First Brood?

CommercialHatching
Most chickens are hatched in large commercial incubators. Here at a man and his hoe® we do things very differently.

Even though it is still cool, spring is in the air. The robins are active, calling for mates. The thimble berries and raspberries are budding out. And one of my hens went broody a few days ago. Tonight I placed a full set of eggs underneath her for her to hatch. In three weeks, around March 26, if all goes well, they should hatch.

So what is this bowl of marked eggs for? They are for the broody hen to incubate and hatch. Before placing eggs under a broody hen, I mark the eggs so I can tell later if another hen has added any eggs to the clutch. A broody hen will leave her nest once a day to eat, get some exercise, and do her business. While she is away, another hen may add an egg to the clutch. But such additional eggs need to be removed as they won’t hatch at the same time as the original clutch. By marking the eggs at the start, it’s easy to spot any unwanted new eggs

EggsforMidge

And here is the brooding hen.

MidgeBrooding

So why go to all the bother of hatching chicks under a broody hen? What chicken farmer in this day and age does this? Wouldn’t it be much cheaper and easier just to use an incubator or purchase chicks from a hatchery?

I do it for the chicks and their mothers. In an incubator, the chicks don’t get to listen to their mother’s heartbeat as they develop. They don’t get to hear her soft calls as their hatching day approached. And after they hatch, they get to cuddle and dry out under their mother’s warm breasts, and get to make their first steps out into the world under her watchful. At night they get to sleep under the warmth of her body and in total darkness, not under heat lamps like most chicks.

And the hens, when they go broody, not getting to hatch a clutch of eggs can be upsetting. They will sit and sit and sit until they finally give up after four or five weeks. Some are visibly upset when they spend all that time and end up without a clutch of chicks to raise. Many hens have a strong desire to hatch and rear chicks. Talking about a sense of fulfillment with chickens is perhaps a stretch, but when you watch a mother hen worrying about and carrying for her chicks, it is so endearing. Instinct no doubt drives this, but when the instinct is this strong, isn’t it wrong to deny its expression?

Modern agriculture has stopped considering the animals it raises as living creatures with feelings and desires. The attitude is to do whatever will produce the most eggs and meat at the lowest cost possible. But do you really want to purchase eggs and chicken from producers who have such little regard for the animals under their care?

Diligent Dogs

BBEchoGuardDogsA pair of fearless guard dogs are a necessity when you are raising free-roaming chickens. You need vigilant ears, eyes, and noses on the lookout for coyotes, eagles, and hawks. They look like they are snoozing and not paying any attention. But at the slightest whiff of danger, these two are on their feet and charging after any approaching danger.

MotherWithNearlyGrownChicksThese chicks are two and a half months old now. At times they are quite independent, but they still stay close to their mother and roost with her at night. The other night I couldn’t see the white one, until I peered closely at the mother’s feet, and saw the chicks feet between her mother’s. She was roosting underneath her mother.

WetRoosterWe are in the wet season. A steady rain all day doesn’t stop the chickens from being outdoors most of the time. Even when they get soaked, like Billy the rooster, they seek cover only when it is pouring rain.
All the chickens at a man and his hoe® enjoy a full life, experiencing all kinds of weather, and enjoying the protection of two loyal dogs. It’s what chickens deserve.

Free Range Eggs?

What images float through your mind when you see a carton of free range eggs? Idyllic scenes chickens foraging on grass? Chickens out enjoying fresh air and sunshine? Chasing bugs and scratching for grubs and earthworms?

OnTheGrass
The reality is sadly, often not what you imagine. In the United States, there is no legal definition for free range eggs. There are no standards as to what a farmer must do to label their eggs: free range eggs. It basically just means that the chickens are not in cages. Often they are cooped up by the thousands in huge houses. And when they are crowded together, problems such as cannibalism, high ammonia levels, and stress arise. To prevent cannibalism, hens in these crowded facilities have their beaks trimmed so they don’t hurt each other when they peck. These chickens are not living the life you want them to live, nor producing the quality of eggs you deserve.

The best way to know if the eggs you are buying are coming from chickens living the way you want them to live, is by calling the farmer who produces your eggs. Ask them what kind of pasture their chickens have. Ask how much space their chickens have. How much time do they spend outdoors?

You have a right to know how your eggs are produced. You are the one eating the eggs and incorporating the eggs into your body. The protein and minerals in the eggs you eat are going to end up being your bones, your skin, your organs … in other words: you!

Below are images of the way some free range chickens are raised. You’ll never see chickens raised this way at a man and his hoe®.

FreeRangeNoted
OntarioChickensNoted
12 things you should know about eggs (crunchybetty.com)
Free range eggs (wikipedia.org)
Free range eggs vs caged eggs – What’s the Difference Nutritionally? (healthambition.com)

Strike a Pose

Chickens are born show-offs. And they have a lot to show. The colors and patterns they wear are often more intricate and elaborate than anything the haute couture houses of Paris, Adeline André, Chanel, Givency, or Versace ever imagine. The chickens know this and strut their beauty at every chance.

StrikeAPose
Strutting
WhoAreYou
YukiHime