My grandfather had a chicken farm when I was a little girl where they raised Rhode Island Red chickens. They had a large fenced-in area for them to roam around in during the day, and a muti-level hutch for them to nest in and sleep in at night.
It seemed like they had thousands of chickens. Most likely, it was more like hundreds.
Out back in the "incubator" -- a large, flat brick building where they stored tools and feed -- there was nearly always a cage of young chicks and another one of "biddies" (basically, teen-aged hens). New chickens had to be raised every year so that egg production was consistently maintained. (Egg production drops off significantly when a hen is over 2 years old.)
When my boyfriend, Tony, obtained an 1859 antebellum farmhouse and its surrounding 3 acres in West Columbia several years ago, I convinced him to build some chicken coops and raise chickens for eggs. It would make the place seem more authentic, I told him. And the eggs would be so healthy.
Tony loves to build anything, so without further ado, he built several, mostly from found boards, siding, roofing, and stuff.
We first bought some grown hens and a rooster from a local chicken farmer off Rt. 378. They were all Rhode Island Reds, which are known to be good egg layers.
Shortly after, we purchased some Americaunas, Marans, and Polish Crested from another chicken farmer out in Lexington County.
We moved all the chickens into their various coops -- and we had eggs! All colors.
- Rhode Island Reds lay medium brown eggs.
- Americaunas lay blue, green, and rose pink eggs (which is why they are also called Easter Eggs hens).
- Marans lay chocolate brown eggs.
- Polish Crested lay white eggs.
Our eggs are as fresh as they come. Our chickens are healthy and have lots of running space within their coops. We even have some yard chickens that have no coops, just open air.
One Polish rooster roosts on a perch by the back door. He's our Watch Rooster.
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Interested in raising your own chickens? See the next article, Eggs: How to raise your own chickens
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