Backyard Chickens

-Backyard Chickens-

The average American eats 248 eggs a year!

That’s a lot of eggs and a whole lot of hard working chickens.

I’ve wanted to get some backyard chickens for a while now.
Considering we barely make it through a dozen eggs a month, I didn’t really see a need for them but then I started thinking of the other benefits of having backyard chickens.

But, being the crazy person that I am, I talked Mr. Man into letting me buy 7 chickens.
I researched and read and asked questions and by the time we got the chickens, I still didn’t have a clue what I was doing.

The lady we bought the chickens from said that they were about 14 weeks old and already “laying hens.”
However, they were molting when we got them, then they were in shock from the move and new location, so they didn’t lay right away.

We got our first egg last week, more than 2 weeks after we got them.

The girls had been checking, high and low, everyday for eggs and hadn’t found a single one yet.

Then one day, while they were at the movie theater with my brother, we found our first egg.

My mom bent down to pick it up, but I stopped her, telling her to let the girls get it.

Of course, Bear saw her go for it and decided to helpfully hand it to her. As soon as she turned her back, he bent down, picked it up, and immediately dropped it.

It’s a good thing we don’t eat a lot of eggs. 🙂

Today, we FINALLY got another egg!
Miss Manners ran into the house, crazy with excitement.

Whether or not we become chicken farmers, the girls have really enjoyed having the chickens so far. They haven’t even grumbled about putting them away at night or opening their pen in the mornings.

Thousands of kids will never understand the pride of finding their first egg or the satisfaction they get knowing that they helped provide food for their family.

Not only are the chickens beneficial for your family, but to the environment, too. Instead of trashing our food scraps, we fed them to the chickens. We won’t have to treat our yard for ticks and bugs because the chickens are a natural pest control. Chicken manure is one of the best fertilizers you can have! (Just remember that it will burn your plants if added too soon, so always let it turn to compost first.)
I’ve found that having eggs on hand is a great way to add healthy options to our meals, fun experiments to our homeschool and love to our family. Check out our roundup of a Dozen Fun Egg-tivities!

I have to remind myself that it isn’t about eggs or chickens, but about hard work and getting new experiences in life. The life lessons are what make our backyard chickens so important and rewarding.