So i work for a feed store now and this spring when we were selling chicks i became very interested in the whole thing. My daughter is 5 months old right now and i wanted something fun we could get into together as she grows up and we already had two dogs and my wife didn't want a new puppy and a new baby at the same time so we decided to wait for a puppy until baby is 5 or 6. So anyways i converted my old dog pen into a chicken run and was planning to build the coop as money allowed between now and spring so that i would be ready when we started getting chicks again. Well a friend donated all of the materials for free and i didn't want them sitting in my garage all winter so away i went building. Between donated materials, and supplies i had laying around the house i have only spent $100-150 so far on the entire project...not including chicks.
Now begins the chicken math. I started with the main two breeds i wanted, 4 Turken and 2 Showgirls, then i got a Sizzle, and 2 Barnyard mixes just for the heck of it to see how they developed. Well in the process of setting up the brooder one of the smallest Turkens stuck it's neck through the brooder to get away from me and my dog was standing at the door and at the moment the chick stuck it's neck through the brooder wire my dog grabbed her and pulled her through the cage damaging her windpipe. She lived 18 hours then died. Well even though i bough 9 birds with the knowledge some would die and some would be Roos i still ran out and got a Salmon Faverolle to replace the Turken. About a week later as the chicks got bigger it seems they got too big for my little Showgirl bantams and the little black Showgirl got trampled. Again i expected this but for some reason i went out and got a replacement black Showgirl and picked up an interesting looking Barnyard Mix out of curiosity. Well i felt guilty about only getting one of the 2 Showgirls that the breeder had so the next day i went back and got the other. Unfortunately neither the breeder nor i had change for a 10 so i grabbed a young Brahma to add to the mix. Several days later one of my original Barnyard Mixes was found dead in the coop from unknown causes so somehow i went from 9 birds, to 8 birds, to 9 birds to 8 birds, to 10 birds, to 12 birds and then down to 11 all with the intention of only having 6 tops.
The current birds are as follows.
Barred Turken Roo
Black Turken Hen
White Turken Hen
Black Showgirl
Black Showgirl
White Showgirl Bantam
Barnyard Mix
Barnyard Mix Silkie
Salmon Faverolle
Sizzle Roo
Brahma
Anyways let the pictures commence.
Now begins the chicken math. I started with the main two breeds i wanted, 4 Turken and 2 Showgirls, then i got a Sizzle, and 2 Barnyard mixes just for the heck of it to see how they developed. Well in the process of setting up the brooder one of the smallest Turkens stuck it's neck through the brooder to get away from me and my dog was standing at the door and at the moment the chick stuck it's neck through the brooder wire my dog grabbed her and pulled her through the cage damaging her windpipe. She lived 18 hours then died. Well even though i bough 9 birds with the knowledge some would die and some would be Roos i still ran out and got a Salmon Faverolle to replace the Turken. About a week later as the chicks got bigger it seems they got too big for my little Showgirl bantams and the little black Showgirl got trampled. Again i expected this but for some reason i went out and got a replacement black Showgirl and picked up an interesting looking Barnyard Mix out of curiosity. Well i felt guilty about only getting one of the 2 Showgirls that the breeder had so the next day i went back and got the other. Unfortunately neither the breeder nor i had change for a 10 so i grabbed a young Brahma to add to the mix. Several days later one of my original Barnyard Mixes was found dead in the coop from unknown causes so somehow i went from 9 birds, to 8 birds, to 9 birds to 8 birds, to 10 birds, to 12 birds and then down to 11 all with the intention of only having 6 tops.
The current birds are as follows.
Barred Turken Roo
Black Turken Hen
White Turken Hen
Black Showgirl
Black Showgirl
White Showgirl Bantam
Barnyard Mix
Barnyard Mix Silkie
Salmon Faverolle
Sizzle Roo
Brahma
Anyways let the pictures commence.
