Key West aka Gypsy Chickens Thread :)

[theotherjessica]

i got some chickens last year from one of my dad's co-workers. i think they very closely resemble the key west chickens. i live in central florida, so it is a possibility, i figure. they sure reproduce like crazy. up to around 50, currently, on my 4 acres. and they ALL roost in one tree. it makes me laugh so much when i walk by "the chicken tree" and all 50 or so of them growl and cackle at me at once.

what do you guys think, though? do i have key west chickens?

 

[Old Rando]

Unless you know they came from Key West or their ancestors did I would not call them Key West Chickens. They look like any group of free breeding mongrel chickens look. The behavior you mention is natural chicken behavior. It is not exclusive to the chickens of Key West.

 

[cat9581]

Does anyone have and key west chickens/eggs for sale or adoption? My husband has wanted some for the last couple of years. We were going to try bringing home a few when we were in the Keys earlier this year but we were completely out of room in our car! I'd love to surprise him with a late Christmas/early bday present!

 

[Don 27]

Vary cool !

 

[flgardengirl]

Well here it is 2020. I started this thread many years ago and still have Key West Chickens lol.
Thought I'd share the story of one of my crazy broody hens who lost her eggs and how I gave her some baby heritage turkeys that I ordered from Ideal Poultry this spring.
Here's the story how she got these baby turkeys lol.
We had the brooder all set up weeks ahead of time for the turkey poults. The post office was supposed to hold the poults so I could pick them up. Well they didnt and sent them out on the truck! I had to go meet the postal carrier on route to get them It was very hot that day and they got jumbled around and were in bad shape when I got them. One ended up dying. I got them home and the heat light decided to go out which was crazy because it was brand new! Went to tractor supply and feed stores and no lights..all sold out. All out of heat brooders as well. Our heating pad was MIA so couldnt make a heatpad broody mama thingy.
Last resort, I remembered this hen who was still trying to sit on eggs even though hers got ruined by rain. Would she accept these poults? Key West hens are the fiercest most protective moms out there. If I could just get her to accept them, I knew she would take good care of them.
I moved her and a few eggs in a box into the brooder. Then slipped baby poults under her. They didnt stay under her long. They ran right out and I held my breath, afraid she might attack them. Thankfully she loved them andcstarted clucking and murmuring those little mommy hens noises to her! It was a match!

She has 12 of them!!!
We also finally located a heat lamp but they were hers now and she wasnt letting anybody take them away lol. Typical Key West momma.

This was all back in May 2020. Her baby turkeys are teenagers now and 3 times her size! As you can imagine, its pretty comical such a tiny momma hen with big monster turkey babies...more photos to come