In Seattle it’s a snow day–we are having our annual “snowpocalypse,” when a few inches of snow completely shuts down the city and sends cars skidding into the curbs and children flocking into the unfamiliar white stuff.

The snow is not just unfamiliar to our children; this afternoon I went to check on the chickens and found them completely flummoxed by it. They had managed to make it out the coop door onto a branch in the run, but were totally unwilling to put their feet down into the scary cold white stuff. It was two PM, and the entire coop was covered with a virgin, untouched layer of snow, more than six hours after dawn.

Ethel was brave enough to fly over to a box, where I found her pacing back and forth, unsure what to do next.

Watching for a while I saw their technique for getting across the coop without having to put a foot into the snow. Crafty!

Even after I pushed the snow aside, they remained completely unwilling to come off their perch. Bird brains!

4 PM update: they are still on the branch. How do your chickens handle the snow?

Last May, our older chickens went into Urban Chicken Retirement at my Uncle Joe’s farm in Maple Valley.  We’ve taken our aging flocks there in the past, where they  nibble away their golden years in wide sun-dappled meadows with horses as friends.  This year, since our chickens came to the farm, Joe has lost two cats and three of our four chickens, presumably to coyotes!  When we arrived for Thanksgiving festivities, we learned that the only chicken left happened to be our favorite-ever chicken, Marigold the Buff Orpington (of the famous Chicken Walk).  She was doing what any of us would do after seeing our colleagues picked off one by one by a toothed predator–she was hiding in a box in the barn, and hardly ever came out.

Joe's farm has a beautiful old barn and outbuildings.

Next to Marigold's box--another dusty treasure. Maybe I'll use this to finish the book I'm writing!

Marigold's Hiding From Coyote Box.

Poor Marigold! We didn’t think twice–we picked her up, dusty barn-box and all, and took her home.

It took a few days for everyone to work out the new pecking order, and we watched over them carefully as Marigold integrated with the existing flock, but now they are happy together, and Marigold is back to her old tricks.  She’s taught the other chickens how to climb up on the porch and peck at the back door for attention.

Introducing a new chicken takes several days, sometimes more. But it's usually safe to put them together in the roost after they are settled in the dark.

Ethel the Barred Rock was particularly disgruntled at first.

One happy chicken-family.

Urban chicken keeping is great for fresh eggs, sure, but sometimes it’s just a matter of the heart.  Welcome home Marigold.

This year’s cold summer didn’t deter the columnar apples.  We’re having our best harvest ever from these funny little trees, and Claire has fun going out to pick the fruit for her lunch each morning:

Remember the Bicycle Pea Trellis?  It is now surrounded by broccoli, and a few sugar pie pumpkins.  I should pick the pumpkins and cook them up, but they are so pretty and look so autumnal out there, I just can’t quite bring myself to do it yet.

In another trellising experiment, this one feeding our souls rather than our stomachs, the passion vines we planted from seed took over the corkscrew willow branches (see link above), just as I hoped they would.

A late-but-plentiful blackberry season brought plenty of foraging, jam-making, and pie:
Among our new batch of young “spring chickens,” Ethel the barred rock was the first to start laying.  They start with little tiny “beginner eggs,” very cute:

All the sunflower seeds are intended for sharing with the wild co-inhabitants of our neighborhood.  Goldfinches come through in intermittent flocks, and lots of chickadees and squirrels:

We continue our habit of sleeping outside through the summer and as far as we can into the fall before getting cold and miserable.  The last couple of stormy nights have been a bit eventful, and we’ve had to put the rainfly on (so can’t see the trees and stars), but we love it out there:

There seems to have been a bread-baking hiatus over the summer, but we’re back to our good old Deep PB&J with walnut cider bread for school lunch:

And in the “merry olde England” spirit of a smallholding, we’ve been busy making our own fun.  This summer Claire crafted a rather fancy hoop of PVC pipe decorated with colored tape, and all of us have been working on our hoopster moves:

I am writing with a light heart, but am feeling keenly that it’s no coincidence–is it?–that the call in our lives and communities to simple living coincides with a crisis in the industrial-economic-corporate complex.  We join so many who are seeking to create and re-create ways of living that make common sense, and draw out our innate enthusiasm, vitality, and delight.

