Monica here! We’re going to take a short break from our usual format and ask you, dear readers, for information. We would really appreciate your feedback, tips, and any information you can provide about raising chickens.
I Want Chickens!
Cheyenne Doesn’t. Brittany is on the fence. People seem to be all over the place opinion-wise about whether to actually have them or not. Who out there has backyard chickens? Do you love them? Regret getting them?
Happy Days Farm
I love seeing Happy Days Farms’ posts on Instagram and I love looking at Penny’s blog. If you are not familiar with Happy Days Farm, you should definitely take a look. Penny has a hobby farm in North Carolina, and she has THE perfect chicken coop, complete with electricity. That coop would be adorable even if it sat empty, but add the chickens, and it calls my name. Cheyenne rolls her eyes when I say that and tells me that chickens are smelly and too much work.
Yes, There’s A Lot of Information Out There…
Yes, there is a lot of information on the internet about raising chickens, and I’ve just started doing my homework. I honestly find it all a little overwhelming, so I figured I’d start with the coop, but that overwhelmed me too. Where to start? Since we live on acreage with woods surrounding our fields, there are lots of predators out there. Someone said to make sure to have a concrete base to keep out the weasels, which apparently kill chickens for no good reason, and don’t even eat them. Someone else said racoons are evil little bandits that will do the same. And then there are the foxes and coyotes. Ugh! If we go to the trouble to get chickens, I want to make sure they are safe. How do you keep your chickens safe from predators? Do you use sand or wood chips to collect the droppings? What do you do with the droppings?
What Kind of Chickens Do You Have?
What are the best kinds of chickens to have? Hens? Do you have the fancy kind that lays blue eggs? What about roosters? I’ve heard that chickens have distinct personalities, and that you have to be careful when pairing chickens and roosters. I have done zero research on this. I prefer to hear first-hand accounts from real people who have experience.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Having Chickens?
What do you like best about having chickens? Did you raise them from peeps? Are they your pets? Are the fresh eggs really that good? How much work are they anyway, and do they really smell that bad? What are the best sources to research?
Thank you for helping us with this one! Until next time…