We had chickens while I was growing up. Was raised on a farm. I have lived in the city for the past 17 yrs. I kept telling my DH that I wanted chickens, but we really didn't have a place for them. Last July, our house was sold for commercial land. We finally had enough money to buy 10.5 acres and a nice house. Immediately upon doing our first home walk through, I noticed the two red buildings outside in the back yard. I told DH that one would make the perfect hen house! Sooo, this Spring when the local feed store, and
TSC had chicks, I finally got DH to agree to SIX and no more than SIX chicks!
While he was at work, I went to
TSC, and I couldn't decide which one of the cuties I wanted. DH's aunt was with me, and she picked out a few, and then I picked out a few, and I ended up with 10 chickies!! Cause you know you must buy more than you want in case you lose some.
As it was, they all survived. I "THOUGHT" I had picked out 6 NHR because I knew they were great egg producers, and the other 4 were suppose to be something, I've forgotten what breed now. Anyway, I week later, I noticed my 6 NHR were WHITE! Fearing I had meat birds, I called
TSC and complained that they were NOT NHR. The manager said he couldn't take them back, but I could come in and pick out another 6 pullets. My previous 10 were straight run as that was all that was left when I went to get them. The same day that I called
TSC, the local feed store had gotten chicks in. They had breeds that
TSC didn't, and they had the EE's that I had wanted forever!! I wanted my kids to see the green eggs since I had one EE as a kid, and everyone in the neighborhood was fascinated by my green egg!! The 6 white chicks are white plymouth rocks.
Anyway, needless to say, I got my 6 free chicks from
TSC. Picked out various colored ones, knowing nothing about their breed. Ended up with 2 black sex links, 2 NHR or production reds, and 2 brahmas. Went to the local feed store with another of DH's aunts, and got 2 Black Australorps because they were the last two, and I just couldn't leave them there
, and 2 SLW because I had seen how pretty they would be, and I got my 6 EE! These were all suppose to be pullets as well.
THEN, someone posted on craigslist that they had 6 chicks and had to rehome them because they lived in the city. I contacted the lady, and because I asked about her fuzzy butt chicks, she let me have them over all the other emails she received! Those 6 had come from
TSC. 3 are red sex links, and three are unknown but thinking probably Dekalb gold sexlinks. They are a creamy white, with very light reddishbrown coloring.
As it ended up, all of my first 10 straight run are pullets! My dog did kill one during training. No I didn't use one to train her. She killed one, and we knew my previous training hadn't been enough, so the training continues.
One of the BA ended up being a roo! And I'm so happy!!
I "THINK" I might have an EE roo as well, but I dont' know for sure. It was dropped as a small chicky, and has a crooked neck. I don't know if the neck is due to the fall, or whether genetic, or an injury from the Mareks vaccine, or wry neck. At any rate, I did the required treatments for wry neck, physical therapy, etc. and it hasn't improved, so I leave well enough alone. I'm doubting it will be able to breed if indeed a roo.
The rest are pullets and doing wonderful.
Then, last month I went to an annual event in a nearby town. They had a livestock flea market sale. I fell in love with quail, even though I knew NOTHING about them, and had not even given a thought about having any. I bought 12 of the tiny things. I lost one of them to a different dog. My fault again for not properly securing the dog while moving the quail into a new cage. So I have 11 that are now in an outside rabbit cage until their aviary is completed!
And now ya know more than ya ever needed to.
