When I first met my friend Sophie, I quickly realized she wasn't your typical chick. She knew things – about bees, about chickens, about all things pastoral really. Dubbed forevermore in my heart as Farm Girl, I love to spend an afternoon hanging with Sophie as she tends to her numerous chickens and kids, hearing the latest gossip from the coop and egging her on to get some milking goats and build a duck pond. Today we chat about the joys and challenges of backyard chickens.
Parsley a Barred Rock Chicken
Backyard chickens seem to be in vogue right now. How did you get interested in having a flock?
I grew up on a farm in England where we had chickens, bantams, and ducks. Ever since then I've wanted to have my own flock. So when we bought our property in Topanga (California) four years ago, chickens followed shortly afterward. I had no idea how ‘in vogue' they were 'til after I started my flock. It was only then that I realized there were thousands of slightly nutty people with chickens in their backyards.
Currently, I have 18 ladies and 2 immature roosters; I'm looking for a home for one of the roosters (a beautiful black copper Marans). I'm more interested in pretty eggs than pretty chickens so I choose my breeds according to the color of eggs they lay. My ladies lay dark brown, pink, white, green/blue and olive green eggs. I am not going to bore your readers with the list, but yes, all my chickens have names.
No one wants to admit to having a favorite child, but who's your favorite chicken and why?
Her name is Olive. She was donated to me by a friend as the rest of her flock had been munched by coyotes and raccoons leaving her all alone. Chickens are flock animals and can get very depressed on their own. Olive is smart, friendly, and lays wonderful huge, khaki-colored eggs. She also likes to fly onto my shoulder – like a parrot.
Stanley and Olive (the favorite chicken).
What's a day in the life of your backyard chickens?
They are given breakfast around 8 am and after that are let out of their pen to roam the hillside and graze on the grass. We, fortunately, have a lot of space [on the outskirts of Los Angeles]. They like to spend their day scratching around for bugs, pecking in the dirt, fluffing about in dust baths, preening themselves, and generally having a lovely life. Once every 25 hours, they lay an egg. Unless they are broody or molting or not in the mood…. I tend to put them back in their pen around 4 pm. Any later and I'm risking a coyote or raccoon attack. As the sun sets, they take themselves to bed in their coop.
A view of the path leading up to Sophie's chicken ‘palace' and the trampoline to the left.
What do your backyard chickens eat?
I usually feed my ladies organic layer pellets, scratch corn, and all our kitchen scraps (though I draw the line at chicken and fish). They love beet and carrot tops, spinach, and corn on the cob. When its very hot I might treat them to a watermelon. But the best nutrition comes from the grass, chemical free plants, and insects they find when they are free ranging in the garden. They will eat almost anything – I've even seen them eat lizards and a tarantula.
What are your top tips for an aspiring backyard chicken farmer?
Be careful where you buy your chickens; chickens bought from dubious sources can introduce disease to your flock.
If possible hatch your own chicks, and use a broody hen rather than an incubator. You'll get a far higher number of successful hatches.
Let them roam. I like to say a free range backyard chicken isn't truly free range unless it can wander into your kitchen. It makes me sad that many people have backyard flocks but keep them cooped up in small pens. Eggs produced by chickens that don't roam freely are not much better than store bought eggs. If you have to keep them enclosed all the time, build the largest pen possible and section off areas so you can rotate the flock allowing the grass to grow again.
What are your biggest challenges with having backyard chickens?
Predators. To have truly free range chickens is hard when you live in an area with coyotes, raccoons, hawks, dogs and the odd mountain lion. For two years I let my girls free range all over the hillside without a problem, but then I had two daytime coyote attacks in as many weeks. So I've had to put up a fence at the top of the yard to discourage coyotes. At certain times of the year, daytime attacks seem more common so I have to keep an eye on the girls and be ready to rush out to protect them. A few weeks ago I saw a coyote sauntering past the kitchen door with Maisy the bantam in his jaws. I shrieked which startled the coyote, and he dropped Maisy. (Maisy was fine by the way). If I am out for the day, I have to leave the flock inside their pen. Fortunately, their enclosure is large, so they do not get too bored.
If I were a chicken I would want to live here.
What has been your happiest chicken moment?
Emily, every moment with chickens is a joy.
My daughter getting some love from Honey Peck who lays green eggs.
Are you a lover of backyard chickens? Please share your tips on keeping a flock below!
Inspiring read and photos! Thank you!
Chickens are a must! Find ours to be very easy and great with and for our 3 boys. We have 4 and produce on average 2 dozen eggs per week~ love our little hens!