Anyway–that’s a bit of what’s going on around our place.  We’d love to hear what’s happening at yours.  What are your autumn pleasures?

Chickens need a little extra attention in the heat, just as they do in the extreme cold, but they’ll be completely fine as long as a few simple needs are met. Like all birds, chickens can regulate their body temperature with some efficiency. Remember that birds have a higher body temperature than humans, so they don’t have to shed heat as soon as we do when temperatures rise.  They don’t have sweat glands, so when they do need to cool, chickens will pant, and maybe flutter the flap of skin beneath their chin–a spot with lots of tiny blood vessels, so heat is exchanged quickly.  Sometimes chickens will lift their feathers to air their skin.   These behaviors might make your hens look as if they are about to keel over from heat exhaustion, but they are perfectly normal things for hot chickens to be doing.

To keep summer chickens happy and healthy:

–Make double-sure they have constant access to shade.

–Give them fresh cool water every single day (even if you are usually too lazy to do it daily, as I sometimes am…). Not only is cool water refreshing to the chickens and good for their bodies, but any potentially harmful bacteria in the water grows more quickly and easily in the heat.

–If you normally keep water in the coop, consider it leaving it in a shady spot in the run/yard, so they will see it more often, and be reminded to drink.

–Make sure the nesting area is well ventilated.  Open all doors and windows, and if it’s stiflingly hot, consider wetting down the outside walls and roof with a hose to provide evaporative cooling.

–Make sure the girls have plenty of dry, loose dirt for dusting their feathers, which they like to do more often in the heat.  This helps cool their skin, comfort them, and as always, keeps parasites at bay.  Plus they are so darn cute, happily digging and dusting.

–Chickens do not like to have water sprayed on them, but if temperatures are very high, and the chickens seem worrisomely stressed, go ahead and give adult chickens a light misting with the garden hose.  If you leave a low sprinkler in a corner for awhile, they might even explore it and play in it on their own.

May all humans and chickens enjoy the relaxed beauty of the season!

Saying goodbye to Marigold, our favorite Buff Orpington ever.

We were a host once again this year for Seattle Tilth’s Chicken Coop and Urban Farm Tour, and one of the main questions would-be chicken keepers voiced was what to do with older chickens after they stop laying, or slow way down?  The numbers vary by breed and individual, but most chickens lay really well the first year, slow a bit in the winter the second year, then taper off after that, laying very little after year three or maybe four.  But these same chickens will live to be six years old, or more (and even if your chickens lay longer than this–all will outlive their laying days).  What happens after that?  This is a question worth pondering before you commit to urban chicken-keeping.  Few of us have the space to keep all those chickens while adding new ones to the flock, and feeding them can be expensive when you don’t get fresh eggs in return for all that organic chicken food.  We interact closely with our chickens, and are too attached to them to either eat them (Claire and I don’t eat meat, anyway) or donate them to the boa constrictor exhibit at our local zoo (which is an option…).  So we are fortunate to have an uncle who lives in rural Maple Valley, and allows our older chickens to roam his fields in idyllic chicken retirement.  Recently we moved our young girls, Adelaide, Ophelia, and Ethel into the big coop, and the “old girls”–Chrysanthemum, Buttercup, Marigold, and Esmeralda–went to “live in the country.”  Our sadness at saying goodbye to these sweet hens was tempered by their evident happiness in the freedom of their new home.

Arriving at Uncle Joe's farm.

First wondering wander in more space than they've ever seen.

Settling right in to idyllic retirement.

Couldn't resist this photo: Buttercup in the buttercups.

New friends.

We’re very fortunate that for our elder-hens, “going to live in the country” is not a euphemism.  But not everyone has an Uncle Joe.  How do you humanely handle aging chickens in your urban coop?

Two Buff Orpingtons.  I love how Marigold looks entirely put out by the indignity of a chick standing on her back.

