Raising Backyard Chickens - Bless This Mess

I have a hard time not calling the remaining three chickens “the survivors” after that tragic day the neighbor’s dogs killed six of my hens (Heartbreak and details on that day here). But survivors they are. After a few days of not laying, due to stress from the incident, they’ve bounced back just fine. One thing I’ve noticed though is that they never leave each other.

The remaining three chickens have forged a new bond since their friends died and I rarely see them apart. It’s pretty cute really.

I camera-stalked the ladies one afternoon and it was really fun for me. Here’s what they look like most of the day. Eating, eating, eating. I love this picture because you can see all three of their tails up in the air. They’ve been eating the dried dandelions puffs which doesn’t sound all that appealing too me, but it’s fun to watch. Man, having backyard chickens is fun.

Meander, eat, meander, eat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

chickens at home, raising chickens for eggs

And when they aren’t eating together they are resting or sleeping or bathing together. Here are all three taking a dirt bath together. I really should take a video of the dirt baths because they are so funny. The hens twist and roll all around, fluff up their feathers, and kick the dirt up really fast with their feet. You’ve never seen anything like it! I can’t help but watch and laugh at them when they are out taking a bath.

chickens taking a dirt bath, hens staying together

Isn’t she pretty? Can you see the feathers under her chin and around her eyes (they look like fluffy ears from the front). She’s an Ameraucana who is considered “bearded”. I think of her as the bearded lady. But my, is she a good lookin’ bearded lady.

Ameracuana chicken breed, bearded hen, bearded chicken

In other chicken news: I’m getting no eggs. The hens lay depending on the number of hours of light in the day, and apparently we get too few now for them to lay. I think they need about 12 hours of daylight to keep laying. Online I read about having a light on in the coop. You can buy timers too so that the light goes on and off as needed so that the hens get the 12 hours of light they need a day. Lots of people do this. Lots of people also leave a light on all night for heat and egg purposes. There was also some talk of letting the hens have the winter off because it’s part of their natural laying cycles.

I haven’t decided what I want to do yet, and I don’t currently have electricity out to where the coop is. So at the moment I’m just not getting eggs. I may reconsider the setup as the weather gets colder, but I’ll let you know as things change. Any chicken owners have thoughts on winter lights for hens?

There you have it. A little update on the few chickens I have left. Don’t worry though; I’ll get new chicks in the spring and we’ll start our journey again. Thanks for letting me share this hobby with you. If you can’t tell, I really like it!

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Birds of a Feather Stick Together

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