Last summer I read a biography about Abigail Adams. It was extremely interesting for many reasons, but I found myself charmed by the little quotes from her letters about her love of home…and her obvious delight in little things, including her “hens and chickings.”
We purchased our first chicks last year from our local Agway. From day one it has been a very rewarding, and yes, even educational, experience for our family.
We, believe it or not, love our chickens. Each one is special, with her own personality. Even when we discovered that one of our hens was a rooster, we didn’t mind at all. George has been an interesting study, too, to say the least. In fact, I can’t imagine having a flock of chickens withOUT a rooster. He spends his entire life taking care of his flock. He keeps the girls on a strict daily routine, answers them when they are in distress, thanks them when they lay an egg, calls them when he finds some tasty morsel, and protects them from dangerous creatures, like Caleb (whom he attacked one day with vengeance and almost caused Rich to remove his head), and Seth (whom he jumped upon just the other day).
This is a picture of our first flock, as babies. We kept them in a cage in the garage and brought them outside to explore during the day. I picked them flowers.
Now they are grown up, with their own coop. I don’t even have to ask the children to let them out. It’s one of the first things we do every morning. Our chickens are free to roam around the entire property. When one wants to lay her egg, she leaves the flock outside and goes back to the coop. She sits for a little while until the egg emerges and then sometimes she’ll sit on it for a little while. But even in this particular area, they show distinct personalities. For instance, Maria just gets up and leaves as soon as she’s done, while making the “I laid an egg!!” call. Wherever George is, when he hears the “I laid an egg” call, he answers it, while running to the coop to find his girl and bring her back to the rest of the flock.
When we are outside, the braver chickens of the flock run up to us. They want to know if we have a treat. The other day, we ate watermelon outside and boy did they love the seeds and rinds.
Jenny, one of our black hens, doesn’t obey George’s orders, causing George to get irritated. He actually gives up giving her orders….and leaves her to do her own thing. Sometimes Jenny pecks or jumps on George’s little hens (the aracuna’s), she wants to be #1 in the pecking order. Jenny is a little too rough and George punishes her by chasing her away, jumping on her, and pecking her. It is quite the sight. Lately, we have noticed that Jenny seems to be settling down some, and George is allowing her to spend some time with the rest of the flock. For now, the children have nicknamed her the “outcast”.
Margaret is too slow. She’s the slowest chicken of the flock, so Caleb prefers her. She is the easiest chicken for him to catch.
Star is a kindhearted chicken. If one of her sisters makes a distress call, she makes it too. She also keeps Jenny company sometimes.
Ellington loves treats and is one of the first to coming running for them.
Maria sounds like a sheep when she makes her distress call. She is the most timid and usually stays very close to George.
Joanna, a red chicken, never stops talking. She walks around clucking all day. She is very similar to a certain friend of mine, who she is named after. Ha ha ha ha ha !
They lay us wonderful golden eggs every day. Collecting them is rewarding, the coop is a productive place and soothing to visit with the hay, the warm wood, and the bright sunshine through the windows. I gather the eggs like I’m gathering little treasures, thankful for each one. I keep them in a basket on my kitchen counter. We have an abundance of eggs.
Red is a motherly chicken, she always has been. So when she started getting broody and wanted to sit on eggs, we were not surprised. The children wore me down, and I agreed to let her sit.
Her eggs hatched out recently. She had 10 chicks. Red is a good mother, but for some reason she tried killing three of her chicks, so we took them away. One died and the other two live by themselves in a cage with a stuffed animal for a mother. She lost another chick, Fluff, when Caleb stepped on it. We’ll never forget you, Fluff.
It is the sweetest thing, to watch Red and her tiny chicks. They go under her wings as she sits and every once in a while a chick will pop out. The chickens are warm and secure and hidden under their mother’s wings. It’s no wonder that God uses that beautiful imagery in His Word.
“Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.” Ps. 57:1
“How excellent is thy lovingkindess, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.” Ps. 36:7
“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust…” Ps. 91:4
The chicks peep constantly and are busy and curious.
We let Red take her chicks outside. They stay close to the coop and Red teaches them many lessons, including How to Take a Dust Bath.
Here is a little video that Jacob took, of a Dust Bath lesson:
The chicks stay close to Red, and when she walks off, they follow.
Sometimes they hop on their Mama, for a ride. So cute! So precious!
