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Just in case you missed it, the Roseville Press-Tribune did a articule on us this last Saturday.
4/10/09 | 87 views
Spring chickens rule the roost
Raising poultry 'just clucks' for local couple
By Nathan Donato-Weinstein | nathand@goldcountry media.com
Philip Wood / Gold Country News Service
Life is good for this chicken that resides with Bonnie and Don Hayes in Roseville.


If you've been hunting and pecking for the freshest eggs this side of a henhouse, look no further than Bonnie and Don Hayes' place off Baseline Road.

Abutting a busy thoroughfare across the street from suburban Roseville subdivisions, it might not seem the likeliest place for a peep (yes, peep) of chickens. But for the last two years, the couple has sold just-laid eggs -- $5 a dozen – as part of the offerings of their Top Hill Farm.

The plot at 2195 Baseline Road is currently home to 14 hens, a rooster and 15 chicks. Ten more hatchlings are e xpected on Easter.

"I go out and talk to them every day," Bonnie said of her chicken charges. "I probably treat them better than some people treat their dogs."

This time of year, animal groups warn against buying young chicks as Easter gifts – and with good reason. They're often abandoned or surrendered when they grow into adulthood and the cute factor wears off.

But for those willing to make the substantial commitment, raising chickens for eggs can be a fun and profitable endeavor.

"There's nothing like fresh eggs," said Don, a retired surgical tech.

It's also on the rise in the most unexpected places.

Here's the (s)coop: Spurred by the locavore movement and the troubled economy, urbanites have flocked to small-scale chicken farming as an inexpensive way to generate eggs (most backyard chicken-raisers are not interested in meat).

Dozens of cities in recent years have loosened up ordinances regulating chickens, according to the Web site The City Chicken. Last year, Newsweek called the phenomena "the new Coop de Ville."

Roseville joined the trend in January when the City Council allowed the Police Department to make exceptions for the first time to the city's strict chicken-keeping rules. (Though they have a Roseville address, the Hayes actually live in unincorporated Placer County, which has more liberal livestock rules.)

So far, the change has amounted to chicken feed. Just one resident has requested=2 0a chicken-keeping permit, said Police Spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther. But Don Hayes said more customers are inquiring these days on keeping their own chickens.

"With the economy, people want to be able to be sure they have eggs, and they enjoy the freshness," Bonnie said.

For her, the cluck-heavy lifestyle is a throwback to her youth. She grew up on a farm in Illinois, and once worked in a massive chicken ranch before leaving for a more urban lifestyle and a career in cosmetology. When the kids moved out, the couple opted for a country environment.

"When we rented the house, I said, `I've gotta have some chickens,'" Bonnie said.

On Wednesday, hens with names like Buck Buck, Feather and Pony roamed free under a protective net. They plucked at grass and let out little clucks while rooster Foghorn Leghorn strutted his stuff and pecked at a visitor.

No debate on who rules the roost here.

"We want more chickens," Bonnie Hayes said. "I just can't keep up with the people who want fresh eggs. Plus, the manure is great for the garden."

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Baby Chicks hatched on St. Patrick's day. We made a homemade incubator and they hatched exactly 21 days from when we placed them in there. We had a exciting time watching them hatch, we have 15 babies. Don has been plowing the field for the garden and using the tractor rototiller. Today we planted our onion's that we grew in our green house, from seeds from onion plants last year. We saved back all our seeds from last year. This year we are trying some new Heirloom seeds especially tomato, black krim, Cherokee purple, mortgage lifter, and brandy wine. We are going to sell some of our plants this year. We have some Cherry Tomato, early girl, beefsteaks.
The green house we made has come in handy, never a dull winter, we are busy planting seeds getting ready for spring, or planting winter garden.
Last year we bought some baby chicks and they produce about a dozen eggs a day, along with our older hens. We sell eggs and now have to reserve for our customers, if we have any extra. Right now this week they are already sold. I have to say I have not tasted anything so good as a fresh egg.
This year we bought some Cornish Cross for meat birds, that will be put in the freezer.
and are planning to hatch more eggs.
Last year we got very busy with the garden and did not write much. We also visited peach farm and brought fresh peaches to can and sold some, a store peach does not compare at all. This winter we visited a organic mandarin orange farm, and brought some back to sell. So we not only have our fresh vegetables, we seek out other farmers and bring fresh fruit for our customers. Our pumpkin crop turned out pretty good, we had pre-schools come and buy all our little one.
We are going to try companion planting where you plant herbs and flowers near your vegetable plants, to keep off bugs, and the 2 different plants, help each other. We are also going to make a chicken tractor, and put between the rows of the garden, so the chickens can eat the bugs. We hope to go organic, and we are studying and learning more all the time.
In September, my mother passed away (Grandma) it was hard to keep up with the farm.

