After nearly 10 years of buying eggs directly from farmers who raise all natural, free range, pastured laying hens in mobile chicken coops, we've decided to try it for ourselves! Not because we want to become farmers, but because we want to give our children an opportunity to own their own small business, learn responsiblity that comes from caring for the animals and to teach them the connection between our soil, the animals and our health. We are excited to raise these laying hens with no antibiotics and no hormones in the most natural environment we can possibly offer them. If you've never tasted an egg from this kind of chicken, get in touch with us in July! You're in for a real treat!
We will brood the chicks in our basement (then garage) until construction on our new mobile coop is complete and it becomes warm enough to move them outside. The mobile coop is being built on a flatbed trailer which we will move around Grandma and Grandpa's farm every week with a 4 wheeler. It will look something like this (ours will be a little cuter of course!):
We will brood the chicks in our basement (then garage) until construction on our new mobile coop is complete and it becomes warm enough to move them outside. The mobile coop is being built on a flatbed trailer which we will move around Grandma and Grandpa's farm every week with a 4 wheeler. It will look something like this (ours will be a little cuter of course!):
With chicks on the way, the children were very eager to get started on the brooder pen!
Gracie, in her jammies, is speading wood chips over the plastic.
We got a call at 6:30am this morning from the post office to inform us that our 50 baby chicks had arrived by mail from the hatchery. I don't know if the children were this excited on Christmas morning! We piled into the van and headed straight over to pick them up! I warned the kids that one or two might not have survived the trip but they were all in excellent condition.
At the back door of the post office.
Our friendly US postal worker presents the chicks to the kids!
The adventure officially begins!
We can't believe there are 50 chicks in that little box!
Ready!!
Get set!
Open!! All 50 have made it safely!
Six different breeds and 3 different roosters. Should be a colorful bunch!
It's so hard not to handle them but they are very fragile this first day.
And so the chores begin!!
Kids are little late to school but chicks are happy and the principal says they had a "GREAT" excuse!
Love it! Can't wait to see it; maybe later this year! Have fun! Love, Amanda
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome time for your family! It is so much fun taking those little chicks out of the box and giving them their first drink. I raised chickens during my pre-teen and teenage years but we never went the free range route because of preditors. Did you use the "starter" powder in their water? We used it but I can't remember what was in it. I look forward to learning more about this method of raising laying hens. I must say, I envy your family this wonderful opportunity. We currently are apartment dwellers (sometimes I fear for life...lol) and can't have chickens or any other animals. We will *one day* as it is such a learning opportunity in so many different ways for children and adults alike. Good luck! ~Shari Reeves
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