Red is on guard the entire time, making sure there is no danger about.
The children insist that this is a baby rooster. They have named him George Jr.
We’re not sure what we will do with eight more chickens, we certainly don’t need more eggs or any more roosters. We are hoping that my parents start their own flock, and take some. For now, we are having lots of fun watching them grow.
Happily, Grace wrote this blog with me. She and the boys know more about the chickens than I do.
What I know for sure: Everyone should keep a flock of chickens! It’s easier than I ever imagined and more rewarding, too.
Good to be Home 
How fun this was to read:) I love that you all treat them like pets!:) I bet the chickens feel like an important part of the family! I’d love some chicks…but for now we have a cocotiel and a guinea pig:)
I enjoyed this post SO much! I love hearing about the characteristics of your chickens and rooster! Too funny and sweet too. However, knowing NOTHING about the sex of chicks…….I pick the chick that is the one leading Red and the others in the last photo. The legs look a little “higher” and the color on his legs are a little darker than the others. And look at that strut!! LOLGlad that your family is feeling better too!!
We have been thinking about getting chickens also. I have pretty much been the lone hold out wondering if they would be harder than they seem to keep as pets. One of our other neighbors has about six or seven chickens that they let run through the neighborhood, and I’m wondering how ours will do with a coop or just in our yard while there are other ones out there running free all over the place. Your story has me inching closer to the getting chickens side of the fence though. We sure could use the eggs.
I loved reading about your chickens, and experiencing a bit of what it is like having them. I think since you have land for them to roam it is very rewarding. I wondered if you all were able to get through all those eggs. I understand the feeling of enjoyment when you gather them, I feel that way about what we grow in the garden. Good video Jacob, it was nice to see, and to be able hear the little chicken noises.
Oh I love baby chicks. When I was in grade 5 I got to see some hatch in an incubator and them take the babies home for a weekend! I loved every minute I had with them. :)Haven’t raised any chicks though.
What an amusing post. If I had some land, I would certainly have some chickens of my own. Not for eating of course…only for their eggs. 🙂 I do eat chicken, but couldn’t stand the thought of eating one of my pets.
How wonderful!! Thank you for sharing. I too hope to own a flock of chickens one day.
Chickens, hens, roosters….they’re all adorable! How do you deal with the stink of their potty business? We have room for chickens and I would love the eggs! But at this point in my life, I don’t know that I want to be tied down to the responsibility!
@Richgem – They go outside all day. It’s good for the grass. 🙂 At night they go as they roost. I have the floor of the coop covered in a thick layer of wood shavings. I shovel up the “stink” every morning and throw it in the compost heap. Frequent cleaning keeps it smelling fresh in there.
Thanks for sharing us the story about your chickens. They are great pictures!
Thank you for answering, Shanda! I may have to search out some locals and see how they do it! So, when we go out of town, we just have to hire a chicken watcher along with the dog watcher! ( 8
Awesome post! Great video too, and hilarious! I can’t wait until we can have chickens, but I don’t think we have enough space for them on our current property without being offensive to our neighbors.When Joe, my sixth sibling down, was around 11 years old, he and his best friend made up their minds to raise chickens. Those boys did their own research and selected what to buy from a mail-order catelog, and they built their own henhouses and coops and everything! It was a neat thing, and their interest continued for several years. So, I did get to gather and eat fresh eggs, and be around chickens for some of my growing-up years. I hope my children will have that experience!
Love it. I can’t wait to get my own flock.
This is such a neat post, Shanda! I love reading about your chickens and their personalities. The pictures are great, too! Maybe someday I will be able to have chickens of my own. The eggs are beautiful, and I’m sure the taste doesn’t even compare to what we get at the store.
Oh how I love your chickens, they are so cute. The chicks look so fluffy and sweet. I bet those eggs taste so much better than the grocery store eggs! I wish we could keep some chickens here, I’m sure the kids would love that.
I am very interested in the book you mentioned about Abigail Adams? Could you share the name and author pretty please? 🙂
I wish we had room for chickens…even if we did they are not allowed within the city limits. I loved ready your post Shanda, it made me smile.
