Never in a million years did I think I could raise chickens. As a child, I dreamed of living in an old yellow farm house with a wrap around porch and animals at my feet. I guess I didn't look close enough in those day dreams to see what kind of animals lingered there...I just knew they were there.
One of the first things Bear (my husband) and I wanted to do when we moved to this new home was raise chickens. Before we even put an offer in on the house we made sure to check the zoning ordinances and find out what, if any, animals we could have on our land. Chickens were a "go". I scoured the library and web for any and all information I could find on chickens. Bear's grandmother, who lived in Detroit, had chickens but she kept them in her basement and eventually moved them to the garage before calling her brother to assist in their demise. She didn't know the text book stuff on raising chickens, she just knew enough to keep 'em alive long enough to fatten 'em up.
After much research, I found myself going back to the same website for practical information in which I could find an answer to just about any question I had regarding chickens. The website is Backyard Chickens, and is a fantastic source for first time chicken owners.
We researched the most friendly chicken breeds (production was important, but not as much as character) and these are the breeds we came up with:
Light Brahmas
Buff Orpingtons
Barred Rock (Bear thought they looked cool)
Black Australorps
We build a little brooder covered in chicken wire with a lid and kept them in the house. This all happened at moving time!! For two weeks we had them in our old home and they made the move with us to the new place seamlessly.
Stay tuned for the good stuff.... The Coop!
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