About Raising Chickens

Time to post about something I have always been completely passionate about---how to raise chickens! This is a great task for families to do together. It is beneficial for the family as a whole (fresh eggs and meat) and it is a great way for the kids to learn responsibility and have fun at the same time. DO IT! You wont regret it. I don't know why exactly, but ever since my first grade teacher brought in the incubator and I got to see these little baby chicks put all of their strength into cracking their shell open and then see them grow up into cute puff balls(which took a matter of days), I wanted my own to raise and love. Luckily, after the project of hatching them my teacher said that if we got permission from our parents, we could take as many as we wanted home. My mom was hesitant but my dad loves chickens too, he raised them when he was young and wanted to give me that same opportunity. That was the beginning of plenty of more chickens to come. The saddest part was coming home from school and seeing feathers scattered everywhere around our backyard. That meant that a fox or coyote had gotten in and killed them(we didnt have a coop---they would sleep in the trees). Anyways, moving on! I haven't had anymore chickens since middle school but I want some so bad! Over at Central Utah Gardens ( water conservation education) they offer all sorts of awesome free classes. The one this weekend was called "Raising Chickens". So, I decided maybe there are a few others out there, like me, that are in love with everything about chickens that would be grateful if I posted the main things I learned from this man's presentation(didn't get his name :/ ) on how to start raising chickens. Here goes!

Basic Terms:

Pullet: A pullet is the term for a young female chicken.

Hen: A hen is a matured female chicken.

Cockrel: A young make chicken.

Rooster: A matured male rooster...Roosters have longer tail feathers and have spurs which are long nails on their lower legs. They use these when fighting other roosters. They also crow, which can be very loud.

1. Chickens can live for up to ten years. They can lay eggs for only about four of those years. 
2. Eggs that are fertilized hatch within about 21 days, and for the first couple days of life the chicks do not need food, just water.
3. An easy way to tell the sex of a day-old chick is by spreading their wings and looking at the edge of them. If the feathers of the wings are straight-edged it is a female and if they are staggering in length then they are male.
4. Bantams are half-sized (mini) chickens.
5. Specialty/rare breeds usually have feather feet, naked necks or are hooded. These birds are normally used as show birds.

These are the pros/cons we were given for owning chickens:

Pros

• food, eggs
• insect control (pesticide free!)
• Compost from gardening
• easy
• inexpensive hobby
• kid friendly-good educational tool

Cons

• smell
• noise
• interference with other pets
• can be expensive
• time requirement
• not allowed in some cities.....(which didn't hold me back living in Denver, CO. But shhhh, don't tell.)

Some people think it would be completely overwhelming raising a flock of chickens for the first time, and for some people it might be. But, there really aren't that many things that you need in order to be successful at it.

You Need:

• A coop/hen house
• outside space for roaming and scratching
• water
• food

A coop or a hen house is what the hens will sleep in. It is also most likely where they will lay their eggs. The coop is a safe-haven for them from predators and it also should be able to protect them from the weather. Inside the coop there should be nesting boxes within it for them to sleep in and lay their eggs in.

Types of Breeds

Egg producers, meat producers, dual purpose breeds.

Sexed or Straight-Run?

When ordering chicks from a catalog or online, you have the option of "sexed" or "straight-run". What the heck does that mean? Well, sexed means that you are looking to get a certain sex. So, "sexed" will normally provide you with 95% pullet (hens...egg producers) and "straight-run" will normally provide you with 50/50 (half cockrels and half pullets). Nothing is ever certain, though. You can end up with different numbers of each.

Where Can I Get Them?

A lot of feed stores sell them, and you can also look online for hatcheries (look around for one you like) or mail ordered through a catalog.

How Do I Keep My New Chicks Healthy?

The most important thing to remember when raising chicks (and fully matured chickens) is that they need a clean environment to live in and constant fresh source of water. If you can do this, your chickens will most likely stay happy, healthy and alive.

Chicks can at first be kept in a box. Cover the ground with wood shavings or hay (switch out often) with a heating bulb above it. Warmth is extremely important for their first week-two weeks of life. They also need a source of water that is in their with them that is not too deep or else they can drown! Also provide a dish with some starter feed. The chicks will eat starter feed for about the first two months of their life, at which point you can start them on grower/developer feed until about 5 months. You can move the chicks to the coop when they are fully feathered and it starts warming up in the spring. The hens will start producing eggs at about 16-24 weeks.

