Hey from Oklahoma and 7 chickens :)

chaneljade

Hatching
5 Years
Sep 15, 2014
4
0
7
Guthrie, OK
I am new to this and learning all I can from internet searches (what in the world is scratch and is it necessary, what type of coop bedding is best...so much I don't know!).
We wanted to start with baby chicks so I have 7...3 buff's (so sweet), 2 Delawares (I was told the chicks were New Hampshires but as they aged it's obvious they are delawares and they're mean...peck the crap out of my hand, toenails, chase the baby chicks..) and 2 black astorlorpes (seem very skiddish and like "loners", won't even take snacks from my hand). We love our flock and the oldest are 22 weeks old so we're anxiously awaiting our *first* eggs! Send good vibes our way :) And any chicken advice/info.. My kids (ages 5, 3 and 1) ALL love our chickens. Even my one year old will feed them from his hand :). I look forward to being a part of this group!
 
Welcome to BYC!

You will find a lot of good information here. Keep on asking questions and you will get many good answers.

You may also want to read the FAQ below.
 
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Sounds like you have a lovely flock! Buffs are so sweet and friendly! That is strange that your australorps are skittish. They are generally docile. Oh well, just proves that every chicken is different!

Glad you joined us!
 
Welcome to the flock. Were your birds purchased from a hatchery? I ask because they wouldn't have received the socialization that home raised chicks do. Food is the best way to a chickens heart - if you sit down with them for a time each time and offer a bit of treats they will learn you aren't a nasty predator.
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. You have a very nice mix of breeds. Our Buff Orpingtons are very sweet and friendly as well. Black Australorps are my favorite standard breed. They are extremely hardy and excellent layers of large, brown eggs. I don't know why yours are so skiddish. Maybe they went through some type of traumatic experience. Be patient with them and keep tempting them with treats and I'm sure they'll eventually come around. My children, and now my granddaughter (pictured in my avatar) made lap pets of our BAs. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your flock.
 
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Glad you joined us!

Feel free to ask lots of questions! We're all here to help.
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Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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I keep Aussies and mine are very docile and friendly as well. However some Aussies are shy. Go sit with them on the ground, quietly, with goodies. Food is a wonderful bonding agent to help friendly them up. Do this for a few weeks and eventually you should be able to lure them in. My Aussies fight over my lap! They love attention and sitting with me. Real snugglers. So work with your birds. You might be surprised that your Aussies are your sweetest birds.

Great to have you aboard and welcome to our flock!
 
We purchased all the chicks from a feed store when they were just a couple days old so I feel they shouldn't be scared of us. I'll keep enticing them with food.
I have a bag of mixed chicken snacks I bought from the feed store (looks like different seeds and corn) that I throw on the ground and they like. Is that stuff the "scratch" people say to give them? I don't understand the need to give them anything more than the laying crumbles if they get to free range all day...
 
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