Egg layers, for the most part, take care of themselves. Sure, we have to change their bedding, collect eggs, and give them a little food each morning, but on a day to day basis, they aren’t a ton of work. We built them a nice little coop they can roost safely in at night, where predators can’t see them and it’s surrounded by electric fencing just in case a predator gets curious. Once in a long while we have to deal with a hen gone broody or a case of poultry lice, but they’re mostly low maintenance and a good place to start if one is interested in farming… or just wants amazing eggs! And if their coop is built for the size of a chicken, and not a human, they stay warm without a heat lamp even through the winter.
Chickens and goats get along great, as you can see.
The chickens we’ve had have not been super keen on the human interaction, but we don’t spend a whole lot of time with them either. We have noticed the more time spent with any animal, the more they like us and want to be with us. There is one chicken that hops on my lap, stretches her neck up high, turns her head sideways, and looks me straight in the eye – all while voicing her opinion. They’ll do anything for worms or yogurt. No sooner do I shake the bag of meal worms and they all come running and/or flying across the yard. Watching them eat yogurt is entertaining because they get so excited and messy, shaking their heads flinging it on each other. Plus it’s good protein for them.
Medicine Woman finds it relaxing when they roost on her back.
Oh and they love shiny things, so look out for that jewelry ladies. They’ve attacked a couple of my earrings before like a feeding frenzy! Pecked them right off of my ears. Needless to say, I don’t wear much jewelry anymore.
If there is a downside to letting chickens roam free it is that they will destroy a good amount of what they touch. The scratching and pecking is a great form of tilling along with the great soil treats they deposit but the area they are in will not be the same afterward. This is where using the electronet fencing is great because you can control the area they are in and therefore what will get destroyed or not.