Ferndale Backyard Chickens aims to serve as a source of information, documentation, and community for the chicken keepers in Ferndale MI & metro Detroit.
www.ferndalechickens.com Our aim is to educate the urban population on the benefits of raising ones own food, and to bring to light the misconceptions people might have about the raising of poultry in an urban setting. As more and more people attempt to live sustainably and connect with their local food sources, it becomes even more important to bridge the disconnect between animal products sold i
n stores and the reality of animal product food production. I’ve put together this site for several reasons:
-to serve as reference material in southeastern michigan & Ferndale for those interested in chicken ordinance verbiage & the keeping of hens
-to document the work it took to get our ordinance to change to allow backyard hens for everyone in Ferndale, not just those with huge lots
-to address myths and concerns around urban chicken keeping
-to serve as a compendium of local information for poultry/fowl keepers and urban farmers
-to serve as a community discussion page for chicken keepers in Ferndale MI and metro Detroit
-to document everyday dealings with hens, pets, gardening, and the ever changing landscape of metro Detroit
About the page owner/organizer:
Find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/detroitlauramikulski/
Find me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ #!/lauramikulski
Find me on Google+: https://plus.google.com/117968003206760821370 #117968003206760821370/about/p/pub
Peanut, the oldest chicken in Michigan, has died. I can tell you as someone who has deeply grieved the loss of each and every chicken, I feel for Marsi Darwin so very much.
“I know brighter days will come in time. But she will be forever missed,” Marsi Darwin said.
Accurate.
As baby chick season approaches and the price of eggs keep rising, I’m sure a lot of people are tempted to raise chickens themselves. Before people flock (no pun intended 🤣) to their local farm store and start buying all the baby chicks please consider the following 10 fun facts….
1. Most hens do not start laying eggs until 18-22 weeks of age (that’s about 5 months give or take)
2. For the first few weeks of their lives baby chickens need to be kept at a temperature of around 95 degrees Fahrenheit
3. Chicks need to eat…SURPRISE! And like the price of everything else chicken feed has went up. A 50lb bag of layer is over $20.
4. Chickens need a place to roost and lay eggs. The cost of constructing a good chicken coop can be substantial. Mine cost around $500, even while using some reclaimed materials.
5. Chickens don’t lay as many eggs (and often stop laying entirely) in the winter months.
6. The average lifespan of a chicken is 5-10 years.
7. Predators such as foxes, coyotes, neighbor’s dogs, hawks and even raccoons will hunt your chickens. You have to constantly be vigilant and construct a home with a run for them that is predator proof (and vermin proof).
8. Chickens produce waste. You need to have a waste management plan, for your health and your sanity.
9. Chickens love to dig holes and destroy bedding around flowers in the yard.
10. Chickens can get medical issues just like any other animal. It gets costly. Ask me how I know ($$$)
I’m not trying to discourage anyone from keeping chickens- you know I think they're amazing. However chickens are animals, animals that require attention and proper care.
So while I get that you don’t want to spend $7+ on a dozen eggs double think your decision before you get excited about getting chickens.
Sincerely,
Your friendly backyard chicken advocate
Bossy died earlier today. I knew it was coming, but I’m still a wreck.
She was the last of the original crew, my 3 “Golden Girls” from 2012. She was the most charming chicken of our flock. She was the first to lay an egg, the first to molt, and the first in pretty much everything except dying.
She had the sweetest voice of any chicken I’ve ever met. She used it to her advantage too; she would beg for treats on a regular basis and I almost always gave in. She loved mealworms, and people food, and anything else you’d present to her. She was game to try pretty much anything I offered up to her, from noodles to little dried fish and strange exotic fruit.
Bossy was, by far, the gentlest of my chickens. She was the only one I knew for sure that I could trust around little kids, and she was very deliberate in how she would take treats so as not to peck your fingers. There were two exceptions to this: 1.) when she pecked an earring I had on and almost ripped it out of my ear and 2.) her obsession with a mole I have on my arm, which she would mercilessly peck if she got close to it.
She loved being around people, and was incredibly social. However, she would just kind of collapse and slink away if you tried to pet her; I’m positive this is because she didn’t want anyone to mess up her pretty feathers.
Bossy was the only chicken who seemed to know how to pose for the camera, and she was a total camera hog for it. If I pulled out my camera, she came running right to it. She was featured in a Freep article, and was a model chicken in the Tractor Supply magazine.
She absolutely knew she was pretty, and took great care to maintain her feathers and beak. She was easy to identify, as she was the lightest and littlest; what she lacked in size she made up for in moxie.
Bossy was delicate, and prone to injury and issues. She once broke her beak, tore off a toenail, got bumblefoot a few times, and occasionally had to get a nice long soak in the tub when she’d get a yeast infection.
Bossy was perpetually curious and bold, always the first to come out of the coop and investigate. She was the first to walk in snow, and first in line to investigate anything new in the yard. She approached our dogs like she knew they were friends, and was nonchalant about new animals in the yard. She was always the first to try to ‘make friends’. That said, she was happy to throw down if friendship wasn’t on the menu.
She was the perfect ‘yard bird’. If you were doing something in the yard or garden, Bossy had to be front and center supervising and helping. Any time I had to dig a hole or w**d, Bossy made sure to get involved, usually scratching at the dirt or beaking it like she was helping the project along. She would even sneak under me when I was squatting to w**d, just so she could get a prime spot to get in on the action.
Bossy reluctantly took up the leadership position after Dumptruck’s death earlier this year. She was fair and equitable, even if it was obvious she wasn’t very interested in it. I think she had seen so much at this stage in life that she really couldn’t be bothered by petty flock dynamics, and was happier just ambling around looking for fun.
She lived an exceptional 10 years. I just wish we could have had 10 more.
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Ferndale Backyard Chickens posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Want your business to be the top-listed Pet Store/pet Service?
