I’m so pleased to have Deb from Deborah Jean’s Dandelion House as a guest poster today! She’s another farmgirl at heart that lives in the suburbs – definitely a kindred spirit! Since I don’t have chickens (yet) I asked Deb if she’d write a bit about the benefits of keeping chickens as part of my Gardening 101 Series and she’s graciously done so.
Benefits of Keeping Chickens
Farm Fresh Eggs and home-grown fertilizer are two of the best reasons to consider keeping chickens! If you enjoy baking and eating eggs that taste like eggs AND you are an avid Gardner you need some feathered friends to call your own! Spring is right around the corner and now is the time to be thinking about adding chickens to your gardening adventures!
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We’ve been keeping a small flock of backyard chickens (between 5 and 9) for six years whom we’ve dubbed The Cottage Hens.
It all started when our daughter fell in love with a batch of spring chicks at a friend’s house. On the way home she begged and pleaded, “please mommy, please can we get some chickens, PLEEEEEEASE? “ Our daughter’s pleas tugged at my heart over the next few weeks. I had to agree those baby chicks were pretty darned cute.
Besides, how hard could keeping chickens really be? We dove into the internet and some popular books on the subject to investigate breeds of chickens, coop plans and sites for how to care for them once we got them home. The more I read the easier it began to sound and it made sense from a number of standpoints. More so, it spoke to my farmgirl heart. You see, I’ve always wanted to live on a small hobby farm but like many farmgirls at heart I’ve made- do with suburban living bringing what farm life I can to our modest sized backyard. It wasn’t long before we made a trip to our local Feed Store and placed an order for our first flock of eight. Then my husband got busy building The Little Red Hen House from scrap wood and an old reclaimed window while we waited for them to arrive! Our first flock was a mix of Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Rock, Buff Orrington’s, Golden Laced Wyandotte’s and Easter Egg Chickens. These days we have mostly Easter Egger’s and Wyandotte’s. All of these breeds thrive in our New England climate.
Our hen house fall 2011
We grow mostly flowers and just enough veggies every year to add to our summer table. I was sold on the idea of Farm Fresh eggs for cooking and baking and I’ll never go back. Home grown eggs are tastier than store bought. The yokes are firmer, yellower and richer in taste without all the added hormones that large poultry farms use to grow chickens at warp speed for mass production. This means healthier food for your family.
Chickens are natural composters! As a Gardner, the thought of having access to fresh cock a doodle do peaked my interest in keeping chickens too. Chicken manure is composed of concentrated nutrients. Alone, it is very strong (or “hot”) and should not be used in raw form on vegetables or flowers. Its high content of nitrogen can burn fragile roots.
However, when given the proper curing time it becomes one of the best additions to your organic garden, earning it the nickname of “black gold”. It can take up to several months to cure pure chicken manure but the benefits are worth the effort.
Here’s how we do it at Dandelion House!
1. We keep fresh pine shavings inside the hen house for warmth and comfort during the winter months and as a soft place for the girls to lay their eggs and take their dust bath when the soil outside is too damp.
2. Every few months I sweep out the shavings along with any chicken droppings straight out into the run area where the “girls “can peck and scratch at it working it into the top layer of the run along with daily kitchen scraps. I also toss in leaves and grass clippings in the fall adding more organic matter to the process. I don’t keep a separate compost area anymore because the girls do all the work for me.
3. After several weeks I go into the run with a shovel, remove the composted soil and place it into a large composting container with a lid to keep it dry for safe keeping until I need it in garden.
There are several ways to use your homemade “black gold “in your garden.
- You can top dress your garden with this mixture in the spring and again in the fall. If you lay it on thick (2- 3 inches) will act as mulch with the benefits of extra nutrients.
- You can also add it to the soil for new plantings without worrying it will be too “hot “to damage fragile roots.
- Tilling it into the top 8 inches of a new garden (or around established plants and shrubs) will improve clay packed or sandy soil.
Dandelion House Garden Summer 2011
Keeping a small flock of backyard chickens will bring you one step closer to a healthier lifestyle inside and out! Besides the benefits to your health and gardens, chickens are easy keepers and will provide daily entertainment and yes, even LOVE to your life. We LOVE our girls!