When I started reading this I had a feeling I knew which Sophie you were talking about, and then I saw pictures of the kids and I was certain. My son goes to preschool with 2 of her kids…and gymnastics class, as well. I have talked to her about the chickens many times, and have seen her gorgeous eggs, although I’ve never been to her house. We live in Topanga, too, and I would love to have chickens, but I don’t think we have the space (nor a fence). I usually buy my eggs from the chicken/egg farmers that come to the Topanga Farmers Market on Fridays. What do you think of those? I’m assuming you’ve been there and know the ones I’m talking about.
Staci – Small world! Those are Lily’s eggs at the market, right? I usually judge my eggs by the yolks, and I’ve never found that theirs resemble the deep orange-yellow of truly pasture-raised hens. On the weeks that Sophie doesn’t have any to spare, we get our eggs with our farm box from Abundant Harvest Organics. There’s a guy who will deliver your box to your house in Topanga for only 5 bucks, and the eggs are wonderful.
Yes, Lilly’s eggs. I have had so many conversations with them about their chickens & I buy the $6 a dozen eggs that are from the chickens that are pastured and don’t eat any grains. I try to stay away from eggs from chickens that are fed corn and soy because I’ve been told that that’s bad. Then I’ve spoken to egg farmers at other markets and they tell me that it is impossible to raise chickens that don’t eat some sort of grains. They say the chicken can’t be healthy otherwise. I’m not sure what to believe. I have been meaning to look into the Abundant Harvest CSA. I didn’t know that you could get eggs in your box as well. Thanks for the info! And, yes, it’s a small world sometimes…even in L.A.
Darn it! I want my own flock!
@Staci – eggs, raw milk, grass fed beef and gorgeous produce. 🙂
Well done, you’re a good writer 🙂
P.S. by the headliner I thought she had a chicken named Boots!
I live in rural Oregon and have a flock of my own that free ranges around my property. Recently my rooster broke his leg and I have him in the house with a splint while he heals. I got another rooster to protect the flock while he is healing. I have heard that a chicken can get very depressed on his own. Would it make sense to bring a female in with him or to carry him around outside once in a while? I’m concerned a female in his pen might step on his leg or peck at him. Any thoughts?
Thanks so much!
Rhonda
Rhonda, poor rooster! He should be ok alone for a week or so. When he starts to get better is there any way you could put him back in with his girls but in a small pen within the main pen? When any of my ladies are sick or if I’m trying to stop them being broody I put them in an old hamster cage inside the pen so they are still amongst their pals. Though you’d have to keep an eye on your rooster in case he starts trying to pick a fight with the other rooster through the cage – might aggravate his leg. Carrying him around outside occasionally sounds like good idea too; its sort of slightly eccentric nurturing thing I would do as well ….
I love it. You are very blessed with a beautiful coop that I hope to have one day!
The pics with the kids are so sweet.
Sophie – thanks for the advice. The only problem with putting him in with the girls is that the pen is little more than just a night roost and nesting boxes at this point. I did carry him around outside for a little while and even though he wanted down he did coo and call to the girls a lot. Then the boys saw each other. They were vocal and the man perked up even more. It was good for him I think. I appreciate your input and will see if there is a way to enlarge the pen so he can hang with them in a smaller one.
Thank you!
Rhonda
When I put my chickens to be tonight, I counted 42, eek! How did I get so many? I agree, they are a joy. And they wander into my kitchen daily. Today they discovered the back door, as well as the front door.
The only disagreement I have is, why not feed them chicken and fish? They will love it, and the protein boost is good for them. Chicken are natural omnivores, and they will eat each other sometimes, under stress, which would obviously not be ideal. But it’s not harmful for them to eat chicken meat.
Jeanmarie – Oops! I asked Sophie the same question about the fish but forgot to add that she said it makes their eggs taste fishy. Some folks seem to think that the cannibalistic nature of feeding chicken to chicken is just to weird. My neighbors swear that feeding their chickens eggs make them eat their eggs before you get to them. What are you thoughts?
I’m sure you are right about the protein being good for chickens but I believe eggs taste a bit weird after they’ve eaten fish. And I feel funny about giving them their own kind to eat, but maybe that’s just me!
42 hens! wonderful.
So glad you posted this on FoodRenegade! Wonderful interview, lovely chickens & eggs. Would love to know which breeds lay each colored egg – they are all gorgeous! We are in the process of purchasing property in the country, so at long last will be able to have my own flock. Thanks!
http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/small-footprint-friday-sustainable-living-linkup-100512
Loved the interview! Sophie is my kind of farm chick!
Hello, new follower here! I would love to have you link up with my Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/09/clever-chicks-blog-hop-2-featured-post.html
I hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Kathy
The Chicken Chick
This is a great post! Some great information for those of us considering getting raising backyard chickens. Thanks!
Great interview. And I so want a pair of chicken boots!