- Nov 5, 2012
- 79
- 2
- 41
Hi!
I am Tammie in LA, my grandfather had chickens when I was growing up, my father in law has always had chickens(so dh is the chicken expert) and we started our own flock as soon as we moved to an area conducive to chicken keeping(ie not a postage stamp subdivision lot). We have had our flock for about a year now, but raised 2 sets of chicks for my father-in-law on that postage stamp lot just so the kids could do it.
I have 3children, the "vet" Mackenzie(11), she is great caring for any sick babies, she nurses them back to health with great patience and love-and she DOES want to be a vet when she grows up and will be interning at a vets office this summer, so it works. This summer she even treated a broken beak with guidance and the chicken is doing wonderfully! Quinlan(9) is the "chicken whisperer," were not sure why, but they all love him...he likes to sit in the pen and they all flock to him, often roosting on his head, shoulders, whatever(he is often covered with 5, 6, 7, 8chickens ;-) even the roosters love him. If we ever need to catch a particular chicken or need to calm them to check something, he's the guy to call. Then we have Delaney, 10mos, who just likes to pet the chickens and throw treats for them, she gets a kick out of them running toward her when she is holding carrot tops or grass, etc. I am sure will grow up with a fondness for them just because she has no choice ;-)
We currently have barred plymouth rock, EEs, production red and 2 silkies(blue and partridge). The kids just received 31 chicks for an upcoming 4H project(15 "top hats," 15 feather footed bantams, and our McMurray mystery is a salmon faverolle named zombie, she was born on Halloween and literally came back from the dead-not sure about the sex/breed of most yet, they are only a week old). We also have 10 replacements coming this week(we only lost 5 in transit(minus "bonus chick") but McMurray wanted to make sure my kids had their "show chicks" and that they didnt sell out if something happened to another chick in the next day or two-GREAT customer service), 24 hatching eggs from MPC coming this week(this will be my first time incubating), and 50 layers coming from Meyer in 3wks(25 rainbow layers, 12 brown layers, and 13 rare layers)...Meyer has been a disappointing order with not so great CS so far, but we will see if I feel any better when the chicks arrive...somehow those little chicks seem to make everything better
This will likely be it for the baby chicks for a good while unless we get a broody hen...although we have 111ac and dh says Im going to fill all of them up with chickens...but what's wrong with that??? Just kidding, any more than what we have and they won't be "special" anymore nor will they get all the love they need...so we are good with our numbers. I DO have my eye on a pair of cream legbars and blue isbars...considering adding 4-5 of each this spring, we'll see...that wouldn't do TOO much to our numbers ;-)
I started my flock with 2 intentions, 1) recreate memories of my grandfather taking me to a friends farm to pick out my own eggs for breakfast...I always picked the blue and green eggs(hence we have EEs) and 2) I own a small natural/organic bakery and catering company and I wanted my own eggs so I KNEW that free range really meant free range!!
I am Tammie in LA, my grandfather had chickens when I was growing up, my father in law has always had chickens(so dh is the chicken expert) and we started our own flock as soon as we moved to an area conducive to chicken keeping(ie not a postage stamp subdivision lot). We have had our flock for about a year now, but raised 2 sets of chicks for my father-in-law on that postage stamp lot just so the kids could do it.
I have 3children, the "vet" Mackenzie(11), she is great caring for any sick babies, she nurses them back to health with great patience and love-and she DOES want to be a vet when she grows up and will be interning at a vets office this summer, so it works. This summer she even treated a broken beak with guidance and the chicken is doing wonderfully! Quinlan(9) is the "chicken whisperer," were not sure why, but they all love him...he likes to sit in the pen and they all flock to him, often roosting on his head, shoulders, whatever(he is often covered with 5, 6, 7, 8chickens ;-) even the roosters love him. If we ever need to catch a particular chicken or need to calm them to check something, he's the guy to call. Then we have Delaney, 10mos, who just likes to pet the chickens and throw treats for them, she gets a kick out of them running toward her when she is holding carrot tops or grass, etc. I am sure will grow up with a fondness for them just because she has no choice ;-)
We currently have barred plymouth rock, EEs, production red and 2 silkies(blue and partridge). The kids just received 31 chicks for an upcoming 4H project(15 "top hats," 15 feather footed bantams, and our McMurray mystery is a salmon faverolle named zombie, she was born on Halloween and literally came back from the dead-not sure about the sex/breed of most yet, they are only a week old). We also have 10 replacements coming this week(we only lost 5 in transit(minus "bonus chick") but McMurray wanted to make sure my kids had their "show chicks" and that they didnt sell out if something happened to another chick in the next day or two-GREAT customer service), 24 hatching eggs from MPC coming this week(this will be my first time incubating), and 50 layers coming from Meyer in 3wks(25 rainbow layers, 12 brown layers, and 13 rare layers)...Meyer has been a disappointing order with not so great CS so far, but we will see if I feel any better when the chicks arrive...somehow those little chicks seem to make everything better
This will likely be it for the baby chicks for a good while unless we get a broody hen...although we have 111ac and dh says Im going to fill all of them up with chickens...but what's wrong with that???
Just kidding, any more than what we have and they won't be "special" anymore nor will they get all the love they need...so we are good with our numbers. I DO have my eye on a pair of cream legbars and blue isbars...considering adding 4-5 of each this spring, we'll see...that wouldn't do TOO much to our numbers ;-)I started my flock with 2 intentions, 1) recreate memories of my grandfather taking me to a friends farm to pick out my own eggs for breakfast...I always picked the blue and green eggs(hence we have EEs) and 2) I own a small natural/organic bakery and catering company and I wanted my own eggs so I KNEW that free range really meant free range!!
Last edited:
& 
from Alabama. Glad you joined us.
