Always thirsty for knowledge...

[Brandy1]

Hi!
I've been a lurker for years, and finally decided to say hello! I've had chickens off and on for roughly 20 years. I am always looking to gain new knowledge and insight on everything chickens! We have other animals here on our small hobby farm (sheep, horses, dogs, cats, guinea pig..) but my chickens are my absolute favorite well... maybe right behind my 33 year old horse (i've had her since she was 9years old and I was 10years old!). Chickens really bring a quiet joy to the farm. I love watching them work around the pastures and yards gather bugs and turning our manure piles. They truly help out around here! I currently have a flock of 15 although that number was bigger before I lost a few to heat and a fox . I had a lot of fun building this flock. It was the first time that I sought out a breeder to purchase purbred Ameraucana and Maran chicks in addition to my Meyer hatchery order. Naturally I ended up losing a few chicks and of course my straight run breeder chicks ended up being a 30%-70% hen to rooster ratio . But I ended up keeping a beautiful Olive Egger rooster, who is the absolute sweetest guy EVER! His name is "Hank". He was attacked by a fox one day but luckly hes really heavy, and the fox couldn't carry him off before we got outside to the commotion and chased the fox off. He was a little sore from having so many feathers pulled, but hes strong and is doing wonderful now. Here's a quick list of breeds I currently have:

Black, Blue and splash Ameruacana
Blue Copper Maran
Olive Egger Roo
White Maran
Golden Cuckoo Maran
Australorp
Easter Eggers
Buff Orpington
Golden Laced Wyondotte

I am really hoping to learn about adding new chicks to my existing flock (when chicks are big enough of course), as I have only attempted it once with a hen that had been injured and needed a month to heal before being put back with her flock. the flock I had at the time wouldn't accept her back no matter how long I kept her penned up in the run and coop with them. Im also hoping to learn about raising chicks in the winter. I would love to add some Olive Egger and Welsummer hens to my flock. Just want to make sure I do it right!

When I'm not admiring my chickens I enjoy reading, riding horses, gardening and being a Momma to my beautiful kiddos. Im looking forward to spending more time then I should on here!

 

[BullChick]

It’s wonderful to have you as a member! We’re glad you decided to join. I’m sure you have a lot of great advice to share with us! Do you have pictures of your animals?

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

You have some very nice breeds! When mixing chickens, it needs to be done very slowly, over a period of a couple of weeks. New birds are kept caged or behind wire or fencing so the original flock can see them but not touch them. After a couple weeks you can mix them together. This helps to lessen the aggression. I find adding additional feeders and waterers helps the newbies to get sustenance without being bullied. And always intervene if it turns bloody. Sometimes bullies need to be caged for a while until the new birds become adjusted. It takes a few months to fully integrate a flock of new birds. And never mix chicks with adult birds, chicks need to be a minimum of 3 months old to be mixed in with adults so they are sturdy enough and can defend themselves. If you are mixing in birds from outside your yard, always quarantine them for 3 to 4 weeks to prevent the spreading of disease.

Good luck with your flock and welcome to ours!

 

[ValerieJ]

Hi! Welcome to BYC! So sorry you have lost some chickens to predators. That is always hard to go through. But, what a miracle Hank is! I'm raising chicks in the fall/winter right now. They are 4 mos and in an adjacent pen to the chickens. I have allowed the two pullets in with the hens for a day, and that worked out okay, but they wanted back with the cockerels when bedtime came. I've also allowed one of the cockerels in with the hens, and that has worked mostly well, but he's young so a bit overbearing. The problem with raising them in the winter is the amount of time I have to be out in the rain watching over them during integrations attempts. Otherwise, it's not different than raising them any other time of year.

 

[DobieLover]

Welcome to active posting on BYC! Nice to meet you.
I'm glad that Hank survived his attack. Sorry to read about the others though.

 

[sourland]

Good evening, and welcome to BYC.

 

[FortCluck]

Welcome to BYC Grab a roost and settle on in

 

[dawg53]

Welcome to BYC.

