I must have lost my mind!

[skya328]

I have this addiction and I know I'm not the only one here. I can't seem to stop getting more chickens! I can't even tell people at work when I get more because they think it's ridiculous the amount that we have now. (26 including the one I just got on Saturday!) ...or is it 27?

Every time we get more I tell DH, "OK, this is IT! We don't need any more." And I really do mean it every time. HA! It never lasts long. I placed an order today for 12 more bantams... 4 EE, 4 Golden Sebright, and 4 Silver Laced Old English.

I just can't help myself! DH is an enabler and I love it!!!

 

[Denninmi]

Well, for me, it started 2 years ago. Egg prices were really high, and there was talk about the "global food crisis" -- I had had chickens like 15 years ago but gave them up. I decide, well, I'll get 4 pullets for egg production.

In 2009, I thought, "well, duck eggs were tastier than chicken eggs and better for baking," so I ordered 4 Rouen ducklings (alas, only one hen, the three boys are fun but don't help with my chiffon cakes!).

This year, I thought, "well, it would be fun to have some babies from my own duck eggs" so I ordered a brand new Brinsea Octagon 20 Advanced with all the bells and whistles to replace the old el- cheapo Hovabator that couldn't EVER hold a constant temperature to save its own life.

Then, I noticed that, "hey, that thing will hold more eggs than I need ducks. And, I always thought it would be fun to try some turkeys" -- next thing you know, viola, I'm getting turkey eggs off of ebay and now I have 6 six week old Calico Sweetgrass/Royal Palm mixes.

And, since the first chickens are 2 years old and 1 died, I also had to order some new ones, so I got 6 Isa Browns.

So, that all brought me up to 6 turkeys, 5 ducklings, 6 chicks, plus the 7 older birds.

Then I got "empty incubator syndrome" and the next thing you know, I've got 7 baby button quail hatched last week. One is kind of a weakling and might not make it, and I only had a 28% success rate overall, so ...

back to ebay, where I ordered 50 Coturnix quail eggs and another 20 button quail eggs. Incubator is going again, to hatch around July 30-August 1st timeframe.

Help me!!!! Please!

This really is it for now -- I'm at the limit of space for cages, etc. While it saddened me, I boiled up a batch of duck eggs that my hen had been laying. Sitting out in the heat, I didn't think they would be too good for consumption, but they seemed ok to boil up and feed back to the birds. While it was sad, I just plain DO NOT need any more Rouens at this time, with 9. Next spring, I would like to get some different breeds of ducks -- a couple of BC, maybe some KC or some call ducks.

 

[gryeyes]

OMG. I have it, too. I know we're not the only ones, by far. It's endemic to BYC.

I can't stop myself. If my landlady knew how many chickens I REALLY have, I'd be in big trouble. I think. Maybe. She was thrilled when my Buffy sat on eggs, and kinda sad that only one hatched. But she has no clue how many chickens there ARE in my yard. I have 4 five week olds, 4 eight week olds, 4 fourteen week olds, 4 nineteen week olds, 7 ten month olds, and 2 sixteen month olds. Oh, and one 2 weeks old, too, being raised by the formerly broody Buffy. Oh, yes, and 2 nineteen week old Cayuga ducks, a pair.

Of these, there are two Silver Sebright and a bantam Buff Brahma roo (of the four 14 week olds), and one of the five week olds is a little bantam cochin roo. I don't want to get rid of any of them, even though I HAVE the most wonderful rooster already: Carl the EE, ten months old.

AND I JUST WON AN AUCTION FOR HATCHING EGGS! Am I nuts? But they're OLIVE EGGERS! And I would still love to get a Buckeye, and a Speckled Sussex....

 

[justtoni44]

OK, So I will admit it..
I have about 40 laying hens..5 roosters..............24 8&9 week olds, 12 month olds and 20 something in the inc......

I thought I would choose what I wanted to keep and sell the rest........but I like them ALL....

Each seems to have it's own fine qualities or beauty.
Oh My!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sooo at 10 sq feet per chicken...how many square feet in 5 acres...............
Think I am stil OK...

 

[noodleroo]

OK, me too....My name is Noodleroo and I'm a BYC addict.....(crowd says 'Hi Noodleroo')....I just wanted 4 but now we have a total of 29 .... I know, Iknow; I need to stop, but I think I'll be OK if I could just get a few Welsumers...

