even slightly interested in getting chickens is this: do some research before you buy anything. Your first topic of research should be the animal keeping regulations and by-laws where you live. Know the rules and follow them. Violating animal keeping statutes can result in serious fines.

Other topics investigate include:

• How many birds do you intend to keep? This may be influenced by applicable regulations in your city/town, county, state, or other defined area.
• Which breed(s) of chicken should you keep? Back Yard Chickens (one of my go-to sites for chicken knowledge) has a user-friendly guide for this.
• What predators live in my area and how do I minimize the chance they will eat my birds? University of Kentucky’s agricultural extension manages the Poultry Extension website, where this helpful article is posted.

My own personal experience these last eight years have given me the following insights.

• Poop- there is so much poop in the coop. You need to clean it frequently and have a compost system already in place. When you keep chicks or sick/injured birds inside there will be poop in inside. It will get on the floor, in the bathtub (if you stash the birds there temporarily), and definitely on you. If you are unwilling to clean and sanitize during and after these incidents, maybe chicken tending is not for you.
• They do not give a fluff about your landscaping. They are going to scratch and peck the lawn. They will steal tomatoes off the vine. They must be supervised closely to prevent the destruction of your garden. If you want the look of your property guaranteed, you need to reconsider keeping chickens.
• There are no vacations. Taking care of chickens and other birds is a 365-day per year job. You will be fixing the coop in a rainstorm. You will need to shovel a path to the coop during a blizzard. There are no holidays. If you can not guarantee the birds will have their food and water checked every single day you should re-think owning chickens.
• They die. There is no way to sugar-coat the reality. Your birds are mortal. We have lost birds to old age, being egg-bound, frostbitten legs and feet, and predators. With this round of chicks, we lost one to stress/exhaustion the day after we brought her home. It is never easy, but it is the way things work. It can be emotionally difficult for many people to loose an animal. If anyone in your household has difficulty with this, your houshold may not be ready to keep chickens.

Do not get me wrong- on the whole, keeping chickens is a joy. The eggs are delicious. They are entertaining and engaging, as each bird truly has a unique personality. The poop they produce means I never need to buy fertilizer for the garden. Just be aware that there is both physical and emotional work involved in being a responsible chicken tender.

Keeping chickens at home is a positive thing, if you do it the right way. Make sure it is allowed where you live. Understand that it will not always go smoothly and there will always be work to do. Also, know that you will bond with your flock and look forward to caring for them.

If you are currently a chicken owner, or if you keep other birds, what wisdom can you pass along? If you are contemplating starting a flock, what questions do you have? Share in the comments!