Upon arrival of day old chicks

Day old chicks arrive via the U.S. Post Office. Once they arrive and you open the box the first thing you must do is dip their beaks into the water. We put a little sugar in the initial waterers to give them a sweet treat from their long journey.

An interesting note: 50% of a chickens body is water, 65% of an egg is water. Thus making water the most important nutrient in a chickens diet. (From The Chicken Health Handbook, by Gail Damerow)

Our new chicks have arrived...

The chicks were born November 2nd at 10:00 a.m. We received our chicks via the post office on November 4th. All chicks arrived safe and sound. We are raising our chicks with Dea Dia Organics. They will grow up together and when they are about 4 or 5 months of age we will each take our respective hens to their pasture homes. Dea Dia is raising all Rhode Island Reds, while the Learning Farm has a variety of hens: Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rock, Buff Orpingtons and Black Australorps.

Saying Goodbye to our Hens

The gals have been working hard laying eggs for almost 2 years.. As the birds age, their rate of production declines, but their need for food and a good home remains the same. Egg production also declines when the chickens are molting (losing their old feathers), an annual process usually triggered by decreasing day length and temperature drops.
When that happens, the chickens use much energy just to keep warm, so egg production and sales decline – as you have already experienced if you were looking for eggs. It is common practice in commercial laying hen operations to keep each flock for just one year. We have kept our flock for two seasons and now is the time for replacement.
We are grateful to our resident hens for providing us with countless opportunities for learning, as well as with exceptional eggs. Part of the learning is the understanding that farm animals are not pets, and that all food production is an organic process which includes life and death. So the next step in the cycle of life for our farm animals is to be put to good use in the kitchen.
A small number of chickens will be slaughtered on-farm by an experienced crew on November 15th, with community involvement from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested to experience the physical and the emotional work that is at the core of our choice to raise and eat animals for meat. There are many different jobs to do during this time, so if you are interested, please join us and participate as much as you’d like. The volunteer helpers are invited to join us for lunch at 12:15 pm. in the yellow farmhouse. The slaughter will be conducted with a spirit of gratitude, beginning with a few words of reflection to set the tone.
For more information about participating in our chicken slaughter please contact droth@prairiecrossing.com or 847-548-4062 x 11.

Why are the hens losing their feathers?

They are going through the natural process of molting which is the shedding of old feathers. During molting, which lasts about 1-2 months, they will stop laying eggs and resume once the molting process is complete. Hens molt around the average age of 14 months, however molting can be triggered by other factors such as cold weather and decreased light.

Hen Fun Facts

• Hens lay 1 egg every 1 ½ days.
• They LOVE bug hunting.
• Hens don’t need Roosters to lay eggs, just to have chicks.
• They live about 8 years. Most eggs are laid the 1st 2 years.
• Hens start laying eggs when they are about 5-6 months old.
• They eat feed, fruits, veggies and bugs.
• Hens do not have teeth.
• They can catch colds and get frost bite.
• A Hen can lay more than 600 eggs in her 1st 2 years.