Chicken Math on the First Try! D:

[Gryphon]

So on Sunday I finally got some chickens! I knew I was getting two pullets, a Black Australorp and a Silver Pencilled Rock. Well I get a text, hey, turns out that the guy is sure that two Light Brahma chicks are going to be hens, do I want them? SILLY QUESTION YES OF COURSE. Got another text, oh hey I remembered that you wanted an Ameracauna, want my last pullet? Hells yeah! So. Started with two, went to four, ended up with five. O_O All last night I was freaking out that I'd come out to find them all dead or something. The chicks have a heat lamp (they're 4 wks I think?) and the pullets are in a box near the lamp since the temperature dropped horribly last night after a tornado swept through Iowa. Went from over 80 degrees to the 60's! They're all nestled in my garage with water and fermented feed (which they all LOVE, the Americauna in particular keeps burbling between bites!) Anyway I'm off to work so I'll put up pictures of them when I get back home. I'm hoping to have my mobile coop finished off tonight, or at least serviceable. (yes I know, very bad of me to have no coop at the ready. But this was too good to pass up!)

 

[gryeyes]

My, aren't you the chicken math prodigy!

I wouldn't have been able to pass that deal up, either. Coop ready or not!

 

[Gryphon]

I'm going to make a "summer coop" (really a chicken tractor out of pvc with a basterdized A frame at one end) and a "winter coop" later that will be far more sturdy.

The pullets are still leery of me, but when they felt brave (hungry) they did gently pick treats (pieces of chives) out from my fingers.

 

[BrendaJ]

Gotta love it Ready or not couldn't pass up that deal either. Best of luck on your coop.

 

[Gryphon]

Ok here's some pics! These are the youngest, two Light Brahmas. I love their fluffy bellbottoms!

One of them has a much more upright tail than the other, I'm hoping that's not an indicator of a roo in the future since I'd have to get rid of him, living in town means no roos since there's a noise ordinance, although roos specifically aren't forbidden.

Here's the Black Australorp and the Silver Penciled Rock in the dog carrier. (The Ameracauna is hiding behind them.) The Rock is the most standoffish, but she ate a June Bug for me so I'm happy with her. The 'Lorp spent this evening whining and crying, I'm hoping it's because of the thunderstorm because I really don't want to name a chicken "Chicken".

And this one is now my favorite, since apparently I'M her favorite. I had the pullets roosting in the garage while I work some more on their coop. When I was kneeling on the ground with my back turned, I suddenly hear flapping and a light thud on my shoulder and chirring. The Ameracauna (at least that's what I was told she is, she's a nice orange color with black flecking) managed to stick with me when I stood up so I had to take a picture of us. (and yes, that is green hair)

 

[FarmerMama7]

Our coop wasn't ready when we got our babies either-when we put the deposit on our coop, he gave our kids week old babies for free, then took his time building the coop. We have a fenced back yard so we let them out to wander when they got big enough and just put them back in their big plastic bin for the night until it was built.

We were going to start this year with just the 6 hens that came free with the purchase of the coop. But then he gave us 4 free babies, and then we got 5 beautiful buff orpingtons from another local farm ($5 for 7 week old hens!). Our 6 chickens turned into 15 in a matter of weeks!