My wife decided we were going to keep chickens. (I thought she was crazy).
A few months later, I think she's brilliant. We've got more eggs than any family should ever have. My daughters love the chickens (and let themselves right in to hold the bantam cochins).
They've also raised a set of buff orpingtons who believe they are lap pets and lay large, beautiful brown eggs (though one lays white eggs just because).
This is all good.
We bought a couple books on raising chickens, read up on the net and got all set. The problem is that apparently even though I've read the chicken books cover to cover, the chickens, it seems, have not.
The bantam cochins are in a sort of chicken tractor (a dog run with heavy livestock wire ("chicken wire" is worthless). Those steadfastly avoid the feed and eat grass. Ok, so far, so good. I live near Seattle and we get a lot of daily drizzle. The chicken books indicate that chickens hate to get wet. That they like sheltered areas where they can feed and such. My chickens do not care at all what the books say.
In the morning, in the rain, the cochins head out and begin to pick at grass or catch the occasional bee.
They do not keep under cover. They do not seem to care if they more resemble a sponge than a chicken. The tractor is half covered. The chickens show no preference for cover or not cover. They have food and water and grass and plenty of space in the covererd areas. They choose to go out into the rain.
The buffs, on the other hand, refuse to use their coop. As chicks they got used to pilling into a lump in one corner of the run (a heavily sheltered, southward corner) and no fancy coop, perches or anything else can coax them from their chicken pile. "Chickens are descended from roosting game birds, and like a simulation of a low branch to perch on," says the book. Maybe other chickens. I spent a couple weeks moving them into the coop. Then my wife pointed out that if they wanted to be in the coop they have wings and legs and they'd probably go. The chickens quite happily explore the coop during the day, using it to space themselves out further but at night it's "squeeze into a puddle of feathers in the corner" time.
If these were bees, I'd be completely comfortable with this. Bees do what they want and don't care at all what the books say. I usually say that the bees have much more practice being bees than we do, so whatever they want to do is fine by me.
Is it the same with chickens? Should I be concerned that my Fish-Chicken hybrids do not care about getting very, very wet? Or that the buff Orpingtons dont' roost? Or should I figure out some way to confine them in the dry and continue my chicken relocation services?
A few months later, I think she's brilliant. We've got more eggs than any family should ever have. My daughters love the chickens (and let themselves right in to hold the bantam cochins).
They've also raised a set of buff orpingtons who believe they are lap pets and lay large, beautiful brown eggs (though one lays white eggs just because).
This is all good.
We bought a couple books on raising chickens, read up on the net and got all set. The problem is that apparently even though I've read the chicken books cover to cover, the chickens, it seems, have not.
The bantam cochins are in a sort of chicken tractor (a dog run with heavy livestock wire ("chicken wire" is worthless). Those steadfastly avoid the feed and eat grass. Ok, so far, so good. I live near Seattle and we get a lot of daily drizzle. The chicken books indicate that chickens hate to get wet. That they like sheltered areas where they can feed and such. My chickens do not care at all what the books say.
In the morning, in the rain, the cochins head out and begin to pick at grass or catch the occasional bee.
They do not keep under cover. They do not seem to care if they more resemble a sponge than a chicken. The tractor is half covered. The chickens show no preference for cover or not cover. They have food and water and grass and plenty of space in the covererd areas. They choose to go out into the rain.
The buffs, on the other hand, refuse to use their coop. As chicks they got used to pilling into a lump in one corner of the run (a heavily sheltered, southward corner) and no fancy coop, perches or anything else can coax them from their chicken pile. "Chickens are descended from roosting game birds, and like a simulation of a low branch to perch on," says the book. Maybe other chickens. I spent a couple weeks moving them into the coop. Then my wife pointed out that if they wanted to be in the coop they have wings and legs and they'd probably go. The chickens quite happily explore the coop during the day, using it to space themselves out further but at night it's "squeeze into a puddle of feathers in the corner" time.
If these were bees, I'd be completely comfortable with this. Bees do what they want and don't care at all what the books say. I usually say that the bees have much more practice being bees than we do, so whatever they want to do is fine by me.
Is it the same with chickens? Should I be concerned that my Fish-Chicken hybrids do not care about getting very, very wet? Or that the buff Orpingtons dont' roost? Or should I figure out some way to confine them in the dry and continue my chicken relocation services?
