The barn has about a dozen chickens. My favorite was a weird looking frizzle chicken. She was about half the size of a normal chicken and had curly feathers. She laid tiny little eggs that were about the size of a gum ball. Last summer, she roosted over some eggs even though we didn’t have a rooster, so the barn owner went and got some live eggs to put under her and she had 4 chicks.
Apparently she got egg-bound this week and died. She was my favorite so the barn owner made sure I knew. Chickens don’t live very long and they’re not really pets so it’s not like I’m heartbroken, but it it sad. She was a good chicken. Now I have to pick a new favorite and this one was the only one who was easy to catch and hold, so finding a new favorite is going to be difficult.
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| size comparison to normal chickens |
One of the really cool things about having chickens at our barn is the eggs. The different breeds produce different sizes and colors of eggs. Also, farm fresh eggs taste better than store-bought.
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| Egg variety – the frizzle’s were the little brown ones |
I love frizzles! And bantams!! I'm so sorry she died. I know they are just chickens but it's still very sad. 🙁 Chicken do actually live a long time. They can live over ten years. It's just hard if you free range them because there are so many dangers. Also things like getting egg bound happens too.
They stop laying very many eggs after like 4 years old though. Our chickens are pretty spoiled so they won't end up in a pot even if they stop laying, but I think a lot of chickens don't get to live much past their egg laying years.
Oh I thought you meant actual lifespan. You're right, most people won't keep them past their productive years sadly. I always kept my hens even after they stopped laying. 🙂
The barn hens also get to stay on so long as they don't get eaten by something or die from other causes. We lost my second favorite chicken to raccoons last week too. I think the barn owner is going to get more chicks.