In colonial America, the full moons of early spring were called Egg Moons.  The longer days and increased light of the season stimulated the pituitary glands of the hens in the chicken yard, and as the hours of sunlight increased, so did egg laying.  Those of us with chickens in the backyard know this cycle well.  Though our first-year hens may lay every day during the winter, by year two or so the eggs gathered in the dark months dwindles. Then, just as we feel our own spirits rising with the light and green of spring, we watch the hens’ natural response to the season spill forth from their little coop.

Whether you have your own chickens, or purchase eggs from a small, local farm (apart from the artificiality of the bright-light-all-day-and-night corporate agriculture system), it feels delightful to be part of this rhythm.

Eggs are one of the most compactly nutritious foods available to humans, and eggs from backyard chickens–content with just a bit of space and a small coop–have been a staple for families in temperate climates around the world for thousands of years.  It is no wonder eggs, symbols of wholeness, completeness, and new life, are celebrated this time of year.

The best way to celebrate eggs is by eating them.  Skillet-poached Huevos Rancheros is one of our favorite quick meals.   You can do it right, of course:  soak your beans and make homemade salsa.  But I’m going to give you the busy weeknight straight-from-the-pantry version.

Simple Skillet-Poached Huevos Rancheros

You need:

1 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed
1 15 ounce jar or tub of salsa (much of the seasoning/flavor will come from the salsa, so make sure it’s one you love)
4 beautiful eggs

Pour the beans and salsa into a skillet (we actually use a wok, which works great), and bring to a simmer. One at a time, crack each egg into a small dish, make a little well in the simmering beans with a big spoon, and slip the egg in.

Simmer covered until the yolks are cooked as you like them–about five minutes or so, for slightly runny yolks.  Serve with warmed tortillas and your favorite condiments:  avacado, shredded cheese, yogurt/sour cream, cilantro, goat cheese…

Enjoy!

And for more on full moons and food, have a look at Jessica Prentice’s lovely book, Full Moon Feast.

Marigold the Buff Orpington

We’ve been keeping chickens for about twelve years now, and have had a chance to enjoy several breeds.  Sensible chicken choosing has to take many things into account–space, climate, and your priorities (temperament? ease of care? good layers? egg color?).  Over the years, we’ve settled on our  most important chicken characteristics:  we want heritage breeds that are dependable layers and that are also sweet-tempered.  Our chickens are part of our everyday food/garden/family life.  We love to be out with the chickens, watching them, interacting with them.  Claire likes to bring her friends out to the coop, and spend time there with the hens.  Buff Orpingtons are great layers–a lovely, nice-sized, brown egg from each chicken pretty much every day–but they also the sweetest chickens on earth.

Like a cat, Marigold loves to have her chin scratched.

Buff Orpingtons are an English heritage breed, quite fat, and absolutely beautiful in golden-yellow plumage and bright red combs.  This is the classic Beatrix Potter chicken, the round barnyard beauty with the many-toed socks that Mrs. Tiggy-winkle, the hedgehog laundress, found so troublesome to wash.

"And what are those long yellow things with fingers like gloves?" "Oh, that's a pair of stockings belonging to Sally Henny-penny--look how she's worn the heels out with scratching in the yard! She'll very soon go barefoot!" said Mrs. Tiggy-winkle.

The first Opringtons were black, and now they come in several standard colors.  But for some reason, the Buffs make the best “pet” chickens.  All of our Buff Orpingtons have had unique personalities (Marigold likes to go for walks, and Buttercup patrols the yard for squirrels–chasing them mercilessly), but they all share certain qualities:  they like to be scratched, held, and carried;  they like to sit in your lap while you read a book (preferably aloud so the chicken can hear); they never peck at you unless they are trying to get your attention (so that you will scratch, hold, carry, or read to them!).  They are just the best, sweetest, dearest chickens, and we couldn’t love them more.

One more good thing about them–unlike some of the other common backyard breeds, Orpingtons are too fat and heavy to get off the ground.  While your auracana might regularly make it over the fence into the neighbor’s dog-filled yard, your Buffs will stay put.

We’ve always kept a mixed flock for beauty, variation in egg color, and to try new breeds.  But we’ve decided that our new chicks this season will all be Buff Orpingtons.

