Interactive Workshop at Millstone Farm Draws a Crowd

The temperatures outside are finally mild enough to start thinking about getting out there

and into the garden.  This year, some folks are considering adding chickens to their

gardening repertoire and going a bit into small scale farming.

Millstone Farm in Wilton was ready to help teach those willing to venture into chicken

raising territory and held an interactive workshop on Saturday appropriately titled Raising

Backyard Chickens.

For a nominal fee of $30, Master Farmer Annie Farrell led the three hour class and for the

latter half of it took guests on a tour of the entire Millstone property and especially the

chicken coops.

During the lecture portion of the class, Farrell explained everything about raising chickens

from where to get them and why to dealing with disease and pests.

"Part of what we do here is being a model," explained Farrell.  Millstone Farm has one

hundred and twenty chickens and sells the eggs to local markets such as the Village Market

and also to the Barcelona Restaurant Group and The Schoolhouse at Cannondale restaurant.

What's the difference between the organic eggs collected at Millstone and other varieties at

the grocery store?

"Grade A eggs in the stores can be up to thirty days old," said Farrell.    "Here at

Millstone Farm, we collect eggs two to three times a day.  Our eggs are never over 2 days

old."

So besides the luxury of eating the freshest possible eggs and chicken meat on a regular

basis, why would one want to raise chickens?

"They are terrific rototillers," said Farrell.  Having natural tick control is another

reason to let chickens graze your yard, especially with so many Lyme's Disease diagnosis in

Wilton.

At first raising chickens may seem like all fun and games.  Who can resist smiling when tiny

peeping day old chicks arrive at your house?  They're so fluffy and adorable, it's hard to

believe that there is actual work that goes into their care.  For this reason, Farrell placed

special emphasis on planning out the placement of outdoor coops relative to access to

electricity, water and convenience.  It's no fun lugging fresh water in heavy buckets across

your yard in the snow on a daily basis.  

For those wanting to raise chickens from eggs, proper incubation techniques are required. 

The eggs must be turned carefully by hand two to three times per day during the first

eighteen days of incubation.

For day-old chicks, Farrell suggested getting them from Murray McMurray Hatchery out of Iowa.

 They too require their own specific set-up and need to remain indoors for the first month,

under a heat lamp, decreasing the temperature from 95°F for new hatchlings to 82°F over a

four week period.

"Use common sense," Farrell urged.   "Drafts are what kills them.  It's not rocket

science."

As chickens grow their space requirements also grow which is also dependent on the number of

chickens and roosters there are in an outdoor area. Each town in Connecticut has its own

regulations regarding livestock; Wilton has no restrictions on keeping chickens on personal

private property.

A single adult chicken eats two pounds of food per week and yields 2 eggs every three days. 

They require proper calcium supplements in their food and their coop must be secure and

predator proof.  The coop should also be moved on a regular, weekly basis, so that they are

not feeding on the ground they have been defecating on for the past week.

All this hard work though can bring some spectacular culinary rewards.  When chickens first

begin to lay eggs, they are called pullets.  These eggs laid by pullets are similar to quail

eggs and in high demand.  "They're really delicious," said Farrell smiling.  "All of our

pullet eggs go to our chefs."