Chickens Revisited

It's been a while since I wrote about our chickens. I just wanted to chime in with an update (four years into owning our original two chickens) and let you know it's still amazing. It's actually even more amazing now that we have kids (as a side-benefit, I'm hoping that our little mini-farm helps them develop more resilient immune systems). 

We raised our girls from a really young age, and they have always been incredibly gentle, social, and fun. We originally acquired them to be egg-producers for our families, but they quickly proved themselves to be awesome pets. We feel so grateful that they have managed to thwart predators through the years. 

Our Eglu is still going strong (although it's faded), and it makes caring for the girls really easy. The worst part about owning hens is that they poop all over the deck. Henry and I just make it a habit to get out there about once a week to sweep it all off. 

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Pgymy Goats!

In preparation for Henry's birthday party walk to the local farm, he and I trekked to the feed store (Callahan's for all of you Austin folks) to purchase some goat feed to pass out as favors.

Going to feed stores is seriously a hobby of mine. I loved exploring Wabash when we lived in Houston, and now that I have a child, trips to the feed store are elevated to a whole new level. 

As soon as Henry and I walked in, we immediately spotted piglets. I seriously can't think of anything cuter than baby pigs with their mother. 

And next to them were two pygmy goats--also as cute as could be. Then we spotted some six-week old bunnies--definitely cute. 

While I was petting the goats, I struck up a conversation with the man next to me. I had wanted goats for a long time but then got convinced that they would be too difficult to keep as pets. My conversation with the man next to me, however, reignited my interested in keeping two pygmy goats as pets. 

He explained that he kept his goats in the backyard just like dogs. When he would arrive home after work in the evening, they would run up to greet him. At night, he would just keep them in the backyard. They got along famously with his dog. He said the one thing you have to be careful of is keeping them away from your vehicles because they do love to climb. 

I was flooded with joy by the prospect of letting two pygmy goats (they like company) run free in the backyard with Hoss and the chickens. We love, love, love having chickens as pets in the backyard (they have so much personality!), and I'm guessing I will feel the same way about miniature goats. I also love the idea of Henry growing up around farm animals. He'll learn so much about responsibility, gentleness, compassion, and joy.

I'm going back to this book as well as the internet to do some more research! 

Our current vision is to build a fence all the way around our backyard and down into the creek area. It will be about a 1/2 acre, minus the 25-foot set-back of the house from the street and the house itself. The garden will be in the front yard, away from all the animals (if the positioning of the house doesn't block the sun too much). Now that we're thinking about goats in the backyard, we'll also have to keep the mini-orchard out of the fenced area. It will be on the side of the house.

We'll also have to think about how the pygmy goats will interact with the plants and trees in our backyard. They might just demolish everything! 

Like I said, there's still a lot of research to be done, but I'm excited to dwell in possibility!

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REMINDER: The next Purposeful Conception Course: Preparing Your Mind, Body, and Life for Pregnancy starts March 3. Register today! We'd love to have you join us!

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Chicken Coops!

Sadly, we weren't able to attend the Funky Chicken Coop tour a couple weekends ago in Austin, but at least we can see all the cool designs on this awesome website.

Oh, how I miss our sweet hens, Clem and Hop-sing (named in the Bonanza vein to go along with our rescue dog Hoss). Our little girls are staying with friends while we spend the year in an anti-chicken rental house. Chickens really are awesome. I originally thought they would only be useful for eggs, but it turns out that they are sweet and entertaining pets. I miss feeding them raspberries and watching them scamper around the backyard. You can read about our journey from little chicks living in a box in our house to having free-range hens in our urban backyard, if you're interested.

P.S. Check out this list to find a chicken coop tour near you (Meghan, I'm looking at you! P.S. I want to see a much clearer picture of your new haircut, pretty please!)

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REMINDER: The last Purposeful Conception Course: Preparing Your Mind, Body, and Life for Pregnancy starts May 7. Register today! We'd love to have you join us!

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Egg Recipes

When you have two chickens and they both start laying an egg a day, you better figure out quickly what to do with all the eggs.

Matt and I are at that point!

At the reunion this past weekend, the service project we were going to do at one of our Teach For America placement schools was canceled due to bad weather. We decided to meet up at Allison's house instead.

She took the leftover beans, tortillas, pico, and guacamole from the previous night, added eggs, and concocted the most amazing meal. If Matt and replicate that recipe once a week, we will at least consume six of our 14 eggs.

Here's what Allison did:

1. Melt butter in a skillet
2. Add finely chopped white onion and saute
3. Pour eggs into the pan (she did not beat them in a separate bowl first--she and her mom swear their way gives the eggs a better consistency, and I agree!)
4. Mix the eggs around as they cook with the onions
5. Add diced tomatoes
6. Take everything out of the pan and add cheese

We then made egg burritos with the leftover ingredients. So delicious!

When Matt and I got home from Louisiana, we had no food in the house and no time to go to the grocery store. But we did have eggs! I whipped up a sub-par version with a scavenged onion, tortillas, and guacamole. However, I look forward to making this meal again next week when we have the proper ingredients on hand...

And later this week, I'm going to an outdoor movie and picnic potluck (I love those!). I'm going to use six of our eggs to make a pound cake (with strawberry sauce) using my favorite recipes.

Any other egg-cellent recipe recommendations (oh, so cheesy, but I couldn't resist!)?

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Eggs!

