Faith was instrumental to help bring chicken to Greenville! Learn more about how it's going...
We started out by getting our chicks from a Tractor Supply in New London and the essentials they would need for their first few weeks of being with us. (We had gotten them a small feed container, water, and electrolyte mix). Shortly after buying them we bought a coop which my dad assembled. He added a large free-range area with posts and chicken wire and then added a top with some fishing string and netting to protect them from predators. Additionally we had previously had a storage bin that we ended up using for their temporary home until we set up their coop. Twice a week we would let them run around outside of their bin and get used to being handled in a contained area in my sister's room. One of the surprising things that occurred was that due to the chickens curious nature they always were trying to escape from their bin. Eventually we decided to use the leftover netting from their coop to go on top of their little home. After about 5 weeks of having them we started to introduce them to our backyard for an hour at a time. A week later we permanently moved them to their forever home. I'd definitely say that by bringing them outside it definitely has caused us all to enjoy the outdoors more often than before. Early this month the chickens just started to lay eggs and we have around a dozen eggs. I would say that they have an average of about 1 egg every 2 days and they typically lay them in the afternoon or in the morning. Thankfully so far nothing has tried to get at the chickens or try to mess with them but we did have a groundhog get stuck in with them a month or so ago. Fortunately groundhogs are primarily herbivores so it didn't disturb the chickens at all. We did have a large bird (an eagle or falcon) that was interested in them for a while but the chickens would always sense the danger and go under the more covered part of their coop. As of now the bird has seemed to have lost interest. On another note, food wise the chickens always are getting new snacks, they especially love zucchini and we give them some cracked corn every morning. (We have fed them: Blueberries, tomatoes, sliced apples, zucchinis, broccoli leaves, and more). It will be an adventure to see how they respond to colder seasons! We still have a lot to learn but, after all of the work we put into getting these chickens, it's hard to imagine what life was like before owning them. - Faith VL. August of 2024 |
Based in Greenville Wisconsin, Sustain Greenville is a volunteer organization that promotes eco-friendly activities that support a sustainable environment. We sponsor the Sustain Greenville Farmers’ Market and several recycling and educational events. You are invited and encouraged to get involved and participate!
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