 

[skya328]

I feel so much better! Our original chicken tractor was built for 3-4 hens. Our first three were ALL ROOSTERS! So we had to get some hens, get rid of a couple roos, order babies, buy more chickens, then a broody hatched some, some "ran away" while free-ranging, buy more babies, dogs got one, etc.

I met a woman this past weekend that was getting her first three chickens. Her coop isn't ready yet, but getting week olds will motivate her to build it. She asked if I had any suggestions and I said BUILD BIG! She's in the city limits, so she can only have 4.

I do have some unfortunate news about the ones I ordered today. I placed the order a day late (and SEVERAL dollars short!) so I won't get my babies until next week! I know I'll survive, but still! I guess now I have something to look forward to. Oh, and time to add to the order! I already added some when they told me the EE Bantams weren't available!

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

I stopped at atwoods to look at some boots I saw some really cute ducks and these little black yellow and green furballs (BA) I thought wow how cute my daughters will love these. Got them home to the farm started doing research went back got 8 more BA 5 RIR 5 SL 20 DC went back in may bought 28 NJG 2 chinese brown geese 8 roune ducks, Went back late may and they said we are no longer carrying chicks. I was so upset i almost argued. Then I saw it................. These big books with these bright shiny lights that were whispering my name. After waiting for the helper to walk off I quickly Picked up the catolog and say IDEAL POULTRY and a # quicky thinking I stuck it in my phone and called them...
Ordered 50 cornish rock cross's Called in June ordered 50 RIR late june ordered 50 RIR, Called in july ordered 25 RiR 25 PBR, Called last monday ordered 25 EE's and 25 Cornish rock cross's SO lets see the figures.
1 Duck + 3 BA = three hundred and um

whew chicken math hurts!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NC29mom]

***************************I LOVE CHICKENS!!!!!!***************************************
We had a stray rooster take residence in our yard, so we started to feed him. After about a month or so, my husband took a liking to him and decided to get him some girlfriends. He built an awesome chicken coop and bought 12 Buff Orphington hens. Then we got 3 bantam chicks at Tractor supply. Ended up being 2 roosters and a hen. The hen died. Turned out to be 2 japanese white black tailed bantams. Well, that was ok, but then our hens starting setting, and we just couldn't resist watching that miracle. SO, we currently have 1 stray mutt rooster (FINE looking rooster, I must say), 12 BO hens, 2 japanese bantam roosters, and 8 chicks.

Oh, and 15 golden laced sebright and 10 japenese white black tailed bantams ON THE WAY THE 28th of JULY!! I WISH IT WAS TOMORROW!
**Also ordered 1000 live crickets, just to raise for treats**

My husband just sits back and laughs. When he originally told me he was going to get Rocky the Rooster some girls and build a coop, I said, "OH NO you aren't. I don't want dirty, nasty chickens in my yard" And here I am, ordering more online.

I just love my chickens. Don't care what people think. Call me redneck. It's alright!!! I am a chicken lover and PROUD OF IT!

Secretly, I want more too.................

 

[dieselgrl48]

Hehe yep addictive.In 08/09 I ran around an avg. of 150- 200 bird's.I found myself a couple of fall season's giving bird's away just to be able to feed the rest for winter.My new flock has been laying and I got another 3 newbie's today 3 sat. and a couple more hatching.

.I just wanted to hatch a few more OEGB hen's and some silkie's from the first few egg's.So far I have 4 graduated columbian bantam's from my pair and now these chick's and my Incubator is FULL

.That doesn't Include all of the adult's.Just the duck's are like 24 now lol.I can't even remember how many chicken's. Someone need's to create a chicken addiction pill LOL.I've been good though haven't bought any hatching egg's or more chick's.I got egg's late winter and hatched some and what I bought from TSC.YIKE's and well my coop's are pretty full.DH gonna throw bator's out window pretty soon gaaaaaa.SOMEBODY STOP ME!

 

[skya328]

Quote:
That's the situation here, too. It was my husbands idea to get chickens in the first place. I was SOOOO against it. But as soon as we got our first three I was hooked. Now I can hardly wait to get my little bantys next week! I wonder how many times Ideal will let me add to the order. Hmmm...

As for the addiction pill... I went to an "Open House" this past weekend at the farm I have gotten a lot of my chickens from. (http://polishfarm.com/) He talked about there being a 12 step program! I wish that was true. But in all honesty, this is a relatively safe addiction. Chickens may be as addictive as crack but they're a whole lot safer!