Poultry Passion

this is for Pamela ... on aging chickens we let them live out their lives after years of providing us with eggs & de-bugging also entertainment as they are fun to watch we just keep feeding them & keep the brooder light on during the winter days & they enjoy old age our oldest is 14.

Great article on chickens I too have a small flock 23 in all 2 are roosters father & son so they get along well. I share my eggs with neighbors & friends I feed mine kitchen scraps along with their chicken crumble & milk bread every afternoon which they love the better you feed them the better & richer their eggs are.

Allen, What kind of food do you feed chickens to get Omega 3 eggs? Where would I purchase it?

great article about chickens and poultry I have bourboun red turkeys and different varieties of chickens as well.

Always happy to share poultry moments with others who love birds as much as I do. I raise quite a variety of bantams. My favorites are the Silver Laced Wyandottes, followed by Araucanas. my pair of Sebastopol geese, Sebastian and Samantha are also very special to me. I've enjoyed rasing poultry for over 60 years. Jack Ward

First, thank you for your informative and attractive website. I live on a very limited income. I have 2 acres, 1/4 acre fenced. I would like to have a few chickens for eggs. What type would be easy to keep here in SC in my fenced area? Would I need a shed or could I devise nesting boxes on my back porch? I would want to keep them locked up during the night due to predators. Is my play possible?

Hotest thing,, I want one.. what cost.. Onky other one have seen was Marths Stawerts ... it wasnt mobile rose

Allen, I am another country girl who loves chickens. Last week a fox killed my favorite, Hilda, who was like a child. She greeted guests when they came to our home, helped with any outside activity and liked to come in on cold winter days to watch television. She kept my garden bug free and enjoyed roaming our yard. I had no idea that chickens could be so endearing. We miss her so much. I have others, but they just don't have her personality.

Thank you for sharing your home with all of us garden folks. Most of us don't have such an elaborate Garden Home Retreat, but you give us ideas that any budget can at least try to make our Garden Home Retreat special. Thanks again for sharing!

I am so happy to read all of the chicken stories. they are very interesting. I have Black Astralops and Buff Orpingtons. They are both very hardy in winter and lay plenty of eggs. The Black Astralops are not good setters. I am so excited that one of the Buffs is setting so if all goes well I should have some babies soon. I dont let them run all over because of predators and they will lay anywhere. So they have a big yard where they scratch for worms and catch all of the insects that fly in. I provide grass from the yard ,Flax seed sprouts , alfalfa for them. They are also very quiet too. Wish everyone the best Chicken year.

I think it is so interesting to read your newsletter. I enjoy the flowers, food, birds and now chickens. Wonderful. Thank God for good people, like you.

I just heard Garrison Keillor talking about the newly-passed law in Ann Arbor, MI, which allows people to keep four hens for their own use within the city...with the agreement of the neighbors. I think I'll try to find out more about this subject, as I know that not only would the eggs be useful, but chooks, as my Australian husband calls them, are good insect-catchers in the garden.

I have Bathams. I have 7 of them at the moment. We started with 2 last year, a chance to get our own eggs, then One of them was a rooster and it jumped the fence and the neighbors dogs killed him. So, this last spring, I bought 6 more chicks. And I think half of them are roosters!!! OOoops. We wanted all hens darn it. We got 2 old english, 2 feathered foot & 2 white ones I can't remember what they were called. But they are all beautiful chickens. There is one black feathered foot whom is a hen, and is the MOST beautiful chicken I have ever seen.

I have had chickens on and off since i was little. In fact as a child i had a pet chicken a Rhode Island Red name Penny . She would meet me at the driveway when i got home from school. Unfotunly she was killed by a dog. I have recently moved to a new house with lots of space anmd once again chickens are in my life. we have 30 chicks of different varities. We have Buff, Black and White Leghorn, Black Sexlinks and Whyndots. I am enjoying watching them grow and change. What can i say i like chickens.

I've read quite a bit about keeping poultry and am not convinced I should try it, although I'd love the birds. What exactly does one do today when you've raised birds from chicks, perhaps from eggs, named them, eaten their eggs, then the birds get old, quit laying and begin a natural decline? In the "old" days, my grandmother would simply butcher the birds when they no longer laid eggs, and there were several ways to do that, none pleasant. But, she could not afford to not use the "whole" bird. Is this what everyone else still does, to include P. Allen Smith? If so, why isn't this solution to the bird aging problem ever presented in these nicely homogenized articles? It really is a consideration for anyone thinking about having chickens. What will you do when they all get old?

