The Little Red Hen Part 2

I have to say that I stand corrected on the amount of people that I know that have chickens. I forgot that my youngest sister had them for about a year several years ago. 

I also got some texts saying that other friends I have, also have chickens. The average number or chickens they own is about ten. 

One of my friends texted me a picture of one of his first eggs and it was the size of a large grape. He said they got bigger in time.

I guess that when they are first laying, size and shell thickness have some issues. Here are some photos of another friends chickens. She has them in a dog kennel type cage. The roosting boxes are just open topped boxes on the side of the cage. The feeding tray is large and flat and the water is larger and they are just on the ground. That seems to be an easier and less expensive way, but that doesn't work in the winter. 

Last winter, they put them in their back garage and moved it out in the summer. While I was over helping her the other day, I found out that my other friends, (her neighbors) also had chickens and ducks. 

My sister is taking care of her neighbors chickens this weekend as well as her own. 

One thing I heard from my sister and my friend this week; is that the chickens will start eating their own eggs if they are mineral deficient or malnutritioned.  

Both my sister and friend told me that once they start doing that, you have to kill them. 

The other thing that is an issue, bird mites. I had an issue with bird mites a few years ago due to a nest on my house. I would never get chickens just for that reason. They are horrible to try and kill and once the mites are in your house, good luck trying to get rid of them. They feel temperature of skin and can find you anywhere in the house. The are also VERY fast movers.

So, for what that is worth, chickens may be for you. My friend told me this week that her birds have mites and that just recently, two have started eating their eggs. 

None of that sounds fun to me, but, I will leave it up to you.

One more thing, another friend texted me that he made a five gallon bucket into a hanging chicken waterer. He said, he drilled holes in the bottom and put chicken nipples in the holes and that the chickens then peck the water from the nipple and that it is off the floor. Ingenious if you ask me. I had to ask him what a "chicken nipple" was of course but it gave me a good laugh. 

Just sharing for those of you that think you may want to attempt becoming a farmer. As for me, I think I am VERY happy to stay out of that realm.