- May 15, 2014
- 3
- 0
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Greetings from North Texas!
Right now we don't have an actual flock of our own but we have been "keeping watch" over the one we've help to build till our new yard and coop is installed. Jim, our friend, has had chickens for well over a year and has been supplying us with eggs. About a month or two ago a red tailed hawk took one of his girls and his female duck died for no reason. We wanted to replace the loss so we bought two nice pullets from a generic chicken guy at trade days. These ladies are Thelma and Louise. Poor babies didn't know what to do with grass so they must have been cage raised. We took the girls to Jim. He has about ten acres and a good size yard fenced off for his flock. A week or so later Thelma died so off we went again but this time to a local breeder who does chickens along with ducks etc. We picked out a Thelma2, a lavendar Amerucana, and a beautiful hybred Amerucana mix and gave those to Jim to build back his flock. Everything had been rocking along just fine with the additions growing rapidly and plenty of eggs for everyone. Life was good. Then came a day last week...........Violet, the hen, began to trying to crow at O dark thirty one morning, woke Jim up and a four month old g'baby. He called and threatened to kill Violet. I was horrified and begged him to reconsider. Violet also had a really pretty pea comb that had turned a lovely hot pink and he was busy learning how to service every hen he could. Then the hybred began to give ODgreen eggs! Everyone was getting excited about that. Jim continued to keep Violet and threatened sudden death every day. That had to come to an end so this week Jim and I paid a visit to a very serious chicken ranch where they not only raise pretty babies but import breeders from all over the world. They show chickens too. Their breeding stock is awesome. Jim talked to the folks for a very long time about chicken everything but the most important information concerned Violet and the part a rooster plays in a flock of females other than the obvious. That seemed to do the trick so Violet can go on being Violet and keep his girls happy. Jim bought two pullets who will lay sky blue eggs and a pair of silkies. Who would have thought this big retied cop who could deal with the worst of the criminal lot could absolutely melt with love for his chicken babies?
As for us, we have a new 6ft ceder fence in place on account of the wildlife who prize chicken dinners above all else and are waiting for another friend to come and look at the plans we're working on for the new coop. At 100 degrees outside things move slowly right now.
Genie
Princeton,Tx
Right now we don't have an actual flock of our own but we have been "keeping watch" over the one we've help to build till our new yard and coop is installed. Jim, our friend, has had chickens for well over a year and has been supplying us with eggs. About a month or two ago a red tailed hawk took one of his girls and his female duck died for no reason. We wanted to replace the loss so we bought two nice pullets from a generic chicken guy at trade days. These ladies are Thelma and Louise. Poor babies didn't know what to do with grass so they must have been cage raised. We took the girls to Jim. He has about ten acres and a good size yard fenced off for his flock. A week or so later Thelma died so off we went again but this time to a local breeder who does chickens along with ducks etc. We picked out a Thelma2, a lavendar Amerucana, and a beautiful hybred Amerucana mix and gave those to Jim to build back his flock. Everything had been rocking along just fine with the additions growing rapidly and plenty of eggs for everyone. Life was good. Then came a day last week...........Violet, the hen, began to trying to crow at O dark thirty one morning, woke Jim up and a four month old g'baby. He called and threatened to kill Violet. I was horrified and begged him to reconsider. Violet also had a really pretty pea comb that had turned a lovely hot pink and he was busy learning how to service every hen he could. Then the hybred began to give ODgreen eggs! Everyone was getting excited about that. Jim continued to keep Violet and threatened sudden death every day. That had to come to an end so this week Jim and I paid a visit to a very serious chicken ranch where they not only raise pretty babies but import breeders from all over the world. They show chickens too. Their breeding stock is awesome. Jim talked to the folks for a very long time about chicken everything but the most important information concerned Violet and the part a rooster plays in a flock of females other than the obvious. That seemed to do the trick so Violet can go on being Violet and keep his girls happy. Jim bought two pullets who will lay sky blue eggs and a pair of silkies. Who would have thought this big retied cop who could deal with the worst of the criminal lot could absolutely melt with love for his chicken babies?
As for us, we have a new 6ft ceder fence in place on account of the wildlife who prize chicken dinners above all else and are waiting for another friend to come and look at the plans we're working on for the new coop. At 100 degrees outside things move slowly right now.
Genie
Princeton,Tx
and Welcome To BYC! Good luck with your plans!
