Our backyard chickens are now 12 weeks old and are well on their way to being full fledged layers. We’re still a ways from collecting fresh eggs every morning, but they look happy and healthy and, well, just ‘right’ wandering around the yard. Now it feels like a real homestead!
But there have been a few surprises along the way – some of them pleasant, some not so much. Here are a few things we’ve learned that might help you as you decide whether or not to get chickens for your backyard.
#1. Backyard Chickens are Poop Machines
OK, I knew chickens produced a lot of manure, but I really didn’t realize how much. Apparently, it’s about 45 pounds per hen, per year. So for us, that’s 45 lb x 15 hens = 675 pounds of poop. Pardon me, but holy cr*p!
Now that our 15 girls are out ranging in the yard most of the day, it’s not so much of an issue. Except that we can’t walk outside barefoot anymore (not that we really did anyway). But much of that ends up in the coop, as they spend upwards of 12 hours a day there, and will be more as the days get shorter. So what to do with all that high-nitrogen manure? Put it this way – I’m building a new composter! You can also make something called manure tea – you can find chicken manure tea instructions here. Essentially, you can take care of a good chunk of your vegetable garden’s nitrogen requirements with your chickens’ well-composted manure. Pretty efficient, huh?
I’ve heard from others about the fact that their chickens pooped all over everything – furniture, vehicles, porches… you name it. So far, we’re working on ‘aversion training’ to try to teach them what’s off limits for perching and pooping, and we have no manure on anything other than the ground. I know some of you are probably rolling on the floor laughing right now, but I’m sticking to the plan. I’ll let you know how it goes…
#2. They Come Running When They Think You Have Yummies
I have to admit, I never really thought of chickens as pets but livestock. But when they all come running when I walk outside, it’s pretty darned cute. Of course, it could have something to do with the fact that they associate my presence with yummy snacks like canteloupe and fresh lettuce. But still…
#3. They Put Themselves to Bed at Night
This one really surprised me. I thought we’d have to be rounding them up at night if they were out ranging during the day, but that shows how much I knew about chickens! Turns out the term ‘return to the roost’ is actually a real thing. Come a certain light level, the chicks turn tail and trot on into the coop to settle in for the night. Who knew? Well, lots of people, but it was a really pleasant surprise to me. You gotta like pets that walk themselves, put themselves to bed AND provide you with breakfast.
#4. They’re Intensely Curious
I’m amazed daily by the hens’ curiosity at just about everything in their environment. Watching them hop up and down to pick huckleberries, listening to them peck at various materials for the sounds they make (like the downspouts on the house – ladies, there are no bugs there), and seeing them explore various ground textures and materials. They really are quite fascinating to watch. But of course, this can work to your detriment, particularly if your hens are restrained in a small run or tractor. When bored and unable to access a varied environment, chickens can begin a slow slide into anti-social behaviour: pecking at each other, fighting… you get the picture. Something like siblings stuck in a long car trip. Just transfer, ‘Mom, Maya hit me again!’ to poultry and you’ll get the picture, but with blood. If your hens do need to be cooped up, one of our Facebook friends, Evy, has some super ideas to help keep them occupied:
- Dissolve unflavored gelatin in warm water in a pie pan or plastic container according to the package directions, place a length of string long enough to dangle out and be tied to something, then fill with molasses, grains, cracked corn, sunflower seeds, etc. Finally, pour in the gelatin (making sure the string reaches out of the container), cover it with cellophane (pull string through the center) and put it in the fridge to set. Once it’s ready, pop it out and watch the show!
- Attach frozen bagels or firm boiled noodles on string and hang them from the coop or run ceiling at hen-head height.
- Popsicles work great as a diversion, especially in the hot weather. They love it!
The key is to ensure they don’t get bored and start to turn on each other. Chicken psychology – fascinating…
#5. They Like Lullabies
We have this one hen (her name happens to be ‘Lucky’, thanks to my son), who falls asleep at the hum of a lullaby. So cute, and quite interesting. Singing to chickens – how can it get any better than that? Of course, I just heard that chickens will fall asleep if you put them on their backs, and Lucky is just tame enough to let him do it. Should I tell him?
The Wrap-Up
So far, our chicken raising adventure has been pretty uneventful. Alongside our chicken co-parents, we’ve raised them from day-old chicks to the young ladies I see running around the yard today. Their voices have just changed, and they no longer sound like chicks, but full fledged hens. They seem happy and healthy, curious and balanced. The things we’ve learned that no one told us have all been really pleasant revelations, actually, but it does go to show that there is no learning like practical experience.
That said, I’m sure I’ll be able to write another ‘things no one told us’ when they start laying!