Hello Allen, Love the chickens. I have quite a variety. What is the one you are holding and showing to the children? I've had them for years and right now have more than ever due to lots of babies. What do you do with your roosters when they have grown? I really enjoy my chicken's personalities and antics except this year they are eating the young leaves from my fruit trees and I'm losing potential fruit. I have been wrapping chicken wire around the trees as they are in the chicken yard and provide shade during our very hot summers. One vegetable to keep them away from is corn. They will eat it to the ground. I haven't had too many problems with the other plants I grow. Glad to hear of more chicken enthusiasts! Sharyn

I also loved chickens - as a small girl we had bantams - the eggs were smaller but just as delicious and they did have distinct personalities. It was wonderful watching them go into a kind of fugue state when sitting on the eggs and then have them newly hatched! Thanks for bringing back the memories of those innocent times.

As a young child growing up in the country, I was one of three youngest that was put in charge of caring for chickens. I loved it. We were made a gift of a very unusual chicken. I asked what type it was. I was told that it was a Chinese chicken. It was beautiful. Do you know of such breeds? I enjoy your newsletters and would like to hear more about your beautiful horses in the future.

I love your peice on "chickens". I never knew exactly how much joy and entertainment there were in watching my chickens...we have Golden Lace Polish, and we absolutely LOVE them!

Great story about your chickens and the joy of having them. We have chickens in our small town of Chappell Hill, Texas and I love when kids come in the shop and some have never seen a chicken up close. It is a great feeling to be able to talk to the younger generation about something they "don't" know all about!

What a wonderful idea for a chicken coop! Will the plans be available? We're retired and living in Florida and seem to be getting closer to having chickens again. More info, please!

Buck, buck, buck! (We approve!)

Enjoyable! I hope you have a public "open house" at your garden home retreat. I assume you are moved in & "settled". And what town is it in? I know you are enjoying it. Enjoy your newsletters & TV shows.

This is a wonderful surprise. I so enjoy everything that you do but chickens are also a favorite of mine. It is nice to see that today's child is learning and that you are teaching. Thanks for all your hard work.

I used to have chickens from South America and they laid green, blue eggs and they were very delicious with golden egg yolk. I like P. Allen Smith's idea of raising chickens ......of course, I very much like every project that Mr. Smith has chosen to create his special talents. Wayne....Palm Springs,CA

My husband and I live on a small dairy farm in Western Wisconsin. We also have a few other animals - 3 Haflinger horses (BIlly, Buddy, and Babe), one pygmy goat (Sally) , 23 chickens and 1 happy rooster (Rudie). I love my chickens! We get between 12 and 19 beautiful, big, brown eggs daily. We supply our 3 married daughter families, sell some to others, and give to other family members and friends. We also have a small cabin we rent out and so many of those people love to see the chickens and help collect the eggs. Children especially like carrying my wire basket, filling it as they go from nest to nest. The eggs themselvs taste so much better than store eggs. Thank you for doing such a complete job in your gardening areas. I love reading & then implementing some of your ideas. Keep up the good work! Jean Bekkedal The Farmer's Inn' Viroqua, WI 54665

Please explain to a city kid who loves everything but mice why the chicken coop needs to move? How is it better for the chickens? For the farmer? Thanks!

I love chickens also, we have quite a time at our place raising them, we've had hawks, bobcat, and coyotes eat a few, but we went on!

I loved your article on the chickens, they are very pretty. I think the pictures add a special touch to the article. Keep it up. Thanks

Where do you find such beautiful chickens and how do you keep them from becoming the next meal for coyotes,fox,whatever? I love your rolling house idea and will do it myself. Thank you for such a wonderful online program. I've learned so much. As a senior citizen on a fixed income,I get many wonderful ideas from you that are not costly. Kansas

GREAT HEN HOUSE...Also, since a child in the outback of Australia I have loved chickens and the various breeds etc. I was always in trouble as a child because I would get a dozen eggs and put them under a Hen, hoping she would go "clucky" and sit on them....I had Hens coming from all directions with a bunch of chick's in toe...great fun, wonderful memories you brought back to me , now living in Houston Texas. Do you have photo's of the Hen House step by step...I could not print same from the story, I think that was a great idea. Enjoy your Newsletter.

