Staff Photo By: Darcie Thom

Michaela Giroux gently holds one of her many Red Sussex chickens

Staff Photo By: Darcie Thom

This particular chicken showed a lot of interest in the camera

Staff Photo By: Darcie Thom

(L to R) These three eggs were collected from Michaela’s hens. The largest measuring 3.5 inches

Photo: Michaela Giroux4

Staff Photo By: Darcie Thom

These are just a few of the chickens that belong to Michaela’s flock

By: Darcie Thom

This past April, a young and self-motivated 4-H Beef Club Member decided that she wanted to take on the responsibility of raising chickens. Even though her family has not raised chickens in over 20 years, Colleen and Michael Giroux supported their 13-year-old daughter Michaela, bought her a book and ordered her a box full of one-day-old Red Sussex chicks.

“We got them home, the box wasn’t that big but when we opened (the box) they popped out like popcorn,” Colleen said. “There were these chicks everywhere,” recalled Michaela, “we ended up keeping them in a couple of boxes until we got them out to the barn and under the heating lamp”.

Throughout the past few months, Michaela has spoken to other people that raise chickens and most of them haven’t had the same beginners luck as Michaela. Other egg producers have mentioned the loss of a number of their poultry livestock, while Michaela has not yet lost one.

The Sussex chicken is a dual-purpose breed that is more commonly known as a backyard chicken in most countries. These birds are often used for laying eggs but are just as common as a producer of meat because the chicks mature quickly. There are eight color variations in the Sussex chickens and are also available in a smaller bantam version. This particular breed of chicken is an alert and docile breed, which has the ability to adapt to its surroundings and are great foragers.

So far Michaela has managed to raise 65 Red Sussex Chickens successfully. They are all extremely healthy, friendly and 35 out of 65 are now producing eggs. I was informed that these chickens are also slightly bigger for their age of 19 weeks and most of them are near maturity. Once all of the chickens reach maturity, Michaela and her egg business will take off full force.

Michaela has just recently started to advertise and has already met quite a demand for eggs. People in and around the Kennedy community have taken interest in her new-found business and have upped her ‘egg-spectations’ for more laying hens. She mentioned that her hens are producing at a rate of an egg per day, which will increase when full maturity in all her hens is reached. At this point the egg-demand is about 25 dozen per week, however once maturity hits all of her chickens, they will be producing at least 35 dozen per week.

The flock has managed to produce some great quality eggs because they are fed and maintained in a more natural way. These chickens are fed all natural feed, oats and fresh fruits and vegetables, which help them to produce their high quality egg with a darker yoke. Michaela mentioned that they might introduce the chickens to flax, which will help the hens lay eggs that contain omega 3.

The average size of brown eggs are approximately 1.5 inches, but Michaela Giroux’s chickens are producing eggs that are more like 2.5 inches, one was an amazing 3.5 inches.

Michaela spoke about her chickens in a very professional yet caring manner. She pointed out to different hens saying ’she loves raspberries’, ‘that one is the boss’ and ‘this one will dance for oats’ and admits that she can almost see them grinning at her. She also mentioned that every second day when she cleans the chicken pen, the chickens will help by kicking dirt towards the dirt pile.

“They’re not a pain or anything, they are easy to take care of and you can make money from selling the eggs,” said Michaela. Although this breed often lives for approximately 25 years, when asked if she ever plans to get any more, she smiles and says “when they get older and don’t lay as much, I might get more”. Her mom Colleen simply says “she probably won’t be here when they are old!”

The Giroux family plans to prepare the old homestead house for the flock to provide them with a larger living area and a warm place from the cold harsh winters. If the combs should freeze, Michaela would not be expecting eggs from those hens for at least two weeks.

“She’s quite the girl, she loves animals - working with them and caring for them, she helps in the gardens and around the farm,” states Colleen.

Throughout the past few months, Michaela has proven that there is such thing as beginner’s luck.