I'm the one who lost my babies to a raccoon a couple of days ago. I was browsing current listings on craigslist yesterday, and found one for a lady who was giving her chickens away.
I contacted her, and it turned out that she was doing some kind of study, and the funding was no longer there. It had something to do with developing a meat bird that didn't have tendon problems and wouldn't die of heart failure. She had to provide them all with organic feed only, and encourage as much free-ranging as possible.
Part of her study included bringing in birds of various breeds for cross-breeding. Her chickens quickly multiplied to an unmanageable number, so she decided to give some away. I drove about an hour to her place yesterday, and ended up with 9 hens, 5 pullets, and 1 rooster. The breeds that I recognize are: 3 of them are barred rocks, there's a buff orpington , some white rocks, a few black stars (I think), and the rooster is some sort of red. He has green and blue tail feathers.
I will take pics of them individually soon. I know there are a couple of mixed breed birds in there, too. They're really awesome, and very sweet. It doesn't completely take away the sadness from losing my babies, but it sure makes it easier. Plus, the hens are already laying, so I will have eggs today!!! Woohoo!!!!
One question for today: A few of the hens are missing feathers on their backs and around their bottoms. One of the barred rock hens has a bottom that's kind of raw looking in spots. The lady who gave them to me said it's from mating. Do I need to keep the rooster separate in order for the hens to heal?
Thanks again for the show of support during my day of mourning. Thanks in advance, too, for answering my questions. I know I'm going to have a bunch of them.
Sincerely,
Cayce
I contacted her, and it turned out that she was doing some kind of study, and the funding was no longer there. It had something to do with developing a meat bird that didn't have tendon problems and wouldn't die of heart failure. She had to provide them all with organic feed only, and encourage as much free-ranging as possible.
Part of her study included bringing in birds of various breeds for cross-breeding. Her chickens quickly multiplied to an unmanageable number, so she decided to give some away. I drove about an hour to her place yesterday, and ended up with 9 hens, 5 pullets, and 1 rooster. The breeds that I recognize are: 3 of them are barred rocks, there's a buff orpington , some white rocks, a few black stars (I think), and the rooster is some sort of red. He has green and blue tail feathers.
I will take pics of them individually soon. I know there are a couple of mixed breed birds in there, too. They're really awesome, and very sweet. It doesn't completely take away the sadness from losing my babies, but it sure makes it easier. Plus, the hens are already laying, so I will have eggs today!!! Woohoo!!!!
One question for today: A few of the hens are missing feathers on their backs and around their bottoms. One of the barred rock hens has a bottom that's kind of raw looking in spots. The lady who gave them to me said it's from mating. Do I need to keep the rooster separate in order for the hens to heal?
Thanks again for the show of support during my day of mourning. Thanks in advance, too, for answering my questions. I know I'm going to have a bunch of them.
Sincerely,
Cayce