The Eggs

Matured hens need a higher protein diet than the younger ones. A lot of people mix in Oyster Shell (calcium) with the egg producers' (hens) feed.  A healthy diet for the hens is very important since their bodies use their nutrients to create the egg shell. If they are not getting enough nutrients the egg shells are weak and thin, and eventually your hen might not be able to produce as many. Hens will usually start producing at about five months. To be able to lay eggs daily, the hens need adequate light and nutrition.

The man who gave the presentation said that he has researched the difference between the nutrition of the different colored eggs---he said there is none. The nutritional value of the eggs depends on how healthy your chickens are.

Areas Along the Wasatch Front

Here is a list of areas that allow you to raise chickens in residential areas. But, there are different rules/regulations for each area. Some places you can only have so many, a certain kind, etc. Call your city to find out the details.

Alpine, Cedar Hills, Centerville, CLinton, COttonwood Heights, Draper, ELk Ridge, Farmington, Genola, Goshen, Heber, Highland, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Lindon, Mapleton, Orem, Payson, Provo, SLC, Sandy, Santa Clara, Santaquin, S. Weber, Spanish Fork, St. George, Syracuse, Taylorsville, Tooele, W. Bountiful, W. Jordan, W. Point, Woodland Hills, Woods Cross.....NOTE: I know in Pleasant Grove it is legal as well, so be aware that there are some areas that allow it that are not listed.

Random (important) Info:

•  The waste of your chickens is GOLDEN for compost for your garden. Gather up the hay/wood shavings that they have done their business in and just add it to your compost. This will give your garden all the nutrients it needs. 
• There are three different types of feeds: mash, crumble and pebble. The presenter said that he used pebble because it was the least messy.
• Breeds that are popular for solely egg production: Barred Rock, Leghorn(lay white eggs), Rhode Island Red(lay brown eggs), Americauna(lay green/blue eggs)
• Cornish X Rock hybrids are a "meat" bird. They are bread specifically for meat and should be harvested by 8 or 9 weeks...otherwise it is considered cruelty because their bodies become too large for their legs to support. ( I don't know if I like the fact that they cross the breeds like that, but to each their own).

Thanks to my uncle for letting me use these pictures! He does an amazing job raising his chickens. So beautiful!

So pretty.

15 Family ACTIVities

It's over. Done with. No more Valentine's Day until next year...is it weird that I am kind of relieved that the pink and red is over? I'm more of a brown and green person...like trees. Speaking of brown and green and trees and everything alive, it is starting to warm-up here where I'm at (warming up being mid to high 30's) and I am getting the spring/summer itch. I want to be outside! My husband and I have already started the outdoor activity-ing and I wanted to share with you the top things we love to do that can help keep you active (be warned....there is walking and running in this list and a lot of it). These things can be done with small or large families no matter the age of the kids(if there are any). Everything is go go go now-a-days, it is always easy to forget that exercise is important both physically and mentally, and so is time spent with family. These activities are a happy medium of the two.

1. Go on a family run. Even if you have young kids. If they are babies, take them in the stroller. If they are toddlers, go on a short walk/ run with them. My dad would do this with me and my siblings when we were younger. We loved it because we got to spend time with him, get out all of our energy, and listen to him worship us for our super-human speeds.

2. Family bike ride.

3. Family walk.

4. Pack a picnic and walk to a park to enjoy it.

5. Set up a race course in your yard for your kids to complete. They will love this. Really.

6. Make a trip to your local recreation center for a Saturday (or weekday if you can). Try to get the best deal you can (look into family passes). They have pools, basketball courts, raquetball courts, soccer fields, weights, eating areas. They are pretty much the best things ever (and extremely family friendly un-like a gym). Pack a lunch for everyone and enjoy the day there.

7. Go to the museum (pick one you actually will like so that you don't just end up with a headache) on a free day. This works the legs and the brain.