Do you have any chicken tips or factoids you can share? If so, please do so in the comments below!
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Just reading about your chickens makes me crave fresh eggs…amazing! Great article as always!
I wish I lived in an area where I could have chickens and other animals too! We can’t because of HOA rules, but I love reading your stories. I have a friend that has chickens and she brings me eggs once in a while. Wow what a difference a real egg makes! Awesome article.
Hi i have 6 chickens in my backyard . And my hoa doesn’t allow it lol . Funny thing is alot of people in our neighborhood have chickens . Hoa won’t do anything about it . Just maybe send you a letter now & then . 🙂
I’m a professional property manager for homeowner associations. If there is space for you to have a coop or common area of sufficient size and location — talk to the Board about backyard chickens. I’ve championed many a community garden and if anyone had asked for chickens, I would have pushed for that, too. HOA’s are about community LIVING. And if you offer to share the spoils with the community (like bringing a basket of fresh eggs to the office, clubhouse, or a board meeting to share), you’ll be surprised how many people will be open to the idea of backyard chickens or a community garden.
This brings back so many memories of having chickens when I was a kid 🙂 And now my boys go to school on a farm and get to feed the chickens and sheep.
Do they roost head-tail-head-tail? Ours always did. We thought of them as pets too. Enjoy them!
It’s funny Victoria…this article starts with “Chickens running around the yard” and as soon as I read that, even before the comment about poop machines” that’s what I was thinking. You should try geese if you think chickens poop a lot. I really enjoyed reading this article. We also have chickens running around all over the place and I love just hanging out and watching them. The ones that are hand raised are incredibly friendly.
Do you have any roosters? If you want to hear interesting and entertaining voice changes, you should get a couple of those. As they mature and their voices change, it’s hysterical listening to them learn to crow. Of course, once they learn, you may have some unhappy neighbors. We have some that are kind of confused and have started crowing as early as 2am. They are prime candidates for the stew pot!
Thanks for sharing this charming article!
I recently read about a collar you can put on your Roosters to stop them from crowing. This may be a good option for people who wants to raise baby chicks, or who just like to keep a couple roosters around to protect the hens.
Haven’t heard about those. Not sure how ‘ethical’ they might be, but if the rooster would end up in a pot otherwise… I’ll follow up. Thank you.
Great article. So many people are starting to have backyard hens, very helpful.
You made me laugh out loud today. What a great article, and I love love your sense of humour. You made me want to go get some chickens. I can hardly wait for another article on “things no one told you.”
Keeping their wings clipped will keep them from being able to get up on a good number of things. They can’t fly, but their wings (if allowed to grow out) can still provide enough lift to get them up onto something taller. Also, a ‘chicken trick’ – chickens go to sleep if held on their backs. We used to do this with our pet banties – pick one up, hold it like a baby and it would fall asleep. Kind of similar to sharks, oddly enough, who do the same when they’re held in an upside-down position. And finally a confession… when I was young, about your son’s age, I used to chase my gramma’s chickens because they looked soooo funny when they ran and my gramma would always give me a hollering for scaring them – she claimed they wouldn’t lay eggs because of scaring them. And still we always had eggs …. hmmm
Very informative and cute article Victoria. I don’t watch the chickens down the block but I bet chickens are chickens so they all have the same traits. Interesting about Lucky loving lullabies. Still a city girl at heart but transplanted to the land of horses, chickens, llamas, donkeys, etc. ….
I remember seeing Martha Stewart’s red hens years ago on her program. I don’t think I could ever be an egg farmer, not that the town would allow me to have chickens here! But it must be wonderful to have fresh eggs around for breakfast or baking!
Thanks for the interesting article!
No eggs yet, but soon!
Well, welcome aboard! I’m so happy you found us, and hope we’re able to provide some information you can use in your journey to rural living. It’s a fun community, with lots of sharing and humour. I look forward to getting to know you here!
Thanks, Rachelle – it is pretty funny!
Great points, Leonamc! We were fortunate in finding a good hatchery, but I can see how that might not always be the case. Thanks so much for sharing this – you might save someone from making a heartbreaking mistake…
Ha. We’ve been learning many of these same things. Our chickens have just hit 20 weeks so we’re expecting eggs any day now. I’m excited!
Exciting! Funny, aren’t they? Ah, the joys of country living… 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by!
Thanks, Maura. I am intrigued by this idea, and tried it for a month, but the smell got so overwhelming (even with the windows open and putting new bedding down a couple times a week) that we finally had to clean it out the other day and start fresh. I love the idea of the deep bedding method, but it didn’t appear to be working – or maybe I wasn’t doing it right? Hmmm…
No – that would be a bit stinky! I think I’ll keep it… 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Funny article and every word is true!! I have 5 hens and a rooster that free range in the summer. You have to watch where you walk, but I don’t mind. I love it when I come out of the house and they come running to see what I might be bringing them. There is no substitute for fresh eggs. I’m loving it!
