This last year our city revised the ordinance for chickens in residential zoning allowing up to five hens. That and a trip to Kauai where we saw so many wild chickens along with a new concern about where our food is really coming from sealed the deal...we decided to get chickens. This site was such a great help in us preparing for our new family members. We also got to go to the local Murdoch's where they had a Chicken 101 class.
We decided to get five chickens; 1 Araucana, 2 Partridge Rocks, 1 Barred Rock and a Buff Orpington. We got them and all their feed and supplies from Murdoch's which has just been a great thing to have in suburban Colorado.
The barred rock had pasty butt when she got home but after reading on the forum I wiped her butt with a warm wash cloth for a couple days and she's been thriving ever since. One of the partridge rocks also kept falling over for a few days but we think her feathers might have been coming in odd because she's doing better too. They are all four weeks old now.
The most interesting thing to see is how the different breeds grow at different speeds. The Araucana was a bit bigger than the rest from the start and at four weeks (she MUST be a bit older than that) is completely feathered and is already getting her white 'mustachio' in. The Buff Orpington started off as small as the others but is really packing it on. She's big and fluffy and is all about eating LOTS of feed. She also is completely feathered at four weeks. The rocks are all developing a lot slower. The Barred Rock is mostly feathered with a lot of fluff around her head still. The partridge rocks are coming along really slow, even though they are a few days older than the others. At first I thought something was wrong with them but since they are both developing at the same pace just behind the others I think they must be okay. Each feather seems to take an age to grow in, when compared to the orpington and the araucana whose showed up over night. I'd be interested if anyone else had ever noticed that with the different breeds, especially the partridge rocks.
Anyways they are coming along well, their house is all built, and I am going to wait till 7 weeks and then move them outside. I am just loving watching them run around and explore their world. It's better than TV!
We decided to get five chickens; 1 Araucana, 2 Partridge Rocks, 1 Barred Rock and a Buff Orpington. We got them and all their feed and supplies from Murdoch's which has just been a great thing to have in suburban Colorado.
The barred rock had pasty butt when she got home but after reading on the forum I wiped her butt with a warm wash cloth for a couple days and she's been thriving ever since. One of the partridge rocks also kept falling over for a few days but we think her feathers might have been coming in odd because she's doing better too. They are all four weeks old now.
The most interesting thing to see is how the different breeds grow at different speeds. The Araucana was a bit bigger than the rest from the start and at four weeks (she MUST be a bit older than that) is completely feathered and is already getting her white 'mustachio' in. The Buff Orpington started off as small as the others but is really packing it on. She's big and fluffy and is all about eating LOTS of feed. She also is completely feathered at four weeks. The rocks are all developing a lot slower. The Barred Rock is mostly feathered with a lot of fluff around her head still. The partridge rocks are coming along really slow, even though they are a few days older than the others. At first I thought something was wrong with them but since they are both developing at the same pace just behind the others I think they must be okay. Each feather seems to take an age to grow in, when compared to the orpington and the araucana whose showed up over night. I'd be interested if anyone else had ever noticed that with the different breeds, especially the partridge rocks.
Anyways they are coming along well, their house is all built, and I am going to wait till 7 weeks and then move them outside. I am just loving watching them run around and explore their world. It's better than TV!