You have made me want chickens and I am deathly afraid of them…long story about a childhood incident~LOL!Are there certain breeders that are more gentle and friendly than others?I loved seeing all the gorgeous eggs your chickens have laid.I am liking chickens more and more all the time!Wishing you a blessed day!♥
So cute!
oh I just love the little chickies! Their so adorable and cute, I just want to pick them up and feel their fluffy selves 🙂
I’d like the Abigail Adams book title, too. The picture of the chick on Red’s back is cute (as are ALL the chicken pictures), but the greenery in that picture is fantastic! Such delicate little leaves and ferns, and the colors so lush. That pretty stuff wouldn’t survive one day in the Oklahoma hot sun!Glad everyone is back home under YOUR roost! Prayers to you, as always!
this is so great. what a delight for you and your kids. 🙂
I enjoyed hearing all about your chickens! I hope none of them ever end up in the pot. That is the thing about having chickens I would dread. My father always warned my sisters and I not to name the farm animals, because many of them were raised to go in the freezer in the Fall. We needed them to live. But, we still named them, and still cried when they turned up “missing.” So glad that Seth is home and all is well. I loved the pics of little Sarah talking to Daddy, too!
I have grown to love your flock of chickens too;). They are beautiful. It would be nice to have fresh eggs, don’t know if we want the “hassle” of chickens. We definately wouldn’t have the space to let them roam about. Thanks for this post. Loved it!
I loved this post! What a treat 🙂
i love that your chickens’ have names…i remember when i first started coming to your site…it was right after you guys got the chickens and Joanna had stayed with you at your place and talked about the wonder of it all. one of my fav pictures is your chickens in the recycling box, i have it in a file marked ‘precious photos’ and that Red bird is beautiful. so nice for you guys to experience the whole hatching and mothering thing, but also interesting to try to figure out what to do with them now. if you had too roosters do you think they would fight?glad to hear it seems that everyone is healing up and getting better. soooo good to have your family back together again.
I love this post! Chickens are awesome.
I have a million questions for you… contemplating chickens next year… what time of year do you buy them? is it something you can do on rented property or is too much mess?You make it look soo easy!!!
You and Grace did such a good job with this post! Very informative and entertaining…and it appears you’ve inspired several of your readers to go looking for chicks to raise. We’ll soon have all of America with a flock of backyard birds. There is absolutely no comparison when it comes to eggs….I can’t bear the store-bought kind now, so pale and bland. The thing that surprised me the most about raising and keeping chix is the fact that they have such distinct personalities. I’ve always known that about other animals, so why was it a surprise? And it’s a great way to teach your children responsibility, to let them care for the chickens. Chickens are just good in so many ways….I’m a bit of a chick fanatic. 🙂
I didn’t comment on this post when you first made it but I have thought about it off and on since then. I just wanted to come back and tell you how much I enjoyed reading this…even sent the link to my hubby. I had no idea that chickens had personalities and I loved seeing them through your eyes. I would love to have chickens in our backyard, but my hubby just doesn’t see how we can do it where we live right now. We have settled for buying our yard eggs which is second best, but I would love to have my own chickens…so I can enjoy not just the eggs but the chickens. Thanks for sharing yours and letting us enjoy them too. 🙂 I loved this post.
@Kara – Thank you so much for coming by to comment. I have to tell you…Jacob and Ethan came to the house this morning and told me that they saw Fluffy and Swirl sitting together in the same nesting box. They both had eggs under them (their own and other hen’s eggs that we hadn’t gathered yet). Anyway, they were stealing each other’s eggs! They used their beaks to silently reach over and scoop the other one’s eggs away so they could sit on them. The boys said that both hens were quiet, they usually cluck and talk but not when stealing each other’s eggs apparently!Also, I don’t know where you live but some suburban areas allow chickens (just maybe not a rooster)…you might be able to keep a couple, or three. You would need a little coop and a fenced in area. Our old neighbor had a whole flock and we lived in a busy neighborhood w/houses all around!
@ErinLynae – Hi! I didn’t forget your question….about the book about Abigail Adams. I just put the link on the end of the chicken post for you. I really enjoyed the book and I hope you do, too!
this has to be one of my favorite posts! it’s SO adorable! it should be made into a children’s book!
Yes. I am perusing through your archives of 10+ years on a Saturday night in the evening hours when all the boys are asleep. And am not embarrassed to admit it *slight smile*. Your blog is my readers digest but better. Anyways…
Did George Jr. end up as a rooster or hen?
My curiosity has been sparked.
He was a rooster!