Here Chick Chick

[mamabear_in_tn]

We just picked up 6 adorable baby chicks last week and my are they ever growing. 6 golden ones and 2 cute little black and white critters. We have 12 week old Guinea Fowl, and love them so much - we decided to get some chickens after discovering that they can co-exist.

The guineas have their 'job' of keeping the property tick-free, and we thought - what a great idea to have fresh eggs from chickens.

They are apparently pullets that lay different colored eggs, so we're excited to find out. When the kids asked if we were going to eat them, I told them no: we don't eat our pets

They made me promise that I would allow some eggs to stay in the nest and hatch so that we can have more. (I have a feeling, I'll be selling baby chicks next year)

We had so much fun today playing with them, they were flying up to the kids' arms and then on to each other's shoulders. I didn't know what to expect in terms of their temperment, but from all that I have read thus far, they seem to make really good outside buddies.

Here's an absurd question - is a single rooster enough to get eggs from all of the hens? I know that's a silly question but, I am new to raising chickens.

 

[ghillie]

 

[noshoes]

The hens will lay eggs with or without rooster.

 

[drumstick diva]

You don't need a rooster for the hens to lay eggs . Without him eggs will not be fertile. When you plan on hatching eggs you will have to let the rooster be in with the hens and mate them.

 

[mamabear_in_tn]

oh even better - i don't have to worry about! Chickens are definitely interesting creatures, aren't they?

The two little black and whites are straight run chickens, so I suppose it will be a good surprise to see if they are both hens or I end up with a rooster.

Here's another question: do they keep their little personalities? Perhaps I'm being overly excited, but they all seem to have different personalities. (some are quiet, some are loud, and others seem to like to be held a bit more than others).

Unlike the guineas, who are completely adorable, but travel in a pack like a bunch of clones. hahahahaha

 

[Whimsy]

My dear you are already hooked, just wait till the chicken math starts!!!

 

[they'reHISchickens]

Not only do they have different personalities, they change their personalities as they mature. Teenage chickens are crazy and mindless.[no comment about humans of the same age bracket] Once the hormones of adulthood kick in, they mellow out and become laid back except for leghorns. Henny Penny was a leghorn.

 

[iluvsedward]

id give some info but everyone did it for me so

 

[theFox]

Quote:
You could explain chicken math.

mamabear, chicken math is really simple if someone decides that you shouldn't have any more than 8 chickens, that really means eight different kinds of chickens so you could have 8 barred rocks, 8 white rocks, 8 buff rocks, and so forth and actually according to chicken math have only 1 chicken. That is because they are all rocks.

Using chicken math you can prove all those mistakes you made back in school were actually not mistakes ;-).

 

[Tomhusker]

Don't forget:

16 chicken - 1+6=7 chickens.

-or-

You buy 8 chicks and 3 turn out to be roos so you give them away

Now 5 chicks

Buy 8 more to replace the 3 you gave away (You will have more to give away later). 4 are roos, so you have to get rid of them.

So now you have 4 of those. Buy 8 more, 2 roos given away.

6 of those left, buy 8 more 6 roos........

It can go on for a long time before you get to the end. The key is, you are not getting back to the original 8, but replacing the ones you gave away..... every round. Of course if you ever get 8 girlies on the first try, you are very lucky and should reward yourself with 8 more chicks!