<p>This is Buffy. She’s a buff Orpington, a breed that also can be found with  black, bluish and white feather schemes. They lay average to above- average size eggs, in beige to brown hues. Henderson’s Chicken Breed Chart describes them as big gentle birds, that tend to be cold hardy.</p><p></p>

 

When we started raising chickens, I confess I was only thinking of the eggs. Home-grown, brown-shelled orbs, and inside, those orange-gold yolks Imagine the bounty, right in your own yard!

Little did I realize the entertainment value of these gregarious birds. They like people especially the ones who feed them and they make terrific pets for kids and adults alike.

We enjoy their antics as they scout for bugs and bits of grain in the yard, and theres nothing funnier than a chicken running full-bore at you to demand a treat a Cheerio or a sunflower seed from the bird feeder is like Christmas to a chicken.

But even if you just want chickens as a food producer, the eggs are definitely a draw. Backyardchickens.com claims that backyard eggs beat store-bought eggs for nutrition, with one-third the cholesterol content, 2/3 more Vitamin A, twice as much Omega 3 fatty acids, and three times as much Vitamin E.

And the eggs are lovely. Different breeds lay different colors from white or pale green to beige and dark, rusty brown. Hendersons Chicken Breed Chart, available online at www.ithaca.edu, compares not only egg color and size, but other characteristics of 60 chicken breeds to help you select the perfect birds for your yard.

One side benefit to keeping chickens is the manure they produce. Chicken compost is lauded by gardeners for its nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus content. And its free.

Another benefit: Chickens will eat bugs and even some weeds.

There is a little work involved, however.

You will need to buy or build a coop and make sure it will protect the birds from predators at night or whenever they roost. Threats can include cats, dogs, weasels, raccoons and birds of prey.

Note: It is possible to train your own dogs and cats to leave the chickens alone. Weve found the bigger trick is to keep the dogs out of the chicken feed, which they think is scrumptious.

If you live in town, youll need a fenced chicken yard to keep the chickens from roaming too far and bothering the neighbors.

If you raise your chickens from chicks, youll also need a brooder. These can be elaborate commercial contraptions or as simple as a livestock trough with a heat lamp above it. Pine shavings, made locally at Malheur Lumber Co. and available at several local businesses, make a soft, safe home base for the chicks until they get big enough for the coop.

We also use shavings in the bottom of the coop, along with some straw, and in the nest boxes. When its time to clean the coop, the whole mix goes right into the garden to fertilize and provide tilth for the soil.

As for chicken food, local businesses such as Gibco Ag and Industrial, and Pioneer Feed and Farm Supply offer a full range of feeds for poultry of all ages.

The chicks need a higher-protein chick starter feed to begin with, and most growers increase their protein diet at 6 weeks, and then at 20 weeks, when they can start on layer food. Adult chickens can also be given a mix of other grains, and if they are allowed to range free, theyll supplement their diets with grass, weeds and bugs. (Hint: Keep them out of the vegetable garden.)

Laying hens also need calcium to build strong eggshells; oyster shell or calcium grit should be offered free choice, as an easy way to take care of that need.

If you think chickens are for you, its a good idea to check the local laws before establishing your backyard flock.

For example, John Days development code limits the number of chickens or other small animals to five. They are allowed in the residential or residential commercial zones. Prairie City has no limits or regulations for chickens, but the nuisance ordinance could come into play if noise or sanitation issues become a problem for your neighbors.

Speaking of noise, all chickens make a certain amount of racket at times, but roosters definitely win the decibel prize. Keep in mind that you dont need a rooster unless you want to breed your hens and raise your own chicks. The hens will produce eggs with or without a rooster, and some people have an aversion to eating fertilized eggs anyway.

If you need chicks, you can order them through local feed stores and even pick the gender.

Depending on the breed and the time of year the chicks hatched, they will mature to begin producing eggs in 6 to 9 months. They lay a few small or even soft practice eggs before dropping the full-size versions, so be patient.

Its worth the wait.

Scotta Callister is the editor of the Blue Mountain Eagle.