Hi!
We have been married for over 30 years and have 3 grown children who live close by (2 are married) and one still at home. She is in elementary school and sings to all the babies! (chicks)
My husband's family has grown their own food for countless generations. I am from the big city. (First thing in the morning I opened the door and got the milk the milkman left and he went to the barn and milked the cow growing up!) This is a completely new experience for our daughter and myself and old hat for him! We live on several acres of family land and have dreamed of being able to get back to at least some of what he grew up doing since we were first married.
A couple of months ago we bought some red sex links from TSC and some Rhode Island Reds from Ace. We have since added buff orpingtons, barred rocks, black copper marans and 14 unknowns. Most are pullets, but we also have cockerels. We are raising some to sell, some to keep and raise and some for eggs. They range in age from two weeks to 2 1/2 months.
At a local small livestock auction we bought black sex link eggs and put them in our new incubator (Little Giant, automatic turners and a fan). Some came out yellow with a few black spots and some came out black with grey underneath (so they are not black sex links, probably barnyard specials). They are the calmest chicks I have ever seen (in my short experience) and friendly. They thrilled us hatching out and our little girl is very proud of her own hatched babies so it's fine. We have 12 blue (Americana) eggs and 10 buff and 2 blue orpingtons eggs (bought at a different local auction) in the incubator and 12 mixed (banty and barnyard specials) in the incubator now.
We have a large coop for the older ones and are working on another for the younger ones. Nothing fancy. A tool shed my husband's brother built some time ago is now the coop (my husband turned one of the older kid's bedrooms into his tool room lol) with a run added and a chicken door. It is SO relaxing to sit in the shade and watch the chickens! We have also been graced with generous people (both friends as well as strangers) who have shared their knowledge and skill with us and have learned SO much just in the last couple of months and feel we have only glanced the tip of the iceberg so to speak! THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!
As a bonus - prior to chickens - our little girl had to be PRIED out of bed in the mornings with many moans accompanying.... NOW, the second either of us goes outside she is up like a rocket! She also claims that when she is older and starts to date (25 yo according to Dad lol) that if a boy doesn't like chickens she won't even talk to him!
Found BYC on the web and have been hooked ever since!
We have been married for over 30 years and have 3 grown children who live close by (2 are married) and one still at home. She is in elementary school and sings to all the babies! (chicks)
My husband's family has grown their own food for countless generations. I am from the big city. (First thing in the morning I opened the door and got the milk the milkman left and he went to the barn and milked the cow growing up!) This is a completely new experience for our daughter and myself and old hat for him! We live on several acres of family land and have dreamed of being able to get back to at least some of what he grew up doing since we were first married.
A couple of months ago we bought some red sex links from TSC and some Rhode Island Reds from Ace. We have since added buff orpingtons, barred rocks, black copper marans and 14 unknowns. Most are pullets, but we also have cockerels. We are raising some to sell, some to keep and raise and some for eggs. They range in age from two weeks to 2 1/2 months.
At a local small livestock auction we bought black sex link eggs and put them in our new incubator (Little Giant, automatic turners and a fan). Some came out yellow with a few black spots and some came out black with grey underneath (so they are not black sex links, probably barnyard specials). They are the calmest chicks I have ever seen (in my short experience) and friendly. They thrilled us hatching out and our little girl is very proud of her own hatched babies so it's fine. We have 12 blue (Americana) eggs and 10 buff and 2 blue orpingtons eggs (bought at a different local auction) in the incubator and 12 mixed (banty and barnyard specials) in the incubator now.
We have a large coop for the older ones and are working on another for the younger ones. Nothing fancy. A tool shed my husband's brother built some time ago is now the coop (my husband turned one of the older kid's bedrooms into his tool room lol) with a run added and a chicken door. It is SO relaxing to sit in the shade and watch the chickens! We have also been graced with generous people (both friends as well as strangers) who have shared their knowledge and skill with us and have learned SO much just in the last couple of months and feel we have only glanced the tip of the iceberg so to speak! THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!
As a bonus - prior to chickens - our little girl had to be PRIED out of bed in the mornings with many moans accompanying.... NOW, the second either of us goes outside she is up like a rocket! She also claims that when she is older and starts to date (25 yo according to Dad lol) that if a boy doesn't like chickens she won't even talk to him!
Found BYC on the web and have been hooked ever since!
