- Jul 21, 2013
- 30
- 16
- 99
We live in suburbia, and have a very slim margin of error for our tiny flock. Local ordinance only allows 4 hens, and no roosters. While we could probably get away with 5-6 hens as long as no complaints are registered by the neighbors, we simply cannot have a rooster. This is a pet/eggs for fun operation only. And we are new at this, but I promise I've been researching like the dickens. Also, we're (ESPECIALLY my rather emotional type husband) going to over-think and get over-attached.
The good news is we have a friend of a friend with a barn/free range chicken operation willing to take in roosters if needed, so we don't have to do any killing ourselves (we can pretend the chicken lived his life to the fullest for many years - denial is wonderful).
So, we ordered 3 mystery brown egg layers from MyPetChicken:
Unfortunately, this one was suffering from recurring pasty butt (that I gently treated daily) and then prolapsed vent:
By some weird twist of fate, my mother forgot to close the brooder door all the way and a kitten got to her and sent her to chickie heaven. I'm going to chalk this one up to the universe balancing things out. Also, my mother is banned from "helping" anymore with the chickens.
So, my husband, who I may have mentioned is a bit of a softy, couldn't stand the idea of only 2 hens in our flock. It had to be three. I, on the other hand, refused to buy the minimum order of 6 pullets at Tractor Supply Co, because I can't bear choosing which of my children go to the farm. (We may be a bit neurotic.)
I hope you are with me so far.
About 10 days ago: So, a local feed supply that has been in business for a million years had chicks you could buy one at a time. Indeterminate age. But they label them Dominique. And the old proprietor, in his wheelchair, said he thinks his great-grandchildren may have mixed a few cockerels by mistake into the "pullet" pens, so he couldn't guarantee much. I literally passed my hands over the 50 or so chicks kind of like a water diviner, hoping some inner intuition would lead me to our next member of the flock, plucked it into my spare paper Sonic hamburger bag, and brought her/him home to meet the other two.
And here is our lovely black beauty today (about 10 days later, possibly this chick is 2-3 weeks old). I think I've done screwed up, please tell me what you think:
The good news is we have a friend of a friend with a barn/free range chicken operation willing to take in roosters if needed, so we don't have to do any killing ourselves (we can pretend the chicken lived his life to the fullest for many years - denial is wonderful).
So, we ordered 3 mystery brown egg layers from MyPetChicken:
Unfortunately, this one was suffering from recurring pasty butt (that I gently treated daily) and then prolapsed vent:
By some weird twist of fate, my mother forgot to close the brooder door all the way and a kitten got to her and sent her to chickie heaven. I'm going to chalk this one up to the universe balancing things out. Also, my mother is banned from "helping" anymore with the chickens.
So, my husband, who I may have mentioned is a bit of a softy, couldn't stand the idea of only 2 hens in our flock. It had to be three. I, on the other hand, refused to buy the minimum order of 6 pullets at Tractor Supply Co, because I can't bear choosing which of my children go to the farm. (We may be a bit neurotic.)
I hope you are with me so far.
About 10 days ago: So, a local feed supply that has been in business for a million years had chicks you could buy one at a time. Indeterminate age. But they label them Dominique. And the old proprietor, in his wheelchair, said he thinks his great-grandchildren may have mixed a few cockerels by mistake into the "pullet" pens, so he couldn't guarantee much. I literally passed my hands over the 50 or so chicks kind of like a water diviner, hoping some inner intuition would lead me to our next member of the flock, plucked it into my spare paper Sonic hamburger bag, and brought her/him home to meet the other two.
And here is our lovely black beauty today (about 10 days later, possibly this chick is 2-3 weeks old). I think I've done screwed up, please tell me what you think:
Last edited:
