The Village Gardener: Chickens in your backyard

by Georgeanne Vyvergerg –

I have mentioned chickens on occasion in this column and some readers have asked about the pros and cons of keeping them. Are they worth it? How much work are they? I admit that for me they are definitely worthwhile, but then I also admit to just plain liking them. They are quirky and colorful and fun to watch. I have a chair next to the chicken pen and can often be found there watching their interactions. “Who needs television?” I often muse. There is drama, comedy and even pathos to be experienced.

So where to start but I suppose at the beginning. If you are thinking about getting chickens, first do your research. There are so many great books out there it’s hard to recommend just one. Go to the library and check out several and read as much as possible, but also, I encourage you to find others who do have a flock and go observe and ask questions. Some urban areas do allow chickens, but limit the flock size and often roosters are not allowed because some find their crowing disagreeable. I myself much prefer a rooster crowing to a dog that barks nonstop for hours on end.  In truth I love the lusty sound of a crowing rooster.             

So, if you decide to get chickens and have built the perfect coop and outdoor pen I heartily recommend that you start with pullets, which are hens about 4-6 months old and near laying age rather than chicks. Yes, baby fluffy chicks are adorable, but trust me they are a ton of work and while it can be fun, it also can be overwhelming at the same time. I wanted to replace a couple of birds I lost this past year. Debating in my mind whether I should raise chicks or purchase pullets I was ambushed when I stopped into Tractor Supply for dog food shortly before Easter. I heard chirping from the front of the store and hypnotized I followed the sweet sound and there they were, just what I had been dreaming about… the Amerucana breed (they lay beautiful blue green eggs) scratching for food and chirping “buy me buy me.”  I did. Four of them and because State law says you cannot buy less than 6 because they need at least that many for companionship and warmth I decided to get two of another breed and thought  “Okay I’ll just give them away when they are old enough”. Then the clerk said “Pick four Bantams..free today when you buy six regular birds”.  Bantams are a general term for miniature chickens and as my Mom used to say,” cute as the dickens”.  In some sort of trance, I picked four Bantam chicks, which were unsexed and of uncertain heritage because a few boxes of chicks had broken and they were all mixed up. Hence the free deal. At that point as I look backwards on that cold and rainy April day at Tractor Supply I wished the Guardian Angel of my youth would have swooped down and tapped heavily on my shoulder, but she had abandoned me decades ago.

I arrive home and quickly find a cage as I am totally unprepared for chicks…nine of them. Remember I really only need two. But I am smitten with the little fluffy darlings. The next morning, I gaze into the same cage and am sure they grew overnight and things are a bit messy. I have them in the small room, which has already been taken over by my rabbits. I’ll explain about them in another article. The room by the end of a week has a fine layer of white dust from food and shavings being busily scratched about and has the unmistakable odor of a chicken coop, although I try to keep things tidy several times daily. In a short three weeks it is time for new accommodations. Even the rabbits are sneezing. The purchase of heat lamps and unearthing a larger cage and they are moved to the garage where I worry they will be too cold but they survive. The little Bantams easily half the size of the others snuggle underneath their larger companions. Over the next two months this scene is relived several times and the fluffy chicks now miraculously have feathers and I find I have not one but three roosters. The chicken sexing person must have been tired on that fateful day my chickens were born. I understand it’s a difficult job and seriously what does one say when asked what one does at work? I sympathize.

So, my friend unless you are retired and are seriously bored don’t start with chicks. I remember now that I had a couple of Broody hens who loved to sit and hatch out eggs and they did all the work of protecting and keeping them warm and nothing is as lovely to see. Buying pullets are considerably cheaper and by July you will see many ads and indeed pleas on social media to help downsize their flocks. I cringe whenever I see them as I did intrinsically know better, but I am impulsive about animals as well as plants for the garden.

Reasons other than loving these birds are many. Those of you who have read this column know how much I value compost. Well adding chicken manure and bedding to the compost pile really makes it work. I had 5 hens through last winter and the cleanout of their pen in Spring gave me enough material to significantly add to the compost pile. The straw, shavings and manure on the bottom six inches was already finished compost and the warmth from that bedding had helped keep my hens comfortable all winter. Thermometer readings in the pen averaged 10-20 degrees warmer than outside temperatures. Of course, body heat also contributed to that as well. I like the use of sawdust or shavings for their bedding because chickens love to scratch and this constantly mixes it up keeping things fairly clean. There is never a strong ammonia smell. On a daily basis a bit more shavings are placed in the pen. I still like to use straw or hay for nest boxes. Chickens love to arrange it and make it cozy for their egg laying. Shavings tend to be scratched out.

The primary reason most people want chickens is the eggs. Once you have eaten eggs that were produced that day or within a few days you will never want store bought eggs again. My girls have the best of organic feeds and lots of greens to eat. Even in winter I scour the produce shelves for marked down salad greens that have expired their shelf lives. They will eat most anything and leftovers from your table as well as the scraps that come from preparing food are like candy to them. I love that very little food is ever wasted when you have a flock of hens. While free ranging hens are happiest when they can forage for bugs and greens to their heart’s content they also LOVE your gardens and can make quite a mess if allowed to run free in your yard and your neighbors won’t be very happy either so they must be contained. I make it a practice to collect greens from my yard and gardens daily for the chickens in summer. Recently I visited friends who own Menagerie Farm in Tuscarora, New York. They have built a grazing box for their 30 plus chickens. Its simply a box about four inches high filled with soil and planted with clover and other nutritious grasses for hens. It is covered with hardware cloth wire so the grasses can grow through and the chickens can eat them, but are not able to scratch the ground. Once you have chickens you will see how they can totally denude a pen of anything growing there so this box works quite nicely. You can find these grazing box plans on line. Just Google “grazing boxes”

I realize now that I have failed to mention the cons of chicken keeping in your backyard. I find it hard to come up with any. They really are a joy and easy to keep once you have things set up. Cleaning out the coop once or twice a year may be the most labor intensive, but then the rewards of compost and healthier garden soils are worth that chore.

Georgeanne has been fascinated by plants ever since a neighbor gave her some flower seeds when she was very young. The magic of watching them sprout into beautiful flowers has become a lifetime of wonderment. She lives in Honeoye Falls with her canine and feline friends, a small flock of chickens and more recently a rabbit, or two.