Raising backyard chickens

The girls have arrived. 

What is light brown, fluffy, peeps and eats most of the day? 

4 beautiful Buff Orpington hens.

The husband made a nice place for them at the bottom of the property. We get more exercise walking down to the bottom several times daily to feed, talk, watch and sit with the chickens.

The Orpington is a breed of chicken named after Orpington, England, which was made famous in part by this breed, bred to be an excellent layer. Their large size and soft appearance together with their rich color and gentle contours make them very attractive; its popularity has grown as a show bird rather than a utility breed. Being rather heavy, they are unable to fly, so they work well as backyard birds. 

Our birds are only 3 months old and not yet laying eggs. One of the best things about chickens is that "they go home to roost". In the evening when we walk down to the pen, they are in the coop ready for us to shut the door. We put away the corn meal to prevent attracting more critters during the night.

It's important to make the coop safe. The outer cage is strong enough to prevent raccoons & coyotes from entering. We have a roof on the pen to keep out birds of prey and the rain.

The coop inside is built sturdy and provide a safe place for the birds to roost during the night. When the chickens are older this is where they will lay their eggs.

 Right now they are teenagers.

Below is a buff chick.

If we had purchased chicks, this is how adorable they are....

Image by ATIS547 via Flickr