Happy Gardening friends!
For more Backyard Chicken Keeping inspiration visit these links:
The Cottage Hens
Tilly’s Nest
My Pet Chicken
McMurray Hatchery
Want to see more of Deb’s hen house plus 20 others? Click here
Note: Be sure to contact your local Feed Store or Agricultural Center to learn more about which breeds of poultry do well in your area before ordering your “ spring chicks” .
*Our girls are organically fed with organic egg layer pellets.
**all photos belong to Deborah Jean’s Dandelion House
Please also check out my other Gardening 101 posts – The Basics of Planning Your Vegetable Garden
Theresa H. Roach says
March 5, 2012 at 8:04 amBeautiful chicks and the hen house is awesome:) Those chickens are helping make the garden soil rich and fresh eggs too, wow! Have a blessed week, HUGS!
Debbie says
March 5, 2012 at 3:00 pmHi Theresa! Yes, they are my best friends in the garden! Thanks for reading today.
Deb
Debbie says
March 5, 2012 at 3:03 pmThank you Theresa. I love my girls and they are my greatest helpers in my gardens and the kitchen!
Glad you enjoyed! Deb
Anita says
March 5, 2012 at 8:11 amOh what a lovely post! I have been wanting to get chickens for a while for so many reasons, but I am really nervous about it. I remember my grandparents having them right here where I live now. I’m inspired now!
Debbie says
March 5, 2012 at 3:05 pmHi Anita, There are many wonderful books on keeping backyard chickens out there and blogs too! Don’t be nervous..
They are really pretty easy to keep once you have your initial setup! Glad you are inspired!
Thanks for reading… Deb
Debra says
March 5, 2012 at 8:39 amWhat a great post full of great ideas and beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us:)
~Debra xxx
Capers of the vintage vixens
Debbie says
March 5, 2012 at 3:08 pmDear Debra,
Glad you enjoyed! Maybe you’ll keep chickens too someday!
Thanks for reading… Deb
The Working Home Keeper says
March 5, 2012 at 8:44 amGrowing up in the country, we kept chickens. My Momma used chicken dirt around her flower beds and they looked beautiful! It’s one of my long-term goals to add chickens to our backyard. Currently, I buy my pastured eggs from a local farm. They are delicious, but expensive! Would love to save on the expense by having chickens of our own.
Mary Ellen
The Working Home Keeper
Debbie says
March 5, 2012 at 3:10 pmYou just never know Mary Ellen! Maybe someday you will have your own little flock! You already gave an edge on the learning curve because you grew up with them!
Cindy says
March 5, 2012 at 8:48 amGreat post! We have had chickens for over 20 years and love them. They are fun to watch, the eggs are delish, and make great fertilizer. We even sell the extra to pay for the feed.
Have a great week. It’s almost spring!
Debbie says
March 5, 2012 at 3:11 pmHi Cindy! Yay for you! Happy Spring chickens to you!
Deanna says
March 5, 2012 at 9:11 amWe are getting more chickens this year. We’ve gone back and forth about it for a year now, but have decided to go for it! I think we need a bigger coop, so we will see what we come up with!
Deanna
Debbie says
March 5, 2012 at 3:12 pmDear Deanna,
We added to our original flock last year as well. We added 10, lost 3 so we have a total of 9 right now.
They are just now beginning to lay every day!
Diana says
March 5, 2012 at 11:41 amGreat post! My chickens are pretty old now, and don’t produce as many eggs, so I’m hoping to revitalize this spring with 3 or 4 new pullets, along with rebuilding our coop and extending the run.
Debbie says
March 5, 2012 at 3:13 pmGood for you Diana! It’s worth what you have to go through to start new chicks when those fresh eggs start coming every day!
kim/nannykim says
March 5, 2012 at 12:59 pmIt sounds interesting; if my daughter did this she would have a job keeping out the foxes.
Debbie says
March 5, 2012 at 3:18 pmHi Kim,
Yes, predators can be an issue… Very important to ” proof ” your hen house and run just to be on the safe side. We’ve lost a few over the years for various reasons too. Thanks so much for reading!
