WabbitSeason
Chirping
The wife had been “nagging”(jk) me about getting chickens for the last ten years or so. I was against getting chickens. I remember “dressing” chickens with my grandma when I was younger and the plucking was the worst. I decided then, I was no chicken person.....
Then COVID hit and the price of eggs skyrocketed there for a few weeks.
I had a change of heart, and started researching chicken breeds. We came down to 10-12 we thought were ok to start with. That way we could keep an eye out at our local feed stores(LFS).
That day I stopped at our local feed store and saw New Hampshire Red pullets and straight run Cornish Rock. Rhode Island Reds were on our list so after looking up New Hampshire Reds and learning they’re selective bred RIR I picked 8 and due to chicken math which I didn’t even know about yet 1 Cornish Rock. This made our little flock number to 9. I read and researched everything I could find about our new birds. Five days later I find myself back in LFS to get more vitamins and see they have new “rainbow egg” pullets. So I FaceTime the wife and she says 8 she wants so I bring them home. This brings our total up to 17 and I realize I’m a “chicken person”.
I continue to read everything I can on chickens and decide Black Australorp are the breed I want for their egg laying numbers. Two days later I’m in a different LFS and see they show having Australorp pullets, so I call the wife and she says no more than 4 cause we already have 17. So I bring them home and our total up to 21. The next day I fix a large chicken tractor so they can get out of the brooder.
Between us getting our last and next chicks we would have a rescue dog bite our Cornish Rock and put a hole through its crop. We stitched and medicated it and it lived. Then about a week later the same dog got one of our Rainbow egg chicks through a fence and I have to put the chick down. We re-homed the rescue to protect further birds. So now we had 20 in our flock.
As I read and read I had mentioned how beautiful polish chickens were to my wife. So I happen to be in LFS and see Golden Crested Poland chicks. I called the wifey cause by this point going in I have to call and let her know what birds they have. She is high risk for COVID so we are pretty strict with our quarantine regimen and only I go out. Anyway that’s a completely different story. So she says we’ve got a lot of birds so no more than 2 and we all the sudden get the start of a second flock and 22 total birds.
Four days later in LFS I see Golden Sexlink. After looking them up and talking to the wifey, I bring 4 home to be with our polish. So now we have a flock of 20 and a flock of 6. 26 total chickens.
The wifey decides she wants some ducks so I keep an eye out. Two days later in LFS I see ducklings and a FaceTime call later the wifey has chosen 2. Now we are up to 26 chickens 2 ducks. We get home and read how they need more than two to be happy. So a couple days later in LFS I bring home 3 more. Three days after another 3 ducklings, 1 White Turkey and one mystery bird that turns out to be a beautiful Silver laced Cochin. They all go into flock two and now we’re up to 27 chickens, 8 ducks, and 1 Turkey.
Around here this year we’ve had a lot of hawks. We lost our e duck to hawks. Just killed it on the impact but our wonderful dog Belle that previously had no job kept the hawk from taking the bird. She is now “Chicken Momma” Belle.
Back to birds and in LFS I see “Production Blues” so I look them up and decide I gotta have 4.
For those keeping count, now we’re at 31 Chickens 7 ducks and 1 Turkey.
Ducks grow fast and are messy so they break off into a third flock. The seven are a force to be reckoned with when the other birds try them. The ducks and Turkey at this point don’t care for each other. Turkey is the only bird with the brass to stand up to the ducks.
A couple weeks later in LFS I see and bring home 3 more ducks. Thinking they are likely Muscovy ducks which I want.
We end up losing our Cornish Cross a number of reason could be to blame, but we’re leaning toward heat and heart. Then we lose one of our older ducks.
Five days later I see more polish in LFS and bring home 4. A week after I bring home another 4 polish and the wifey pick 2 bantam straight runs she can’t resist.
So RN before we get Silkies this weekend we have 40 Chickens, 9 ducks and 1 Turkey for a total of 50 birds. Wow!
Yes, yes we are crazy!
Thanks for reading.
Then COVID hit and the price of eggs skyrocketed there for a few weeks.
I had a change of heart, and started researching chicken breeds. We came down to 10-12 we thought were ok to start with. That way we could keep an eye out at our local feed stores(LFS).
That day I stopped at our local feed store and saw New Hampshire Red pullets and straight run Cornish Rock. Rhode Island Reds were on our list so after looking up New Hampshire Reds and learning they’re selective bred RIR I picked 8 and due to chicken math which I didn’t even know about yet 1 Cornish Rock. This made our little flock number to 9. I read and researched everything I could find about our new birds. Five days later I find myself back in LFS to get more vitamins and see they have new “rainbow egg” pullets. So I FaceTime the wife and she says 8 she wants so I bring them home. This brings our total up to 17 and I realize I’m a “chicken person”.
I continue to read everything I can on chickens and decide Black Australorp are the breed I want for their egg laying numbers. Two days later I’m in a different LFS and see they show having Australorp pullets, so I call the wife and she says no more than 4 cause we already have 17. So I bring them home and our total up to 21. The next day I fix a large chicken tractor so they can get out of the brooder.
Between us getting our last and next chicks we would have a rescue dog bite our Cornish Rock and put a hole through its crop. We stitched and medicated it and it lived. Then about a week later the same dog got one of our Rainbow egg chicks through a fence and I have to put the chick down. We re-homed the rescue to protect further birds. So now we had 20 in our flock.
As I read and read I had mentioned how beautiful polish chickens were to my wife. So I happen to be in LFS and see Golden Crested Poland chicks. I called the wifey cause by this point going in I have to call and let her know what birds they have. She is high risk for COVID so we are pretty strict with our quarantine regimen and only I go out. Anyway that’s a completely different story. So she says we’ve got a lot of birds so no more than 2 and we all the sudden get the start of a second flock and 22 total birds.
Four days later in LFS I see Golden Sexlink. After looking them up and talking to the wifey, I bring 4 home to be with our polish. So now we have a flock of 20 and a flock of 6. 26 total chickens.
The wifey decides she wants some ducks so I keep an eye out. Two days later in LFS I see ducklings and a FaceTime call later the wifey has chosen 2. Now we are up to 26 chickens 2 ducks. We get home and read how they need more than two to be happy. So a couple days later in LFS I bring home 3 more. Three days after another 3 ducklings, 1 White Turkey and one mystery bird that turns out to be a beautiful Silver laced Cochin. They all go into flock two and now we’re up to 27 chickens, 8 ducks, and 1 Turkey.
Around here this year we’ve had a lot of hawks. We lost our e duck to hawks. Just killed it on the impact but our wonderful dog Belle that previously had no job kept the hawk from taking the bird. She is now “Chicken Momma” Belle.
Back to birds and in LFS I see “Production Blues” so I look them up and decide I gotta have 4.
For those keeping count, now we’re at 31 Chickens 7 ducks and 1 Turkey.
Ducks grow fast and are messy so they break off into a third flock. The seven are a force to be reckoned with when the other birds try them. The ducks and Turkey at this point don’t care for each other. Turkey is the only bird with the brass to stand up to the ducks.
A couple weeks later in LFS I see and bring home 3 more ducks. Thinking they are likely Muscovy ducks which I want.
We end up losing our Cornish Cross a number of reason could be to blame, but we’re leaning toward heat and heart. Then we lose one of our older ducks.
Five days later I see more polish in LFS and bring home 4. A week after I bring home another 4 polish and the wifey pick 2 bantam straight runs she can’t resist.
So RN before we get Silkies this weekend we have 40 Chickens, 9 ducks and 1 Turkey for a total of 50 birds. Wow!
Yes, yes we are crazy!
Thanks for reading.
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