Herb Gardening for Chickens?

Spring is definitely here. Last weekend we were finally able to start working on our chicken fence. We have decided to contain the chickens into a smaller part of the yard (which will also be covered) since a giant hawk was found in our pine tree eyeing the girls.

I was also finally able to plant some flowers and a new shrub in the front of my house. This gave me time to think more about how much I want to start an herb garden in our backyard.

After lots of herb garden photo research on Pinterest, I finally found an idea that would work for us. The cinderblocks that form the border of the garden can be planted in, as well as containing the dirt and plants in the garden itself. Cinderblocks are affordable as well, and can sometimes be found on craigslist for free!

One of the blogs that I love to follow, Fresh Eggs Daily, focuses on the use of herbs in chicken care. It's almost as though she read my mind. Just the other day, she posted a blog about her 5 favorite herbs for chicken keepers. I decided that I will use this as my guide to select the herbs that I'll try to grow in my garden. She mentioned lavender, mint, oregano, parsley, and sage and why each of them was beneficial to chickens. These are all herbs that are beneficial to humans as well, and can be used in meal making (except for oregano - I just don't like it!). Check out the blog post she wrote here.

I am also learning about the ways that herbs can be used medicinally for chickens as dewormers and anti-parasitics as well as anti-inflammatories and cures for various other ailments. There seem to be a plethora of reasons to start the herb garden, if not for me, then for the chickens. My hope is to not need to rely on such strong feed store medications when they fall ill.

Do you have experience with herbs? If so, tell me about it! I'd love to hear your experiences!

Broody Babes & Extra Eggs

A new problem has come about. We've heard that silkies make good mommas because they become broody easily. This means that they want to sit on eggs, they want to hatch eggs, and they want to raise chicks. Well, Sprocket, our buff silkie has become broody. She has started sitting on her eggs, as well as Jett and Snaps's eggs, and has even started sitting on the nest even if there are no eggs to sit on. 

Sprocket sitting on her nest.

The problem with this is twofold. 1. The warmth of her body will make the eggs go bad sooner. And 2. there is no rooster to fertilize any eggs, so she would be sitting there forever. When hens go broody, they don't eat as much, they don't drink as much water, and they get very aggressive about their surroundings. The other hens have started laying their eggs in the other nest box, and I have begun picking Sprocket up and removing her (no matter how angry she may be) from her nest in hopes of breaking her broodiness. 

Sprocket sitting on her nest, while the other hens

use the other nest box.

Even with Sprocket's broodiness, after a while of getting 3 or more eggs per day, and not always eating them, we found ourselves with a bowl of eggs on our counter with no idea of their age. Some would automatically throw them all away and start fresh, but I had learned a way to test each egg for its freshness, and today I will share it with you.

The first step, is to get a big bowl or pitcher and fill it with water (something that is at least an egg or two deep). Then, take an egg and gently place it in the water. Following the diagram below, you can tell whether you can keep the egg or compost/trash it. 

Since you placed the eggs in the water, all of the eggs you keep will need to be kept in the refrigerator after this test, and until you eat them.

Here's to all your broody hens out there, and hoping you can keep them healthy, happy, and safe.