combatfuzzball
Songster
Hello just wanted to do a better intro for anyone interested.
I just recently purchased a lot of 10 chickens from TSC mainly because I've always had the chicken bug. Here's how it started.
When I was around 4 my Mom and dad got divorced and my mom and I moved back home to Alabama. Shortly after getting our own place there around Easter my mom bought a chicken and a duck baby for me. I still remember them vaguely all I remember is mom would send me to the store her sister and brother and law owned for the day while she went to work and would pack myself and the 2 tiny birds to go with me. I must have been fairly good at feeding them because my Mom was always big on being responsible and it was months before we had to get rid of the chick and duckling due to their getting too big to live in our apartment. They found good homes with some family and I was once again chickenless.
Fast forward to around the age 12 and I decided to build a chicken incubator out of a box, thermometer, incandescent light, and a bowl of water. The reason why was for a science project for school. I actually got the idea for the incubator from one of mom's first cousins who had chickens and willing donated 6-7 fertilized eggs from his barnyard flock. Another cousin donated about the same and I suddenly had 14 American game chicken mutt eggs to attempt to hatch.
For around 3 weeks I was up early rotating eggs before school and rushing in to do the same after school. I was really excited when I could actually hear the chicks chirping inside their shells. Finally within a day or 2 just a bout all the eggs hatched. Only one didn't hatch although I waited several more days.
Nothing was cooler than being the only boy in town who was the leader of an entire flock of chicks. They ran to me everytime something scared them or I called them. Sometimes they'd come and just sit on my legs or in my lap.
Later on around 25 or so I finally had the chance to start another small flock. Bought a bunch of baby chicks at a Swap meet and was off and running again. I also got given a very old Hen I just called Momma. She ran the coop and the adolescent chicks new better than to mess with her. She went broody the first spring and sat on a good batch of eggs.
One morning hearing all heck breaking out at the coop I ran out to see all of the chickens running around basically screaming their heads off. Momma wasn't around so I figured she'd finally died and this scared the other chickens. So I walked int othe coop to check only to find Momma sitting firmly on her nest fully hackled and hissing and Bakkaing up a storm towards the back wall of her nest. Getting closer I saw that a Chicken snake had entered the nest through the wall and was trying to steal an egg from her. Unsuccessfully< I might add since Momma wasn't backing down and American Game Chicken moms are NOT something anyone should mess with. I had to tear open one wall of my homemade coop to get the snake out of the coop. Had to have been at least 12 foot long but was no match for Momma. Two days later it's mate tried the same thing with similar results.
Sadly Momma, my rooster Bugler, along with the rest died a few years later. Bugler after attempting to attack a Rhode Island Red my Uncle had given me. The rest were killed by a dog one day when I was at work.
Now I'm in my 50's and starting over everything basically. Just got remarried and have a beautiful baby girl named AudriAnna. Bought a nice house out in the country. In an area with tons of dairy farms. Just loving that country air stink and all.
I'm determined to give this baby the best so a nice house and yard to grow and play in. Also for me it's important that she grow up Country. Not being able to buy a lot of land I have lobbied hard with the wife over getting chickens. Something small and interesting that I love that maybe I can pass on to my daughter. Looking forward to watching my little chickens grow up along with my daughter.
She'll be to little for a while to enjoy it but in a year or two she'll be able to toddle out to help gather eggs and maybe even hatch some of her own chickens from our little flock of Americauna's.
I just recently purchased a lot of 10 chickens from TSC mainly because I've always had the chicken bug. Here's how it started.
When I was around 4 my Mom and dad got divorced and my mom and I moved back home to Alabama. Shortly after getting our own place there around Easter my mom bought a chicken and a duck baby for me. I still remember them vaguely all I remember is mom would send me to the store her sister and brother and law owned for the day while she went to work and would pack myself and the 2 tiny birds to go with me. I must have been fairly good at feeding them because my Mom was always big on being responsible and it was months before we had to get rid of the chick and duckling due to their getting too big to live in our apartment. They found good homes with some family and I was once again chickenless.
Fast forward to around the age 12 and I decided to build a chicken incubator out of a box, thermometer, incandescent light, and a bowl of water. The reason why was for a science project for school. I actually got the idea for the incubator from one of mom's first cousins who had chickens and willing donated 6-7 fertilized eggs from his barnyard flock. Another cousin donated about the same and I suddenly had 14 American game chicken mutt eggs to attempt to hatch.
For around 3 weeks I was up early rotating eggs before school and rushing in to do the same after school. I was really excited when I could actually hear the chicks chirping inside their shells. Finally within a day or 2 just a bout all the eggs hatched. Only one didn't hatch although I waited several more days.
Nothing was cooler than being the only boy in town who was the leader of an entire flock of chicks. They ran to me everytime something scared them or I called them. Sometimes they'd come and just sit on my legs or in my lap.
Later on around 25 or so I finally had the chance to start another small flock. Bought a bunch of baby chicks at a Swap meet and was off and running again. I also got given a very old Hen I just called Momma. She ran the coop and the adolescent chicks new better than to mess with her. She went broody the first spring and sat on a good batch of eggs.
One morning hearing all heck breaking out at the coop I ran out to see all of the chickens running around basically screaming their heads off. Momma wasn't around so I figured she'd finally died and this scared the other chickens. So I walked int othe coop to check only to find Momma sitting firmly on her nest fully hackled and hissing and Bakkaing up a storm towards the back wall of her nest. Getting closer I saw that a Chicken snake had entered the nest through the wall and was trying to steal an egg from her. Unsuccessfully< I might add since Momma wasn't backing down and American Game Chicken moms are NOT something anyone should mess with. I had to tear open one wall of my homemade coop to get the snake out of the coop. Had to have been at least 12 foot long but was no match for Momma. Two days later it's mate tried the same thing with similar results.
Sadly Momma, my rooster Bugler, along with the rest died a few years later. Bugler after attempting to attack a Rhode Island Red my Uncle had given me. The rest were killed by a dog one day when I was at work.
Now I'm in my 50's and starting over everything basically. Just got remarried and have a beautiful baby girl named AudriAnna. Bought a nice house out in the country. In an area with tons of dairy farms. Just loving that country air stink and all.
I'm determined to give this baby the best so a nice house and yard to grow and play in. Also for me it's important that she grow up Country. Not being able to buy a lot of land I have lobbied hard with the wife over getting chickens. Something small and interesting that I love that maybe I can pass on to my daughter. Looking forward to watching my little chickens grow up along with my daughter.
She'll be to little for a while to enjoy it but in a year or two she'll be able to toddle out to help gather eggs and maybe even hatch some of her own chickens from our little flock of Americauna's.
