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Americans own about 85 million backyard chickens. For many, it represents a taste of homesteading. Montgomery County residents Rick and Susie Weaver have made chickens their own backyard dweller.
The Weavers live on a wooded, 9-acre property. Sloping off their barn is a 50-year-old enclosure that, before chickens, served as a dog pen. Rick Weaver experimented with a couple different types of netting to protect the chickens from predators. At first, a simple netting was put over the wood frame, but a raccoon outsmarted that tactic.
“I was surprised,” he explains. “I didn’t know raccoons ate chickens.” Depending where you live, coyotes, snakes, foxes, hawks, weasels, stray dogs, bobcats and raccoons all will be attracted to your chickens and their eggs. The trick was a layer of wire over the wood skeleton. Even with the plethora of predators, their six hens and one rooster stay safe.
Chickens and Peacocks
The Weavers keep ISA hens, hybrid chickens which fare very well.. He also has a Delaware which boasts a gorgeous snowy coat, a Cream Legbar. ISA stands for Institut de Sélection Animale, the company which developed the crossbreed in 1978. His one Bantam rooster is inconsistent and doesn’t crow much.
Donnie and Diane Coleman have a small farm a few miles outside Fairlawn. “We saw peacocks in England walking loose on castle grounds and loved them, ” Diane recalls. One does not need a special license to have peacocks, so they built a 24-foot diameter, 14-foot tall, geodesic-style dome with netting. “Peacocks don’t eat all their food, which is wasteful, so we added chickens, which eat anything.”
Peacocks lay very large eggs and are now long gone. They have had many different chickens across decades and like the Red Sex Link ones, also a cross breed, for reliable egg production and being friendly and smart. While they raised peacocks for a while, the Colemans don’t raise chickens. They keep roosters for protection of the hens and the farm sounds they make.
Rules and Regs
Living in a county, the Weavers and Colemans have a little more leg room, so to speak, with regulations and rules. If you live in any town limits, you’ll need to check local regulations to avoid receiving a notice of violation.
Within the town limits of Blacksburg, a license is required for backyard chickens. Rules include the size of the pen, number of hens permitted (six), where feed for the hens can be kept, and no roosters. This eliminates both the cock-a-doodle-do noise and the breeding of more chickens.
When asked his favorite part about chickens, Rick says: “Their feed and water last a long time. I can go on a trip for five days and just have a lot of eggs to collect when I return.” The youngest ones (spring chickens, you might say) still lay an egg every day, even in winter.
The Weaver’s chickens run free in the day, which puts them at risk for predators, but it’s long been known that free-range chickens are healthier and happier. The Colemans’ chickens have access to the natural ground in the dome each day where they are safe and are buttoned inside their hen house every night.
Chicken chow, mealworms and cracked corn are typical fare for chickens. Weaver keeps the feed in a rat-proof feeder in a small storage space off the pen. The chicken enclosure where the hens sleep is a cozy space that serves as predator protection and has the nesting boxes. “At first, hens would break the eggs and eat them, so I installed curtains.” The nest box curtains stopped that problem.
Dogs and Chickens: Coexist or Not?
According to the National Health Institute, chickens are likely the third most popular pet in Western countries. Move over, Fido. Or, not so fast. In a place with many predators, especially birds of prey, dogs can be beneficial and can peacefully coexist with your feathered friends, but know your breed and your dog well.
Some dogs will simply get too riled to be able to share their territory with others, even chickens. If your dog gets jumpy at a squirrel, there could be some conflict. Some dog breeds are trained to guard livestock, so it may be advantageous to research those if you live in a place with numerous predators.
The Weavers and Colemans are only two of many families who keep chickens and enjoy fresh eggs daily. If you decide to hop on the bandwagon, you’ll find something satisfying and worthwhile — the responsibility and reward of raising your own food and an attachment to one of America’s new favorite backyard dwellers.
Text by Caitlyn Koser
