Keeping Chickens Newsletter

Dear Gina

I am a retired Biology professor and decided a few months ago to raise some backyard chickens. I have a backyard garden too, raising tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans and okra. I wanted the chickens for three reasons; #1. To enjoy fresh eggs, #2. To have a supply of organic fertilizer for my garden, #3. To enjoy raising and caring for some chickens.

Two months ago (August 2008) I purchased six Rhode Island Red pullets (no roosters!); they were 6 months old and really beautiful. I choose RIR's for their easy going temperament, early laying, and production of large brown eggs. I built a small coop and enclosed it in a 10 x 10 pen with a tarp covering the top. I supplement their pellet feed with fresh green grasses (clover, chickweed, rye and wheat), seeds (wheat, milo, millet, corn and sunflower), insects (crickets and grasshoppers), and occasional fruits (tomatoes, grapes, watermelon, etc.) and dairy products (cheese, yogurt, and milk). The ground is covered with pine shavings that are replaced once a month and added to the garden.

This is my grandson, Kai, with my RIR's and a freshly collected egg!