- Aug 26, 2011
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Only 96 people with me at the three year mark!
How Long Have You Been Raising Chickens? - OLD
- Thread starter Nifty-Chicken
- Start date
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My husband will be 65 in April and I will be 58 in May. Our first experience with chickens was when we took in 3 old layer hens (1 blind) for someone about 4 years ago. We lost one to a predator, then had to find new homes for the 2 remaining when we moved from Ontario to Nova Scotia in October 2009. We missed them so much that we decided to get some now that we are more settled. So, at the end of May we purchased a number of heritage chicks, 2 Silkie chicks, 4 Silkie hens & a rooster and an Embden gosling. Sadly we lost one of the Silkie hens. I think the gosling smothered it when she was cuddling up to them one night so we moved them to their own coop and built the goose (Maggie) her own home (complete with porch, window, & lattice 'railing') inside a 10' x 10' pen that we close at night and where she will remain over winter. The heritage chicks have grown into a nice mixture. We have 3 Columbian Rock - one has turned out to be a roo so we are considering trying to hatch their chicks to sell (and possibly keeping 1 or 2). Unfortunately the rooster was a bit nasty with my husband this week so we are reconsidering that decision. Although we were doing a lot of work in and around their pen/coop so it may have stressed it a bit.
We also have 3 Silver Phoenix - unfortunately 2 of these turned out to be roos so I am presently trying to sell one or trade him for a couple of hens. I just LOVE our Silver Phoenix hen! She is soooo friendly and curious. The roos are gorgeous... with beautiful long tails. They are all pretty friendly, but now that the laying is just beginning one of them gave me a little sideways dance when I picked up the hen today so I'll have to keep my eye on him.
The Silkies were my treat to myself. I have always wanted some and the breeder had decided they weren't going to keep Silkies anymore so were getting rid of them. So, thinking that it was meant to be, I offered to take them. The rooster seems to hate me though. He's fine if I'm carrying him around, but he challenges me constantly if they are all out and about and I approach the hens. He is a Blue Splash. The 2 'chicks' (which I think are about 6 months old) appear to be a hen and rooster and although I am not well versed, I'd say they are probably blue splash, too... although to me they are just dark "blue" (or black). They are VERY friendly with us now... but all of the birds were terrified of us for the longest time, despite daily handling and lots of love. We have one white Silkie hen that is Nasty... and believe me, that is with a capital 'N'. She is incredibly broody... stealing eggs at the drop of a hat. So, we let her sit on some to see what would happen... once chick recently hatched and as soon as it did, she stopped sitting on the balance of the eggs! Being naive, we just left the eggs another two days to see if she'd go back to them, or if either of the 2 buff Silkie hens might try. Well, they didn't so we removed them. When I checked them, they had all been fertilized and probably would have hatched if we had an incubator... so that will probably be our next purchase. Anyhow, the little chick that hatched is happy and healthy and we are amazed how well the other Silkies treat it. All of our Silkies are bearded ones.
We also have a Black Breasted Red Phoenix that we are trying to sell as it turned out to be a roo as well. He wants to be king of the chicken community and the Columbian Rock and Silver Phoenix won't hear of it, so there was just too much fighting going on. He isn't the friendliest of birds, either. I have him in a separate pen now and feel so guilty for that. I hope I can find someone who will appreciate his spunkiness and handsomeness very soon. He is very striking.
We have 3 additional hens: a Barred Plymouth Rock, a Silver Laced Wyandotte and a Silver Pencilled Wyandotte. We had our very first egg yesterday from the chicks purchased at the end of May. It was a small brown egg, perfectly formed with a nice firm shell. We were quite pleased.
We are hoping to get new chicks in the spring and at this point we are thinking of 5 Golden Laced Wyandotte, 5 Buff Orpingtons and 3 more Silver Phoenix but that isn't carved in stone. We have to research what we will be able to get around where we live first.... as well as re-home at least 2 of the roosters. Our chickens have a 24' x 24' run. Up until the other day the 2 oldest Silkie chicks were part of the flock, but the roosters are just getting too territorial now. I think I will be adding the newest chick into the pen that they are in one night when it's a bit larger. I just love the Silkies, too. They sing to me all the time. They sound like little Gremlins.
We also have 3 Silver Phoenix - unfortunately 2 of these turned out to be roos so I am presently trying to sell one or trade him for a couple of hens. I just LOVE our Silver Phoenix hen! She is soooo friendly and curious. The roos are gorgeous... with beautiful long tails. They are all pretty friendly, but now that the laying is just beginning one of them gave me a little sideways dance when I picked up the hen today so I'll have to keep my eye on him.
