Hello everyone! I am very new to raising chickens and I have to say, I am absolutely loving it! My husband brought home 12 chicks in April. Same day he brought me another 12.....no big deal put them in with the others. I turn around thinking I'm complete and "are you kidding"....another 12. So a total of ~3 dozen. I needed a place to talk about my chickies and have been lurking for a few weeks now. I have learned sooo much! Who knew there was more to this chicken thing than simply putting out feed! I learn something new everyday. I currently have 6 white Bantams, 12 Rhode Island Reds, 6 Buff Orpingtons and 3 (remaining out of 6) Cornish Rock. I am allowing them to live out their life. I don't have the heart to slaughter them. If I find I have to I will do what I need to do but until that time....hubby didn't know what he was buying. I just knew they were very "different" than the others and began some searching. Notice I said I currently have....yup, I have 6 more Bantams, 1 Gold Wyandotte and 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte chickies coming in a couple of weeks. I cannot wait for my new chickies to arrive! I have been reading the integration thread that has been started and have learned much. As you can see, I can go on and on talking about my chickies. Happy I found this site, its a wealth of information. Especially to a person such as myself who is clueless when it comes to raising chickens....no longer clueless but still learning.
Hi Glad you could join us here! Wow what a start for you! That's quite a number of chicks you get there Good luck with your new bantams, I have some silver laced Wyandottes due to hatch on Friday. Not a breed I've kept before do looking forward to seeing them. Be sure to ask any questions, everyone here to help. Enjoy BYC and all the chicken chat
Welcome to BYC Molly. I only have 14 chickens and 2 turkeys right now. I would have lots more if I hadnt promised my hubby I wouldn't come home w anymore this year. Just be careful it can get overwhelming taking care of so many babies.
Thanks for the welcomes! Yorkshire: Yes, I have quite the tribe. But after the first 12 what's an additional 24! I should be receiving mine the week of the 25th. We can compare baby pics hehe They are so darn pretty I couldn't resist adding them to my order. Yochickiemomma: I love the name! Only 14 and 2 turkeys...non chickie lovers would think that amount is overwhelming! The hubby doesn't know about the 2 Wyandottes. Oh look, the hatchery must have put in 2 freebies The part that sort of stresses me out is the integration of them. Seems as though it might be a long process. I've done cats....think positive.
Welcome to Backyard chickens. One of the best things about BYC is you can talk chickens here as much as you like. NO ONE will say "change the channel." If you keep pictures of your feathered friends in your wallet, Bycer's will show you theirs.
I started w way more than what I have now but had to rehome some b/c I didnt have enough room to keep them all through the winter but thats not an issue anymore. I built a bigger coop this spring w a huge covered run. Next year I will have more chickens muahahaha I work 40+ hrs and maintain 4 coops every day. Im working on Intergrating my two flocks. Thats the only reason I say be careful. Although It gets a little crazy from time to time I wouldn't trade the therapy they provide me for anything.
Now that's my kind of guy! And you are in the right place for talking on and on about your chickens. It's what we all love to do. Welcome!
Drumstick Diva: pics. in wallet.....I didn't think of that! Maybe pics in my office but not the wallet. I really do have a lot of catching up to do. But I know I'm in good company. Yochickiemomma: I am beginning to wonder how I am going to handle the winter also. The coop etc. is fine, of course there's always more I can do there. It's more the particulars of cleaning their water container etc. each morning. I use the hose outdoors. With snow and ice I will have to figure things out. I will search around for ideas. I'm not the only one dealing with the weather. I'm excited for you that you will be able to make additions to your brood. There's so many chicken breeds to choose from. I can say for right now, no more new chickies after the next addition. When I was reading how you work 40 hrs./week and integrating, your day sounds like mine. Is there ever enough time! We women do much. As much as raising chickens have become therapeutic of sorts, it's still work, just different. Finnie: yes, he's some kind of a guy! It did work to my advantage though. When we had to build the coop, do the fencing for the run, move the coop, he never complained because had he not brought them ALL home we wouldn't have to be bothered with it. I did thank him the other day because I like my chickies. Bantamfan4life: Thanks for the greeting! I have seen you around! I was up with the birds as usual this morning. Similar to human chickie momma, chickes are early birds too. The roos recently discovered their voices and every morning they wake up the other roos in the neighborhood. Is 4:00 a.m. too early?! Before you know it all the roos in the neighborhood are "talking" to each other. Mine stutter at times because they are new at it but the neighborhood roos don't judge. I don't think I have as many roos as I once feared. I think I may only have 6 total. I ordered sexed females recently because I thought I had an overwhelming amount of roos. One of my bantams that I believe is a male is turning into quite the handsome boy. His headpiece is growing in. His is the largest to date in comparison to the other bantams I currently have. I will of course post pics. soon.
