FunClucks
Crowing
New chicken owner here in North Alabama, with a real-life example of "chicken math".
We started out with 6 chickens from Rural King (1 starlight green egger, 1 prairie bluebell, 3 ISA browns, and 1 golden comet) because I wanted eggs and the minimum purchase was six chicks. Six became eight when the buff orpingtons finally came in after I'd already picked out the ISA browns instead. Eight became nine when I "rescued" a strange looking 3 wk old chick from TSC while attempting to purchase more bedding - the bedding was damp so I came home with a chick instead. (No one was buying him because he had serious pasty butt and was older that the other chicks - turned out he was fine and was pooping around the poop stuck to his butt.) Nine became 12 when I decided I loved our prairie bluebell so much I wanted a few more, and just happened to walk past the chick section at Rural King while checking if the Bluebells were there, and came home with 2 starlight green eggers and one olive egger. 12 became 16 when I went to pick up the prairie bluebells that finally came in at Rural King and they had four different colors. 16 became 19 when the husband was disappointed I only came home with one black PBB chick, so I went back for a second, but the second black chick needed a gray friend, and then we had to have even numbers between the green/olive and blue egg layers, so I added another green egger. Since I had to build a coop and run anyway, and I had planned for extra space, might as well use it right?
I thought we were raising livestock, and then I realized I had to be my own vet (pretty much), and so then started handling them multiple times a day because if I'm going to be their vet, they'd better not fight me. And of course my kids and husband share the care duties and want to handle them too, and then their personalities start coming out, and I realized that if even one of them gets eaten by a predator our entire family will be devastated. I started out thinking we would cull and eat them when they were done laying, or if they were roosters, but now I don't know if that will ever happen. My free range livestock chickens have turned into Ft Knox covered run and coop pet chickens.
Heaven help us if/when we have to re-home our rooster, or even worse, cull someone. And heaven help us if we ever lose even one to a predator. Many life lessons to be learned here I suppose, but hopefully not for a while yet. I was looking for about 4 laying hens because I wanted eggs and thought some responsibility and work with animals would be good for the children and ended up with 19 new pets. Have any of you had a similar experience?
We started out with 6 chickens from Rural King (1 starlight green egger, 1 prairie bluebell, 3 ISA browns, and 1 golden comet) because I wanted eggs and the minimum purchase was six chicks. Six became eight when the buff orpingtons finally came in after I'd already picked out the ISA browns instead. Eight became nine when I "rescued" a strange looking 3 wk old chick from TSC while attempting to purchase more bedding - the bedding was damp so I came home with a chick instead. (No one was buying him because he had serious pasty butt and was older that the other chicks - turned out he was fine and was pooping around the poop stuck to his butt.) Nine became 12 when I decided I loved our prairie bluebell so much I wanted a few more, and just happened to walk past the chick section at Rural King while checking if the Bluebells were there, and came home with 2 starlight green eggers and one olive egger. 12 became 16 when I went to pick up the prairie bluebells that finally came in at Rural King and they had four different colors. 16 became 19 when the husband was disappointed I only came home with one black PBB chick, so I went back for a second, but the second black chick needed a gray friend, and then we had to have even numbers between the green/olive and blue egg layers, so I added another green egger. Since I had to build a coop and run anyway, and I had planned for extra space, might as well use it right?
I thought we were raising livestock, and then I realized I had to be my own vet (pretty much), and so then started handling them multiple times a day because if I'm going to be their vet, they'd better not fight me. And of course my kids and husband share the care duties and want to handle them too, and then their personalities start coming out, and I realized that if even one of them gets eaten by a predator our entire family will be devastated. I started out thinking we would cull and eat them when they were done laying, or if they were roosters, but now I don't know if that will ever happen. My free range livestock chickens have turned into Ft Knox covered run and coop pet chickens.
Heaven help us if/when we have to re-home our rooster, or even worse, cull someone. And heaven help us if we ever lose even one to a predator. Many life lessons to be learned here I suppose, but hopefully not for a while yet. I was looking for about 4 laying hens because I wanted eggs and thought some responsibility and work with animals would be good for the children and ended up with 19 new pets. Have any of you had a similar experience?
to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!
