This is the official homepage of the Hackleman Hen Farm.
The girls were raised from day-old chicks on unmedicated chick starter (crumbles). No antibiotics were used, typically they are recommended otherwise it is expected to lose at least one or two to Coccidiosis - we didn't lose a single one. After a few weeks we started free-ranging them outside in a chicken tractor for a hour at a time.
We expected to get one or two cockerels(immature male), but all of our chicks turned out to be pullets (immature female). This kept them out of the pot :) Chickens do not need a rooster to lay eggs, a rooster is only required if you want more chickens.
We have 8 laying hens: 5 'golden comets', and 3 'tetra tints'. The golden comets are a dual-purpose breed, they lay brown eggs. The tetra tints are a small laying breed, they lay creme and white eggs. They are quite friendly and can be hand-fed and picked up as needed.
During the day, they free-range in our yard feeding on grass, clover, slugs, snips, and snails (no puppy-dog tails) worms, moths, snakes, and anything else that wanders by. They weed our herb garden for us, and eat virtually all of our food scraps that are safe for chickens(which is most) - except for onions - (since this will give there eggs an off flavor). They are also given a natural, anti-biotic-free feed (laying pellets) free-choice. They prefer foraging and digging in the yard.
The coop was built from scratch on a modified 8x10 garden shed design. It has rafter and gable vents, a shingle roof, a solid-wood door and a single window to let in some light. It is divided into two sections, 50 square feet for the chickens, and 30 square feet for the storage/walk-in section. The chickens have 4 laying boxes, a roost that spans the entire coop, and access to food and fresh water daily in the coop in case of inclement weather. We use the deep-litter method with pine shavings and will be experimenting with leaves this fall. We use food-grade diatomaceous earth, a completely natural substance that kills insects and helps keep the coop dry (damp conditions are very dangerous to poultry).
The run is 10 x 20 feet (200 square feet) and provides a completely safe enviroment to roam, scratch, and eat chicky breakfast. The roof is enclosed, and the wire is buried 8 inches into the ground and covered with rocks. The girls have access to their run during all daylight hours and while free-ranging, and are locked up a night to protect from predators such as weasels, foxes, and raccoons. Most predators are nocturnal, during the day the only initial concern when they were young was the red tail hawks living in our back yard, but now they are bigger than the hawks are.
The Hives are built and ready for bees in the spring. I will be getting package bees from Busy Bee Apiary. I am planning on going 100% organic on my bees, which will be quite a challenge given all the threats to honeybees this day and age. I will also be using top bar hives instead of the traditional langstroth. Pictures of the Top Bar Hives Coming Soon!