…true story! Chickens are like that first scratch when you have a mosquito bite – it starts as something small and then you just can’t stop (chickens, horses, goats – oh my!).
As you may know, I started out with four retired layer hens in our backyard in 2015. By that time I was fully obsessed with our garden and had the homesteading itch, so I started pestering Matt about breaking the HOA rules and getting a few hens for the yard. One of our neighbors was extremely cool with it (we gave her eggs regularly as a pay-off), the other neighbors barely came outside, and the ones directly behind us had a yard like a football field, so they never even ventured near our yard. (We were lucky to have “estate” lots that were larger than normal subdivisions and knew hen noises and any smells would not be near people’s back doors.)
Matt decided to save time by purchasing a pre-made coop instead of building one. He found a talented craftsman a few hours away who makes cedar sheds, coops, etc. that we purchased ours from. It looks like a cute little saloon instead of a chicken coop – and in honor of one of my favorite musicals have dubbed it “The Best Little Henhouse in Texas”. 🙂 We picked the coop up in pieces (sides, top, bottom, and awning) that we put together once it was home. Then, Matt created a run for the girls to have outdoor space. We used hardware cloth to ensure predators could not get their paws or beaks through so we did not have to fully lock the girls in at night. Final touches included a feeder, waterer, and a pan of grit (for digestion) and oyster shells (for calcium). I personally like to use pine shavings for the floor of the coop to collect droppings and straw to line the nest boxes.
There was a local organic farm about 20 minutes from our house who advertised that they were retiring their 18-month old laying hens to make room for new chicks, which was a perfect option for us. We knew we were not ready for brand new baby chicks, so adult birds who were already laying was an ideal way for us to get started. We picked up the four hens (who were in cardboard boxes for their adventure) and introduced them to their new home. I was so ecstatic to FINALLY have hens! When we were home we would let them out to free range through our yard – these girls were super friendly and easily handled.
When we made the move to our new property I swear I thought there had to be a secret camera crew taping the madness of (chicken) moving day. Our normally easy to catch birds made mad dashes all through the yard and garden – I am fairly certain I cursed more than I ever have/should in front of my mother-in-law, as I slipped and stumbled trying to catch them to put in their boxes for moving. We moved our coop with us, so we had to simultaneously package up and move hens, take down the coop and run, get to the new house, put up the coop and run, and install the hens. Luckily, we had a weekend to move and friends to help get the coop and run put together in one afternoon (and obliging hens who went in when we needed them to). We were able to expand the chicken yard so they are not kept in their coop/run during the day, but have a whole fenced yard to wander.
*TIP: The best money we ever spent was on an automatic coop door. Ours doesn’t require any electricity (just replace the AA battery once a year or so) and it opens as soon as there is light and closes as soon as it gets dark. It is perfect when we want to go out in the evenings, or when we forget, or just in general because it is one less thing to worry about and keeps our hens safe at night.
About a week after we moved I determined that I needed more chickens. *Attention – Do As I Say, Not As I Do PSA: I do NOT recommend introducing them the way I did because I purchased four pullets (young hens) and just separated them in another fenced yard for the day, then plopped them in the coop that night. You are REALLY supposed to quarantine the new birds for 2-4 weeks to ensure there are no illnesses spread.* (We have been lucky with any new hens we have brought home in that no one has become ill, but I wanted to make sure everyone knows that there can be a risk of contagion.)
After a few days (weeks) of figuring out the pecking order (old hens being complete *beeps*) the new girls settled in and we began getting eggs from them within a few months. (We have since added four additional pullets to our flock, but the numbers have returned to a total of eight for now – those stories are for another day.)
Keeping chickens is a great way to start on the path to self-sufficiency and dip your toe in the homesteading pond. They are easy to keep, do not require a lot of attention, and give you a measurable return in the form of eggs. A lot of cities are on board now (I know Austin certainly is) and you can easily get enough eggs from your girls to feed your family fresh eggs every week. (We have not bought eggs since May 2015 – it is amazing!) We know exactly how our chickens are treated (spoiled), what they eat (organic layer feed from a local feed mill and grass, weeds, and bugs from our property which we do not treat with pesticides), and get to enjoy their antics for our own amusement.
I will say, it is not always going to be cheaper than just grabbing a carton of eggs at the store. But, you will feel better about your food and have a healthier product and happier animals. This coming year I plan to keep better records (um…anything is better than the zero records I have been keeping) to really help me see the amount of money we put into the hens so I can get an idea of the cost per dozen. You can also consider chicken keeping a spiritual act; you are reconnecting with the natural cycle of the seasons and Earth, taking time out to sit outside and breathe deeply, and offering respect and thanks to another living creature for its contributions to the planet.
Do you keep chickens? What has been the best part or the most challenging? Were they your “gateway animal”, too?