City Chicks update

 a favorite activity of the City Chicks:  taking a dust bath

It’s been a while since the City Chicks have had any blog time.  For newer readers, we have four hens that we added to our “city farm” last year.  Actually, they are the whole reason that our home was called a city farm to begin with. 

So what have the girls been doing lately?

They have been:

• Laying 2 – 3 eggs a day.
• foraging in the chicken tractor
• foraging in the yard when we are outside
• taking out a few plants here and there  {ugh}
• eating lots of yummy leftover treats.  Their favorite so far this year:  cantaloupe and tomatoes
• eating bugs
• taking dust baths

We also have a broody hen!  She is not laying right now but sitting in the box constantly trying to hatch the unfertilized eggs.  It’s kind of funny but sometimes worrisome.  So what are we doing for our little broody hen?

• Collecting eggs from under her despite her opposition (she has yet to peck us…she’s a real sweetie)
• Forcing her out of the coop to take care of chicken business (she’ll come out for a yummy piece of watermelon but quickly goes back)
• Praying she soon realizes that her broodiness is futile and starts laying yummy eggs again!

 

Some have asked why we have City Chickens.  Some of the benefits of our City Chickens are:

• the eggs are more nutritious than most store bought eggs
• the chickens create compost for the garden {the best plants this year are in the boxes with composted chicken manure}
• the chickens eat many of our scraps therefore reducing our trash
• our children get to learn responsibility in caring for animals
• we have a source of entertainment that is not electronic

Not only are we enjoying our City Chicks but many of our neighbors are as well.  We often get visits from people who want to visit the chickens.  We’ve even been told that we have the coolest backyard in the city.

We love our City Chicks!