Silver Wyandotte Hens
Hello again! Welcome to the Little Bird’s Nest.
Chickens! Every good homestead should have a pack of wild hens. Fresh eggs, lawn ornaments, bug eaters… whatever your purpose, they have so many great uses.
We just planted a lawn, so unfortunately the ladies have been cooped, as they don’t know the boundaries and tend to eat the grass seed… ask me how I know. Usually they’re allowed to roam and I find myself watching them leisurely throughout the day. Allowing chickens to free roam has many added benefits, they eat weeds, and bugs of many varieties, they get much needed exercise and while they roam this tends to help cut feed costs in the summer months. With that said, I’m looking forward to when our lawn is established and can handle the scratching tendencies chickens take to while looking for critters.
Today however, we just picked up a batch of freshly hatched chicks and are so excited to watch them grow and incorporate them into our already established flock. These little babes are none other than the Silver Wyandotte chickens, and I’ll tell you why we chose these girls. Firstly, they’re great egg layers, they law cream to brown colored eggs and usually start laying around 4-5 months old.
Since here in Minnesota our winters tend to be long, we needed a breed that would be cold hardy, and these gals fit the bill. They lay well throughout the winter months where other hens may wane in production, with about 150-200 eggs each year. With a variety of ages, I’m sure to have a steady supply all year.
Eggs really are a wealthy resource; we tend to eat eggs just about every day in some way shape or form. From scrambled, and friend to baked goods and breads they are a kitchen staple. The other thing I appreciate about keeping hens, is that I always have eggs on hand to share. 🙂
Another something about these hens, they tend to be a little chattier than other breeds. This doesn’t bother me; I tend to enjoy hearing the ladies in the hen house clucking away. My coop is located right next to my garden, I throw them scrapes over the fence while I’m weeding. But if noisy hens aren’t your jam, I’d take this into account. Whatever your needs may be there’s sure to be a chicken bred for your purposes.
Happy Homesteading,
with love,
Kira Lynn