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Backyard chickens

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

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Even after getting more than a dozen eggs from our backyard hens, it's still just as exciting as the first time to find a warm one that one of the chickens just laid.

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(Addie Broyles AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

Even after getting more than a dozen eggs from our backyard hens, it's still just as exciting as the first time to find a warm one that one of the chickens just laid.

Story: Sweet satisfaction from chicken project

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(Addie Broyles AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

Need proof that I'm not just a crazy South Austinite with too much time on her hands? Two sets of neighbors have gotten chickens in the past few months, including a neighbor who started with chicks instead of laying hens.

Story: Sweet satisfaction from chicken project

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(Addie Broyles AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

The yolks from the eggs that our backyard chickens lay are darker in color than the eggs you'll find at the grocery store. There's some research that suggests they are healthier, too.

Story: Sweet satisfaction from chicken project

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(Addie Broyles AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

She might look like a rooster, but Julia is our strongest layer. Rhode Island Reds lay almost an egg a day during peak production.

Story: Sweet satisfaction from chicken project

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(Addie Broyles AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

Talk about an egg hunt. The Rhode Island Red hen named Julia had been hiding her eggs in a nest before we found them.

Story: Sweet satisfaction from chicken project

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(Addie Broyles AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

The Rhode Island Red hen named Julia had been hiding her eggs in a nest before we found them.

Story: Sweet satisfaction from chicken project

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(Addie Broyles AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

Cotton and Julia in their hutch in our backyard. They prefer to roost above the ground and out of reach of predators. At night, we close them up in the hutch, but during the day, they can roam the yard.

Story: Sweet satisfaction from chicken project

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(Addie Broyles AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

Julian, 4, got to name the chickens, but he also has to help take care of them by giving them food and water, gathering eggs and locking them up and letting them out of their hutch.

Story: Sweet satisfaction from chicken project

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(Addie Broyles AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

Chickens lay eggs in a variety of colors, depending on their breed.

Story: Sweet satisfaction from chicken project