Introducing new chickens

[Marisa14]

I've been considering bringing the subject up to my suburb's common counsel, it didn't pass in 2012, little or no interest at the time. I watched "Mad City chickens", a documentary on how Madison, WI got the chicken ordinance passed, and now I'm inspired to make a difference. I live outside of Milwaukee, EVEN Milwaukee allows Chickens!! My suburb is so stuck up. I told my husband 20 yrs ago I didn't want to move here, I never liked the community, but the schools are excellent. I cried when we (he) made an offer on this house. That's OK, I got even, I brought home CHICKENS!!! LOL

Do it! At least then you can say you at least tried!! I was brought up in the country on a farm in the north Island of New Zealand and couldn’t see myself living in town. We moved to a little village called Pirongia a year and a half ago and it is lovely!! We have a half acre section which is just perfect for the chickens and for me to have a decent sized vegetable garden too!!

 

[twendt]

Awww, you live in my dream country! It was 8 degrees above zero today, -6 degrees last night. Wisconsin can be cold, but this is unseasonably cold.( My husband owns motorcycles and "The world's fastest Indian" is his favorite movie. ) A friend of mine's brother-in-law, packed up from Chicago and moved to New Zealand and opened a bar! They moved back to the states a few years ago to be closer to family only to high-tail it back to New Zealand! LOL

 

[Marisa14]

Awww, you live in my dream country! It was 8 degrees above zero today, -6 degrees last night. Wisconsin can be cold, but this is unseasonably cold.( My husband owns motorcycles and "The world's fastest Indian" is his favorite movie. ) A friend of mine's brother-in-law, packed up from Chicago and moved to New Zealand and opened a bar! They moved back to the states a few years ago to be closer to family only to high-tail it back to New Zealand! LOL

OMG! That’s cold! it’s been very hot here this summer, some days have been above 35 degrees Celsius! It doesn’t snow where we live so winter is cold but not Wisconsin cold
I don’t know you, but you sound a bit like me so if you are ever over this way we have 3 spare rooms... and some super cute chickens to cuddle!!

 

[twendt]

LOL! How many chickens do you have? Did you get chicks? or are you getting young pullets to add to your flock? I've added 2 SLW pullets I raised from chicks. That was a little stressful because my adult RIRs were being jerks, I fenced off the SLWs behind my coop during the day and placed them in the coop at night for about a week. Then I "rescued" 2 more SLWs as 1yr old hens and ,those, I just threw them in with the other 4 and let nature take it's course. There was some squabbling about pecking order but that was established in just a couple of days. That was last August, now they all huddle together because of the cold. You'd never know they weren't all raised together. I've only had chickens for 2 yrs. I think it's the best hobby! I love coming home from work and going out to the coop to see my girls. I am the charge nurse at a dialysis clinic, I work from 4am to 11am, 4 days a week. It's my daughter's job to open the pop door before she goes to school since it's still dark when I leave for work.

 

[twendt]

I love your umbrellas! cute idea!

 

[twendt]

I started 3 chickens in this pre-fab coop, and actually got through last winter with it.

 

[twendt]

I cringe when I think about it now...

 

[Marisa14]

LOL! How many chickens dod you have? Did you get chicks? or are you getting young pullets to add to your flock? I've added 2 SLW pullets I raised from chicks. That was a little stressful because my adult RIRs were being jerks, I fenced off the SLWs behind my coop during the day and placed them in the coop at night for about a week. Then I "rescued" 2 more SLWs as 1yr old hens and ,those, I just threw them in with the other 4 and let nature take it's course. There was some squabbling about pecking order but that was established in just a couple of days. That was last August, now they all huddle together because of the cold. You'd never know they weren't all raised together. I've only had chickens for 2 yrs. I think it's the best hobby! I love coming home from work and going out to the coop to see my girls. I am the charge nurse at a dialysis clinic, I work from 4am to 11am, 4 days a week. It's my daughter's job to open the pop door before she goes to school since it's still dark when I leave for work.

I have only had chickens for just over a year. When I got them they were 8 weeks old. I got a black and a white Orpington, a SLW and a GLW. The Wyandotte’s died within a month of each other. Both presenting the same symptoms... off to the vet we went with both and they put them to sleep because there’s no way I could do that!! I was absolutely heart broken and cried for 2 days straight when Lacey (SLW) died!
I know! They are so lovely, I so the exact same thing! We are dairy farmers... well, we used to be. Now we go and do relief milking. So we go to work around 4.30am and are home by 8am, then we do it all over again in the afternoon from about 2.30 to 6pm! It’s good so I have time to fluff around with them in between milkings!

 

[twendt]

I have only had chickens for just over a year. When I got them they were 8 weeks old. I got a black and a white Orpington, a SLW and a GLW. The Wyandotte’s died within a month of each other. Both presenting the same symptoms... off to the vet we went with both and they put them to sleep because there’s no way I could do that!! I was absolutely heart broken and cried for 2 days straight when Lacey (SLW) died!
I know! They are so lovely, I so the exact same thing! We are dairy farmers... well, we used to be. Now we go and do relief milking. So we go to work around 4.30am and are home by 8am, then we do it all over again in the afternoon from about 2.30 to 6pm! It’s good so I have time to fluff around with them in between milkings!

So sorry for your loss. I lost my Daisie (RIR), she's my avatar , she was fine the day before and didn't leave the coop the next morning, I was at work, my poor daughter was so distraught . We buried Daisie under a flowering shrub in the backyard. Still a mystery about her death. Everyone else is in good health. I'm getting 5-6 eggs per day. Too many for a family of 4, I gift a lot of eggs. I'd love to get more chickens but I'm pushing my luck! (Outlaw) I'm still debating on how long I'm hanging on to my present flock, they're laying great so far and 4 of them are 2yrs old. There's an old German guy who will take older hens and well... make soup. Who knows, they might give me enough eggs for years to come, I'll just replace if I lose any to illness or 4 legged critters. So far, I haven't any issues, my coop is very secure. I just have to plant more shrubs so my coop is invisible

 

[Marisa14]

So sorry for your loss. I lost my Daisie (RIR), she's my avatar , she was fine the day before and didn't leave the coop the next morning, I was at work, my poor daughter was so distraught . We buried Daisie under a flowering shrub in the backyard. Still a mystery about her death. Everyone else is in good health. I'm getting 5-6 eggs per day. Too many for a family of 4, I gift a lot of eggs. I'd love to get more chickens but I'm pushing my luck! (Outlaw) I'm still debating on how long I'm hanging on to my present flock, they're laying great so far and 4 of them are 2yrs old. There's an old German guy who will take older hens and well... make soup. Who knows, they might give me enough eggs for years to come, I'll just replace if I lose any to illness or 4 legged critters. So far, I haven't any issues, my coop is very secure. I just have to plant more shrubs so my coop is invisible

Oh! I’m so sorry to hear that. I have a Daisy and she is my avatar too! Yes, Lacey was buried beside her favourite bush (that she liked to lay her eggs in sometimes) and now Goldie is beside her. Yes, I hear ya... there’s only the two of us and we were getting 4 eggs a day at one point! Soup?! Oh dear! If mine stop laying, they will retire... I couldn’t bear to lose them, they are part of the family now! At Christmas time I let daisy inside to take a photo of her with the Christmas tree!