Counting your chickens

[Chikyboy]

Now I have to go look up vulture hocks

If you've ever see d'uccles or booted bantams the long, pointed feathers that come out the back of the legs. Desirable in those breeds but not in the rest of the feather footed chickens.

 

[alwaystj9]

Thank you! also found a pic!

 

[goldenyears]

Wow! And I thought my 29-ish was a lot.

I started with four - and good intentions, but…

 

[goldenyears]

Chicken newby this year, I have 8 pullets with 2 not yet laying (first blue egg yesterday, everyone else is laying shades of brown). I'm so fond of all my girls and love watching their personalities and hierarchy develop. We're having our first serious rain of the season here in the temperate redwood rainforest and they are NOT best pleased (summers here are very dry). I covered their secure run with translucent tarp so it's dry and there's daylight, but I can't see clearly who's out of the coop from my office window. Only Pauline the Buff Orpington (the boss girl) has come outside into the big day run to poke around when the rain slows to drizzle. It's gonna be Poop City in the coop by tomorrow morning when the rain's supposed to let up enough for me to go clean them out.

"Eight is enough", we're inundated with eggs already, but these girls are my pets-with-benefits for as long as they live.

In pecking order: Pauline the Buff, Jill the Delaware, Sheila the Black Australorp, Rhonda the Rhode Island Red, Xenobia/Xena the Plymouth Barred Rock, Martha the Whiting's True Blue, and 7-week-younger Easter Egger "sisters" Edna and Elsie.

I do check on everyone when they troop into the coop for the night - I can't imagine trying to count 25 and up every night!

I don’t really count them, just walk about to see if there are any stragglers. Occasionally I’ll find a wild one in the morning that didn’t make it back in the coop.

 

[winterwolf4]

I currently have 43 total chickens.
22 Self Blue Ameracaunas
3 Purebred Bielefelder hens
3 Bielefelder x Ameracauna Laying Hens
8 Easter Egger Roosters (for food)
1 Black Easter Egger Rooster (Breeding to Bielefelder hens)
1 Olive Egger Rooster (Breeding to Bielefelder hens.)
1 Aracauna White Rooster (7 to 8 years old) (We think he is infertile)
4 Dark Brahma Pullets


Plans for this winter: 35 total for this winter
8 roosters to be eaten

Pen 1: 22
22 self Blue Ameracaunas for breeding to sell chicks

Pen 2: 13
6 Bielefelder & Bielefelder crosses for my son's school project.
2 roosters for the school project EE & OE

1 retired Rooster that will live out his days as our beloved pet

4 Dark Brahma pullets for winter layers

I meant to say Bielefelder x Maran cross hens

 

[tori729]

I'm impressed with these giant flocks! I'm assuming it's more of a fun business at that point - breeding chicks for selling, meat birds, etc.

We have 8 pullets and no plans to add/subtract any over the winter. They are 11-12 weeks old: 2 RIR, 2 Black Marans, and 4 (unexpected) Buff Brahmas (TSC labeled as EEs!). We love them all and really hope they live for awhile. We spent much of today outside working on the coop/run area, the kiddos chasing the chickens and playing with them. I've wanted chickens for awhile but truly never thought it would be as exciting but also terrifying, busy, expensive, and stressful as it has been!
Our county technically doesn't allow roosters or more than 8 hens so we are right at the mark. However, if these ones do well and seem to have good space in the coop, I would love to actually raise some chicks one day. I can't see us having more than 12 total and although I honestly wouldn't mind a rooster, we are in a neighborhood right up against two other properties who probably wouldn't enjoy crowing at all hours of the day.