Just think, some children who eat chicken every week, have never seen or held a chicken. I thought about that when I saw you showing your chickens. A great idea.

I used to live right on the famous and very busy Sunset Boulevard at the beach in Los Angeles. My front yard was elevated from the sidewalk and street and was level with the house and back yard. The unfenced front yard was full of a combination of both useful (food) and decorative plants and trees. On a whim while at a pet store, I brought home two newborn chicks for companionship while I began building my new business. The babies were totally imprinted on each other and people. They slept on my shoulder each day and when they were big enough, they slept in the corner by the fireplace. These two little Rhode Island Reds eventually laid eggs daily on the pile of newspapers in that corner, occasionally fighting for the space when the urge to lay hit them at the same time. The hens had unrestricted run of the place, both inside the house and outside. The front door was open during the day and they scratched in the front yard but never went anywhere off the property, either to the sidewalk or street. Neighbors would come and pet them and bvoth chickens and neighbors loved it. When they were bored with the front yard, they would strut into the house and chatter at me, then go out back. I know this is difficult to believe but they were housebroken! They were trained to paper. We won't discuss the contract that was on the floor one day when the urge hit one of them! My friends all enjoyed the 'girls' and were fascinated by the fact that they would only drink Perrier water (true Hollywood denizens, of course) and loved Kentucky Fried Chicken. Visitors were amazed by the clean dark brown carpets with no chickie surprises. The girls were incredibly funny. They argued with one another and, on occasion, with me. They lived only a couple of years, falling prey to an inbred strain of cancer that turns out to be prevalent in un-vaccinated Rhodies. This particular problem has been bred out of white chickens. I miss the chickens and am now living where I can't have any, even by stealth. Too bad! They were great fun. Enjoy yours for me!

Try Red-Blue hens. They are so pretty and their eggs are colorful too.

Hi Allen, That sure is a beautiful chicken, and her babies are really cute. Good luck with your young chicks.

Thanks very much for sharing the 'mobile chicken farm' you have taken "free range eggs" to a new dimension! I appreciate the newsletter tremendously please give 3 starts

You are so right about chickens, when I was very young, their was one banty that would follow me around, as I would lift up rocks for her to get the worms underneath! Now, I'm a senior citizen I still have a very fond spot for the little banty's. I enjoyed your chicken story, and I so enjoy your emails! You have helped me out, I'm on the garden club and help this "city slickers" in our community with their garden problems. Much info came from your website!

Do you have any plans for a smaller chicken tractor for a yard? I saw one of your older shows that had one with two wheels and you could push it by hand around your yard.

I do hope you are not going to have those chickens LIVE on a wire floor. This is not humane, and I believe you to be a humane person. They need a flat surface so that they are not grasping wire on a 24- hour basis.

What fun your hobby of chickens must be. I grew up on a farm where we had all kinds of chickens. I never tired of collecting the eggs.

I LOVE THE ARTICLE , I TOO AM A CHICKEN LOVER AND HAVE HAD AS MANY AS 100 BABY CHICKS AT ONE TIME

i saw your show on PBS and just watched the email. I love it! I thank you for it. I think you and your people can teach us much. Thank you again, Bernice Kennedy

I love your chicken tractor - the idea is JUST what we have been looking for for our flock of Khaki Campbell ducks that we keep for eggs. Ducks are especially messy and need to be moved often for health so this is great. I really enjoy your newsletters but this was the most helpful yet. Jean - Candler NC

Love my chickens, too. Especially my Old English bantams.

My dad always raised chickens when I was growing up and at times he'd have some of the fancy ones. Now my daughter's friend is trying her hand at raising them. Sure brings back memories!

A chicken coop on wheels. What a great idea! My late husband would have loved it. We had chickens, but they were HIS pets.

BRONG ON MORE chicken articles! Breeds you would recommend, tips, etc. I will be building a chicken coop soon and will be starting with 0 knowledge!