8.Go for a hike. It might be hard for your kids and you might end up carrying them part way (or maybe the whole way), but this will get the kids to start lovin' your active outdoor adventures.
9. Walk to your local library (if its close enough to) for a reading day for the little tikes. Ask a librarian for a calender of events. Libraries (and rec centers) offer so many programs for cheap or for free. This can help you and your kids be more active, whether it is mentally or physically.

10. Load up the kids (or just yourself) and head to the mall. I know what you are thinking " No, please...no! NO SHOPPING!"(okay maybe that's just me), but you aren't going for shopping. Do laps around the mall and if your mall has a child's play area like mine does, let the kids get their energy out at the end to reward them for letting you push them around the mall for a half an hour. Oh, and my husband says you also have to stop at the foodcourt.

11. Play soccer at a park (or four-corners or jump-rope...alter it to your needs).

12. Find a stream or a pond that is nearby to either hike or walk to. Go fishing. Let the kids make their own poles if they want to.

13.Go fly kites. Also, try making them. That is always a lot of fun. If they don't fly (like mine never did) just go buy a cheap one.

14. Walk to a pond and feed the ducks.

15. Drive to a campsite and either camp there (have the kids help set-up the tent or picnic area) or just do a meal there. Do a fire and tin-foil dinners, then drive home and sleep all snuggled up in your bed.

Well, there it is. The list of my spring/summer activity cravings. I hope some of them are new to you guys. I'd would love to hear any other ideas that you all have got, so that I can add them to my familiy's list of activities. So list away.

Here are a few pictures of one of our family hikes that we took while my husband was scouting out a hunting area.




Panoramic view

Love Utah!

Yogurt Drop loves being outside.

Check out this awesome blog I link party with called Ladybug Blessings! There are tons of craft ideas for both adults and kid-friendly ones.

THE muffin

Time to set aside coffin time (meaning couch time) because this chocolate muffin(cupcake?) kills! Okay, not really. It is most likely one of the healthiest chocolate muffins you will eat. Really. Just look at the ingredients before leaving the page. I promise! See, I told you so. I first saw this recipe on another girls site (she deleted it! I wanna give cred.) and thought I would give it a try. I did. After making them I would spend hours between eaten muffins staring at them and looking away dramatically, acting as if I didn't want another. But I always gave in. Because who has ever said greek yogurt, oats and cocoa are bad for you? Until it is proven that they can cause heart attacks, I will feast my heart out on these little suckers. Here are a few not good pictures of them, just to show you how they shouldn't look if you are a pro-baker (or even just a good baker) which I most definitely am not.

There it is. I added a little plop of homemade strawberry jam because I thought it sounded good (fruit and chocolate always goes good together) and because it would add to the V-day festiveness. The rest of this batch is going to go to friends! Then I won't have them weighing on my mind all day. P.S. the jam was great. Do it.

Nutri-Choco V-Day Cupcakes

1 3/4 c old fashion oats

3 egg whites

3/4 c unsweetned cocoa

1 tsp vanilla(if you have some from Mexico use that!)

1/2 c plain greek yogurt (or regular low fat yogurt)

1/2 tsp cream of tartar( or 1 1/2 Tbs vinegar)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 c hot water (I microwave it for 2 min.)

1 c sugar substitute (I just use sugar because I don't like the diet taste-maybe try honey?)

1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix it all together in a bowl. I mix dry ingredients first then add liquids. Then put it all in a blender and blend away! Put into cupcake liners. Heat oven to 350 F and cook for about 15 minutes. To check if they are cooked stick a toothpick or knife in and if it comes out clean they are done! Instead of them looking shiny they should look more of a matte brown.

This is Us

Dun dun dunnnnn....the time has come for the first post! I figured I would just take this time to introduce myself and my huge family. There are three of us. Me, my husband, who we will call the STUD (because he really is), and my adorable baby girl Aida who I refer to as yogurt drop (don't ask). We are excited to share with you our experiences in all different areas of life and hope that it can shed a little light on multiple subjects. Now, brace yourselves because I already have the next post planned in honor of (que the sound) dun dun dunnnnnn....Valentine's Day!

Me and my stud of a hubby on our wedding day.

Our cute little yogurt drop!