Since this picture was taken we added another pen. During daylight the chickens roam freely in the yard.

Update: We have 10 chickens.

Now we have 2 'mini-barns' and 2 playpens.

But they roam freely from about 10:00 AM till dark.

They are all laying and have defied all the laying odds, one even lays 2 a day. 

Oh my the eggs are so delicious, I will not be able to ever eat store bought eggs again. The difference can be compared to milk that is almost sour compared to that first glass from a freshly opened carton. I would love to try fresh milk from a farmer who has happy, grass fed and well treated cows but would be afraid I wouldn't be able to stomach store bought after that. My Mom buys our meat off the web from pasture grass fed free range cows. It is more expensive so we eat less meat. Now that I am used to it store bought meat taste like poo-po, I would rather go without.

The Bantam Silkie and Sultan (classified as poor layers) lay everyday.
They are Bantams (dwarfs) so the eggs are small. The mini-fried eggs, are fun I have two for breakfast sometimes three if I am really hungry. 
They are both so sweet and friendly as well. I named the Silkie hen Fluffy, the Sultan is named Sulty.

I have learned happy chickens defy all egg laying odds. Our Wyandotte lays 2 a day sometimes they have 2, and even 3 yolks each !

The Blue Silkie, named Brutus -   if you scroll down there is a pic of him as a baby after his bath going to sleep while being held) well he turned out to be a rooster. But he is very cool, will go to sleep right it your arms and fast. Jumps on my lap hunkers down for a nap.

The Silkies and Sultan are the most loving of all our breeds. Every chicken has it's own unique personality, much more then anyone can imagine.  In our book they are pets first and eggs layers second and treated as so. I think they like gifting us their eggs. I always say thank you. Since all of our chickens are different I know what egg came from what hen.

At night we keep him in an Extra Large dog kennel with 1 hen to keep him company. Until late morning so his crowing does not bother our neighbors here in suburbia.

Our eggs have 1/3 the cholesterol store bought eggs do and twice the vitamins including healthy Omega acids then store bought. I also feel good about not supporting the commercial egg industry. The chickens live their whole lives in cages they cannot turn around in and even the eggs labeled Cage Free the chicken live shoulder to should on a warehouse floor. The living conditions mean they have to be on antibiotics there whose lives otherwise they would die from the diseases in the coups.

My Mom says I am not allowed to tell the kids in my first grade class the eggs they eat are gross. I am allowed to talk about having pet chickens and how much I like them though and tell them my eggs taste really good and answer questions :) But I know being preachy or bossy pants isn't cool. I am definitely not allowed to tell them their eggs comes from a diseased chickens dirty butt - poop come out of. My chickens don't; get dirty because we keep their coups clean. If one gets muddy or steps in poop we give it a bath,

Besides not everything we eat is good for the environment or the animals it comes from. I love bacon and do not want to know where it comes from. If my Mom tries to tell me I cover my ears and go "Lalalala" really loud so I can't hear her. I used to like fried pig skins until she told me it was really big skin.

My Mom will type whatever I want to say on this website for me though.

 These pictures below and the descriptions of the birds belong to www.mypetchicken.com
 This is where we purchased our birds.

Silver Laced Wyandottes are the original Wyandotte variety, and a wonderful example of American breeding. They are beautiful and productive. Wyandottes are a favorite amongst backyard flock owners for their dependable egg laying, easy going nature and cold hardiness. Each feather is silvery white edged in beetle black, similar to Silver Sebrights. The hens look as if they're ladies dressed for a fancy ball.

Silkie - Bantam - Blue & White (1 each)

Of all the ornamental chicken breeds, the Silkie Bantam is the most popular and most loved. Can't you tell why? They're the lap dog of the chicken world, complete with hair-like plumage and an incredibly sweet temperament. Silkies were originally bred in China, where they are still kept (and eaten) today. They have black skin and bones and 5 toes instead of the normal 4. In addition, Silkie hens make wonderful mothers and are even known to adopt baby ducks if given the chance!

The Blue turned out to be a rooster! We keep him in the garage at night and until 10:30 am.
 

Easter Egger – Standard (2 standard and 1 Bantam)

They are friendly, great layers of large blue and green eggs, and even pinkish eggs. Their smaller body size makes them good in the heat, and their small pea comb means they do well in cold, too, because they are not as susceptible to frostbite.

"Easter Eggers" are hybrids that carry the blue-egg gene of the true Araucana breed.  We like to think that the pea comb is linked not only to the blue egg laying gene, but also to the "sweetness" gene, as well.  Because this is a hybrid variety (not a breed), even if you have a whole flock of them, you can often tell them apart because they come in so many different colors - which isn't always possible with other breeds.

A unique breed of chicken with their huge bouffant crest of feathers and v-shaped comb. They are tame but their behavior can be a bit wacky since their crest limits their vision. When in a flock with more aggressive breeds, Polish will tend to be on the low end of the pecking order. Egg laying is varied in this breed - some lay well and some very poorly.

A gorgeous Northern European fowl valued for their large white eggs and beauty. Their close-fitting feathers and relatively large combs mean they're not the most cold-hardy fowl.

"Little" Nicky © 2009

Contact: amber@victordev.com