So, I've noticed everyone else has their own little poultry diaries, and I thought, why not create one for us? I mean, if only to document the saga of our feathered escapades. We're like the newcomers in the chickenhood, starting from scratch with our flock.
Now, picture this: I had my fair share of chicken, rabbit, and goat adventures as a kiddo. My other half? Well, let's just say he didn't quite have that upbringing. My childhood role was more of the egg-gathering, feed-tossing virtuoso. I didn't really dive into the intricate world of care. But guess what? Here we are, venturing into uncharted chicken territory.
We actually started our current flock back in March, but are starting over with an almost clean slate.
Now, let's get to the "egg-citing" question: why the restart? Brace yourselves for a tale that's poultry in motion. We waltzed into a local feed store down in Milton, Florida (they've even got a doppelganger in Pace, Fl) and walked out with 10 supposedly female black Australorp chicks. The seller confidently claimed these pullets hailed from Ideal Poultry, a hatchery with a reputation as solid as a freshly laid egg. They even threw in a contact number. But here's where the plot gets scrambled – those 10 pullets? Well, 8 of them grew up to be, you guessed it, roosters!
In a nutshell, I made the call, shared the clucking truth about their gender-blunder, and guess what the feed store folks squawked? They didn't get the chicks from Ideal after all; they'd shaken wings with some other hatchery. Oh, and they dangled a $25 feed bag as a consolation prize.
That's not the end of our not-so-grand "re-chickening" saga! So, in the aftermath of our rooster revelation, the manager at the feed store decided to toss us a bone – or in this case, eight chirping little chicks to replace our unexpected crowing choir.
When the time came to collect our clucking compensation, what do you know? Mr. Manager was apparently juggling more feathers than he could handle, too busy to even waddle over to the phone. And to add a sprinkle of "you've got to be kidding me" to the mix, the person who did grace us with their presence on the line chirped something about the feed being the extent of their generosity. Yep, you guessed it – they pulled a classic "renig" maneuver.
Additionally, we bought an Amerecauna Straight Run duo, and ended up with one boy from that couplet.
It was a day of feathers and feels, let me tell you. We'd given them names, got to know their quirks, and then reality struck. Eight crowing compatriots were a bit much for our yard. So, we decided to send them off to a new home a few farms down the road. Now, they're rubbing tail feathers with 80 lovely ladies. Our initiation into "chickening" wasn't just a walk in the park – more like a wild goose chase! Now, we are down to just 3 hens and a huge, empty coop.
So, here we are, feeling like extras in a chicken-themed sitcom, dealing with more drama than a daytime soap opera. Can you believe the audacity of it all? It's like they've hatched a plan to keep us clucking in disbelief. But hey, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining, even if it's covered in a few feathers.
Back in February, we ordered a dozen Cream Legbar pals – one dude and eleven lovely ladies. A road trip to Mississippi later in early July, we've got these darlings from Omega Farms strutting their stuff. They are now about 8 weeks old. These babies made their foray into the mini-run in the larger run today. Hoping they will integrate well with the three 5 month old pullets.
And to fill the Australorp-shaped void, we've got a squad of 18 newly-hatched pullets from Cackle, the chick whisperers. We are hoping for better dynamics this time, but are better prepared to deal with it if not.
Oh, the timing! Leave it to us to jump into the poultry party right smack in the middle of one of those heat waves that make you wish you molted. I'm talking about some seriously sizzling days here. So, our egg production will be much lower than expected this year - but live and learn.
Fast-forward to today, and here we are – navigating the chicken life, hoping to gain a touch more wisdom and a lot more laughs. So, if you're up for a mix of clucks and chuckles, stick around! Our poultry escapades are sure to keep you entertained, enlightened, and maybe even egg-cited. Stay tuned for the next feathered chapter!
Some of our cream leg bars the day we brought them home - now almost 8 weeks old.
One of our Australorp chicks redux - hoping for better luck.
Prince - one of the best roos I've ever met. We miss him.
Now, picture this: I had my fair share of chicken, rabbit, and goat adventures as a kiddo. My other half? Well, let's just say he didn't quite have that upbringing. My childhood role was more of the egg-gathering, feed-tossing virtuoso. I didn't really dive into the intricate world of care. But guess what? Here we are, venturing into uncharted chicken territory.
We actually started our current flock back in March, but are starting over with an almost clean slate.
Now, let's get to the "egg-citing" question: why the restart? Brace yourselves for a tale that's poultry in motion. We waltzed into a local feed store down in Milton, Florida (they've even got a doppelganger in Pace, Fl) and walked out with 10 supposedly female black Australorp chicks. The seller confidently claimed these pullets hailed from Ideal Poultry, a hatchery with a reputation as solid as a freshly laid egg. They even threw in a contact number. But here's where the plot gets scrambled – those 10 pullets? Well, 8 of them grew up to be, you guessed it, roosters!
In a nutshell, I made the call, shared the clucking truth about their gender-blunder, and guess what the feed store folks squawked? They didn't get the chicks from Ideal after all; they'd shaken wings with some other hatchery. Oh, and they dangled a $25 feed bag as a consolation prize.
That's not the end of our not-so-grand "re-chickening" saga! So, in the aftermath of our rooster revelation, the manager at the feed store decided to toss us a bone – or in this case, eight chirping little chicks to replace our unexpected crowing choir.
When the time came to collect our clucking compensation, what do you know? Mr. Manager was apparently juggling more feathers than he could handle, too busy to even waddle over to the phone. And to add a sprinkle of "you've got to be kidding me" to the mix, the person who did grace us with their presence on the line chirped something about the feed being the extent of their generosity. Yep, you guessed it – they pulled a classic "renig" maneuver.
Additionally, we bought an Amerecauna Straight Run duo, and ended up with one boy from that couplet.
It was a day of feathers and feels, let me tell you. We'd given them names, got to know their quirks, and then reality struck. Eight crowing compatriots were a bit much for our yard. So, we decided to send them off to a new home a few farms down the road. Now, they're rubbing tail feathers with 80 lovely ladies. Our initiation into "chickening" wasn't just a walk in the park – more like a wild goose chase! Now, we are down to just 3 hens and a huge, empty coop.
So, here we are, feeling like extras in a chicken-themed sitcom, dealing with more drama than a daytime soap opera. Can you believe the audacity of it all? It's like they've hatched a plan to keep us clucking in disbelief. But hey, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining, even if it's covered in a few feathers.
Back in February, we ordered a dozen Cream Legbar pals – one dude and eleven lovely ladies. A road trip to Mississippi later in early July, we've got these darlings from Omega Farms strutting their stuff. They are now about 8 weeks old. These babies made their foray into the mini-run in the larger run today. Hoping they will integrate well with the three 5 month old pullets.
And to fill the Australorp-shaped void, we've got a squad of 18 newly-hatched pullets from Cackle, the chick whisperers. We are hoping for better dynamics this time, but are better prepared to deal with it if not.
Oh, the timing! Leave it to us to jump into the poultry party right smack in the middle of one of those heat waves that make you wish you molted. I'm talking about some seriously sizzling days here. So, our egg production will be much lower than expected this year - but live and learn.
Fast-forward to today, and here we are – navigating the chicken life, hoping to gain a touch more wisdom and a lot more laughs. So, if you're up for a mix of clucks and chuckles, stick around! Our poultry escapades are sure to keep you entertained, enlightened, and maybe even egg-cited. Stay tuned for the next feathered chapter!
Some of our cream leg bars the day we brought them home - now almost 8 weeks old.
One of our Australorp chicks redux - hoping for better luck.
Prince - one of the best roos I've ever met. We miss him.
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