The Freshest Best Eggs Ever

Or Backyard Chickens the easy way
Or How I went to the feed store for feed and came home with a tiny flock to feed

Teenage chickens Barbara and Susan, who are named after my sisters.
Susan is quite exotic and she lays pale green eggs.

My entree into backyard poultry did not come with much planning. I went to the feed store with my husband to get gardening supplies. Right inside the door was a big basket of tiny chicks.Nick got very excited and started babbling about raising chickens was easy, his grandmother did it, blah blah. I told the guy behind the cash register, "Don't sell this guy any chickens!" and went to get my stuff. Of course by the time I got back, Nick had our first flock in a box ready to go. On the way home I told Nick we don't know anything about chicken and he assured me he did. We first put our tiny feathery friends in a rabbit hutch (no we don't and never have had rabbits but Nick collects EVERYTHING). The wires were too far apart and the chicks promptly jumped out. What you see in the photo below is a much reinforced rabbit hutch. We put the whole thing in the shed with lights at night to keep our girls safe and warm.

They were very cute but the uninitiated chicken raisers should beware that little chicks do not lay any eggs for 4 or more months! Of course when they do you will have the very best eggs you have ever tasted. The yolks are a rich gold color and they taste fabulous.

How to Hard Boil Eggs.

The best hard boiled eggs are not boiled at all! My eggs are generally at room temperature because they are fresh and we don't refrigerate them. Put eggs in a saucepan and cover with at least an inch of water above the eggs. Bring water to a boil, cover pan and turn off burner. Let sit for 15 minutes. Pour off water and slightly crack the surface of the eggs. I usually do this be shaking them in the pan. Cover with very cold water and let them sit for a few minutes before peeling. Eat plain, add to salad or...

Deviled Eggs
Slice eggs in half, remove yolks and mash yolks thoroughly. Add a touch of good mayonnaise and a healthy dose of Dijon mustard. Other possible additions are:
Herbs; tarragon, thyme, basil or chives
Pickles or capers
Horseradish
Olives

Eggs from happy chickens. The green egg in the center was laid by Susan, an Americana bird. The weird looking ceramic bug was a Christmas present from my sister Nancy. I don't know what it was supposed to be fo but it makes a great egg caddy.

Nancy with Mary Anne behind her.

The labor pains of getting the girls to laying age are all but forgotten and there are many sources online about backyard chickens. Here are some...

 Things I have Learned being a Poultry Mama.

1. Chickens will eat anything. Clean out your fridge and take it to the henhouse. They will also eat weeds, flowers, insect of all sorts and dirt. They have no teeth so you need to provide some kind of grit for them. We tried to smash up oyster shells until we realized you can buy them for "cheep, cheep."
2. Chickens do not get lost and they follow the leader or top of the pecking order. Nancy is the leader of my flock, she is also the fattest and she is named after my sister (who is not fat). One time my girls got under the fence into the alley and a neighbor spotted them trying to get back in! Get one of them interested in something and they will all follow.
3. Lock them in a secure pen at night! Cats, possums, raccoons and all kinds of varmints will consider them dinner.
4. Don't obsess about what you need to raise chickens, just do it. We left the feed store with directions and feed. Those guys know what they are doing and if you get a sick bird, they will tell you what is wrong, sell you the antibiotics and you won't pay much. Our girls came from  Standard Feed in Jacksonville FL.
5. Chickens LOVE sunflower seeds. I grow sunflowers for them every year. If I want them in their pen and it is not dusk (when they will go to roost naturally) I shake a container of sunflower seeds and yell "seeeeeds," They come running!

   

   I grew sunflowers that were over 12 feet tall in the alley next to my garden. Neighborhood beautification and chicken treats in one easy to grow plant. I have volunteers from last year's crop too!

   
   
   
6. If you have had a bad day or just want some entertainment, take a glass of wine, go out to your chickens and enjoy. I sit on the steps and waggle collard greens in front of them (I grow the greens year round for the girls, just 2 plants). Chickens love to eat greens this way. They make little chickeny noises and somehow all seems right with the world. 
7. Chickens eat bugs and worms. I have very few insect and disease problems and I grow 100% organically. The chicken free range on 2 sides of my fenced garden area. 
8. Chickens produce great compost material. All straw and droppings from their pen go into a compost area. Sometimes I mix the soiled hay into compost and sometimes I just let it sit for 30-45 days and then use it to mulch my vegetables. What a deal... mulch and fertilizer in 1 package.
9. They don't need lots of room. I live in the city in the historic district. Their coop is 4x8 feet with a second story roost and nesting box. They could just stay in the pen but I let them free range in a larger fenced area and sometimes under supervision they get to go in my backyard. Remember they eat bugs and worms.
   

So you might want to think seriously about adding some feathered friends to your family.One of my girlfriend did and she lives in an equally populated urban area. She made a coop and run out of a child's playset and it looks terrific. Many cities have ordinances allowing hens in residential areas. Jacksonville does not but a tireless group of bird lovers is trying to make that happen. Check out Hens In Jax or see them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hensinjax