Hi, My name is Christine, I'm in Central Illinois (Mclean County).
I've had chickens, pheasants, turkeys and quail in the past but it's been about 5 years since I owned any. (I used to live up in the Chicago 'burbs) I was jonesing for some more birds and found somebody selling some hens for $4 each. That was pretty cheap compared to some of the prices I'd been seeing so I jumped at the opportunity and bought 8 of them.
They guy that I got them from, got them from somebody else, so I don't know much about their history. Some were rough looking from pecking/molting and perhaps a rooster in their past but they appeared otherwise healthy. He was getting rid of them because they weren't laying very well.
They seem to be older hens (no idea how old) and most of them are molting. Still they're nice birds and I get 1-3 eggs per day. There are four barred rocks and four Rhode Island reds (or production reds).
Did I mentioned I jumped into this? I didn't even have a coop.. just a dog run for them. My boyfriend, who claims he doesn't like chickens, designed and built the coop right away.
Here are a bunch of pictures:
K (my boyfriend) building the chicken tractor type coop. The chickens weren't fazed at all by the drilling, sawing and noise. One chicken stood by K's feet almost the whole time and clucked her approval or disapproval of his progress.
Being the big, tough guy that he is, he trys to act like he doesn't like the hens, but he'll stop what he's doing to catch a cricket and carry it over to them.
Here's the coop in it's current state. Still needs to be finished... but it's usuable. I use a small tractor to pull it around in the yard.
I'm hoping to find a small window and some roofing material for cheap but I may have to break down and actually go to Menards.
Anyhow.. more pictures...
One of the molting reds.
"Go catch me a cricket."
The 'Dirt Spa'.
I'm hoping they lay more when they finish molting.
So anyhow, Howdy everybody!
I've had chickens, pheasants, turkeys and quail in the past but it's been about 5 years since I owned any. (I used to live up in the Chicago 'burbs) I was jonesing for some more birds and found somebody selling some hens for $4 each. That was pretty cheap compared to some of the prices I'd been seeing so I jumped at the opportunity and bought 8 of them.
They guy that I got them from, got them from somebody else, so I don't know much about their history. Some were rough looking from pecking/molting and perhaps a rooster in their past but they appeared otherwise healthy. He was getting rid of them because they weren't laying very well.
They seem to be older hens (no idea how old) and most of them are molting. Still they're nice birds and I get 1-3 eggs per day. There are four barred rocks and four Rhode Island reds (or production reds).
Did I mentioned I jumped into this? I didn't even have a coop.. just a dog run for them. My boyfriend, who claims he doesn't like chickens, designed and built the coop right away.
Here are a bunch of pictures:
K (my boyfriend) building the chicken tractor type coop. The chickens weren't fazed at all by the drilling, sawing and noise. One chicken stood by K's feet almost the whole time and clucked her approval or disapproval of his progress.
Being the big, tough guy that he is, he trys to act like he doesn't like the hens, but he'll stop what he's doing to catch a cricket and carry it over to them.
Here's the coop in it's current state. Still needs to be finished... but it's usuable. I use a small tractor to pull it around in the yard.
I'm hoping to find a small window and some roofing material for cheap but I may have to break down and actually go to Menards.
Anyhow.. more pictures...
One of the molting reds.
"Go catch me a cricket."
The 'Dirt Spa'.
I'm hoping they lay more when they finish molting.
So anyhow, Howdy everybody!
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