So You Want Farm Fresh Organic Eggs: A Guest Post

One of my mom's loves is her hens. She calls them her girlies.

I decided to interview my mom about her chickens as my guest blogger.

Tell me, how did you get interested in having a flock?

I was interested in having hens that would lay eggs that I could bake with. My mom is an avid baker. I love having fresh eggs from my chickens. They bring me so much joy!

My first experience having my own chickens was not this positive. I was 28 years old. We were living on a farm. They were butcher hens. It was a bad experience for a first time flock as the hens had to die. They were scrawny. I was so discouraged. I didn't have chickens for many years after that.

No one admits to having a favorite child, but who's your favorite chicken & why?

My mom wondered if I wasn't really doing an interview about chickens after I asked this and if the question was metaphoric. I had to laugh.

I don't actually have one favorite. I have last year's chickens and this years. There are 60 in total with two roosters. They are all my favorites. They are so beautiful. The roosters even, they step out of my way and are very respectful.

Describe a day in the life with your chickens.

Early in the morning the chickens are let out into the first pen. The roosters are watching, waiting to crow. They know I will be giving them grain. When the rooster sees me coming with the grain he lets the others know. They like the grain. I soak the grain: wheat or oats first. Then they want to get out of the main pen and see more territory. I let them into the second pen which has a bigger terrain until 6 pm. Then they want the scraps. My dearest friend, she's one of a kind, she saves kitchen scraps. I wash out all their dishes they have had food in. When they see me coming out they just about jump the fence. I throw a piece over the fence and they run to it like it is gold. They scamper toward special pieces of scraps. At 7 pm I feed them more grain and oyster shell. Then I have my basket. It's a treasure hunt. I get up to 30 eggs. I tell them, "Thank you for the eggs". Then I say, "Good night, Girlies," and put them in for the night.

What do your chickens love to eat?

They love the kitchen scraps best of all. The kitchen scraps include carrot peels, potato peels, cored apples. They love banana peels. One will pick one up and run with it and they will all chase after. It is kind of like a game. They also love bread; that is a special treat.

What are your top tips for an aspiring backyard chicken farmer?

• Find a nice house. Make your own or buy one that looks cute.
• An egg nest that opens up and one you can collect the eggs from the outside is ideal.
• Order 5 or 6 hens for your backyard not 60 like I did.
• Make yourself a little fence to keep out predators. It is great to give chickens an area to free range.
• Go to a local farmer and get some organic grain.
• If you have a good friend, a friend who will keep scraps for you, this is great. It is embarrassing to ask for scraps from a friend, but a special friend will keep these for you.

Oh hey you can purchase this lovely chicken coop on Williams-Sonoma. 

It's a little expensive at $1499.95. 

Or you can always make your own. There are a number of cute plans linked on Pinterest. 

Here is one of my favorite chicken coops- The Cape Cod with a link to purchase plans. 

What has been your biggest challenge keeping chickens?

The biggest challenge I face is having to be home everyday to care for them or find someone who will let them out, feed & collect eggs. Also having a fence secure enough so that predators will not come and kill the chickens.

What are some of your happiest chicken moments?

Picking up the eggs, seeing them scratch around, listening to them talk. They give me so much delight. Sometimes I just watch them. It is as if they are talking, when they are clucking, eating the kitchen scraps, "This is so good."  It is so much fun listening to them talk. 

Sometimes I think I would like to have chickens. The thought of having 2 or 3 fresh organic eggs each day sounds appealing. My mom laughed when I asked her if I should get a few for my backyard, and said I would have to stay home unless I had a good friend who would take care of them when I came to visit her.  So no, I don't think I am ready to have chickens.

Thanks mom for being my guest blogger! xoxo 

Have you you ever flirted with the idea of having backyard chickens? Pinned a chicken coop diy or two? When you grew up did your parents or grandparents keep chickens?