Hi Harriet. The chickens will be a fun addition to your household. A Df had them for many years & her kids loved collecting eggs. Beware of foxes & hawks, though -- she lived in a very rural aread & had a lot of trouble with them. Ended up building portable coops with chicken wire that could be moved all around the yard. Also, she lamented that when her dh took over feeding chores he was careless with the seed & attracted rats.
There were some great info in the article & links you posted. Your flock will sure lay a lot of eggs. Any chance your dd will start a little side business selling the extra ones?
Every summer I plant tomatos & lettuce & enjoy having fresh salads & BLT fixings right outside my door. Deer ate the lettuce two years ago so I now plant in containers on our deck. More for fun than food I planted pumpkins this spring & the vines are taking over a huge patch of yard. I had no idea the leaves would be so huge! The deer nibbled on them a few weeks ago but it was a good thing as I can still count over 30 flowering buds. If they all mature I'll have to put a "Free Pumpkins" sign by the road
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. I'll be experimenting with pumpkin recipes this fall and toasting the seeds.
Would like to expand our veggie selection next year to include cucumbers & a few other veggies, as well as some herbs.
I have a question for all you tomato lovers out there: which is your favorite kind to grow? I've grown Roma in the past & switched to Beefsteak but the Beefsteak seem not to be as red & juicy as I would like, plus they seem prone to splits in the skin starting when they are very small. I want to try a different variety next year.