The Joys of Chicken Keeping for Homestead Sunday.

Welcome to Homestead Sunday, where we will share what we have learned, what we do on a regular basis, and what we are working on. Who are we? We are a three generation family living on six acres in South Eastern Texas. 

And while we have only been in Texas a short time, we have had the homestead mentality and lifestyle for quite a few years, starting out with our time in Montana. And, although we are not experts in any way, I hope that what we share with you for this series is helpful, as well as inspirational for you and your own homestead journey. 

Most, but not all homesteaders keep chickens. 

It is relatively easy and a natural way to begin the DIY lifestyle. But then again even lots of folks with only a big back yard are known to keep chickens, when their local rules and ordinances permit. Either way, keeping chickens is a great way to ensure a good supply of eggs for the family, and for the gardeners among us, a good bit of bug control in the garden as well. And I would be remiss to not bring up the free fertilizer available after a cooling down period in your compost pile. Chickens can be quite social often become like pets, with their own personalities. Some of ours love to be picked up, while others will stop and let you give them a back rub. 

This little lady is from our Montana flock. 

While not an expert, I can address chicken keeping from our own experiences. 

We originally started out with chickens in Montana and we have them again living here in East Texas. We had about 15 hens in Montana and here in Texas we have 12. Currently six adult laying hens and six more pullets in the brooder. They will be ready to take their place with the older hens in a couple more moths. I have made my own chicken feed (Montana), and used commercially prepared (organic) pellets (Texas). In addition to evening chicken pellets when they are cooped for the night, we routinely give our girls a scoop of sunflower seeds, along with scraps from the table. The one thing we do not have to worry about here in Texas is winter snow. Our heating costs for the coop could and would add up during winters in Montana. 

With a big (strong) gate to close them in at night, we are rebuilding this former goat shelter into a large coop for all the chickens. 

All vegetable and fruit trimmings are routed to the compost pile, where the ladies visit to peck around and pick out what they want. I try and get a rake over to the compost bins a couple times a week to rake it up and keep it tidy. But having chickens is a lot like having multiple toddlers to look after, you get one spot clean and organized, and then discover that they have just made another mess, right over there...LOL! 

After the first dog attach our hens took to sleeping up high in the trees. Fortunately this has now been eliminated....

I do like a tidy front yard. But the ladies have other ideas when they visit.

I can be caught off guard by how much they scratch and dig when out foraging during the day, especially in my front yard....but that quickly goes away when they come running over to me when I go outside and they are looking for a hand out or more often a scratch on the back. Our chickens free range/forage during the day, it helps with bug control all around the Caravan as well in the garden and to be perfectly frank, it helps reduce feed costs. The cost of feed is something all chicken keepers work at keeping affordable. Chicken keeping can be expensive or you can take on the homestead mentality and do it yourself to save money at the feed store. The choice is yours. But I will enjoy making my own chicken feed once again, it is relatively easy and I usually ferment it for three days to keep the girls healthy. 

Currently we are still building up our flock, as well as remodeling the coop we currently use, to accommodate six hens currently with six more added soon. Originally the coop space was a covered area for goats to get out of the rain. But just about everything needed to homestead can be done in pieces or stages. And repurposing buildings, as well as just about anything else you need is common. Especially for us, I come from a long line of DIY folks. And it can be fun to see what can be made out of what you already have...

Our original coop, now too small for all of the flock. 

As time permits or for many, as money is available new buildings are built or existing structures are rehabbed into what you need. Plus we all live here and life goes on as well. There are  dinners to make, laundry to do and garden product to process. And just as important a little down time for each of us. For us homesteading is the best way to build a quiet life around family, grow our own food and of course keep chickens! At some point in the future we hope to have a rooster/hen pair for hatching our own flock. Since we started out with a coop kit, that smaller unit, will be the apartment they need when their little chicks hatch. 

Muck out boots repurposed as raised chicken feeders. 