The downside to Buff Orpingtons?  I actually think they might be louder than some of the other breeds.  They are definitely very keen to announce the laying of an egg, often at great length.  This drives Tom crazy.

Some thoughts on other common breeds:

Auracanas/Ameracanas:  The blue-green eggs are gorgeous.  Gorgeous!  The chickens are funky, with long legs and ear tufts.  Good runners.  The chickens are a bit high-strung.  They are great, dependable layers, but less “friendly” than many breeds.  We’ve loved having them, but as I mentioned above, we’ve decided to go with personality over blue-green eggs.

Silver or Gold-laced Wyandottes:  Beautfiul, compact little chickens, with lovely scaled plumage, but aloof, nervous, and not even the best layers.  I’ve kept them in the past because they are so pretty, but probably never will again.

Plymouth Barred Rocks:  Great girls.  Solid layers of medium-sized brown eggs, calm, even-tempered, good with kids.

Our lovely Barred Rock, Esmeralda. Look at that pretty orange eye!

Rhode Island Red:  Classic American breed, ditto comments on Barred Rock, but slightly more aggressive.  The copper-red feathers almost glow.  Can’t go wrong with these.

Chrysanthemum the Rhode Island Red shows off my very favorite chicken part: the fluffy bum.

I’m covering just the most common breeds here, because you can get them in small numbers at feed stores, which is how most of us get our chicks.  Keeping less common heritage breeds is wonderful, but they usually come from specialty hatcheries that require a minimum order of chicks per breed, usually more than urban backyards can accommodate.  To go this noble route, hook up with some friends and do an order together.  Learn more about rare heritage breeds here.

If you’re just starting out, see my post about making your own biddy box and raising chicks.

Meanwhile–happy Spring Chick season!  Enjoy, and tell us about your own favorite breeds!

As always, thanks to Tom for the wonderful photos.

It’s that time of year:  downy little peepings are starting to be heard at feed stores across the country.  Some of us are enlivening backyard flocks with a few new chicks (we are!) and many folks are thinking of starting urban coops for the first time.  I’ll be offering encouragment and advice in the coming weeks (including a post on breed selection), but for now I wanted to revisit this early post, which I’ve updated.  Lots of people ask me about the expense of chicken keeping, and how much we “save” now that we don’t buy eggs.  Save??? Um, well.  Not much.  Probably not anything.  But keeping urban chickens is about more than a straight monetary tally–I call this more expansive math Chickenomics.

In a post by our friends at Root Simple (the blog formerly known as Homegrown Evolution), I read a quote by the editor of Backyard Poultry Magazine, who said that whenever the economy tanks, their subscriptions soar.  This doesn’t make common sense–after all, unless you are supremely resourceful, it takes some money to get set-up for a backyard chicken flock.  The ongoing cost of chicken food isn’t that much less than eggs–and anyway, it’s certainly not buying eggs that is making or breaking us.  The current popularity of chickens might have to do with the economy, but it can’t be just about money.

Wondering over this, I picked up the phone and called Backyard Poultry‘s editor, Elaine Belanger.  “You’re right,” she told me. “On the surface, there is a myth that growing our own food will save money, and I get calls from these editors in New York writing chicken articles who think that’s what it’s all about.  But if you’ve raised chickens, you know that it’s something else.”  In troubled times with multiple crises–economic, ecological, global insecurity, swine flu–there’s a longing for  community, healthy self-reliance, food safety, connection to natural rhythms, and idyllic living.  Chickens give us a hands-on, tangible sense of satisfaction on all of these levels–it’s an emotional satisfaction.  But Belanger points out that the current resurgence in “homestead”-style practices, including chicken-keeping, pre-dates the economic crisis by about a year.  I believe we have just come through a long political cycle in this country that has left us feeling empty, and desperate for authenticity.  We are finding, and creating meaning in the most truly grassroots of actions–those that begin with our own household grass (another chicken benefit–they are adept at grass removal!).

Is Belanger cynical about the sudden faddishness of chickens, when she’s been preaching this lifestyle for over 20 years?  Not at all–she’s happy about it.  Thrilled, even.  And she’s quick to offer her own favorite reason for keeping chickens:  “Because it’s FUN.”