The Silkies were my treat to myself. I have always wanted some and the breeder had decided they weren't going to keep Silkies anymore so were getting rid of them. So, thinking that it was meant to be, I offered to take them. The rooster seems to hate me though. He's fine if I'm carrying him around, but he challenges me constantly if they are all out and about and I approach the hens. He is a Blue Splash. The 2 'chicks' (which I think are about 6 months old) appear to be a hen and rooster and although I am not well versed, I'd say they are probably blue splash, too... although to me they are just dark "blue" (or black). They are VERY friendly with us now... but all of the birds were terrified of us for the longest time, despite daily handling and lots of love. We have one white Silkie hen that is Nasty... and believe me, that is with a capital 'N'. She is incredibly broody... stealing eggs at the drop of a hat. So, we let her sit on some to see what would happen... once chick recently hatched and as soon as it did, she stopped sitting on the balance of the eggs! Being naive, we just left the eggs another two days to see if she'd go back to them, or if either of the 2 buff Silkie hens might try. Well, they didn't so we removed them. When I checked them, they had all been fertilized and probably would have hatched if we had an incubator... so that will probably be our next purchase. Anyhow, the little chick that hatched is happy and healthy and we are amazed how well the other Silkies treat it. All of our Silkies are bearded ones.
We also have a Black Breasted Red Phoenix that we are trying to sell as it turned out to be a roo as well. He wants to be king of the chicken community and the Columbian Rock and Silver Phoenix won't hear of it, so there was just too much fighting going on. He isn't the friendliest of birds, either. I have him in a separate pen now and feel so guilty for that. I hope I can find someone who will appreciate his spunkiness and handsomeness very soon. He is very striking.
We have 3 additional hens: a Barred Plymouth Rock, a Silver Laced Wyandotte and a Silver Pencilled Wyandotte. We had our very first egg yesterday from the chicks purchased at the end of May. It was a small brown egg, perfectly formed with a nice firm shell. We were quite pleased.
We are hoping to get new chicks in the spring and at this point we are thinking of 5 Golden Laced Wyandotte, 5 Buff Orpingtons and 3 more Silver Phoenix but that isn't carved in stone. We have to research what we will be able to get around where we live first.... as well as re-home at least 2 of the roosters. Our chickens have a 24' x 24' run. Up until the other day the 2 oldest Silkie chicks were part of the flock, but the roosters are just getting too territorial now. I think I will be adding the newest chick into the pen that they are in one night when it's a bit larger. I just love the Silkies, too. They sing to me all the time. They sound like little Gremlins.
i did 1 year, but i have been loving chooks for 2 years. only about a year ago i became that flock master of 38 chooks!
- Oct 31, 2011
- 6
- 0
- 9
My Husband had actually started me on them, he'd been keeping some bantams which I believe to be OEGB'S. After becoming disabled I decided I needed something to occupy my time so I began tending to the chickens on a daily basis. Last fall I decided to order some layers and I spoiled them rotten, there was 1Black Langshan in the bunch "Sweet-Pea" she is my favorite, everytime I go outside in the pen she'll follow me around & stay by my side, when I hold her she lays her head on my chest and loves me back!
I now have "96" CHICKENS
and "28" eggs pending
!!!! WOW that's a lot!!!! Needless to say I Love Chickens!!!!
Years ago my first husband and I had chickens in our horse barn and they reproduced and we any up with a whole flock. I gave them all away and now 20 years later my new husband and I have 2 hens. They are pets and we have them just for the eggs. I have taken a much bigger interest in them this time and read everything I can and try to give them a warm cozy home. We do not plan on having more than the 2 being we live in town.
- Aug 15, 2011
- 5
- 1
- 7
I have been raising chickens since 1968. Mostly bantam breeds with occasional biggies taken in as charity cases. They provide most of the eggs needed for my B&B and live a fairly natural free range life. Yes, they mostly have names and my husband complains that in all these years he has never had a home grown chicken dinner, but has to buy his fowl at the local super market. So probably the best established Old Age Home for chickens in Africa! One roaming hen has recently hatched a clutch in a basket on a serving trolley in my kitchen. All excess roosters are given to the local veterinarian where they are given the run of his cowsheds and deal with all the pesky fly larvae and other nasties....Love my chickens!
Wow Ive had chickens for 6 yrs now!
It really doesn't feel like 6 yrs... that means my oldest hens Big Blue and Lil Bit are almost 5 yrs old now! Plus Ive had ducks for 4 yrs lol it makes me feel old. To think that before I got that phone call from my gram asking if I wanted theses two chicks hatching in an egg carton in her refrigerator lol, I had never even thought about getting chickens at all, but I said yes I would take the two chicks and raise them. Well... here I am 6 yrs past and many chickens later and I am addicted lol!
I had chickens 30 yrs ago, but then children and life changed...Now that I am retired, I once again have my chickens and have included turkeys in my "chubby chicks"....I absolutely LOVE having the birds around...As of this moment, I have 3 Brahma hens, 2 Roos, 5 Buff Orp hens, 1 Roo, 1 Speckled Sussex hen and 1 Favorelle Hen...And let's not forget Sir Thomas and Gerty, the two turkeys.....They all provide me with so much enjoyment..and breakfast too.....I will never be without my birds again...
- Mar 14, 2011
- 4,324
- 8
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17 years or so.
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