Hawgfan
Chirping
Long time lurker, commented a few times, but first time starting my own thread. I have always wanted some chickens to care for and to lay eggs (that weren't white!). I was never allowed to, because I grew up on a commercial broiler farm. The company my parents grew chickens for didn't allow domestic birds of any type on your property. My wife and I recently bought a house and farm that had an old chicken coop. With my children getting old enough to help and gain an appreciation of where their food actually comes from, I decided now was finally the time. I ordered 10 Barred Rock straight runs (they threw in an extra), 3 RIR pullets, and 3 Pekin ducks from Cackle. The BRs turned out to be 5 cockerels and 6 pullets. We've now cared for them since early May, and haven't lost any. Everything has went perfectly according to plan, thanks in large part to the knowledge I've gained here. I was surprised at how little I knew about raising chickens, having grown up with literally millions of them. I never gave the commercial operation much thought I guess. We've began culling the extra roos for meat, and have been amazed at the flavor and texture. At long last (19 weeks, 5 days to be exact) we got our first egg this weekend. Thanks again for all the great information that I continue to get from this community.