Deb
PS. My daughter eventually grew out of her love for chickens. ( just before she discovered Justin Beber ). LOL! I’m the sole chicken keeper now along with my husband who helps with mending the run and other fixes…
Kelley says
March 5, 2012 at 5:14 pmA Cultivated “Coop” today! Thoroughly enjoyed this delightful post!
Debbie says
March 6, 2012 at 8:34 amHi Kelley! Thanks for reading!
Deb
Jodie Lynch says
March 5, 2012 at 7:07 pmI cannot wait until I can have chickens. Unfortunately, we have 3 big dogs and our homeowner’s association doesn’t allow them. I think I could get around the hoa but not the dogs. I’ll have to keep thinking about how I could make it work.
Debbie says
March 6, 2012 at 8:33 amJodi,
We have a Corgi. He doesn’t mind the chickens at all. He’s a herding dog so the most he does is bark at them if they get out of the run! It helps if your dogs aren’t hunters or hounds… I don’t know for sure, but I would think it would drive them crazy having chickens they couldn’t get at nearby! More research will help I’m sure!
Debbie says
March 5, 2012 at 7:19 pmWhat a wonderful post! I love her little red chicken coop the best of all. Chickens or any another beyond basic dogs and cats are not allowed in our development, and I wouldn’t have the space anyway. But oh! She makes it look so very tempting.
Debbie says
March 6, 2012 at 8:31 amWell, ya just never know when you might be able to keep a few backyard hens! Thanks for the note Debbie!
Patty says
March 5, 2012 at 8:37 pmYour girls are beautiful! We’ve had chickens for a few years, just fell into it by accident – I bid on 3 pullets in a silent auction ‘just to get the bidding going’. The joke was on me when noone else bid, but we fell in love with them, and have added on over the last few years. I live in the country, so have roosters too (crow in the morning, afternoon, and night, lol). I am able to let them free range all day and it is so fun to watch them run around the yard scratching and posing, and just being chickens!
Thanks so much for sharing your girls and beautiful coop, enjoy your fresh eggs and compost 🙂
Patty
Debbie says
March 6, 2012 at 8:29 amHi Patty! So you’re the accidental chicken keeper huh? Love that! We had a couple of roosters too, but it didn’t work out in our neighborhood. I did enjoy their daily crows though! Thanks for reading!
Deb
Susan says
March 5, 2012 at 8:52 pmMy mom has chickens and she loves them – and their eggs – so very much! I’m going to send her the link to this blog post. She’ll love it!
Debbie says
March 6, 2012 at 8:27 amHi Susan! Thanks! Have a great day! Deb
cindy says
March 5, 2012 at 9:48 pmHow wonderful, to have chickens in the backyard. We had chickens when we were kids, I loved gathering the eggs.
That was a fun guest host on your blog!
Hugs, Cindy
Debbie says
March 6, 2012 at 8:26 amDear Cindy,
Lucky girl you were to have chickens when you were young! They really are delightful! I have a large egg basket on my counter filled with various eggs in different shapes and colors. Makes me smile every time I look at it! Thanks for the note! Deb
Heather :) :) :) says
March 5, 2012 at 10:25 pmYour chickens are extra cute 🙂 🙂 My chiropractor is now raising chickens in his urban backyard. He said it’s really easy to do. The main part was posting a public notice for a couple of weeks…and now he’s got these two young chickens, that will hopefully be laying some eggs soon 🙂 🙂 🙂 Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 🙂
Debbie says
March 6, 2012 at 8:23 amHi Heather! It’s true you really don’t need much space at all… There are some great tiny chicken coop plans with attached runs that take up very little space. I should have included this link. http://www.greenchickencoop.com in my post! Thanks for the note Heather!
