Our little flock of chickens has settled quite happily into the Coop de Grass that Eric built. We cannot believe how fast they are growing and how much they eat! In addition to chick feed, they love to eat the extras from the garden–strawberries, lettuce, cabbage, and kale, not to mention all the weeds in the lawn. After just a few weeks, it’s really obvious where the chicken coop has been on the lawn, because wherever the chicks have been, the grass is deep green and thick. Now that the chicks are getting bigger, we move the coop almost every day, as they clean up the area that quickly. By autumn, we should have a kickass lawn! The big question is when we will start getting eggs. The chicks hatched right around Valentine’s Day, so they are almost three months old. It will be another couple of months before they start laying. In the meantime, they are growing as fast as the weeds they consume. From what I can determine, they are very healthy birds, with bright combs and wattles, alert eyes, plump breasts, and smooth, clean feathers. It feels good to be providing them with a nice environment in which to live!
There are a lot of positives to raising chickens. They eat the trimmings from the garden and provide great fertilizer. They are amusing and make us laugh every day. And soon they will produce fresh organic eggs every day. Do a little reading, ask some chicken raisers about their experiences, and see if it’s right for you.