Red Barn Farms First Flock

Posted 05/30/12 • Last updated 06/13/12 • 322 views • 2 comments

Red Barn Farms First Flock

It all started Easter weekend. We were in our local town looking for an Easter present. Most people buy flowers for their mothers on Easter but my mom loves collecting those pretty little bird houses and has them sitting all around her kitchen. Believe me, they are hard to find. Well, in our small town anyway. We ended up at the local farm supply store. They had some! While looking at the different styles of houses I could hear a sound coming from the center of the store. It sounded like this, 'peep' peep' 'peep'. I had to check this out and followed the sound and right in the center of the store in a roped off area sit four different huge metal tubs. In these tubs were the cutest balls of fluff you'd ever see.

Being people who had never personally raised chickens and in our early 40's we thought it's just about time we did. The kids have gone off on their own and no longer at home. What a perfect chance to give this a try. We ended up picking out six of the cutest little reddish chicks in one brooder. They are called red sex-links or red stars. Four little buff orpingtons and four chicks from a brooder with a note that just read assorted bantams.

The store clerk placed are new little friends in three different boxes for us.

We also purchased a few other things those babies would need. A one gallon waterer, feeder, heat lamp and red heat bulb, a bag of medicated chick starter food and chick grit. We went home.

We made the first brooder from an old wooden bookcase. It worked great! Our chicks stayed in the utility room for 4 weeks and we were around them so often and picking them up and playing with them so they became very tame and looked forward to seeing us every day.

Here is a video of the little fluffy butts!

The four weeks gave us time to convert the barn into a home just for them.

Here they are now at around six weeks playing in the new run area.

I cut a doorway out in the side of the barn and they love just sitting there looking out into the run area too!

This is a buff orpington we named Helga.

We provide them with plenty of grass clipping. They seem to really enjoy scratching through it

They also love the daily treats of steel cut oats!

Now this pretty boy we named Rodney. We did hope they would all be pullets but backyard chicken friends seem to think we just might have here a rooster.

Looking for worms.

We know the orpington in the front is a pullet. We named her Hanna.

In the late evening they always enjoy just sitting around looking out into the run.

Here's a view of what they see.

Another view.

Here's three of our small bantams. We have a golden laced cochin who we think will become a beautiful rooster one day. We named him Cochise. An Easter Egger and a Blue Light Brown Dutch Bantam.

Another picture of Cochise.

Here is a short video of the small bantams!

Here is an image of their new home. We've been converting this small barn on our property for them to have the run of. The barn is 36 x 42 feet so they have a very spacious area to call home.

Here's a short guided tour of our hen house.

They also have an acre of land to forage on. We let the girls out every morning at 5:30 sharp!

Thanks for stopping by this page! We love sharing our lives with you all and our love of chickens. We will be updating this page as things change and other birds are added which will be very soon.

We plan on raising a few other breeds of chickens very soon. We are wanting to add Light brahma, Silver and Golden laced wyandottes, Speckled Sussex, German Spitzhauben and welsummers.

In the bantams we will be starting a project which includes, golden, silver and splash cochin.

We are always looking for more Dutch bantams. If you know of anyone who has them please let us know too!

This is our only little girl at the moment and we want to add others.

Newest addition to our flock are these lovely Plymouth barred rocks. We went to visit an Amish family just down the road from us and returned with these.