bostonsharbor
In the Brooder
- Apr 26, 2017
- 29
- 3
- 24
Where to start?
I was born and raised on various types and styles of farms. The only time in my life that I did not live on or take care of a farm were my days in college and professional school.
I am lucky to say that I am back at it again and now with my own children. I get to help them discover the wonders of a life based around animals.
We have a small flock of 30 chickens. We have maintained them for roughly 8 years. We are next to a subdivision, so even though they are legal, we don't want to upset our neighbors by having a rooster.
We currently have Ameraucanas, Buff Orpingtons, Barnevelders, Copper Marans, Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, Salmon Faverolles, Australorps. We also have 2 special birds. A black crested Polish, named Justin Bieber by my young daughter and a lavender Orpington that is constantly being carried by my 9 year old daughter.
My brother and I built a large chicken coop and attached it to a large dog run. The chickens are let out every morning to roam the farm and then tuck themselves back in at the end of the night. The only catch is, if the wind blows one of the coop doors closed, I sometimes find the girls roosted all over our barn. I play seek and find, catching and carrying them back into their coop.
We also have Nubian goats. This year my kids are in 4-H and will start showing next month. We are also lucky enough to have angora goats, horses, bees, rabbits, cats and dogs. It is a busy place.
The fun new adventure and why I ventured here to BYC, is that we finally bought an incubator. It occurred out of the blue. We have always been lucky enough to get chicks from Cackle Hatchery, based here in Missouri. We have had wonderful luck getting almost every chick to adulthood from their facility. A couple of weeks ago, my wife shows me a picture of an Ayam Cemani. She kept on telling me how beautiful they were, but they were hundreds of dollars a pair. So I start looking for fertilized eggs and found them. Right now I have 12 of them in the incubator, a surprise for my wife for Mother's Day. They are scheduled to hatch the Friday before Mothers Day. I also have 12 lavender Orpingtons that went in 1 day later. We are set to candle them at the end of the week.
I am excited. After a good kidding season and the goats getting ready to show, now I can concentrate on the chicks and the garden and the bees. It is going to be a great spring.
As I sit here tonight, the rain is beating down outside. I am getting ready to put on my muck boots and check on the animals one last time before bed. It is a great life.
I look forward to hearing other's chicken stories in the days and weeks to come.
I was born and raised on various types and styles of farms. The only time in my life that I did not live on or take care of a farm were my days in college and professional school.
I am lucky to say that I am back at it again and now with my own children. I get to help them discover the wonders of a life based around animals.
We have a small flock of 30 chickens. We have maintained them for roughly 8 years. We are next to a subdivision, so even though they are legal, we don't want to upset our neighbors by having a rooster.
We currently have Ameraucanas, Buff Orpingtons, Barnevelders, Copper Marans, Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, Salmon Faverolles, Australorps. We also have 2 special birds. A black crested Polish, named Justin Bieber by my young daughter and a lavender Orpington that is constantly being carried by my 9 year old daughter.
My brother and I built a large chicken coop and attached it to a large dog run. The chickens are let out every morning to roam the farm and then tuck themselves back in at the end of the night. The only catch is, if the wind blows one of the coop doors closed, I sometimes find the girls roosted all over our barn. I play seek and find, catching and carrying them back into their coop.
We also have Nubian goats. This year my kids are in 4-H and will start showing next month. We are also lucky enough to have angora goats, horses, bees, rabbits, cats and dogs. It is a busy place.
The fun new adventure and why I ventured here to BYC, is that we finally bought an incubator. It occurred out of the blue. We have always been lucky enough to get chicks from Cackle Hatchery, based here in Missouri. We have had wonderful luck getting almost every chick to adulthood from their facility. A couple of weeks ago, my wife shows me a picture of an Ayam Cemani. She kept on telling me how beautiful they were, but they were hundreds of dollars a pair. So I start looking for fertilized eggs and found them. Right now I have 12 of them in the incubator, a surprise for my wife for Mother's Day. They are scheduled to hatch the Friday before Mothers Day. I also have 12 lavender Orpingtons that went in 1 day later. We are set to candle them at the end of the week.
I am excited. After a good kidding season and the goats getting ready to show, now I can concentrate on the chicks and the garden and the bees. It is going to be a great spring.
As I sit here tonight, the rain is beating down outside. I am getting ready to put on my muck boots and check on the animals one last time before bed. It is a great life.
I look forward to hearing other's chicken stories in the days and weeks to come.
