Key West Gypsy Chickens, who has them?

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High Roost Ranch

High Roost Ranch

The Chicken Whisperer
11 Years
Dec 15, 2008
1,230
19
176
St Tammany Parish, Folsom, Louisiana
I was wondering who else is keeping the infamous Key West chickens. I picked up a BBR hen and her 8 chicks in early October. They are tough little birds. Anyone have any they want to share photos and stories of? It looks like my chicks are going to be a either a 5-3 or 4-4 ratio, one of them is still fooling me a bit on sexing it.
 
im getting some next summer when we go down for lobster season and my birthday, ever since i was born (on the first day of lobster season) my whole faily has gone to key west every year and ive always love the chickens even before my chicken addiction started, soo ive finally convinced my dad to let me adopt one or 2 girls next time we go. what is the adoption process like? is there alot of paperwork and stuff?
 
I have some. I was born and raised in Key west so about 11 years ago when I decided to get into chickens I caught a hen and 6 chicks out of my Great aunt's yard. I still have 1 of those chicks. My roo Smokey is and probably will be my greatest roo. Don't plan on having more than 1 roo unless you keep them separated. Even if they grow up together, it will end up very bad. Even the hens can be aggressive towards other hens. They are very hardy little birds. The lady that ran the chicken store in Key West has moved the store to Homestead. I have also adopted some birds from her over the years. I'm down to 5 now, I had a coon kill a few before DH shot it.
 
There's a lady in Eustis, FL, who's listing on Eggbid. I would definitely recommend going through her if you can.

I acquired mine by accident. I'd been wanting some, but hadn't gotten any yet. So here's how I came by mine. I was down in the Keys for a few days. I took my Poms with me, so I had a carrier with. We stopped in DT KW at a store, and there was a guy there selling seafood and had a little food stand. Those who've been in KW probably know the place, not too far off Duval Street. As the DH was dealing in seafood, I spotted the hen and her chicks. The guy started cussing about the chickens, and told me to take them when he saw my interest in them. She was a pretty thing, her chicks weren't but a week old. Seems they took up residence at a neighboring house that was abandoned and off the ground a bit, so there was a bunch of them under the house and in that yard, and they would come over for scraps at the food shack at the store lot and pester patrons. I thought, no net, no way of catching these guys! But I was persistent. I worked her into a corner of the lot that was fenced, and after two tries I finally got a hold of her. My gosh, she was savvy and quick! Well I was mortified when I realized that when I grabbed her, the mother hen had accidentally kicked one of her chicks against the concrete block and it hit the ground not breathing and lifeless. I scooped up the remaining chicks, handed them to DH and daughter, and grabbed the little one that wasn't breathing. Limp, head hung down, I was nearly in tears and felt horrible. I started CPR and got it going again although it took a bit to get the breathing stabilized and regular. I'm guessing it just had the wind knocked out of it??? So that one rode home in my shirt, the poms lost their carrier and the hen and remaining 7 chicks went into the carrier for the ride home. I always carry a baggie of chick starter in my car, I don't know why but I do. I went in and bought a bottle of water and cut the bottom off for them to drink and put the starter in and got them settled. Then the DH comes walking back with a big grin on his face and said thanks to me. What for? I said. The guy that ran the seafood stand was so happy I caught all the chicks with the hen that he set him up with a load of grouper and lobsters as payment for catching them. Little did he know I'd have done it for nothing.
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I don't plan on co-mingling the KW chickens with any others. I want to preserve their heritage. I was thinking of adding a roo, but have yet to make it up to the KW Chicken lady in Eustis. I really didn't want to breed back a cockerel from this batch to the hen, thinking genetics might be a bit too close?
 

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