3 Signs I'm Obsessed With My Chickens

There are certainly many reason I'm obsessed with my chickens, but for time sake, I'll share 3 of them with you so not to overwhelm anyone with too much chicken data. I could talk about it all day. Most people wouldn't.

1) I check my chickens each morning and night to make sure everyone is okay and accounted for. The last 4-5 months have been trying times for chicken losses at the Graves Farm. Now, I account for them in the mornings and at bedtime. Between predators, illnesses, and natural causes our chicken losses have been surprising and unexpected. The dust is settling, and it looks like life is back on an even-keel for our flock. I still check them regularly because I want to know they are okay. And remarkably, I'm pleasantly surprised each time I find everyone is okay. I didn't used to be so astonished at the fact that all the chickens were safe and sound each day. I took it for granted for far too long. Now, I am extremely aware that anything could happen to them on any given day. It's a new condition I'll name: Hypersensitive Chicken Checking. Are they okay? What if I find something bad has occurred in the night? Will I cry if I find something has happened to one of them? How did we go so long without any chicken losses, and now I have these unsettled feelings about my chicken's safety? So many unanswered questions. It's all part of this new condition I have. I recently asked David if he felt this same way. His blank stare told of his answer. I have HCC. I don't think he does.

2) I have three separate chicken spaces. Over time, and with experience, I've learned that some chickens are not meant to free range. They are walking treats for hawks. I've learned that some chicken breeds just don't belong together in a flock. The torment by the head hen does not let up. I've learned that getting too many unusual and fancy breeds brings about the need for unusual and fancy coop configurations.
(a) My first, and original chicken coop setup is for the mainstream hens. Regular-sized, hearty, and free ranging hens who can stand the test of time on their own. These are the ladies who have their coop, nesting areas and roosting spots in the barn. They have all the freedom to come and go, in and out of the barn on their own, anytime they want. They have the greatest privileges of all because they are bigger, more self-aware of their surroundings, and are older. They put themselves to bed at night, and get up when they are ready. It's a great life. Total, we have 15 of these now! Ruby and Ginger are the head hens. Then there's Pebbles, Pepper, Butter, Sunshine, Storm, Cloud, Peaches (we lost Cream to a predator), Goldie, Cali, GiGi, ShayShay (Shadow), PB & J. These ladies are all in different stages of egg laying, some laying more than others.
(b) In a different location than the barn, closer to the house is a fenced area with an overhead protection for two Polish girls, Tinkerbelle and Thumbalina. TnT for short. They have a coop of their own, and are protected by a fence and overhang because they are a chicken breed with top hats. They have fancy feathers on their heads. It's like a poof-ball sitting right on top of their heads. This in itself puts them at a disadvantage to see the hawks overhead if they were to free range. Therefore, they have plenty of room to roam, while being fenced and protected for their own good. They want to free range with the others, and we even tried it. But Ruby was incessant about chasing them and hurting them. So between those two reasons, we deemed it best to have them in an area of their own. We call it The Big Top. TnT both lay the cutest, smallest white eggs I've ever seen.
And finally, (c) Adjacent to the Polish girls (see section b) is a similar set up of fencing and overhead protection for 3 sweetie pies named : Snowball, Veronica and Penny. They are two silkies and one bantam. The two silkies are light-colored and would also be hawk-bait if left unprotected. The bantam, Penny, is such a small chicken that you would think she was a bird. These girls have their own fenced area to roam, as well as their own coop. We call it The Little Big Top. All three of these sweeties are relatively new to us - and young. They are not egg layers just yet. They all look completely different yet make a wonderful flock of three, inside their designated area.

That makes 20 chickens. Did you even know we had 20 chickens? It's new to us as well. I'll explain.

3) Time for more chickens? Yes, we were at a point in time where we were ready to add to our flock(s). How does one go about finding a good variety to choose from? Kara, who runs her own 'Phase One Farm' in Oklahoma, is my go-to for the best chicken selection I've seen. I found her on Craig's List, and keep going back to her for my chickens. Recently, when I asked David if he'd like to add to our flock, he surprised me by saying Yes. And off to Oklahoma we go. Out in the middle of nowhere, we arrive at this chicken paradise. Kara has built every chicken coop she has, by herself. She has built small buildings that are similar to a shed, as her coops. There's the General Store, the Mercantile building, the Courthouse, the Drug Store, etc. She has literally built a Western-themed Chicken Land. She has many chicken breeds of different ages which all run around free ranging, except for the small ones and baby chicks. They stay inside. She has several Emu's that guard them. I was informed these Emu's can kill with one kick. They scared me.
I digress. David and I are looking around, and had discussed prior to visiting that we might buy 3 or 4 at the most. It was David's turn to pick out the chickens. We walk around, from building to building to investigate this fabulous collection of chickens. She buys and sells regularly and always has a great new selection to pick from. Her chickens are healthy and very well adapted to being with other chickens. From our experience, they always blend in well, for the most part, with our flock. David is taking his job of picking out our new chickens very seriously. He likes this one, and that one, and another one over there. Before I know it, he's picked out 8 chickens! We have 12 back home, so it's almost like doubling our flock. Who knew. We drove away with 8 chickens in our two cages and were just as surprised with what just happened. You know what we did the whole way home? Named them.

I thought it was just me, but it isn't. There's other people who adore chickens. They know many things about chickens, and share their information. I'm a sponge and soak it all up. I think David is secretly afraid I will want him to build me a Western Town of chickens, too. I don't have a theme quite like that playing out in my head. With 20 chickens, I'm still trying to incorporate them all together and get them adjusted to each other. It takes time. I used to walk through this journey thinking "What will people think?" Now, I just walk this journey loving every minute of it. I've been that pink elephant in the vast grey elephant population off and on my whole life. I have found peace in it. I love being me, after all, if I'm not me, who will be?

I recently shared a story with my daughter, Lauren, from when I was in middle school. A young girl, like most middle-school girls, lost in life and figuring it all out. I was in the band, playing percussion and drums. I had a pet dove. Yep, a bird lover at a early age. (My first pet was a parakeet named Perry). I was a shy, skinny, red-headed girl. My mom came home one day with something for me. It was a t-shirt that said this on it: I march to the beat of a different drummer. My mom was onto something......

I am enough. You are enough.
Cyndi