Eggs2luv
Hatching
My name is Carol....
I have had backyard chickens for about 6 years, but I just found your site. Our first flock consisted of two sex-linked reds and two Bard Rocks and a Buff Orpengton. We named them... Ruby, Roja, the big one, the one with the funny tail and Buffy. The two Bards were good layers but didn't have personalities that brought names to mind. We raised these from chicks. Buffy turned out to be a beautiful rooster, and in the interest of being good neighbors, he joined a flock out in the country. Unfortunately this flock succumbed to raccoon. We had them in the garden... cleaning out the bugs before spring planting. We lock them in the coop every night, but it was a cloudy day, the raccoon was a hungry mother, and thus the racoon dinner. The hens were just into their second year and all of them good layers so we were really sad.
We decided not to get chicks to replace them so we got a flock of teen-agers. They never bonded with us. We had two Coco Marans (Cockoo and Moron) and two Silver Laced Wyandottes (Dotty and Lacey). The Wyandottes were a pain... aggressive to the other hens, not great layers, and although they were beautiful, we wanted eggs not good looks.... so we gave them to someone who already had the same breed.... and a rooster. That'll teach them! My sister-in-law was hand raising chicks, and I took two sex-linked reds. Again, Ruby and Red.
Then one of the Coco Marans developed and succumbed to what I now think was a uterine prolapse, and about a month later Ruby was found dead in the garden... no cause of death identified. We were down to two again. My sister-in-law came to the rescue when one of her hens came broody and raised a batch of chicks for her. This time we acquired a Brahma and an Australorp (Socks and Flash). So, now I have Flash, Socks, Red, and Big-Mama (the remaining Maran) laying. Big Mama is 4 years old and has gone through her second molt so I thought we had better have some new blood in the flock for when she stops laying. Thus my introduction to this board.
We have two new chicks, a Rhode Island Red (the new Roja) and a Buff Orpington (the new Buffy). I was looking at the recommendations for starting grit in their diet.
I love raising chickens... we free range them when I'm out working in the yard... they love digging in the compost for bugs and I love watching them and listening to them talk to each other. Needless to say, I love the eggs too! I've already seen some great ideas on this site and I plan to visit (fairly) often.
I have had backyard chickens for about 6 years, but I just found your site. Our first flock consisted of two sex-linked reds and two Bard Rocks and a Buff Orpengton. We named them... Ruby, Roja, the big one, the one with the funny tail and Buffy. The two Bards were good layers but didn't have personalities that brought names to mind. We raised these from chicks. Buffy turned out to be a beautiful rooster, and in the interest of being good neighbors, he joined a flock out in the country. Unfortunately this flock succumbed to raccoon. We had them in the garden... cleaning out the bugs before spring planting. We lock them in the coop every night, but it was a cloudy day, the raccoon was a hungry mother, and thus the racoon dinner. The hens were just into their second year and all of them good layers so we were really sad.
We decided not to get chicks to replace them so we got a flock of teen-agers. They never bonded with us. We had two Coco Marans (Cockoo and Moron) and two Silver Laced Wyandottes (Dotty and Lacey). The Wyandottes were a pain... aggressive to the other hens, not great layers, and although they were beautiful, we wanted eggs not good looks.... so we gave them to someone who already had the same breed.... and a rooster. That'll teach them! My sister-in-law was hand raising chicks, and I took two sex-linked reds. Again, Ruby and Red.
Then one of the Coco Marans developed and succumbed to what I now think was a uterine prolapse, and about a month later Ruby was found dead in the garden... no cause of death identified. We were down to two again. My sister-in-law came to the rescue when one of her hens came broody and raised a batch of chicks for her. This time we acquired a Brahma and an Australorp (Socks and Flash). So, now I have Flash, Socks, Red, and Big-Mama (the remaining Maran) laying. Big Mama is 4 years old and has gone through her second molt so I thought we had better have some new blood in the flock for when she stops laying. Thus my introduction to this board.
We have two new chicks, a Rhode Island Red (the new Roja) and a Buff Orpington (the new Buffy). I was looking at the recommendations for starting grit in their diet.
I love raising chickens... we free range them when I'm out working in the yard... they love digging in the compost for bugs and I love watching them and listening to them talk to each other. Needless to say, I love the eggs too! I've already seen some great ideas on this site and I plan to visit (fairly) often.
welcome to BYC !!
