I own some 40 chickens. There are 2 roosters, 37 hens, and one pullet. I purchased the chickens from a feed store in the local town. They were chicks when purchased. I had to feed them chick growing feed until they became mature enough to handle egg laying mash and corn chops. Corn shops is corn that has been mechanically ground until it is small enough for chickens to eat. Since they don’t have teeth, they can not manage full kernels. The chickens are of various types. There are white ones, white with black markings, brown, tan colored, grey, white and black peppered looking ones. They are quite different from each other with only a few of each breed.

They make a colorful picture when they are altogether. They are primarily what is known as a meat chicken, rather than an egg producer. The egg producers are typically the leghorns which I do have a few. However, I prefer the meat chickens in that they seem to have a better disposition overall. The leghorns are more nervous. I keep my chickens for their eggs and for their entertainment value. I do not kill and eat them, although certainly I could if the situation warranted it. The roosters are both large, multicolored, proud looking specimens. They crow whenever they feel like it, as opposed to the crowing at dawn that everyone thinks of with roosters. They look much alike and could actually be brothers, coming from the same group of chicks. They were supposed to be hens.

When you purchased “sexed” chickens, that means someone has checked to see what sex they are. I normally buy my chicks that way in that I want to have mostly hens. These two roosters slipped through somehow. They have a nice situation in that there are plenty of “girls” to keep them satisfied, they get to roam, there is enough food, and no one expects to eat them. The hens are good layers, even if they are primarily meat hens. Their laying is somewhat dependent on the amount of light they receive. They tend to lay more when there is more light. That being said, it is easy to understand why laying decreases during the winter months. They also react to the cold, reserving their energy to keep warm rather than producing eggs. When spring comes, their egg laying goes into high gear.

I get about two dozen eggs a day from this group. Their eggs are white, various shades of brown, and even a light green, from the Aranconas. Sometimes they will also lay a pale pink shade. When put in egg boxes, they are a very pretty mix of the different colors. Fresh eggs from free roaming chickens are just excellent. They give golden yolks, rather than the pale yellow you find from “store” eggs. They are also quite large although when a pullet, a young hen, starts laying, her first egg is likely to be slightly larger than a marble in size. I bring my excess eggs to a farm store where they are quite popular and sell quickly. Raising chickens is very satisfying. They are fun to watch. They provide tasty eggs and often enough extra to pay for themselves, and they fertilize the ground as an added benefit!