The garden has really grown in the last month, we have harvested about 100 lbs or more of red potatoes. We have Zucchini daily, and cucumbers. The tomatoes are starting to get red ;early girls, and some Roma tomatoes. The goose neck squash we are getting daily also. The garden is getting so we will need to sell some soon.
We have harvested the cabbage and put down to make sauerkraut and are processing sweet pickles and will have plenty more. We have canned green beans, and made apple-pepper preserves. We are trying blanching potatoes and freezing them, and will try canning some.
Our little ducky is not so little anymore and the turkeys, and baby chickens have really grown.

The pumpkin patch is on its way, we have some really large pumpkins, and those are those huge pumpkins they use in contests, so it will be exciting to see how big they get.

Garden

We started early in February planting seeds in pots and making a greenhouse, and adding some grow lights. We hired a neighbor to rip the ground with his tractor. Don then used the rototiller to work the ground. We had already started a winter garden up the hill near the house where we had put some onions, shallots, and lettuce. We purchased some red potato sets, red and white onion, which we planted in February, in April we started planting some of our plants we had started. This picture was taken today we are still adding plants.
Our landowner Bill ripped and tilled with his garden tractor the pumpkin patch, we are growing the little decorator pumpkins, jack-o-lantern pumpkins, and the giant pumpkins, also some seeds Bill and his wife gave us they had gotten in Italy, with unusual pumpkins.
We are now starting to get little tomatoes on our plants, we planted some Heirloom tomatoes to try this year Brandywine. The cabbage are getting pretty good size, our squash is growing fast the crooked neck squash already have little squash's, the potatoes already have potatoes.
My aunt who lives in the midwest sent me a photo of it snowing the other day I wondered if anyone there had started planting and had lost plants. We watch the weather forcast daily as we do not want to lose all our hard work.

Chickens and their Coop

Our chickens were inherited from my brother he brought them for Grandma who lives with us.
Grandma has always had a garden and chickens, except for awhile she was living in a housing tract. Grandma has some Ameraucanas, a Plymouth rock and a Rhode Island Red.
When we got the opportunity to move to our little farm we wanted to be sure and have a garden and some chickens. We adopted a rooster and hen from some young folk who had them in the city and they needed a new home. Rooster is a great guy was easy to pick up till he grew into a adult now he jumps at you, but that's his job and he is doing a great one. They are Ameraucanas
and lay green/blue eggs.
Two weeks ago we bought some baby chicks and turkeys, the baby chicks are Road Island Reds, and Plymouth rock. The turkeys are bronze. Turkeys take about 24-28 weeks to get to be 18 lbs or more, if you don't want to eat them they will live up to 15 yrs.
We have used 10 lbs of chick starter in those 2 weeks, went to the feed store today and got 25 more lbs, while there we got 2 more baby turkeys and a baby Peking Duck.
Our chicken coop was made from recycled wood and tin. We use the free internet boards to obtain these materials, only thing we don't have a truck. One fellow gave us a huge shed to tear down we made several trips in the back of our old saturn. You would be surprised what you can haul in a little car. I think the only thing we had to buy is some post cement. The chickens love it and it keeps them warm and dry in the winter.
The chicken fencing came from the same place, and poultry netting. Now that we are getting more chickens we are thinking of enlarging the pen.

About our little farm and us.

Our little farm on the hill has been quite a experience we have built a shop for Don to work, and a chicken pen for Grandma's chickens. Don has been growing plants from seeds and plowing up the ground for our garden. We have a worm farm where we put scraps from dinner, and feed to the chickens I guess you can say we are growing greener. By that I mean we have been refurbishing furniture, and finding new homes for them for several years.
We are making a pretty large garden, so we can share fresh vegetables with our family and friends, to can for this year, and some to sell. We are putting in a large field of pumpkins, for the folks in the area who want to come and pick out their own. We put up a scarecrow already, as we have had a hard time with the birds.
Last week we had peacocks here for a day and Don had to run them out of the garden. We also had some problem with our wild birds they were pecking away at the seeds. We strung a line and hung old cd's on a line and some small pinwheels, this stopped the problem.