Raising a couple of Chickens for Eggs

We have a couple of additions to our family... Lucy and Lenny (We're not sure if Lenny is a rooster or a hen). Lucy was one of our original hens that were purchased easter, 2007 and Lenny was a replacement for Ethel when someone stole her later that summer.

If Lenny turns out a rooster, we'll have to replace him with a hen later this year or maybe in the spring when the feed & seed store has spring chickens for sale again.

Lucy however, has become one of the family and loves to spend mornings and evenings with us in the backyard. She'll let you pick her up and cuddle her and longs for our attention. Now that she's laying (producing eggs), she has chosen my husband's workbench as her nesting area and will not move during the day until her egg is produced. Incase you didn't know, Chickens do not need a male (rooster) to produce eggs. The eggs are not fertile, but they are great to eat and are totally organic as we don't feed either of our chickens hormones or medicines. They eat almost pure cornmeal and stock chicken feed purchased at our local feed and seed store.

Raising chickens is not a big deal for our neighbors as we only keep two and wouldn't dare have a rooster (the crowing would not go over very well in the neighborhood). Most of our neighbors don't even know we have a couple of chickens and the chickens don't smell or produce enough ammonia from their droppings to produce a smell. Other than a cluck here and there you don't even know they're around.

Chicken Sets Up Shop
In Dad's Workshop

Chickens start laying in 6 - 8 months and will continue laying if they are happy and healthy for the remainder of they're life, but after about two or three years of laying eggs their production will fall and so should the axe on their neck. NOT REALLY! But if you want some fried chicken, a unproductive pet could always be an alternative and you could name the dish after the chicken.

Lucy, our pet hen, insisted that dad's workbench was the place to make a nest and lay her eggs. No problem for dad as he just works around her while she watches us do our family projects.

One morning I was doing laundry in our workshop area and Lucy just insisted on coming in (we usually just shooo them away) and would have no part of being denied passage to my husband's workbench. I relented and Lucy flew to the bench an proceeded to lay her first egg.

What a joy it was to see Lucy laying eggs and what wonderful eggs they are. Lucy is grateful for room and board and in return gives us our daily protein in the form of organic eggs.

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Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes
Mango Daiquiri
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sushi

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Mexico 2005 Surfing
Savannah's 2006 Video

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Mekenzie & Mommy
Tarpon in the Summer

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Shells

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Our chicken Lucy
Chicken eggs
Pepe the Parrot
Baby Birds
New Baby Chicks

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Thanksgiving 2008