- Apr 23, 2013
- 68
- 1
- 31
Hello!
My chicken hobby started four years ago, when my dad said, "I think it'd be fun to own chickens," and somehow convinced my mom to agree.
After doing a lot of research, we bought a $500 Eglu. We got our first four hens as pullets from a local farm, and just 2 days after we got them, the first one died. At first, we thought we had done something wrong, but then realized that the chicken had been exhibiting symptoms of sickness (sneezing, hiding in the food dish, weird poop). Even knowing it wasn't our own fault, we still grieved the loss of that chicken, burying it in our yard (in the garden area now called "The chicken cemetery") and decorating its grave with flowers, moss, rocks, and yes, tears. We eventually added to our flock, and occasionally lost more hens (or roosters) to sickness, hawks, foxes, and even our french bulldog, Veeka, each loss becoming easier to accept.
We live in town, so the legal limit of chickens is 20. We've never been above that, teetering out at 19, but we have broken one city ordinance. Roosters.
We've had numerous cases of sweet little chicks turn roosters, and in all but one case, felt okay getting rid of them. That one exception was two silkie (my absolute favorite breed!) roosters. We just couldn't bear to see them go. So we kept them. Much to the dismay of our neighbors, who being constantly awakened by the sound of crowing, had enough. One of those fine folks called animal control, and a very nice lady came to our door one morning saying,
"You must get rid of your roosters in the next 2 days; if you don't, there will be severe consequences."
We did as she said; I asked around my school and found a boy willing to take them. Ultimately, they went to a good home, and lived there until they were, as reported by this boy, "eaten by a bobcat."
I think one misconception people have about chickens is that they are personality-less and, well, dumb. And while chickens aren't the smartest animals (ever had a chicken pace back and forth for minutes, barely missing the door to the coop each time?), they do have true personalities. Take Harvey the Java for example. The flock leader, and normally quite kind hen, definitely has a personality of her own. Unlike other lead hens we have had, she just has to puff up or tap other hens lightly on the head to get them to comply. Harvey will follow you around the yard, acting more like a dog than a chicken, and when she has found a jackpot of food, she will squawk loudly to let the other hens know it is there. Some may dismiss this as just nature, rather than personality, but I beg to differ.
I am excited to join this site, as I think it will be very helpful when surprises pop-up, which I have learned happens quite often when dealing with chickens.
Thanks for taking time to read this [I know us "chicken farmers" have very busy schedules
]
Sincerely,
Iris
P.S.
Chicken breeds I have include:
Java
Silkies: black, splash, white (x2)
Black Cochin
New Hampshire Red (x2)
Rhode Island Red
Bantam, Black Ameraucana (x2)
Dark Brahma (x2)
My chicken hobby started four years ago, when my dad said, "I think it'd be fun to own chickens," and somehow convinced my mom to agree.
After doing a lot of research, we bought a $500 Eglu. We got our first four hens as pullets from a local farm, and just 2 days after we got them, the first one died. At first, we thought we had done something wrong, but then realized that the chicken had been exhibiting symptoms of sickness (sneezing, hiding in the food dish, weird poop). Even knowing it wasn't our own fault, we still grieved the loss of that chicken, burying it in our yard (in the garden area now called "The chicken cemetery") and decorating its grave with flowers, moss, rocks, and yes, tears. We eventually added to our flock, and occasionally lost more hens (or roosters) to sickness, hawks, foxes, and even our french bulldog, Veeka, each loss becoming easier to accept.
We live in town, so the legal limit of chickens is 20. We've never been above that, teetering out at 19, but we have broken one city ordinance. Roosters.
We've had numerous cases of sweet little chicks turn roosters, and in all but one case, felt okay getting rid of them. That one exception was two silkie (my absolute favorite breed!) roosters. We just couldn't bear to see them go. So we kept them. Much to the dismay of our neighbors, who being constantly awakened by the sound of crowing, had enough. One of those fine folks called animal control, and a very nice lady came to our door one morning saying,
"You must get rid of your roosters in the next 2 days; if you don't, there will be severe consequences."
We did as she said; I asked around my school and found a boy willing to take them. Ultimately, they went to a good home, and lived there until they were, as reported by this boy, "eaten by a bobcat."
I think one misconception people have about chickens is that they are personality-less and, well, dumb. And while chickens aren't the smartest animals (ever had a chicken pace back and forth for minutes, barely missing the door to the coop each time?), they do have true personalities. Take Harvey the Java for example. The flock leader, and normally quite kind hen, definitely has a personality of her own. Unlike other lead hens we have had, she just has to puff up or tap other hens lightly on the head to get them to comply. Harvey will follow you around the yard, acting more like a dog than a chicken, and when she has found a jackpot of food, she will squawk loudly to let the other hens know it is there. Some may dismiss this as just nature, rather than personality, but I beg to differ.
I am excited to join this site, as I think it will be very helpful when surprises pop-up, which I have learned happens quite often when dealing with chickens.
Thanks for taking time to read this [I know us "chicken farmers" have very busy schedules
]Sincerely,
Iris
P.S.
Chicken breeds I have include:
Java
Silkies: black, splash, white (x2)
Black Cochin
New Hampshire Red (x2)
Rhode Island Red
Bantam, Black Ameraucana (x2)
Dark Brahma (x2)
Last edited by a moderator:
