- Oct 28, 2010
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We just finished building a house on 15 acres of half wooded land off a dirt road. I'm a stay-at-home mom of 2 kids and a bunch of animals. I have always loved farm animals. My mother had a petting zoo for a while when I was little. I have baby pics of me in the kiddie pool with ducks and geese. We moved away from the country for a while and now here I am a country girl back in the country!
I went to my first Chicken Swap in September and got 6 chicks (2 Hamburgs, 2 Blue Cochins, 1 Black Cochin, and 1 D'uccle mix). The coop was newly erected with a small fenced-in area (only temp area) around it. The small, two week old, chicks seemed to be doing well in their fenced area so we left for a couple hours. When we came home our dogs (more like puppies at six months old) had gotten into the fenced area and killed all but two chicks! One died later that night and I still have the Black Cochin Roo from that batch. So I learned a lesson that the dogs cannot be trusted alone with chickens. Now we have a 8' high dog kennel. We also have some new chickens and some guinea keets. A friend who is become overwhelmed with chickens gave us a pair of Buff Japs (named Peaches and Kareem)
, a Frizzle Hen and a Black Cochin Hen. His neighbor just moved and gave us his flock of 2 Rhode Island Reds, 2 mystery hens, and a Domonique Roo (or maybe a Barred Rock, How do you tell?). Since my Black Cochin Roo (named Tough Guy) was the only survivor of the dog attack he seemed lonely so I got him 3 Buff Frizzles (hopefully hens but I think one is a roo). I also just got my first flock of 10 guinea keets (Lavender and Piebald).
I've learned many lessons about keeping chickens and about buying guinea keets in the fall when the weather is too cold to put them outside. Should've waited until Spring for the keets, should always lock the dogs up when we leave the house, and if the chickens want to stay in the coop, let them.....'cause there may just be a big hawk near by!
I went to my first Chicken Swap in September and got 6 chicks (2 Hamburgs, 2 Blue Cochins, 1 Black Cochin, and 1 D'uccle mix). The coop was newly erected with a small fenced-in area (only temp area) around it. The small, two week old, chicks seemed to be doing well in their fenced area so we left for a couple hours. When we came home our dogs (more like puppies at six months old) had gotten into the fenced area and killed all but two chicks! One died later that night and I still have the Black Cochin Roo from that batch. So I learned a lesson that the dogs cannot be trusted alone with chickens. Now we have a 8' high dog kennel. We also have some new chickens and some guinea keets. A friend who is become overwhelmed with chickens gave us a pair of Buff Japs (named Peaches and Kareem)
I've learned many lessons about keeping chickens and about buying guinea keets in the fall when the weather is too cold to put them outside. Should've waited until Spring for the keets, should always lock the dogs up when we leave the house, and if the chickens want to stay in the coop, let them.....'cause there may just be a big hawk near by!
