When I first considered this venture , I knew next to nothing about chickens. I was a city girl, worse yet, I grew up in the burbs. After I had lived in the inner city for a while I realized the depth of my ignorance about real life when I knew that "duck" meant "hit the ground"or "take cover" and not "look in the sky at the flock of them flying over."
Now that I own some dirt in this city I feel a connection to a farming instinct, not out of innocence, but survival.
Gardening, yes, but I never thought I would be raising chickens.
What I knew of chickens was limited to food sources. Chickens lay eggs. I can cook and eat the eggs in many ways. I can cook and eat the chicken in many ways. But really, which came first the rooster or the egg? Do you need a rooster for a hen to lay an egg? What do roosters have to do with the egg laying process anyway? I know that you need a rooster to fertilize the egg, but when does this happen? Do hens and roosters really get it on? They always refer to the birds and the bees, but I missed the day they showed the movie about the birds.
I know now that hens lay eggs without having a rooster so I don't need a rooster to get the eggs. It's a good thing too because roosters make a lot of noise and not just at the crack of dawn. And, you need to get permission from about a thousand people in your neighborhood to be able to have a rooster. If one says no, then you can't do it.
So I have two hens that I am told will produce eggs for me come fall. But We'll figure that out when it comes time.
diagram courtesy of: http://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-anatomy.html
Now that I own some dirt in this city I feel a connection to a farming instinct, not out of innocence, but survival.
Gardening, yes, but I never thought I would be raising chickens.
What I knew of chickens was limited to food sources. Chickens lay eggs. I can cook and eat the eggs in many ways. I can cook and eat the chicken in many ways. But really, which came first the rooster or the egg? Do you need a rooster for a hen to lay an egg? What do roosters have to do with the egg laying process anyway? I know that you need a rooster to fertilize the egg, but when does this happen? Do hens and roosters really get it on? They always refer to the birds and the bees, but I missed the day they showed the movie about the birds.
I know now that hens lay eggs without having a rooster so I don't need a rooster to get the eggs. It's a good thing too because roosters make a lot of noise and not just at the crack of dawn. And, you need to get permission from about a thousand people in your neighborhood to be able to have a rooster. If one says no, then you can't do it.
So I have two hens that I am told will produce eggs for me come fall. But We'll figure that out when it comes time.
diagram courtesy of: http://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-anatomy.html
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