All the Craze – Chickens!

For this post, we thought we would talk about the unique and rapidly growing trend of backyard chickens, since some of us at Purcell have them! Backyard chickens are not allowed in all cities, you will need to check your local ordinances.

Interesting Facts:

  • Shell color is only “skin deep” the eggs color on the inside are the same, no matter what the shell color is
  • Egg production varies on the chicken, some lay eggs everyday while others may only lay eggs twice per week
  • Hens don’t typically lay eggs in the dark, they will wait until the next sunrise
  • Hens will lay eggs, weather or not they have ever seen a rooster. The rooster is only necessary for the fertilization of eggs
  • A chicken eggs yolk color will vary from  pale yellow to orange, depending on what the chicken has been eating
  • Each chicken requires about 4 square feet of space in a coop
  • There are hundreds of varieties of backyard chickens, here you can see which chickens would be acceptable in your climate
There are many different online sources to get your started, this is an excellent site that goes over everything from coops, breed and feed.
Plymouth Barred Rock (Dixie)- lays brown eggs
Ameraucana ( Libby)- lays blue eggs
Rhode Island Reds (foreground- Poppy and Lucy)- Brown eggs
Ameraucana ( Hazel) – lays blue and green eggs
Light Brahma Hen
Chuckoo Maran Hen- Chocolate Brown Eggs

 
Buff Orpington Hen- Light Brown Eggs
Tullip , The Friendly Buff
Ameraucana Rooster
Ameraucana Rooster
A friends lavish chicken coop
Converted from a backyard shed to a coop
The Roost
Nesting Boxes

Well that’s all about the backyard chicken craze for now! We hope we sparked a little interest in this quickly growing trend.