True stuff, another one I would add, can go with #1, after they start laying eggs, there poo size is MUCH bigger!!
🙂 I never noticed, but you’re probably right!!
Oh no, I’m worried, now! These chicks my daughter got me (5) are in their 3rd week, and they are such poopsters!! I’m really not sure I’m up for this, I love and have always had rabbits and cats…Now she did this to me! My husband is worried about flies- he doesn’t want flies around, while we’re enjoy our backyard- the chicken and my rabbit will love on the side of our house ..Are flies a problem with chickens??
Flies are a problem if the manure is left around very long, for sure. You’d need to clean quite regularly. Of course, this was posted quite awhile back (my apologies for the delay) so you probably figured that out already. If you see this, I’d love to hear experience.
Hey, what does the cost of satellite internet run you (with setup cost?)? Thanks! I wonder if it would be better for me to simply get an antennae and put it up high in a tree, since I nearly get cellular coverage in my area (then I can pay only 10 dollars a month for internet!).
Great article! We came home with 4 four day old chicks today and a friend of ours gave us a small chicken coop to use. Cannot wait for them to get out and start laying.
Congratulations! They are so entertaining – and useful… 😉
I’ve raised chickens for 12 years in the city. And most of my learning has been from experience. I keep them in a coop and a run– so that the poop stays in place, but let them out into the whole yard every so often. I keep long sticks set across the run so they can perch during the day. Watch for hawks if they are free. Some of them like to cuddle, and one Bard Rock jumps into my lap. They love to put their head and neck under my arm and fall asleep. One gal is 12 years old. I heard they lay one egg a year in older age– and one time Speckles was sitting in my lap and got a little restless. When I still held her, she dropped and egg right in my hand, with a very thin and weak shell. They love seed sensual bread, anything red, and eating from your hand. Chickens make my yard feel like home.
I have 8 hens that I have raised together since they were a week old. I have 1 that is a different breed and here lately the other chicks have been leaving her behind, when she comes around them they all walk off, its really kind of sad to watch. When they are in the coop she roosts with them no problem. Any idea what’s going on with her?
So sorry I didn’t see this before now. How did she end up doing? We had one baby last spring that was ‘challenged’ physically that one of her fellow coop-mates of the same age stayed with til she was big enough to fend for herself. Now she’s still got the same ‘friend’, but the others don’t have much to do with her. It is sort of sad to watch, but I’m not sure it bothers them. Probably just that instinct some animals seem to have to reject ‘different’. It’s interesting, for sure.
I read recently on the bottom/floor of coop- it’s recommended to use sand over the pine shavings…is that right?
Apologies for not seeing this til now! I think that just depends on your climate and what you have available. If they’re locked in an enclosed run without access to the dirt, then the sand acts as grit for their digestive process.
That’s because chickens are not ‘livestock’ but an animal the same as any other. You’re not describing anything different than a dog. They come when we have food. They are curious. If you keep a lot of them in a small space they fight. They are living beings just like you and me. It’s convenient to think that they are not. But what you have noticed is the opposite of what we have been taught. That they are objects to be used; that’s what we are taught. But what you have seen is that they are living beings. They are no different to our dogs and cats. And indeed I have come to realize that we are all alive, all precious, and the use of the female body is just not something I can condone anymore. It’s her little body and I’ve gone off eggs as well as the bodies of other females, their breast milk, and I don’t eat the bodies of their babies either. Respect motherhood. It has changed my life. And if all women respected the bodies of other mothers the world would change. I can see by this post you have had an enlightenment. I hope it continued for you. Peace.
Thank you for your comments. I haven’t actually had any new enlightenment – these are things I’ve always known, but I’m also very practical about. I was just sharing for those who may not have thought of chickens as anything other than ‘dumb birds’ (which is what I hear a lot). It’s very important to me that the animals we raise for food are treated as well as possible, but I am not a vegan (tried that for years in my 20s – it about killed me… literally – took me years to recover my health) and I hold no judgement on others for their food choices. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts.
I cracked up when I read the one about lullabies. We moved our chicks into their coop yesterday. When we checked on them in the evening one was peeping and fussing and very upset. I picked her up and snuggled her and sang her a kill any and she calmed down and was ready to return with her friends. Haha!
🙂 It was pretty cute when the young ones were little… still pretty cute even thought they’re older. Thanks for sharing your story!