Our old muck out boots from Montana were well used, cracked and no longer water proof. They were repurposed into hanging chicken feeders. And this idea has worked out beautifully. The boots are hung up high enough that the hens can easily eat from them, and the ants do not take over the food. Also if need be, the boots can be loaded with additional food from the upper opening so there never need be an empty feeder. I do plan on getting another pair from the thrift store when we add the other six chickens to the coop. The ladies are pretty good at sharing, but more than two hens at a single boot, doesn't work very well. Since the older hens will instill a pecking order, I need to make sure the younger hens get enough to eat. We try very hard to repurpose and reuse what we already have, before buying new. 

Here are some of our methods for chicken keeping: 

Chicken keeping is no different than any other animal husbandry, the hens come first. 

I remember from the Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder the concept of animal husbandry. If you do not take care of your animals they cannot do the work needed or provide for you. On our little homestead, they are let out to forage early in the morning. While out by the coop, my husband takes a good look around for any predators that have wandered onto the property before letting the ladies out. Usually they are still perched and sleeping, and continue sleeping for awhile after the coop is opened. We also do a head count to make sure they are all accounted for and no one is gone...or got injured in the night.

On the way back to our Caravan, a scoop of sunflower seeds is dropped on the ground in their favorite spot. We know that within 30 minutes they will be out to have some seeds and begin foraging for the day. While we were sipping coffee waiting for first light to open the coop, we do not eat or get on with our day until the ladies have been tended too. Later we will gather eggs and do another head count. And we have learned to listen for distress as we get our own work done. 

Chickens in the garden. 

They currently travel all over the property, throughout the day. 

Once they are out of the coop, we keep an ear out, for any sounds of distress. We have had wild dogs come onto our property here lately and each time we have lost a rooster who was doing his duty to protect the hens. The sad truth is, if you have chickens, there will possibly be a wild animal that will want one or more of them. And not just once...

It can be difficult to remember this when you have feathers all over your yard. But those animals taking out your chickens are doing what is in their genes, hunting for food....to help with the problem we have in our area, we are currently building a very large fenced in area for the hens. This will be their main foraging area, which will be safer for them during the day. It will be right across from the garden, which will make it easy for me to continue to observe them as I get my own work done. 

Fence line for the large chicken yard. 

Our long term goal is to provide eggs for our own family, and more...

Fortunately, you can be chicken keepers in stages. You do not have to go all in right away. Chicken keeping is a learn as you go project. But starting out with a smaller flock and building up the hen count is quite doable. Once the hens you currently have are trained to follow a schedule, you can easily add more chickens. For us 12 hens is about right. We will have more than enough eggs for both families, as well as a few to sell. And while we won't get rich from selling eggs, it will help to pay for some of the cost of chicken feed. While our chickens lay on the average of one egg every other day, they eat everyday. 

And a few things to think about:

Your own journey for chicken keeping needs to be comfortable for you!

Will you make your own chicken food or purchase commercial feed for your flock? Will you use a large coop and keep the ladies in all day or let them roam and forage? Will you build your own coop or purchase one? Will you have a rooster to help keep the hens in check (our hens would sleep up in the trees if allowed) or not bother with a rooster at all? Who will do the work involved with chicken keeping or will it be shared by all family members? 

Only you can answer those questions, but I do suggest you have a conversation regarding the type of chicken keeper you would like to be. You may also need to have an understanding of local laws  and ordinances if you are not out in the country. All of this is important and can only be decided by you. But it is a worthy investment of your time, to ensure that chicken keeping works out, in all the ways you hope it to be.  

A couple of links to help you in your chicken keeping journey:

Chickens do not always lay their eggs in the coop nesting boxes. For those times you will want to make a Egg Shovel.

 

This Egg Shovel is so easy to make, and it will save the day when one of your ladies leaves her egg behind a large rock in the Lilac hedge...

Chickens need grit to help them digest the food you feed them, the easiest (and cheapest!) grit is their own egg shells processed to be offered at grit. Come and take a look at how easy this no cost grit is...

We save our egg shells for grit as well for use in the garden. Making grit for your flock is easy and only take about 20 minutes, you can read about it right here...

And this last tip, if your chickens lay more eggs than you can consume or give away you can hard boil the older eggs and crumble them on a tray, shell and all. The protein is good for the ladies and they will get some extra grit in the process. 

You may also enjoy: 

Marigolds are perfect for chickens, and a tour of our Montana coop. 

Come and Take a Tour of our 5thwheel Home. (Texas)

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