 

[Brandy1]

Hi!
I've been a lurker for years, and finally decided to say hello! I've had chickens off and on for roughly 20 years. I am always looking to gain new knowledge and insight on everything chickens! We have other animals here on our small hobby farm (sheep, horses, dogs, cats, guinea pig..) but my chickens are my absolute favorite well... maybe right behind my 33 year old horse (i've had her since she was 9years old and I was 10years old!). Chickens really bring a quiet joy to the farm. I love watching them work around the pastures and yards gather bugs and turning our manure piles. They truly help out around here! I currently have a flock of 15 although that number was bigger before I lost a few to heat and a fox . I had a lot of fun building this flock. It was the first time that I sought out a breeder to purchase purbred Ameraucana and Maran chicks in addition to my Meyer hatchery order. Naturally I ended up losing a few chicks and of course my straight run breeder chicks ended up being a 30%-70% hen to rooster ratio . But I ended up keeping a beautiful Olive Egger rooster, who is the absolute sweetest guy EVER! His name is "Hank". He was attacked by a fox one day but luckly hes really heavy, and the fox couldn't carry him off before we got outside to the commotion and chased the fox off. He was a little sore from having so many feathers pulled, but hes strong and is doing wonderful now. Here's a quick list of breeds I currently have:

Black, Blue and splash Ameruacana
Blue Copper Maran
Olive Egger Roo
White Maran
Golden Cuckoo Maran
Australorp
Easter Eggers
Buff Orpington
Golden Laced Wyondotte

I am really hoping to learn about adding new chicks to my existing flock (when chicks are big enough of course), as I have only attempted it once with a hen that had been injured and needed a month to heal before being put back with her flock. the flock I had at the time wouldn't accept her back no matter how long I kept her penned up in the run and coop with them. Im also hoping to learn about raising chicks in the winter. I would love to add some Olive Egger and Welsummer hens to my flock. Just want to make sure I do it right!

When I'm not admiring my chickens I enjoy reading, riding horses, gardening and being a Momma to my beautiful kiddos. Im looking forward to spending more time then I should on here!

 

[Eggscaping]

Hi!
I've been a lurker for years, and finally decided to say hello! I've had chickens off and on for roughly 20 years. I am always looking to gain new knowledge and insight on everything chickens! We have other animals here on our small hobby farm (sheep, horses, dogs, cats, guinea pig..) but my chickens are my absolute favorite well... maybe right behind my 33 year old horse (i've had her since she was 9years old and I was 10years old!). Chickens really bring a quiet joy to the farm. I love watching them work around the pastures and yards gather bugs and turning our manure piles. They truly help out around here! I currently have a flock of 15 although that number was bigger before I lost a few to heat and a fox . I had a lot of fun building this flock. It was the first time that I sought out a breeder to purchase purbred Ameraucana and Maran chicks in addition to my Meyer hatchery order. Naturally I ended up losing a few chicks and of course my straight run breeder chicks ended up being a 30%-70% hen to rooster ratio . But I ended up keeping a beautiful Olive Egger rooster, who is the absolute sweetest guy EVER! His name is "Hank". He was attacked by a fox one day but luckly hes really heavy, and the fox couldn't carry him off before we got outside to the commotion and chased the fox off. He was a little sore from having so many feathers pulled, but hes strong and is doing wonderful now. Here's a quick list of breeds I currently have:

Black, Blue and splash Ameruacana
Blue Copper Maran
Olive Egger Roo
White Maran
Golden Cuckoo Maran
Australorp
Easter Eggers
Buff Orpington
Golden Laced Wyondotte

I am really hoping to learn about adding new chicks to my existing flock (when chicks are big enough of course), as I have only attempted it once with a hen that had been injured and needed a month to heal before being put back with her flock. the flock I had at the time wouldn't accept her back no matter how long I kept her penned up in the run and coop with them. Im also hoping to learn about raising chicks in the winter. I would love to add some Olive Egger and Welsummer hens to my flock. Just want to make sure I do it right!

When I'm not admiring my chickens I enjoy reading, riding horses, gardening and being a Momma to my beautiful kiddos. Im looking forward to spending more time then I should on here!

Hello and welcome to BYC! It’s good to have you with us - there are lots of friendly, kind, and helpful folks here eager to see any pictures of chickens, ducks, quail, guineas, turkeys, stoats, unicorns, or any other critters you keep, and to help you with questions, problems, or just friendly comments! Please post pictures of any or all of your large family...sounds like you have lots of lovely 'kids'!