Until recently, my knowledge of chickens– live ones, at least– was very limited. When I thought of poultry egg production, my mind turned to clucking, gossipy hens who, upon hearing the seductive croon of an emaciated rooster resembling a young Frank Sinatra with feathers, fainted dead away on the small mountain of eggs that just poured out of their backsides as a result of their .
That is, until I met Sophia [above, left] and Zsu Zsu [above, right], two who make their home with the Kriese family in Redwood City.
I’d read about these hens at — a fascinating blog started by Thomas and Melanie Kriese that began as an online diary about the joys and challenges of raising baby chicks into egg-laying adulthood, but has since grown into a mouthpiece for a kind of nascient-though-growing Poultry Rights movement. Yes, if you are looking for the latest-breaking local and national poultry news, you can find it there.
My original fascination with the website stemmed from an outlining the . Yes, that means raising chickens within San Francisco city limits. Apparently, anyone with enough room to keep a chicken coop 20 feet away from any human dwelling’s door or window can keep up to four chickens (sorry, no roosters) as pets! Somehow, I found this news very cheering.
Imagine waking up to find fresh eggs delivered a mere 20 feet from your back door every morning by animals who have imprinted more deeply upon you than your children ever will. Just please don’t expect miracles– hens lay on average once every 26 hours, which would give you…you’ll have to do the math yourself. If that is beyond you, you have no business caring for chickens since you most likely have enough difficulty just getting dressed in the morning.
[Above: Sophia’s very first egg is on the left, her latest, on the right.]
Fresh eggs. Not farm-fresh, mind you. Fresher than that. Fresh from the business ends of your pets.
Pets that like you so much, they provide you with food. Yes, cats will occasionally offer you a small dead bird or lizard, but only a loving chicken can provide you with the consistent means to create marvelous omelets.
And if I had a dog, I’d be looking at him with deep disappointment right about now, too.
Not only do chickens-as-pets provide eggs, they gladly lend themselves to weeding and pest control. And the supply of fertilizer is nearly endless.
Chickens, it would seem, are good for the environment.
After the Krieses kindly allowed me to spend time with their docile, kid-friendly hens, they sent me off with a few eggs from their personal stash, wrapping the very-latest egg separately, so that I might distinguish it from the rest. I was eager to crack it open and have at it.
Upon return to my friend ‘s house, I cracked open a beer, and then proceeded to do the same with the freshest egg in my acquaintance.
There was very little I wished to do other than eat it. But how? A light scramble, with just a little butter in the pan and a slight sprinkling of sea salt when it hit the plate. I cooked up a store-bought (though still organic) egg exactly the same way and compared the two. Everything about the ür-fresh egg was richer– the color of the yolk, the flavor, and the feel on the tongue. The store-bought egg was still good, but, you know where I am going with this, surely.
The thought of returning to my tiny, chicken-free apartment suddenly depressed me a little. Then I took another swig of beer, another bite of scrambled egg, and moved on.
If you think you might be eligible to keep some urban chickens of you very own, or just want to read about people who do, visit .
To purchase an Eglu, which is basically a Barbie Dream home for chickens, visit:
Related
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Alpha Idaho,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Alpha
Idaho also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Alpha Idaho, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale,
turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale,
chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Alpha ID.
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Alpha Idaho
catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await
the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and
different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to
their site and request one if you are interested.
Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Alpha Idaho * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Alpha
Idaho * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries
will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is
necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put
in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce
enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to
buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you
choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship
and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in
Alpha Idaho is easy and has always been a very pleasant
experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks
but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all
those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait
was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Alpha,
Idaho Baby chicks are quite
cute and also
tough to resist,
however it's best to prepare for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by gathering not just the
correct materials, however
also the appropriate
expertise to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
easy, you simply should offer them with the following: A
clean and also warm
environment A lot of food and also water Attention and
love Environment Your habitat could be a
simple box, fish tank,
feline carrier, or guinea
porker cage. Line it with old towels and also
coverings (with no loosened
strings!) to start, as well as after a
couple of weeks use straw over paper.
Note: Avoid using just
newspaper or other sandal
surfaces-- or your chicks legs could grow
malformed. You also need
something to dish out food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
cover for food as well as an animal bird water dispenser from a pet shop. Also, as the chicks grow older you can present a perch
right into the environment to get them
educated on perching. Warmth To
maintain your chicks warm you have to
provide them with a heat source.
This could be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design lamp from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile heat
light bulb also function effectively (my
referral). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which could take up to 2 months). The recently
hatched need a temperature
in between 90 as well as 100 degrees,
and weekly this can
be minimized by
roughly 5 degrees or
so. The warmth resource must get on merely one side of the cage
to permit chicks an array of
temperature levels. The chicks are your finest
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
opposite edge of your warmth
lamp, you have to
reduce the temperature level. If
they are smothering each other under the
warmth (not merely curling up),
you need to include some warmth.
House cleaning
Tidiness is vital and also it keeps your chicks healthy and
balanced. Be sure to transform
the bedding
commonly and
constantly give tidy
food and water Food as well as water.
Chicks grow really fast
which calls for lots of clean
food and also water. Provide
sufficient whatsoever times and also examine
commonly to avoid thirsty as well as
hungry chicks. Chick food is different compared
to adult chicken food, and also it can be found in both medicated and
also non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
very first 2 months, then
switch over to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
then to a somewhat
reduced protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks like to obtain a head start on taking
dust baths, while others will not use up that activity until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
unit, introduce a tray of sand or
filth for them to wash in.
Interest and love There are a couple of advantages to spending quality time with your chicks. To start
with, they will probably bond with you and
not flee as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and
enjoy their habits, you can
catch disease or various
other issues previously. Keep an
eye out for hissing, limping, or
various other undesirable
signs. Make certain to
also consider
their poop, as diarrhea could lead
to matted feathers and also stopped up cloaca.
Last but not least, it is important to keep an eye out for social issues, such as the
tiniest chick obtaining badgered. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are now completely feathered
and also its time for them to leave the
security of your house
as well as relocate outside into a cage. Look into our
area on chicken coops to get more information
regarding coops and
correct cage habitats.