So when I started this chicken project I wanted three coops with runs. One for standards, one for bantams, and one for the friendlier hens so I wouldn't have to worry too much when letting the kids help. That idea went out the window when we had a coyote visit. Those things haven't been around here for 20 years! Now I have to fence the entire back yard, (instead of just one the one side that was only to block an annoying neighbor), and I won't be able to afford three runs.
So I have decided to let the chickens have run of the back yard, moved all of the kids' stuff to the side yard, and realized I ordered my birds in the wrong order. The standards are 10ish weeks old and the bantams are 2 days. I wish I had ordered the bantams first so that the standards would have been the younger birds. I think it might have been easier to add younger, larger chickens to a flock of older, smaller ones. I'm sure we will figure it out, but hindsight and all that...
On a different note, I swore I would never name my chickens. They all get called "pretty girl" or "big boy" and that's it. I named one today. It's the biggest of the Dominique roosters and he had been one of my favorites since he was a couple of days old. His name is "Dinner." While the other roosters were busy running off a kitten who has decided to be an avid hunter Dinner was drop kicking hens away from the treat bucket. I watched him do this repeatedly. Eventually he got a nudge from me every time he did it, but Dinner persisted in his bad boy behavior. His days are now numbered. I'm trying to wait until he is a little bigger, but if he gets much worse I will just save him for a night when it's just me and the hubby here for dinner!
So I have decided to let the chickens have run of the back yard, moved all of the kids' stuff to the side yard, and realized I ordered my birds in the wrong order. The standards are 10ish weeks old and the bantams are 2 days. I wish I had ordered the bantams first so that the standards would have been the younger birds. I think it might have been easier to add younger, larger chickens to a flock of older, smaller ones. I'm sure we will figure it out, but hindsight and all that...
On a different note, I swore I would never name my chickens. They all get called "pretty girl" or "big boy" and that's it. I named one today. It's the biggest of the Dominique roosters and he had been one of my favorites since he was a couple of days old. His name is "Dinner." While the other roosters were busy running off a kitten who has decided to be an avid hunter Dinner was drop kicking hens away from the treat bucket. I watched him do this repeatedly. Eventually he got a nudge from me every time he did it, but Dinner persisted in his bad boy behavior. His days are now numbered. I'm trying to wait until he is a little bigger, but if he gets much worse I will just save him for a night when it's just me and the hubby here for dinner!
