Raising Chickens

Chasing chickens around the barn as a boy is probably why I can’t stop today! Flopping wings, stampeding feet in a dry, dusty yard and the sounds of ear-piercing squawks and crows definitely help steer a lad in life. And, while I tried so hard to catch and play with my favorite Barred Rock hen, I never could outwit her.

Call them dumb birds all you want, but my childhood birds never once let me strap them to the hay nest while I waited impatiently for my golden eggs of the day. I’m proof that chickens are intelligent, entertaining to watch and they provide a plethora of benefits to a yard. Everyone — tried and true country souls and lifetime city slickers alike — should have chickens.

Around the home, free-range chickens are mini-cultivators, scratching about, mobile fertilizers (well, you know), and they drastically reduce the things that make my wife cringe — insects and spiders! Watching chickens feed and wander about the yard curiously is a sight to see. They display a real-world pecking order, pun intended, and watching the dynamism and social interactions they display is entertaining, especially after being cooped up all night. This is when the feathers become unruffled.

While I have more than 70 chickens today, I certainly didn’t start with that many — I’m not even sure what happened or why my interest in chickens grew to this extreme. I never dreamt of feeding so many beaks. My intention with the latest accrual of chickens was to purchase several different egg-laying breeds to try — and well, I went overboard, sort of like a Black Friday shopping sale. Before I knew it, I had more chicks at my house than a John Mayer concert. Squawks and balks soon became my bedtime songs…and I loved it!

My chickens are all egg-laying breeds. The hens produce colorful eggs in a range of shades and sizes that are just as enjoyable to collect each day as they are to eat. Farm-fresh eggs offer a thick shell, golden yolk and rich flavor that can’t be beat by any store-bought egg. Just try one and you’ll see.

I typically mail-order new stock from a hatchery, although select breeds often are available at local farm supply stores — especially in the spring. With today’s modern shipment of newborn chicks, knowing the development process of a chicken egg is pretty cool. The yolk is what develops into the chick inside a fertilized egg. The white of the egg, more accurately termed the albumen, is a protein-rich fluid that the developing chick actually absorbs into its tiny body prior to hatching. Although it serves many functions, the albumen’s most vital role is to provide adequate food and water allowing the newborn to survive for a full three days once hatched! It’s amazing what nature does, and, because of this, chickens can be ordered through the postal service from all over the country and shipped live when not even a day old.

With the exception of delays or extremely cold weather, the success in getting healthy young birds to your house is easy; however, if chicken breeds you desire are available locally, obviously, that is the safest means. Not being limited on what breeds you can have is exciting; just be careful or you’ll end up with 70 birds in your backyard, too.

After moving to Vicksburg, I started with 30 chickens — 18 were Barred Rock, the breed I grew up with, and 12 were Ameraucana. Barred Rocks are a cold-hardy breed, and although they readily adapt to the taxing Mississippi heat, they do well during cold winter nights and actually lay eggs more productively than many other breeds. Barred Rocks are beautiful birds with black and white barred feathers and pretty red combs. They are a classic breed, sometimes called the Plymouth Rock chicken, and likely one of the breeds your grandparents kept. The Ameraucana was a new breed for me, and I have grown to adore it. They are called “Easter egg” chickens, laying colorful eggs ranging from blue to blue-green to olive.

When mature, Ameraucanas are a variety of colors and add a pleasant diversity to the backyard flock. They are a great breed to introduce to children, too, as they are docile and friendly, and the eggs are strikingly beautiful. And, while I have eight different chicken breeds at Beane Farm, these two are still my favorite.

For anyone pondering the idea of having chickens or ready to take the plunge, the first questions to ask are: 1) Do you have space to keep them? 2) Where would you build a pen for them to roost and be protected at night? 3) What breeds would you want? and 4) How many chickens can you care for and house safely?

One of the most common questions I’m asked pertains to chickens in the backyard creating foul — not fowl — smells. The quick answer is no. The caveat is that it’s true as long as you keep the coop dry. With any animal you keep, except pigs, when moisture is present, smells occur. The wet dog principle, I call it. So keep a dry coop and the smell concerns disappear. Plus, your chickens will stay healthier and cleaner within a well-maintained coop.

Chickens are an enjoyable form of entertainment and present an opportunity to learn about nature. For people living in the city limits, consideration of a rooster is important, particularly if neighbors are in close proximity. Not everyone enjoys a 4:30 alarm each morning with no option to snooze. Our coop is close to our house and guests staying the night always mention hearing the roosters crowing. Often, it’s a pleasant surprise to our guests — creating a classic country feel to our home south of Vicksburg.

My roosters provide 24-hour security to my flock and are, 42 or course, a necessary component if wanting to incubate and hatch eggs from the flock.

Hatching eggs is exciting, and it can be accomplished on a minimal budget. I built the incubator I use with little expense. The only material I didn’t already have on-hand was a water heater thermostat, which cost $8. Hatching eggs is a science, but with care and minimal research on rotating eggs daily and the humid temperature at which they must be maintained, it can be performed with ease. Talk about a fun experience if you have kids or grandkids!

With marginal cost, a thrifty coop and a half-dozen hens, anyone can have fresh eggs daily and enjoy a minor role in living “off-the-grid.” It’s a rewarding feeling to have a level of self-sufficiency, and, with chickens, it is a breeze to get started. Before you know it, you’ll be as hooked as I am, and look forward to hatching eggs each spring and always maintaining an ample supply of can’t-be-beat farm eggs.

If you would like additional information on how to get started or which breeds would better fit your lifestyle, e-mail me at [email protected]. Additionally, be sure to visit our website for more pictures of the flock at Beane Farm.

STORY Nathan Beane
PHOTOGRAPHY Nathan Beane