As a child growing up in Nebraska in country, I raised Bantums as pets---though they did lay small eggs quite regularly---enjoyed them, rooster named Tin Horn for his high pitched crowing---ornery and into everything he shouldn't---loved them---they were fun---other ordinary chickens were dumb---when storms came, they went everywhere but where I was supposed to put them for safety---nice to remember---Love your newsletter---Bette Hankel

I enjoyed your article about your chickens, but I have a question. I know that you made a mobile chicken coup so that you could move it around to provide grass for your chickens. But, my questions is, since you don't have any type of permenent enclosure for your chickens, how do you keep predators, such as raccons, from killing them? I don't live in the country, but I have a friend who does that raises chickens, and this is a constant problem for her. How do you deal with this problem?

I'd like to see options - like the one Michael Dunniway mentioned in his comments. I too want chickens. I am 65 and can't build something but would like ideas on alternatives. I have a fixed income so the whole project can't exceed $500. I want you to know I appreciate your site - have been reading it for years.

I so enjoyed viewing your chickens at your garden home retreat. It is so nice that you share this with us, who can't afford, or do not have enough space for chickens. My father raised chickens and I remember some enjoyable times in my younger years. While viewing your chickens I thought of one rememberance that was so commical, when dad was working with his chickens.I was about five or six years old, and a rooster topped a hen, I looked at him and in shock, and being the modest man he was,he said, "Get out from here you old mean rooster and leave that hen alone". Well, from then on, when a rooster topped a hen I would say what my dad had said, because I thought the rooster was beating up on the hen. I did not know, until after I married and had chickens, that dad had given me ,that they were busy making little chickens. I said the same thing when my husband was around one day,"Get out from here you old mean rooster and leave that hen alone". My husband looked at me amazed and asked if I did not know what they were doing and he enlightened me. Then I remembered my dad smiling when, as a child, I would say,"Get out from here you old mean rooster and leave that hen alone." Thanks for bringing fond memories back.

You must add Coachins to your flock if you do not have them. They are great! Also, please include plans for the portable "chicken house."

Hey Alan, Your chicken house on wheels is great idea. If one owns several acres this is a great concept that helps move the chicken to different areas. Could you add the plans to this sight. I've been a avid reader of your newsletter for many years and love watching your show every Saturday AM on PBS.

Does your chicken house slide off the tractor so that the chicks can eat grass and worms? I've heard that if you have chickens you won't have ticks in your yard. also will the chicken house keep them warm enough in winter? Please explain!

What a great idea. I especially like the fact that you can gather the eggs from outside. When I was just pre-teen, about a 100 years ago, I went across the road and gathered and candled eggs for the farmer there. Never forgot that job. 40 years ago, we bought a farm near Traverse City, Michigan and it came with a few Rhode Island Reds. Now I live in town so I don't have any chickens. But, Yes, chickens come in all sizes and colors. Some of them are really beautiful

What a GREAT idea. I think your chickens might be just a little bit spoiled,...LOL. I go to our State Fair every year and I can't believe all the different kinds of chickens..

we live in a city and my neighbors have two Rhode Island reds...would you believe a stray rooster showed up and moved right in. we all get the benfit of great fertilizer (if we weant to take advantage of it) and that wonderful clucking sounds hens make...plus a great wake up call mornings from the rooster. I love to watch them roaming through my back yard and yes, we even get the occasional egg that the neighbors share with us.

I love your rolling chicken house idea. What a wonderful life your chickens have. My first question was going to be, how do you get them back into the wagon, but now I see it's their home so they are happy living in it wherever it goes.

How are peacocks to raise? We are thinking about getting them....thanks

I loved thischicken coverage!

Great Information. Michael you mention sending photos. I would love to see them. My husband and I built an elevated coop with a detachable run. I'd like to use the detachable run during the day, but it only has three fenced sides. I need ideas on how to make 4 sided, but still be able to attach at night so the hens can back in their coop. Thanks,

PLEASE TRY THE SILVER SEBRIGHTS AND THE GOLDEN SEBRIGHTS-THEY ARE SMALL AND VERY PRETTY-CHICKENS. OUR KIDS LOVED THEM

Nice project! I too built a mobile hen house and a detachable day-yard that I push around our field during the day. Then I re-attach the day-yard back on the hen house at night. The hen house is elevated (so I can reclaim the poop for my gardens) and has electrical (so I can light and heat the house during our cold and long winters). Can send photos ...It's real cute. I modified a children's play house I purchased for $299. Works great and looks great!