Yes, We Got Chickens!

Yes, if you haven’t heard, we now have chickens. Twenty six of them to be exact.  You read that correctly 26! So today I’m going to answer the questions that we keep getting about why and how and all the in between. 

• Why chickens? Because eggs. Farm fresh eggs. Delicious supply of fresh eggs. And eventually, gravy.
• Why 26? Honestly, I was ordering 15 since that was the minimum order. But they had free shipping if you ordered 25. The last one was free if you agree to donate eggs or meat to someone less fortunate. The shipping cost was more than the additional 10 birds so we went with it. We have space for them all and we figured we would loose a few. 
• What breeds did you pick? Meyer Hatchery So we went with to order from. I researched breeds and found my top 5. It was better for my variety options to get the Brown Egg Layer Assortment. Which could be a variety of Golden Buff, Black Australorp, Buff Orpington, White Rock, Barred Plymouth Rock, Partridge Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, Delaware, Golden Laced Wyandotte, Buckeye, Black Jersey Giant, Speckled Sussex, Cuckoo Maran, Welsummer, New Hampshire Red, Dominique or Silver Laced Wyandotte. 22 of the little ladies are of that assortment and 4 are easter eggers. Easter eggers are pretty much a “mutt” of the chicken breeds. But they lay colored eggs. Their eggs can be shades of green, blue, and pink. The two chicks pictured in the post are Easter Eggers (Chick Chick is the yellow one and Jolene is the sassy little brown one)
• Are they hard to care for? So far not really. Obviously, you have to care for them. They have to have a place to be safe from predators and running away, feed and water, clean bedding/nest material, and warmth. We built a brooder out of a bunch of scrap material and chicken wire. Eventually we will finish the big coop and they will move there. First they have to be big enough to take care of themselves a little more. 
• Are they ok for kids? Well as you see in the picture, our 3 year old is totally happy with them. Chick Chick is his pullet. He’s very happy about her and seeing her everyday. But he knows we have to check on them every morning and evening (along with a million other times a day). He helps fill their feeder, gets them blades of grass to snack on, and makes sure they have sticks and pine cones to perch on. We’ve discussed that God gave us animals to care for so we have to be sweet and soft with them. But with chickens my kids will probably learn more than just responsibilities. They’ll learn where their food comes from, the circle of life, and tons of other things.