Hens Take To The Hatch

Posted on August 13, 2021

By DEBRA BUTLER

Contributing Columnist

It was late in the afternoon on a cool January day when I stepped out the back door of a vacation rental house in Columbia, South Carolina. 

Gazing out across the open acreage and toward the line of woods at the edge of the property, I noticed chickens, scurrying to and fro, scratching in the dirt for insects, with several other hens running towards a man casually scattering food on the ground for them to eat.  

A stocky black Labrador stood close by, sniffing the ground and the chickens as they approached. The man turned out to be my Airbnb host, and what started out as simple curiosity about his chickens, turned into a winding road of research for a required class project, followed by my decision to start my own flock.

I was intrigued by the fact that John Beerman was raising his own backyard chickens for the purpose of having fresh eggs, as well as the pure enjoyment of tending to his hens.  

Beerman looks forward to the end of each workday when he opens the coop to allow the chickens to free range until sundown, at which point they automatically head back to the safety of their coop where they roost for the night.  

Beerman gives away many of the fresh pale blue and light brown eggs to his friends and neighbors while keeping just what his family needs for themselves. 

According to Beerman, “You can leave the fresh eggs out on your counter for six months, as long as you don’t wash off the bloom on the egg. As soon as the eggs are washed, they need to be refrigerated.”

When you consider that chickens can live from 10 to 14 years, much thought should go into whether the added responsibility of caring for chickens is right for you.

Additionally, not all neighbors in close proximity are always that fond of a flock of poultry – especially if that flock includes a rooster. 

After returning home, I contacted the Code Enforcement office of Taylor County to inquire about my own ability to have chickens, and I was told it would not be a problem. 

According to Officer Joe Brenner, “The only complaint we ever get about chickens is if a rooster crows a lot, because they don’t know when to stop. This is Taylor County, where a lot of people have penned up hunting dogs that bark all the time, but our biggest complaints are about the roosters.”

The increase in people being stuck at home during the pandemic and a heightened concern of food shortages led to an increase in the interest of backyard chicken farming. 

In an NPR article from April 2020, Kendall Fox of the Freedom Ranger Hatchery in Lancaster County, Pa, is quoted as saying, “People are at home, so they’re looking for something for their families to do while they’re home. The other reason is the security of having food in their backyard.” 

 In the same article, John Monaco, president of the American Poultry Association, states, “Backyard poultry has been on the upswing all over, especially in the rural areas, for the last five or 10 years. Raising your own chickens and even your own broilers – it’s become a lot more fashionable to do it.” 

Ever since 1918, when then-Postmaster General A.S. Burleson authorized it, day-old chicks have been shipped through the United States Post Office. 

That’s right! Baby chicks can be sent through the mail. 

Although many people buy their chicks from local breeders, ordering them online and having them shipped gives the buyer a larger selection of breeds to choose from and, in many cases, vaccination options. 

Newborn chicks can survive 72 hours without food or water thanks to the nutrients from the egg yolk, which they ingest immediately before hatching. 

Reputable hatcheries will replace chicks that do not survive the journey or that die within the first 48 hours of arrival. 

Several factors during the COVID-19 pandemic created delays within the postal service, causing many baby chicks to arrive already dead. 

Numerous animal rights groups rallied together last year in an effort to end the shipment of baby chicks. 

This did not go over well with the many hatcheries across the states who rely on the post office for keeping their businesses above water. 

Not only do backyard chicken hobbyists rely on the post office for the shipment of chicks, but many large chicken farming operations do as well. 

An exceptionally-cold winter last year. in addition to delays at the post office during the pandemic, were reason to blame for the arrival of thousands of dead chicks. 

Chick shipping season typically runs from February through October. 

While doctors have noted a rise in salmonella cases since the pandemic, predominantly due to people not washing their hands after handling their chickens, there are also environmental hazards to be cognizant of.  

Chicken poop is certainly good for use as a garden fertilizer especially when combined in a compost recipe, but runoff into soils and waterways of the gases released from chicken poop can be detrimental to wildlife.  

The biggest environmental concerns are focused mostly around larger poultry processing plants. 

An escalation over the years in the number of people giving up red meat and switching to chicken has been the catalyst for the increase in poultry processing plants. 

The runoff of nitrous oxide, as well as the fuels used in the processing at these larger poultry farms can surprisingly be worse for the environment than that of the methane produced by the cattle industry.

Included in my research into the world of raising chickens has been reading anything I can get my hands on. 

Everyone has an opinion on raising chickens, so I am learning as I go and will continue to learn what works best for my flock. 

The biggest task at hand was setting up a brooder environment in a room of our home before the chicks arrived. 

They needed access to water right away, warmth from a radiant heat source similar to what their mother hen would provide, food and close monitoring. 

Once the chicks reached six weeks of age, and because their down had already been replaced by feathers, and the outside climate was just right, they were safely moved from the brooder to their coop and run outdoors. 

The worst part of being a new chicken owner was the anticipation of the arrival of the first set of chicks.  

Taking care of them hasn’t really been that hard. 

My nine assorted and colorful females arrived in late May. 

For the handful of chickens that I have, I do not see this flock as being a hazard to the environment.  

If any of our girls turn out to be roosters, for the sake of our neighbors I  have  a  plan B for their relocation. 

Our family and friends are already volunteering to take extra eggs off of our hands. 

What I hope to gain from this new endeavor is the enjoyment of fresh, rich-tasting eggs, the experience of raising my own flock, spending more time outdoors and sharing this entertaining journey with fellow chicken enthusiasts. 

By the way, in case you are wondering, it is  cheaper to buy your own eggs from the grocery store!