The first animal to join us on our homestead, we got started with baby chicks in March, 2021. Our journey with backyard chickens has been pretty smooth, but it wasn’t without its challenges. In fact, we purchased our chickens on a whim from Ace Hardware one day. While we brought home four pullets that first day, we ended up losing one in the first week (which we were warned could happen).
But, rather than let this dampen our spirits, we did what any sane homesteader would do and doubled down. So, going back out the following weekend, we picked up three more pullets and kept going. With a shabby brooder thrown together with cardboard and determined to succeed, we’re happy to say each of these chickens has thrived over the past year.
Now, one year into our journey, we enjoy 3-5 eggs a day and love watching the chickens as they go about their business. Oh, and why don’t we ever get 6 eggs in a day? It turns, one of the alleged pullets was actually a cockerel.
Our Rooster, Butters
Once called betty, we started to suspect something was different about Butters when he was growing at a faster rate than the pullets. When he started to crow, as cute and pathetic as it was, we had to accept the reality -Betty was a boy. And, being South Park fans, we named our bird after the one and only -Butters!
Butters was born in March 2021 along with the rest of our current flock. As a Rhode Island Red, he has that typical, majestic appearance of a rooster. And, he does a wonderful job herding his hens and acting as the last line of defense in the unlikely event that anything slipped past our livestock guardian dog. At this point, we can’t imagine a morning without his majestic crowing.
Rhode Island Reds
Sold to us as one of the most productive egg-layers you can get, we’ve found our Rhode Island Reds have lived up the reputation. Hardly a day goes by where we don’t get at least 3-4 eggs from these hens. Sure, this winter brought some days with just 2, but that’s because egg-laying is tied to sun. So, less sun during the winter means diminished production for these backyard chickens.
Unfortunately, we have a hard time telling our Reds apart now, but they are all named after typical old ladies. Those names include: Audrey, Dorothy, Frannie, and Gertrude. They enjoy running away from us and taking dirt baths in actual dirt rather than the diatomaceous earth we put there for them.
Eleanor, The Ameraucana
Eleanor holds a special place in our hearts for a variety of reasons. First, she is the only Ameraucana we currently have. Second, she lays light blue eggs. And, while we might only get 4-5 eggs a week from her (in winter we probably had a few weeks where we just got 3), her eggs are absolutely delicious. Don’t get us wrong, the brown eggs we get from our Reds are better than any store-bought eggs we’ve had before. But, if you want something really special, Eleanor’s eggs just have a rich flavor that is hard to top.
And don’t forget, when these birds were just little pullets, Eleanor was the one who loved to roost on our hands when we’d visit. So, it might not be right to choose favorites when it comes to human children. But, when it comes to our chickens, Eleanor is number one.
The Homemade Chicken Coop and Spacious Run
If you’ve followed our journey from the start, you know our homestead had a convenient backyard chicken coop and run already here when we moved. For months it served as a great home. And, while we had designs on either free-ranging the chickens or giving them a larger run, God wanted to light a fire under us.
When a massive tree branch crushed the old chicken run, Joseph and Jadzia sprung to active. For Jadzia, that action was shaking in fear and barking liking a mad woman. For Joseph, when he heard what sounded like an explosion outside, that meant moving faster than he thought possible to get out there. Fortunately, none of the chickens was hurt in the fall and the hen house was still in tact.
After patching things up and making sure the chickens were all safe, Joseph started really planning out his new chicken coop. This involved ordering a bunch of pallets for the hen house itself, and ordering hundreds of dollars of lumber from Home Depot. And yes, this was when lumber prices were through the roof.
it took some time, and Joseph learned a lot along the way, but the end product provides a large run area and an elevated coop, which has room for many more chickens should we decide we don’t have enough eggs.
What is Next for Our Backyard Chickens?
Moving into March 2022, Joseph plans to construct a new, proper brooder. Once this is done (in either March or April), we plan to purchase at least 3 more Ameraucana pullets and perhaps a few more chickens of different varieties. We’re still just focused on egg-layers right now, but the next journey will be prepping many of the new members of the flock to go full free-range. This should help with keeping pesky flies off our goats.
Anyways, we’ll work to keep this page updated as much as possible. As we head into March, these original members of our flock are turning 1, so it’s an exciting time. If you’re looking for any resources on raising backyard chickens yourself, make sure to follow us on social media and feel free to DM us with any questions you have.