Hello everyone!
Yes, I am NEW. My boyfriend and I just got our chickens last weekend. One Barred Rock hen and two Araucana hens. (possibly mixed?) We went a little backwards and went and picked up our hens and then built our coop so the hens spent the first night in a dog crate and the second day running around the backyard. But, they are settling in well. Monday was their first day in their tractor and they didn't want to come out of their coop until evening. They really really like their coop, they are in and out of it all day long.
You all have been great (without knowing it) as I have been lurking in your pages for the past 3 weeks doing my research and getting my questions answered. I finally decided to join yesterday.
My three hens are not very friendly though. The one Araucana (Blackie) is very vocal and I want to say incorrigible but i think it is a bit early to make that judgment. She does everything her way though. The first day we caught her and put her in our almost finished (only missing the top chicken wire) tractor with the other hens, and she decides to jump/fly up and get out of it so we had to catch her all over. She won't eat out of our hands while the other two will and she is always clucking at the others bossing them about whenever we come near. If we open the coop door, she goes into the tractor. if we enter the tractor she hurries into the coop. She definitely has personality.
Our Barred Rock (Lola) is more friendly, when I first pulled her out of the dog crate to clip her feathers she didn't struggle and she just sat on my lap for a few minutes and let me pet her. she still keeps her eye on us though and makes sure that there is no funny business going on.
Finally their is Java, We were told she is a Mottled Java mix, but that may not be true. she is the most timid of all. and she does everything Blackie tells her. When i was catching them to put them in their coop, Lola was caught first and then i had to shoo Blackie and Java from behind the bushes and they got separated. The entire time they were separated Blackie was clucking away, yelling at Java telling her she needed to come back to the corner. And that was all Java could do was look at me and the corner and i could see her trying to figure it out in her little bird brain.
So, there you have it. Our three hens, they have not started laying yet, but i am checking daily.
We also have 2 dogs who are adjusting very well to the hens. though, Rebel, our 1 yr old Catahoula, keeps running around the tractor at every chance she gets. She thinks the chickens are a game and so we have to keep a close eye on her. Should have seen her licking her chops when we first introduced her to the chickens. I could see the little thought bubble above her head of a featherless, fried hen walking and eating grass and clucking. But Hailey, our 4 yr old Pitt mix is very good with them. She walks behind and smells them and looks at me and then comes to me and wags her tail and then goes back to smelling the places that they have walked and looking at them. She has always been very gentle though, even when i had my hamster she would just watch the hamster and walk behind smelling it. She is a good dog. She found baby squirrels once that had fallen out of their nest in the yard and she brought me one in her mouth. Unfortunately, I think that one died because it was being attacked by fire ants but the others were rescued/rehabilitated thanks to her.
Meanwhile, I am already thinking about getting to chicks... Chick Days are coming at the Tractor Supply locally and I wanted Orpingtons originally and there was someone locally selling some pullets but by the time i was ready to call him he only had roosters left. And after reading all the reviews I still really want a few Orpingtons. So, i think we are going to head that direction.. we will see. I saw lavender Orpinton eggs for sale in the auction but I am not ready to do any hatching yet...
So, now that i have overstayed my welcome on the introductions page, i just want to say Thank you for being here! I will post pictures soon.
Tess
Yes, I am NEW. My boyfriend and I just got our chickens last weekend. One Barred Rock hen and two Araucana hens. (possibly mixed?) We went a little backwards and went and picked up our hens and then built our coop so the hens spent the first night in a dog crate and the second day running around the backyard. But, they are settling in well. Monday was their first day in their tractor and they didn't want to come out of their coop until evening. They really really like their coop, they are in and out of it all day long.
You all have been great (without knowing it) as I have been lurking in your pages for the past 3 weeks doing my research and getting my questions answered. I finally decided to join yesterday.
My three hens are not very friendly though. The one Araucana (Blackie) is very vocal and I want to say incorrigible but i think it is a bit early to make that judgment. She does everything her way though. The first day we caught her and put her in our almost finished (only missing the top chicken wire) tractor with the other hens, and she decides to jump/fly up and get out of it so we had to catch her all over. She won't eat out of our hands while the other two will and she is always clucking at the others bossing them about whenever we come near. If we open the coop door, she goes into the tractor. if we enter the tractor she hurries into the coop. She definitely has personality.
Our Barred Rock (Lola) is more friendly, when I first pulled her out of the dog crate to clip her feathers she didn't struggle and she just sat on my lap for a few minutes and let me pet her. she still keeps her eye on us though and makes sure that there is no funny business going on.
Finally their is Java, We were told she is a Mottled Java mix, but that may not be true. she is the most timid of all. and she does everything Blackie tells her. When i was catching them to put them in their coop, Lola was caught first and then i had to shoo Blackie and Java from behind the bushes and they got separated. The entire time they were separated Blackie was clucking away, yelling at Java telling her she needed to come back to the corner. And that was all Java could do was look at me and the corner and i could see her trying to figure it out in her little bird brain.
So, there you have it. Our three hens, they have not started laying yet, but i am checking daily.
We also have 2 dogs who are adjusting very well to the hens. though, Rebel, our 1 yr old Catahoula, keeps running around the tractor at every chance she gets. She thinks the chickens are a game and so we have to keep a close eye on her. Should have seen her licking her chops when we first introduced her to the chickens. I could see the little thought bubble above her head of a featherless, fried hen walking and eating grass and clucking. But Hailey, our 4 yr old Pitt mix is very good with them. She walks behind and smells them and looks at me and then comes to me and wags her tail and then goes back to smelling the places that they have walked and looking at them. She has always been very gentle though, even when i had my hamster she would just watch the hamster and walk behind smelling it. She is a good dog. She found baby squirrels once that had fallen out of their nest in the yard and she brought me one in her mouth. Unfortunately, I think that one died because it was being attacked by fire ants but the others were rescued/rehabilitated thanks to her.
Meanwhile, I am already thinking about getting to chicks... Chick Days are coming at the Tractor Supply locally and I wanted Orpingtons originally and there was someone locally selling some pullets but by the time i was ready to call him he only had roosters left. And after reading all the reviews I still really want a few Orpingtons. So, i think we are going to head that direction.. we will see. I saw lavender Orpinton eggs for sale in the auction but I am not ready to do any hatching yet...
So, now that i have overstayed my welcome on the introductions page, i just want to say Thank you for being here! I will post pictures soon.
Tess