Deb
Melanie says
March 5, 2012 at 10:27 pmOh, how I wish I had the space (we have a TINY back yard) and the time to keep chickens! What a fun guest post…
Debbie says
March 6, 2012 at 8:21 amSo glad you enjoyed Melanie. Thanks for reading! Deb
Anne Launius Berbling says
March 6, 2012 at 1:38 amLOVE chickens! Want some so badly…must check with city ordinances (fingers crossed) ~ Great blog ~ I’m a new follower! ♥ Anne
Athena at Minerva's Garden says
March 6, 2012 at 12:46 pmOur neighbors have four chickens and a duck, and there was a hole in our neighboring fence line, and thus I had chicken friends come over to visit over the winter! They would hang out with me and peck around, eating slugs and other little bugs in the dirt, and were very helpful. However, the fence got fixed and now they are back home–I kind of miss them, actually! And your friend has the most beautiful chicken coop that I’ve ever seen–very high-class for some high-class chickie-girls!
Julie says
March 6, 2012 at 1:11 pmLOVE that henhouse! I do so fondly remember having our “feathered Ladies” and the fun it was (and work) and the many colored treasures they left for us in their nesting boxes… yes…THE BEST eggs ever, and the droppings DID make the best fertilizer for ALL the gardens -veggie and flowers alike- we were blessed to find out about a lumber/cabinetry place that would bag up their shavings in 80-100 pound bags and put them on the dock for horse and chicken farmers to come and pick up for FREE!! 🙂 we also made “tea” out of the droppings. where you let the chicken droppings mix with water in a covered container and could water your plants,,,(YES you are right…putting it straight on the plants would “burn” – kill them.) The manure made the compost ripen twice as fast once summer heat hit and it got turned enough… wonderful post….makes me WANT THOSE chicken ladies again….but I have a dog now that would not be nice to them….it would be a challenge…:-)
Jami @ An Oregon Cottage says
March 6, 2012 at 6:59 pmOh, I love this- what a fabulous idea to make the run a “compost” pile! I’ve never heard of this before. We’re hoping to have chickens in the near future, so I’m definitely pinning this article.
Thanks a bunch for sharing this at the TGP!
Anne says
March 6, 2012 at 9:33 pmsuch pretty girls lined up in a row!
Anne says
March 6, 2012 at 9:35 pmWhoops–it’s learningtable 🙂
Beth says
March 6, 2012 at 11:02 pmBeautiful chickens and a wonderful hen house too! love ’em!
wynonaelliott says
March 7, 2012 at 5:38 amI love this kind of place, I thought its our farm that full of beautiful things and chicken… This coming vacation I will go there and enjoy my life…
Debbie says
March 7, 2012 at 9:42 amHello all! I just wanted to say thank you to all who read and left a note on this post! I so enjoyed reading each comment and it was a pleasure to write for you Manuela! I look forward to doing it again!
Happy Gardening everyone
in blogging sisterhood,
Deborah Jean
Jen says
March 7, 2012 at 9:31 pmI adore fresh eggs…there is no comparison! Thanks for the info on the compost…I will use it soon.
Shannan says
March 7, 2012 at 11:19 pmLove this!! I want chickens so bad and now you have to go post this and re-energize my need 🙂
Pat says
March 8, 2012 at 11:34 pmHi Manuela and Deb!
I am glad to see that Deb posted here…that is sweet. I love reading both your blogs.
I’ve had my chicken flock since October and have loved having my chickies! I was just learning the ins and outs of regular composting– but am already learning the benefits of Chicken Co-op POSTING… they help with most of the work…I just add to it daily.
And already this week I’m learning that they’ll even get rid of pests in the garden…like Ants!
Adding Chickens is the best thing we’ve done around our place–
loved this post!
~Pat
Yolanda says
March 8, 2012 at 11:57 pmOh my gosh! Those hens are just adorable! I have had chickens since I was little and I just love them! Your’s are some of the cutest I have ever seen!
Yolanda
http://chickensonthemoon.blogspot.com
Heidi- WWSF & My Simple Country Living blogs says
March 11, 2012 at 4:13 pmI loved reading this post. I had hens ages ago, and I do miss them. There’s nothing so tasty as fresh eggs and they make baked goods so much fluffier.
Sandy says
March 15, 2012 at 8:50 pmSuch helpful info on raising chickens..
I so want to do this but my HOA is
giving me trouble…
great blog
Sandy