Our living sustainable and simply has led us to a new joy: raising chickens! Yes that’s right, we are urban farmers raising chickens for their eggs in our suburban backyard. How cool is that!
Chicks are super easy to own and take care of, plus the kids adore them! Basically all you need is a warm space for them to run around in, a nesting area, water and chicken feed. After doing a ton of research on the web (What kind of diseases do they carry? How long do they live? What do you need for them to produce eggs? Can you make money?) We went to the feed store to price it all out. Well, seeing the kids reaction to the “Little Birdies!” (Maddie) “Doggie!” (Christian) and the fact that they only cost $3 each, we went home with a box of 3 chickens, and their food stuff.
Four hours later Dustin had designed and built from supplies at Home Depot our “Rockin’ Roost”. We still have to set up their individual nesting rooms and I want to paint the outside to look like a barn but for the most part, we have an operating chicken farm.
We went ahead and named the chickens…even though Dustin wanted a nameless one for “hunting”. I think we’ll have to get a really ugly one for that purpose. They’d offered us a toe biting goose for free at the feed store that we could have used for “hunting”, but I don’t know if Dustin is REALLY ready to kill and prepare a goose or chicken yet. Maybe he is and I’m the one that’s not ready.
9 Comments
chickens, reminds me of when I was kid. This is so awesome you guys are doing this. Me and Donna have toyed with the idea in the past and it keeps resurfacing. Beware of the poop! It can accumulate real fast.
My Mom has chickens and they produce the best eggs!!!
I would like to have some but we aren’t allowed “fowl” per our zoning or something like that.
I’ve thought about growing our own little garden, but I don’t think I could personally do the chicken thing. I could use them for eggs, but I use very few eggs since none of us like them. My great grandparents used to raise and eat their own chickens…pretty gross process…but I’m sure you’ll save some money :).
We’re not allowed either but let’s keep that on the down low
Wow, kudos to you I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do what you are doing, I’m not a fan of chickens. I guess I’ll stick to my freezer meals, hee hee :o)
Aww! I think the chicks are so cute! I’d be like you and there’s no way I could ever raise them just to eat them… I’m such a baby when it comes to stuff like that. Good luck on saving money!
Chickens, how cute! And such sweet pictures with your kiddos
Don’t chicken coops smell really bad?
How are the chicks doing? My mom was just talking about raising her own chickens the other day :0)