About a month ago, we got 8 chickens from some friends that have flock of over 30. They had some older hens that they wanted to separate from their group. We used to buy fresh eggs from them, but thought about trying out having our own chickens. We are really enjoying having them around. We let them free-range in the afternoon, they stay busy pecking at bugs & scratching in the dirt. So far, they haven't been much trouble. It will be interesting to see how it goes in the winter, when they have to stay inside. They really get excited to go out- when I go in to let them out, they race out the door, sometimes squeezing through two at a time. They love to eat table scraps- leftover noodles are their favorite. Or carrot peelings, bread, or watermelon.
Here are some pictures of them, and their coop, and nesting boxes. We found out after the nesting boxes were built that you only need 2 or 3 nests for 8 chickens, so we are way over-built here. But, I guess we have room to expand someday! It is funny, because they seem to prefer about 2 nests & all lay in the same 1 or two openings. We are getting 3-5 eggs a day- just right for our family.
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