i recently got a suggestion for a topic to impress my opinion & experiences on. & since i am at home with a sick monkey & had a quiet moment i thought i would oblige.
a friend of mine has added some new backyard friends to her family…chickens! of course, i was very excited for her as i am smitten by my own & feel that they are just great overall pets (provided that one is allowed to keep them in their area)
with an adorable coop in place, a sturdy fence put up for “free ranging,” & much anticipation, my friend & her family now possess 3 hens; 2 adults & 1 juvenile.
her questions were as follows:
have you ever clipped wings?
on parrots, yes. on chickens, no. i assumed that there was beaucoups of info online, or video tutorials that explained/showed the how-tos of wing maintenance & i was right. (google is my bf) most sites recommend not clipping the wings unless it becomes a health risk to the bird or a nuisance to neighboring yards, gardens, etc. if the wings (or flight feathers) must be clipped, it is best to wait until they are in fact, flying pretty good heights &/or distances. chickens will naturally flutter around & stretch their wings off of the ground, not really going anywhere; this is just another indication of healthy development. & there are plenty of video blogs/tutes available to show proper handling & clipping of well fledged flight wings.
what are some fun things to feed them?
my girls are excellent eaters & will peck at absolutely anything to see if it’s edible (roots, boots, painted fingernails). they are possibly the closest animal that i will ever have to a goat; well, besides the beagle dog that eats rocks & rearranges the fire pit on the daily. some of their most favorite treats though are tomatoes, cucumbers, blueberries, & strawberries. they seem to like bell peppers okay, also. i thought that they would adore bananas, but they were like “meh”…the same with apples. (oh, they ate them, just weren’t particularly excited by the new fruits) the regular all time staple for the girls…meal worms! dried or alive, they are a huge hit & all 6 of them go bonkers for them.
are there any tips that i’ve learned?
reading books & researching topics via the interwebs can only prepare you so far…everything else is trial & error, what works best for your family, space, etc., & personal experience (although some research is definitely key to readying yourself for new adventures, i think) since i got my girls as chicks, i did a ton of research; structures of coops, square feet per bird for enough space, & general needs. but even with a little knowledge behind me, i am still discovering things. fun things, things to add or subtract, needs & not really big deals. make sense? every day brings a new cool fun fact about backyard chicken rearing! (did i mention how terrified i got when the summer weather here in the south was ranging 106-112 degrees…omg, scary time!)
any recipes?
with the eggs…not the chickens! sadly, since the first egg was found a few weeks back, i have not been very creative with them or taken any time to experiment with new concoctions. truth is, i have been more overwhelmed with the quantity (averaging 4-6 a day with only half the flock laying at this point) & have given lots away. the rest have been scrambled, omeletted, or fried; & i did learn how to poach. i definitely plan on using them more resourcefully in the near future. maybe like a frittata or something (never made one of those before. i will keep you guys posted.)
so am i an expert? nope. not on chickens, birds, or even backyard animals…probably never will be, but we are having a lot of fun in the process. i look forward to many years with my girls & love sharing the experience with the monkey; loving all creatures, taking care of living things, & knowing where some of our food comes from.
ps…remember when i said i wanted some bunnies? well, we got a corn snake instead…oh well, it happens.
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