mpmb1227
Chirping
But, I figured it would be best for me to post my introduction before I get to anything else. I'll try to keep it short, but if I fail at that please bear with me! So, after hearing that I was interested in chickens, my friend arranged for me to be the lucky one to take on the responsibility of seven lovely hens that she found on a local buy-sell-swap page on facebook. So, in a very hastily process, we got the the hens, the coop, some fencing, water dispensers, bails of straw and a little bit of feed all for free from a family that, to be frank, did not know what they were doing. The coop is not big, and is somewhat of an inefficient design, and they originally had TWELVE in it, and their run (or lack thereof), was dilapidated, more of a mud puddle if you ask me. So, I did feel quite content knowing that I was giving these beautiful and sweet things a chance to thrive on my 10+ sq. acre rural property in the countryside surrounding the Seattle suburbs. Anyhow, one of the seven was very ill. The signs began when I first got her. She was sluggish and solemn, and after a week or two, her waddle and comb turned dark, she had constant diarrhea that sometimes had mucus in it, and her appetite disappeared. I have little money to spare, so in a quick and rational decision, she was put to rest for the sake of the other six, and hopefully put her out of her misery. All of the remaining ones are of good health now, especially after my friend took two dominiques that came with the bunch to get them away from the four big 'n busty girls I now call mine. Mable, Polka, Molasses, and Bourbon are their names. I am unsure how old they are, although based on my knowledge and research, I estimate that three are on their second laying season, and one is on her first. I do not know what breed they are either, I'll be posting a photo and hopefully someone can help me figure that out. So, nearly two months down the road, my four girls have eaten all life within their small run I hastily threw together the day after I got them. I have been free ranging them almost every day since I got them but it is becoming quite an inconvenience for me, so I decided to build them a new, bigger, better run. With limited cash and mostly comprised of materials I readily had at hand, I put up a 625 sq. ft. run, with a few huckleberry bushes in it, some very tall field grass, a few other shrubs, some lupines, and two trees; A cedar and an alder which are both very young and not much taller than I am at 5' 5". It also has a dirt patch, with two pits connected by a tunnel and covered on the top with branches, as well as some pasture-like terrain. I will also post photos of their new run. Anyhow, that's my story!
Still in the early stages, here's the new habitat.
And here's the girls. If anyone has an idea of what they might be, please let me know!!
Still in the early stages, here's the new habitat.
And here's the girls. If anyone has an idea of what they might be, please let me know!!
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and Welcome To BYC! Sorry about the hen you lost 
hope the rest of them do well for you. They look like some kind of red sex link, a cross bred to lay a whole lot of big brown eggs, they are sold by various names depending on the hatchery/ cross they come from, Red Star, Golden Comet, ISA Brown are some popular ones.
