Comments on: Episode 36 – Backyard Hens, Part 1

By: Travis Kennedy

Travis Kennedy — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 02:31:29 +0000

Totally love the PVC feeder… What an awesome set-up. And that Chantecler, what a sweetheart. Great video.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:00:56 +0000

Awesome! Would love to see part #2 about the cost of raising hens. We eat a TON of eggs and definitely have the space to have a few hens in our yard. :) Thanks for these awesome posts Kevin!

By: Isabelle

Isabelle — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 01:33:55 +0000

this is really interesting! I’d love to be in a position some day (i.e. have a backyard) where I can keep hens. thanks kevin!

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:40:06 +0000

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about folks keeping chickens, is that although it is not a zero-cost endeavour by any means, it can be done extremely frugally. I suppose a good test is to ask somebody with hens if cost is a deterrent at all. How about I do that in part 2! Thanks for all your questions and comments.

By: Deb Krause

Deb Krause — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:59:59 +0000

Once again, great video :)
His coop is awesome! I wish I had chickens in the city… but I suppose it’s a welcome reprieve from the city to drive out to the farm just for eggs lol

By: NorthernForager

NorthernForager — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:16:54 +0000

Kevin – next time you are in Peace River we should arrange a coop tour for you! In 2010 the Town bylaw was changed to legalize the keeping of up to 6 hens. Some days it is only this bylaw that keeps us in the town and not yearning for an acerage. I have toured a number of the local coops and it is fascinating to see how unique each coop is – no two are the same, and all are incredibly creative. We have 6 heritage breed “ladies” who lay green, brown, white, large and tiny eggs. Our five year old loves gathering the eggs and we love our “productive pets”. They are a wonderful addition to any garden and add real life and real lessons to the space and to the neighbourhood.

By: Greg deJong

Greg deJong — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:38:34 +0000

Nice setup! The more you feed them, the happier they are and the more they lay eggs, I find. Laying hens are somehow more pleasant to keep than meat chickens. Their character is different, calmer.
Some time ago you blogged about backyard chickens and at the time I was mainly picturing meat chickens and the tricky stage of processing, tricky in an urban the-neighbours-are-watching sense, and there are a lot of bitter curmudgeons out there. But that’s a bigger issue than any bylaw seeks to remedy, in fact quite the opposite.
No problems with keeping chickens in our small town, mind you! Even with a rooster. Just sayin’…

By: Sanders

Sanders — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 23:29:52 +0000

My family lives in a suburb of New York City and we’ve got 7 hens, 4 breeds. They’re all fairly cold-hearty, but I can say it’s one of the best decisions we’ve made.Yes there’s an initial upfront cost + feed, but we let our hens out of the coop and they roam around the yard eating bugs and grass. This gives their egg yolks a bright orange hue and the shells range in color from blue to spotted to light brown. Really, though, the eggs are the most delicious eggs I’ve ever had.

With 7 hens, we gets about 4-6 eggs a day (sometimes more), and for a family of 4 growing boys and 2 parents, it’s plenty for us. Our dogs won’t touch the chickens though a couple have been caught by hawks (1 died, 1 just a few cuts). The dogs actually seem to help ward off the hawks.

Our neighbors know we’ve got chickens but they don’t mind, and their a lot of fun to have as pets. The smell honestly isn’t too bad either as he said. Though we are lucky our town has no laws against backyard chickens.

By: Bob in Edmonton

Bob in Edmonton — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:09:56 +0000

Very interesting! More than I’d be willing to take on (although I’d happily have one in my neighbourhood)–shame the city hasn’t moved forward to legalizing these. I’d also be keen to know about production and a sense of operating costs.

By: vegeteble gardener cook

vegeteble gardener cook — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:28:35 +0000

Wow, that is quite the setup he has! My chickens would be jealous if they saw that.