Finally! Our precious chickens started laying eggs. Well, one of them has. We're not sure whether it's Clem or Hop Sing. We've had them for five months, and we have waited for this day with bated breath.

If any of you are thinking about getting chickens for eggs and pets, I highly recommend it! I didn't think I would like them as much as I do. I am seriously attached to them.

Whenever we open the door, they come running toward us (hoping to get some grapefruit). They are silky soft, and they try to come in our house whenever the weather is nice enough to leave the back door open.

Because we opted for the Eglu (expensive but worth it for urban chicken-raisers), they are very low maintenance. Matt moves it around the yard once a week, slides out the tray, and empties it out. (He's in charge of the chickens because I take on more responsibility related to our dog, Hoss).

We are so happy to have expanded our family from three to five!

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Oh, Chickens!

I love that our chickens just welcome themselves inside whenever the door is open. I shoo them out rather quickly, since they aren't wearing diapers and they are quite the little poop factories. But it makes me smile every time.

Happy Friday to you!

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Oh, My Dog

He cracks me up. Almost on a minute-by-minute basis.

Happy Friday to you!

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Flying the Coop

Finally! Our chicken coop as arrived!

I say "finally" because we have been co-habitating with the chickens (yes, in our house--our dining room to be more specific) for the past week and a half. The first day, it was actually incredibly fun. We let them walk around our living room, and we held them in our laps. We invited our neighbors over to do the same thing.

And the sunny weekends were nice, too. When it's nice outside, we carry the chickens out two-by-two and watch them peck around on the grass. It's endlessly entertaining (oddly enough).

But the rest of the time, our four chickens have been cooped up in a box (luckily, it's a really big box). As they've grown bigger (and more courageous), they have started flying the coop. Since the box has an open top, they first fly up and perch on the edge of the box. Next, they fly from the top of the coop to our dining room table a couple feet away.

Free-range chickens are actually a great thing, except they are little poop factories. Seriously. They poop All-The-Time.

Needless to say, I am relieved they will be moving outside soon. It will be better for all parties involved. Matt and I had to drive to the Greyhound Station in downtown Houston to pick up our eglu. It arrived in two huge boxes that we unsuccessfully tried to cram into my Honda Fit. Plan B was to take everything out of the boxes and then stuff it in the car. Worked much better.

So far, we are enamored with our little coop that looks like a first generation computer that Mac produced for consumers (even though I had to take on an extra consulting job so we could pay for it). It honestly makes chicken raising seem like something we can seamlessly integrate into our quasi-urban lives. Since we won't spend a ton of time cleaning out the coop (just a rinse once a week and a more thorough clean once a month), we'll have more time to just bask with them in the sun (and cook omelets).

Now, if only it would stop raining and being generally icky around these parts!

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Chicken Update

Ah, chickens.

We picked them up from the acquaintance-of-our-friend's-stepmom who was giving them away. We packed the 5 x 2-feet box into my tiny Honda Fit (which, by the way, has a miraculous amount of space). When we got them home, I wondered, "Um, what were we thinking?" With no chicken coop and little to no knowledge of how to raise chickens, I felt utterly unprepared.

I was scared to touch them, and I couldn't easily envision them playing the role of cute pets in our life. But after about 15 minutes, I was over it. I love them. I adore them. They make the sweetest sounds (think subtle bird chirping CD playing in the background). They are endlessly entertaining as they peck around the backyard and then flop over on their sides to sunbathe. I'm so thankful we just went for it instead of letting our lack of planning stop us.

And Hoss can't get enough of them (see photographic evidence of him standing on a chair to get a better look inside the box).

We went ahead and ordered an Eglu. It's way over-priced, but the alleged ease of cleaning was irresistible. I think it makes sense to simplify our first foray into barnyard animals. I think I'll take on an extra consulting job to cover the cost, or else I'll try to pull together some baby quilts for the Underground Arts Market. Cheers to expanding families!

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And Chickens Make Seven

Finally! We are getting chickens. We've been talking about it for so long (we've had the names picked out forever: more names from Bonanza show to go along with our dog, Hoss).

We're getting them for free through a random connection (friend-->step-mom-->fellow parent at a private school). Matt and I jumped at the chance. We thought there might be a nicer coop involved, but it sounds like we're basically getting chickens in a box (which, in the end, doesn't save us that much money, since chickens are pretty cheap). But oh well. At least it's a little fire under our behinds to follow-up on our chicken-procuring goal.

We'll be raising the chickens for eggs and for pure entertainment (you've got to get creative when you don't have a TV...). I spent the evening reading Chickens in Your Backyard: A Beginner's Guide by Rick and Gail Luttmann as a crass course in chickenology. I learned a lot about how to trick hens into becoming foster moms for random chicks and cannibalism among the bunch. I'm still left with some essential logistical questions (like where to put the dirt that they need to roll around in to prevent mites), but the book was pretty engaging.

Apparently our chickens are about a month old. According to the book, they can spend another two weeks inside the house (hooray!). I want to get them used to us (and our dog).

But we will need a coop, like now. I love the one pieced together from IKEA parts (picture 1), but it seems a bit beyond our DIY prowess. I love this DIY coop, but I can't seem to swallow the idea of paying $30 for instructions. We also considered this one (picture 2). In the end, I think we're going to have to scrape together enough cash to buy an eglu. Honestly, I am smitten with the convenience. The easy-to-clean, slide-out surfaces might just make all the difference in our weekly chore routine.

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