Things No One Tells You About Raising Chickens

My in-laws decided that we should all jointly raise chickens once Seth left for Academy. I secretly suspect it was a "Keep Colleen Occupied So She Forgets Life Sucks Right Now" project, but the thought of free organic eggs had me researching chickens. There are some things the internet will not tell you about raising chickens, and since chickens are second only to gardening on the homesteading front, I figured I'd share the little that I've gathered along the way.

Chickens Can Fly
 It sounds kind of stupid, but most chickens that are raised for eggs can't fly once they've reached adulthood. They're simply too chubby. But when they're young and much slimmer they can hop that fence you made without a second thought. This wouldn't be such a big deal except...

Chickens Are Fast
Again, since adult chickens are chubby, you don't usually think of them being so speedy, but those suckers are really hard to catch. Luckily they can usually be herded, but plan accordingly that you won't be able to  catch them once they're out.

Chickens Are Tasty
This one really should be obvious, but I didn't realize how hard it was to keep things from eating your chicks. You would think if chickens have survived without coops forever they'd be able to keep themselves alive IN a coop. Not so. Everything within a 5 mile radius will find your chickens delicious.

Chickens Take Months to Lay Eggs
Most importantly, if you're expecting a fast return then you should look elsewhere. It can take chickens up to 6 months to lay eggs, and if that 6 month marker falls too closely to winter they'll hold off until spring. This is why it's important to get your chicks early and account for 90% of them to either be eaten or to turn out to be boys.

It's Really Hard to Sex Chicks
Or, rather, if you get your chicks at a farm supply store they tend to not bother sexing them. Some online sources are much more accurate. At least most of your roosters will end up eaten one way or another. 

With all of that being said, chickens are relatively low maintenance once you side step the whole predator thing, and farm fresh eggs are wonderful sources of vitamins and protein. If you've never had the real thing then you don't know what you're missing. For one, farm eggs are about 10 times darker in coloring than commercial eggs and taste about 100 times better. And once you taste them it's almost impossible to go back to the store stuff.