Chickens need a break too!!

This year I experienced an unexpected phenomenon with my Chickens; their feathers fell out and and they stopped laying eggs. This went on for a approx 2-3 months. I didn't know what was going on. It was apparent they were going through the molt. Egg production stopped a few weeks before the molt, I suspect they were getting ready. So what was actually going on inside Ezelle and Esther? After doing some research I found out that although chickens molt every year which is the process of replacing damaged feathers, they go through a complete molt approx every two years. This would explain the almost baldness of my girls running around. While the complete molt is taking place there body uses all the protein it can get into growing feathers instead of producing eggs. I was concerned because I thought the gals were done with egg production forever and that raised a huge issue me because im an extreme carnivore. But even though the thought of preparing the gals for dinner crossed my mine, I couldn't do it because they are my gals; so I am a big Sap after all. Esther and Ezelle for chickens as all chickens do are amazing creatures, able to produce eggs everyday, that is alot of work for their bodies. During the molt their systems repair themselves, getting ready for another two years of production. So one day when I came home I saw two freshly layed eggs in the nest. That brought a smile to my face, but there is one thing that is evident and that is Ezelle and Esther are family now and even if they stop producing which they will one day, they will never end up on a dinner plate. Damn, I can't believe I said that:)

My Gals

Ezelle and Esther, stuck to the hip like batman and robin, Michael Jordan and Scotty Pippen or more like Aretha Franklin and her Microphone. These two gals have so much attitude that I just say they have "tude" They remind me of my two sisters; Quick to tell you whats on their minds, able to hold several conversations at one time, Always keepin a watchful eye on the latest gossip and a whole lot of fun to be around.

Raising chickens in an Urban environment has it's challenges, but those challenges are not so overbearing if things are kept within parameters that are functional. I never thought I would ever have chickens at this stage in my life. But like with everything else, I do go against the grain and instead of waiting until my knees are blown out, I decided to go for it and attempt to do it right the first time. I never had a platform for what right looks like in an urban environment. But to the contrary, I do have a platform for what wrong looks like. There is an area of town that I drive by occasionally, and the people sit out side of there homes on wet couches, with Budweiser cans replacing the grass, and roosters running in makeshift pens positioned on the front lawn. It's disgusting and it gives guys like me who are living under the radar a bad name.

I personally have high standards for my gals. I know chickens are chickens and they are going to poop and do whatever it is chickens do. But as the guy with the big brain, I will figure out a way to direct their patterns in such a way that works with all of us and for the most part it has. Ezelle and Esther are the beginning and surprisingly my wife was so impressed with the new coop that she would love to add one more as an addition. I love my gals, but we don't have any more room for another loud mouth.

Making a Chicken Coop

Alot of thought went into making this chicken coop for Esther and Ezelle. It was difficult to come up with a solid plan, because all of the materials we had were pulled apart from other projects, so my buddy and I just shot from the hip on this one.

One thing was for sure and that was the need to incorporate the basic needs for my wife and I which was easy access, ventilation, easy to clean, a place to roost, a place to lay eggs, an easy way to collect eggs and a way to throw green material on the bottom of the coop and collect it for compost. I know it sounds like alot but with this plan our coop suddenly materialized in a few hours and it was literally a one day project. Hopefully our girls will appreciate the work we have done for them. They now have a place to roost and lay eggs off the ground and my wife can easily go in and collect eggs from the side with out going into the coop. My favorite design feature of the coop is being able to pull my wheel barrel up with heaps of material from the compost and scatter it along the floor. When I put the girls in thier new home they made quick work of the working green material. They were literally on cloud nine doing their synchronized scratching dance. I can watch these guys scratch all day like I can watch a fire. It's mesmerizing watching them work and it's amazing that these girls have some personality. More pics of the girls latter on this week.

Chicken Guano PeeeeeeYeeeewww!!!

Today I decided to transfer Ezelle and Ester into their new home. Their former home had a dirt substrate and I layed hay in their so that they can do their business and eventually I can use their guano in the garden. Well today friends was the day and ohhhh the earth could have not smelled any better because there $#!%! Stinks. I figured I was doing good with the smell because we never smelled them. The guano (poo) had neutralized and broke down all the shavings in the cage. It was an excellent system that worked in a very short period of time.

I had to hurry up and work fast with this stuff because my wife was dry heaving all over the place. I admit it was bad but this is from a guy who likes the smell of skunk and ate a whole Dorian fruit without breaking a sweat. The guano was intense and I threw all of it into my working pile of compost and turned the compost over onto it. I hope my worms enjoy it. I will soon tell. Because when I turned the Compost over they were literally having an orgy in that place. I hope I brought the tequila for the party instead of the koolaid. Time will tell and in a few days I will see how the guys are doing. But for now Ezelle and Ester are happy in their home. I will modify there pen later on this year so that they have an outdoor run and hopefully I can sneak a Nigerian dwarf goat into the yard without my wife knowing;)

Raising Chickens the Urban way

First of all most cities will not allow residents to have chickens. Nevertheless, their is a quiet revolution of folk all over the US whos sole purpose is to Raise organic eggs and meat birds in their backyards. I think its a magnificent idea and as someone striving to be a self-sufficientist I see the power in raising chickens for eggs. I think when the shit hit the fan. Chickens and eggs will be more valuable than money. I have a converted dog house that I will use as my coop. I will raise brown egg layers this up coming year.

You can see my coop next to my hawk mews. Its not fancy but its functional. We will see how it works this up coming year.

The following clip is from someone that I personally think is growing a little bit more than eggs in their backyard. Im not mad at them. This women just seems a little to happy. But her work on raising chickens should be admired.