This winter we decided to finally get our chickens. In February I went down to Livingscape, our local feed store to check out what they had in the way of chicks. We had decided to get two chicks to start with since Portland has a limit of three hens chickens without a permit within city limits. When I got to the feed store there were only three chicks left. I couldn't just leave one there so of course I took all three. The man working that day was not a regular and was not exactly sure what breed they were. Lyra was so excited about the chicks she could hardly stand it. When we got home we set up a large cardboard box with a heat lamp in Etta's room since she was still co-sleeping with us. Lyra would drag every guest we had upstairs to meet the chicks. She proudly named the yellow chick Cinderella Chicken and the two black ones Tinkerbell and Fluffy.
Next we had to select a chicken co-op. With a four month old and two year old I was not really up for building one and my husband's handy skills are somewhat limited, so I purchased one from Chicken Gardener out of Eugene. We selected their small "Chicken Tractor" model with wheels that could be moved around the yard so they always had fresh grass and we could park the coop on our raised garden beds in the winter. They delivered the coop to our yard fully built for no extra charge.
From left to right: Tinkerbell, Fluffy and Cinderella Chicken
The chickens moved into their new coop in mid March. By May they were starting to look like identifiable adult breeds and we started to research what breeds we might have. We have identified Cinderella Chicken as a New Hampshire Red and Tinkerbell and Fluffy as Plymouth Rocks. Both known to be solid egg layers and good cold weather birds which is always a bonus for those cold snaps. As of yesterday Cinderella Chicken laid her first two eggs. The second one significantly smaller than the first which is fairly typical when they first start to lay eggs. It will be a few of weeks before she starts laying with consistency in size and numbers. The New Hampshire Reds are know to be early layers so it will be a few weeks before we see any eggs from Tinkerbell and Fluffy.
Daddy, Lyra and Aggie checking out the first egg!
"Is it worth it?" that is the big question that everyone asks. The cost of the coop, lamp and feeders are your big startup costs, which runs around $450 for 3-4 chickens, after that it is fairly inexpensive. We spend about $15 a month on organic feed and they consume a lot of our fruit and vegetable compostables. They will soon be laying around 60 eggs a month when they are all laying and that is about $0.25 an egg. If you buy organic eggs you are saving a little bit. Maintenance is fairly minimal as well. I spend a total of 5 minutes in the morning checking food, water and bedding and again at night. If I have to leave for the weekend they are usually fine on their own for couple of days with some extra food and a full tank of water. The excitement and knowledge Lyra has gained from the experience is worth every penny!
