Dear Caswell,
Dugan sacheted out to the chicken house and told us all about your new brood. She told me she was planning to send you a letter about chicken houses and such, but I just said, “Pooey, pooey. If Caswell opens up a kidney clinic you just give him any information you can. If he’s startin’ a chicken house, you best let me handle it.” Here I am with some chicken scratch advice.
Now, we are a mixed group of 16 chickens at our house. We each have our preferences, but by and large we’ve all been happy with our chicken house and yard. The chicken house is, of course, wood, but the screened windows let in fresh air. Most of us like spending the day out in the chicken yard. We peck and scratch about and catch bugs that fly through the screen. We like to know what’s happening in the back yard and we like to see when folks are walkin’ down the farm road to come out for a visit. Dugan says that research has demonstrated that each chicken needs 2 square feet of space. Now, you know as well as I do that a big rooster like Stripey can barely fit his head into 2 square feet, but trim little hens like me hardly take up 1 square foot, tail feathers and all. Those buff cochin hens are a triffle chubbly and may require more space than average. Look at your chickens and pick your size, that’s the best advice I have.
Do not forget a roosting pole. At night we like to be up a little ways off the floor. In our house we have round roosting poles that climb up like a ladder. Even if we’ve had pecking and nipping of feathers through the day, come night we’ll hop up nice as millet mixed with corn and perch next to each other. I would guess side to side with Blackie and W.C. that I do not take up more that about 6 inches on the roosting pole.
Dugan spreads cedar wood shavings on our chicken house floor every now and then. We scratch around in the litter and I think the floor of the chicken house stays a bit drier because of it. I would guess that the cedar also makes things smell better. I personally like that poultry fragrance, but I have noticed that our chicken house is a distance from the main house. In an honest moment, I would have to recommend that you construct your chicken house in the fartherest corner of your yard away from the patio, cedar shavings or not.
Now, on to my favorite subject, food. As the head hen in our brood I oversee egg production. I work with the other hens daily to encourage proper rest, meditation for stress reduction, adequate sunshine and exercise, and most importantly, proper nutrition. We have clearly found Laying Mash to provide a balanced diet that leads to fine-sized, firm-shelled, blue and brown eggs.
Layin’ eggs is serious business, but don’t forget that even chickens benefit from treats and extras. I think a bit of scratch or cracked corn scattered about can fill an afternoon with pecking and scratching. We do like leftover fresh vegetable peelings and green leafy vegetable tops, especially iceberg lettuce leaves. And, don’t forget my all time favorite, sliced white bread. W.C. will jump a clear 18 inches off the ground for a nibble of bread and the rest of us wish we had such springy legs. Yes, indeedy, scatter bread crumbs every day and your chickens will be waiting by the fence just for you.
Now, Caswell, I wish I could come down and see to helping you get your chicken house going, but that would be a big trip for an old hen like me. As you can see from this letter, I do tend on the talky side. Just take what’s useful from this scratchin’ and see what works for your brood. Chickens, by golly, come in all sizes and feather colors, so you’ve gotta do what seems to be best for you. Have fun!
Love,
Genu
Maddux Chicken House
Gamewood Farm
Danville, VA