Heritage Hens & Other Feathered Friends!!
I have great hen coops that Charles has built along with safety runs, that are as predator proof as we can make them, and a storage shed that doubles as a hospital at times. In addition we have a little duck house and a comfy home for the geese too!
Before I began we both learned as much as possible so that we could make the setup 'perfect' for the girls. Well, nothing is ever perfect! We`ve made flexibility a virtue and incorporated changes galore in order to accommodate ways of doing things that better suit our flock and our circumstances.
Before I began we both learned as much as possible so that we could make the setup 'perfect' for the girls. Well, nothing is ever perfect! We`ve made flexibility a virtue and incorporated changes galore in order to accommodate ways of doing things that better suit our flock and our circumstances.
In the beginning a brand new coop, safety run and storage shed
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Later: A more complicated setup. 2 coops and a duck house. The goose shelter is not in this photo.
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Collecting eggs - this is always a great pleasure!
Why are blue eggs blue - - -
.Hundreds of years ago a harmless retro-virus caused the blue colour in the egg shell and the farmers bred those hens for this trait. Egg colour depends on the breed of hen e.g. Ameraucanas lay our blue eggs; our Welsummer lays the dark brown. All eggs start out white and the colour is laid down as the egg is produced in the hen with the blue going all the way through the shell but the brown being a surface colour. |
Thanks to the hens for a wonderful basket of eggs!
I have gathered beautiful birds that lay eggs of various lovely colours. Eggs are a seasonal thing with us as we don`t light the coop over the winter which means the hens lay fewer eggs - just enough for family. But in the spring it gives me great satisfaction to be able to sell eggs that have great flavour and truly golden yolks both to our bread customers and passers by!
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The learning curve - - -
Zeus keeping watch over the girls.
My original aim was to have a flock of purely heritage hens but, though I am still very keen to have mainly heritage birds, I find I enjoy beautiful hens whatever their background. I am not breeding chickens so I am not diluting the breed purity by mixing - I am just giving all the hens as good a home as I can provide.
Since I started keeping hens (2013) I have come a long way - it's been a roller coaster ride really! There`s the sheer joy of being with these lovely birds and bringing in new beauties to the flock and then there are the sad, puzzling days when things go wrong and perhaps a hen dies and you just can`t figure out why.
Despite the growing number of backyard chicken keepers there is not a great deal of support out there unless you can find an experienced mentor to help you.. Books may help, the internet can be crazy and contradictory and both of these sources can be very confusing and scary! When you turn to the government sources the information may be good but it confuses backyard keepers with farmers, and there are very few vets who know anything about chickens. So I've struggled to make sense of some of the things I've experienced but, never-the-less here I am !
Since I started keeping hens (2013) I have come a long way - it's been a roller coaster ride really! There`s the sheer joy of being with these lovely birds and bringing in new beauties to the flock and then there are the sad, puzzling days when things go wrong and perhaps a hen dies and you just can`t figure out why.
Despite the growing number of backyard chicken keepers there is not a great deal of support out there unless you can find an experienced mentor to help you.. Books may help, the internet can be crazy and contradictory and both of these sources can be very confusing and scary! When you turn to the government sources the information may be good but it confuses backyard keepers with farmers, and there are very few vets who know anything about chickens. So I've struggled to make sense of some of the things I've experienced but, never-the-less here I am !
Zeus crowing on top of the dust bath. He likes to let the horses next door know who is in charge!
Prevention - - -
I like to have a good setup for the hens because, although it doesn`t always prevent tragedies, it provides a healthier life for the flock e.g. space, cleanliness, good food etc. A dust bath is essential for the hens to clean themselves and I keep one dry for them even in the very wet months. The photo doesn`t really show it but the hens have created a deep basin in their dust bath where they have transported away kilos of dry dirt in their feathers which they have shaken off elsewhere. I have to refill the dip with a mixture of pounded dry clay (we have PLENTY!), sand and diatomaceous earth.
I like to have a good setup for the hens because, although it doesn`t always prevent tragedies, it provides a healthier life for the flock e.g. space, cleanliness, good food etc. A dust bath is essential for the hens to clean themselves and I keep one dry for them even in the very wet months. The photo doesn`t really show it but the hens have created a deep basin in their dust bath where they have transported away kilos of dry dirt in their feathers which they have shaken off elsewhere. I have to refill the dip with a mixture of pounded dry clay (we have PLENTY!), sand and diatomaceous earth.