To chicken or not to chicken

When I was thinking about this post last week, I decided I would write about the pros and cons of backyard chickens. I was slowly and deliberately weighing the decision to add hens to the urban farm. And then in one moment (as things often do) the situation changed. My wonderful parents, having watched me read about, Google, and otherwise study chickens for the last couple of years, decided to gift me my very own chicken coop for my birthday. The coop hasn't arrived yet, but I am finally now moving forward and hoping to have eggs by late summer!

Peeps will never look the same.

Pullets or Chicks?

I couldn't decide between buying started pullets (young adult hens that are already laying or will be laying soon) or newly hatched, female chicks. But once my daughter got involved in the decision, we decided to raise chicks. The benefit of pullets is gathering eggs sooner. The benefit of chicks is being able to tame them early and, honestly, to just enjoy their silliness.

This book, among many others, gives a ton of good information.

Breeds?

Until I started visiting my friend's backyard flock, I didn't realize the variety of chickens available. We decided to get 5 chicks, with the ultimate goal of 4 hens (because it's difficult to see the differences between male and female chicks, there is a good chance at least one of our birds will turn out to be rooster, and keeping a rooster is against city regulations). The chick breeds we selected will all be winter hardy, which is very important in our cold climate.

Two of our chicks are Buff Orpingtons, the "Labrador Retriever" of the chicken world. They should be docile, kid-friendly, and easy to pick up. Two of our chicks are Australorps, a black chicken bred in Australia, and also a friendly hen to have around. The last chick is supposed to be an Easter Egger--a mixed breed that lays beautiful blue or green eggs-- but right now she looks exactly like the yellow Buff chicks, so only time will tell.

Buff Orpington

Australorp

Now for that backyard chicken pro/con list

Cons:

• Need daily attention
• Cost of supplies and feed
• Cleaning the coop

Pros:

• My city has a relaxed, open attitude towards backyard flocks
• Fresh eggs, and I will know exactly how the hens were fed and treated
• Chicken TV-- they are fun to watch!
• Composted chicken manure is fertilizer gold

I will update soon as the chicks grow and as we get the coop built!

Sleepy chicks