Chickens

[Jennifer13]

We have had our two hens for a year now and we love them! I think three is a perfect number, our two are very attached and I wonder what will happen if one of them suffers a misadventure. The extra eggs would be handy too, we get one a day from each of ours.

Ours are a crossbreed, decent size, brown (they're from a free range egg farm, so good laying was in their genes). We got them as chickens (DD's pre-school egg hatching program outcome!) and although they didn't lay until about 20 wks it was worth having them early as DD loved them and they became very friendly.

We got them a coop from ebay, around $300 and quite fancy. I had to put it together myself and it's big enough for 5-6 chickens. I let our girls out every day and the days when I'm at home they have the whole day in the yard. They aren't neat in the garden and the one time I put them in the backyard with my vegie garden my rocket was demolished. So they aren't put with the vegie garden anymore! They eat lots of insects, especially spiders, so they are great in the general garden. I do have to sweep up the paths after them, but nothing too bad. Trees are worse than the chickens with all the falling leaves atm.

I give our girls heaps of our leftovers, which has made a real difference in what goes to waste here too. The whole neighbourhood loves them (they're in our front yard), and one of our neighbours went and got three chickens for Christmas! Ours will happily be patted, one likes being picked up and both will hop up on my arm/lap if I sit down outside. They follow me around if I'm in the garden.