Thursday, June 11, 2009

Which came first? The chicken, of course.

Back in March, my husband and i decided to start raising chickens - for the eggs, which come after the chickens. When my husband brought them home, we didn't even have a place for them to live. He brought a roll of chicken wire home with the chickens, and that's how it started.

This is my cat, Stanley, checking out the new lunch menu baby chicks. When we got them they were 3 weeks old, had just gotten there big girl feathers, and it was March 31.

At the time, i didn't know anyone (or at least i didn't know that i knew) who was raising chickens, and i started reading everything i could, mostly at Back Yard Chickens, which i totally recommend. When you're panicking, and you think your chicks are all dying, but you don't know because you don't know anything about chickens, it's really nice to have someone to ask.

So anyway, a couple of months later, my friend, Eva was inspired to have some chickens. And then she came upon a ridiculous sale and inspired more friends to have chickens, and it turns out Sandy already HAD chickens. And now, we can be a group. A group of people who are already friends who now all have chickens. Ah, the things that bring us together.

Sadly, since March 31, i have lost 3 of my six Buff Orpington chicks to predators. But Genovieve, Daisy, and Daffodil are very happy girls who have the run of the yard all day long and are now pretty much bigger than Stanley, so he has stopped trying to pretend to be such a threat (most of the time).

March 31st

Early June something

There are actually 3 chickens in this picture. Daffodil was experiencing Post Traumatic Raccoon Disorder and hiding from everything at the time of the picture. She's better now.

10 comments:

  1. Which one of your girls is this? Gen? She is pretty! This must be an older photo because they all look so much BIGGER on the wiper blade perch!

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  2. That picture (that was up a few minutes ago) was Hawkeye at about 7 weeks.

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  3. I am so glad that you are doing this...... I am excited about how much all of us ladies can learn from each other too.

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  4. Hawkeye is the one who i think protected the other three during the second raccoon attack. *sniffle* She was a really sweet bird.

    And i'm glad you're excited. If we can just get someone else to read this, it won't be just for us. =)

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  5. GREAT TIPS....... THANKS..... I WILL LEAVE MY CHICKEN SHOES AT HOME FROM NOW ON...

    Hey Beth.... are you supposed to put one of your old birds into the new birds quarantined quarters at a time and then remove her and put another one with her...... or what... ? Can you elaborate on this tip?

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  6. No, you're supposed to expose just one of your birds to the new bird to see if the one from your original flock exhibits any symptoms.

    Here's why: if a chicken gets a respiratory disease of some kind, it can sometimes be treated with antibiotics that make it appear to have "gotten well." However, chickens don't get colds. Respiratory symptoms are sign of disease, and if they've had the disease and gotten over it, they are likely carriers. The carrier, exposed to your non-carrying flock, is contagious and can knock out a whole flock, depending on the disease it carries.

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  7. Oooo GREAT info..... So you would pick your least favorite to put in with the new batch..... got it.

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  8. Beth.... do you free range your birds?> Do they come to the doghouse at night......? Do you have to track them down? Did you get your new chicken house yet? Did you ever finish mowing?

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  9. Viking Granny, yes, my birds free range. If the truck is misplaced, the birds put themselves to bed in the dog house and wait for me to come and lock them up tight.

    First, around 8 o'clock when the sun is starting to go down, Daffodil goes straight in and waits. Next Genovieve inspects the outside of the coop, once or twice around and joins Daffodil inside to wait. Then Daisy makes several rounds around the doghouse, looking this way and that. Then she sets herself in the doorway of the doghouse looking around and waiting. If i wait a little bit, she will make another round around the house about every minute and a half until i come out and lock them in. It's a very cute ritual to observe. Clear display of pecking order too. =)

    If the truck is available, however, they perch on the windshield wipers until i come and put them away.

    The chicken house is still in progress. Supplies are expensive, and we are adding more week by week. We just came in from adding 1 1/2 of the walls of siding.

    I'm not finished mowing, but i think i might be finished mowing for now. The lawn mower doesn't sound very good, and i'm tired and still have to go to laundry.

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  10. i love the pic of them on your windshield wipers... they are huge

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