Urban Chickening - I highly recommend these outdoor pests

I came down with chicken fever in the fall of 2009. I don't remember exactly what prompted the obsession (I think it was my disdain for mental images of all of those commercial layers being crammed in tiny coops w/ not hope for daylight and fresh air) but I remember lots of speculation about where a chicken coop would work in our backyard. There was a lot of researching of breeds, and even more chicken coop designing.

It wasn't until last winter, after much wavering, that the decision was made. Forget about the added responsibility, the expense, and the addition of one more project that would require completing. I had to have CHICKENS!

For the first 20 1/2 weeks, I must admit that I regretted the decision immensely. Let's see... I suppose I should begin at the beginning.

I started by trying to convince every one else I knew to get chickens before I did. This plan didn't work so well. I decided that I was just going to do it, then thought about that fact that we already have a ton of loose threads in our lives. Unfinished house projects, unkempt gardens, craft projects 1/2 finished, and who knows what else were adding unnecessary stress to our lives, why would I be so foolish to add 1 more? Chickens require a coop, an enclosure, time, and attention. Firm NO. Nope, I've learned my lessons, I'm NOT going to get chickens. Plus, I thought we were on the verge of getting a friend who lives nearby to make the leap... I would be able to learn about chickens vicariously... but then a terrifying thing happened, they were considering not doing it either! Dear lordy... what about the chickens?!

So, in a snap decision, I changed my mind. We were going to make this happen. I'm glad to report that our friends did too.

I re-researched and found my top-two chicken breeds. I wanted birds that were dual purpose meat birds and layers (in case we decided we weren't chicken farmers after all, and we wanted to make soup instead). I also wanted birds that were known to be quite, gentle, and able to be kept in a small space during days while we were at work. They needed to be cold-hardy, and on top of it all lay as many eggs as chickenly possible. I also knew that there are many chicken breeds on the verge of being lost forever to commercial breeds.

Cindy-Lou, the Deleware

I found websites to research the different endangered heritage breeds and settled on Delewares and Speckled Sussex as my top choices. I became a frequenter of the website BackyardChickens.com, and used their breed index to settle on my choices. They offer quite a lot of useful guides about breed characteristics with their breed index. This site was also invaluable for step-by-step chick rearing, and chicken coop design ideas.

Tinkerbell (a.k.a. "Toeless") a
Speckled Sussex, in the foreground.

I ordered my chicks from MyPetChicken.com, who ships baby chicks in the mail. The idea of this was hard for me to conceive and caused great anxiety. What if another package was place atop my chicks and they were crushed? What if they get turned upside down and sideways and tumbled in their box? Its still cold in April, what if they freeze? Adding to the concern was that fact that I had to leave town for business the day before they were to arrive. With John at work all day, how would the chicks be rescued from their cardboard prison?!

Fortunately, all of my concerns were for naught. John was able to be there when the delivery came, and the all 5 chicks were peeping and relatively happy.

Next up... coping with baby chicks. When is it cute that your dogs show interests in chickens? Do backyard chickens actually lay eggs? And other trials and tribulations...