Talk is Cheap for this Backyard Chicken Farmer

This past May, I was talking tough about what it takes to be a backyard chicken farmer. Turns out, talk is cheap. My flock put me to the test these past several weeks as I tried to integrate young pullets into my established flock. To say it didn’t go well is an understatement. I’ve introduced chicks previously and it’s never been without its share of difficulty, but it has never been like this. This year I was reluctant to introduced 4 more chicks into my existing flock of 3, but my husband convinced me that we need to keep rotating new pullets in as the older hens slow down their egg production. After a quick trip to the farm store, in which I got to pick out the cute little peepers, we set them up in the basement and waited for the weather to break and for them to get big enough and feathered enough to join their adopted sisters. Not wanting to relive the trauma of having the older birds attack the little ones, I sought advice from a backyard chickens website. Contributor after contributor wrote about how easy it was to integrate babies in with the big girls and how nobody has ever had a problem…except me. What I read was that as long as the chicks were still peeping (not clucking yet), that the other birds would accept them. I seem to remember this particular advice NOT working in the past, but hey, I have to introduce them at some point, right? I kept the girls in the same coop, but separated by a rock, hoping to let them get big enough to protect themselves before removing the rock. Unfortunately, one morning the rock fell and all heck broke loose. To save you all of the gory details, one of the older hens had to be removed from the flock and rehomed. When the day came to get her all caged up and ready to transport, I had a flawless plan. I would simply throw her favorite dried mealworms into a dog kennel, she would trot right in, I would slam the door behind her, and we’d be off. Unfortunately, she had a different idea of what was going to take place, and getting into that box was not part of her plan. What followed was a series of attempts by me which included that dog kennel, about 3 cups of bird seed/mealworm mix, a cardboard box, a large beach towel, 3 videos and an article on “How to Catch a Chicken,” an apple, and another kennel. After about 2 hours total, I finally, and humanely got my hen into the back of my car with minimal stress for either of us. Truth be told, I could have grabbed her, but I was scared she would turn around and peck me. That’s right. The big, bad backyard chicken farmer is scared of her own chickens. Like I said, talk is cheap and if you’re looking for advice on raising backyard chickens, I find the internet is a great place to find all sorts of helpful advice.