Chickens as Pets and Caring for Them
Sunday we went to our close friends Gary and Katie's home to visit and have dinner with them and their kiddos. Ths is my hubs best friend for 35 years and they went through Junior High and High School together. It's always fun when these two get together as they both have funny stories about each other growing up. He and his wife are amazing and they have five beautiful kids, a dog Jethro, 4 chickens so I thought it would be fun to share them and some tips on the best way to care for them.
The chickens are named Hedwig, Lufthansa, Ming Ming and Cher. They did not want a photo today. They have a nice big back yard with this great swing set and lots of room for kids, dogs and chickens to run around
When they first got them (2 Years ago) they were baby chicks and lived in a box in the house with a heat lamp for about 11-12 weeks. They got them at their local hardware store for $3.50 each. They feed them chicken feed which is crumble that contains all the food and nutrients they need to keep their feathers and beaks nice. In the winter they each go through a molting process (losing and renewing their feathers) and at that time they don't lay as many eggs and are not as happy.
Now they have this great side yard where they live and have a chicken coup to lay their eggs.
Les Poules is French for the chickens by the way. Cute sign huh?? She got it on Etsy.
Here are their baby pictures.
Here is their chicken coup. At night they go in as soon as the sun goes down and nestle together up in that upper area. I asked if they got cold but they explained that there are so many feathers and a layer of down under that they stay very warm. This little side box is where they go sit to lay their eggs. Each lays about 1 a day so they get over 2 dozen eggs a week. For a family of seven that's a nice amount of eggs. Great for breakfasts, baking and they have breakfast for dinner once a week too.
Look at these pretty eggs in all different colors too. They have given us some and they are a much richer tasting egg that what you buy in the stores. Again these girls were a tough crowd and not cooperating with the picture taking I was trying to do....lol. When the sun comes up they are awake and hungry. One hops the fence and comes and pecks on the door about the time the first family member is getting up to get ready for school. They like crackers in the morning and then their chicken feed.
Showing the gorgeous view from their backyard and this beautiful rainbow too. It was such a great day and always lots of laughs with our friends. Thank you for stopping by and have a great day, Lisa
Come on over to the blog for more and more pics.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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I miss my chooks (and their delicious eggs). I would sit in my chook pen to get away from my dogs and get some peace and quiet to read a book. One day I sat and read aloud and the girls loved it, I did it whenever I had some spare time. They do make excellent pets, my girls were very happy.
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I was scrolling and saw this and immediately thought of you @OnBlissStreet
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