My backyard flock

[Cbell1536]

Ohhhh!!!They are precious.Thank you for the pics.I love seeing happy chickens.

 

[TTracy]

Wow,all 5 where roos.well Dory sounds like an amazing mom.They all sound like they are good chickens.They are lucky to have a good owner too.I didn't realize that I would ever be raising chickens,it all sounded crazy a few years ago.But I really enjoy raising them.I have a small flock only 7,but I am trying to expand,my sister wants some too.Do you get colored eggs?I am hoping to get an EE hen.I would really like to see your chickens,I bet they are beautiful.

I have to agree with you, never thought I'd be raising chickens! We got our first few cause we have a small farm and you should have some chickens for eggs...right?! Very quickly I realized that I am not a true farmer...just a hobby farmer. No ones getting culled here, we're lifers! I love their personality's. Yep I do get 2 blue eggs a day from my 2 EEs. They have just started laying (maybe almost 2 months now) so their eggs are still on the SMALL side, but oh well..the rest are brown eggs. How long have you had yours?

 

[Cbell1536]

Mine started laying in July,I bought mine in March,I had 8 and lost 1,she was so sweet her name was Dots.She was a buff too.I do not cull either if its meant to be than God can handle that but until then I do not intervene.Glad you are getting eggs and I hope they keep laying through the winter months,I am sure your winters are a tougher,I am In North Carolina.I have family that live in Midland Michigan and I have heard the winter can be brutal.Have yours started Molting?

 

[lindz8504]

Hello! Both of you have beautiful flocks! I have 7 Golden Comet pullets, 2 Blue Laced Red Wyandotte hens, 1 Australope roo, 1 bantam cochin cockerel, 1 barnyard mix, and a Buff Cochin bantam hen with 7 chicks with her (4 buff cochin and 3 french Black copper marans)..... I too, have just gotten chickens this past summer, and never really thought that I would have chickens, although I have had almost everything else in the past. I am still waiting on eggs from mine, everyone is either molting, broody and raising chicks or not quite old enough!

I also live in NC, and have family that lives in MI and OH.

 

[TTracy]

Very pretty! Looks like they are getting some bread in the one picture?? My girls will do ANYTHING for bread, they love it!!! They will actually have attitude if I go out in the evening without at least a piece of bread for them.Crazy girls!

 

[lindz8504]

Very pretty! Looks like they are getting some bread in the one picture?? My girls will do ANYTHING for bread, they love it!!! They will actually have attitude if I go out in the evening without at least a piece of bread for them.Crazy girls!

My girls are spoiled. It is a cake of cornbread I fixed just for them with garlic and red pepper flakes in it. They loved it! I will probably fix another cake with raisins over the weekend. They love anything that I bring them and make the funniest noises like ooohhhh thank you. Lol... but they can be little drama queens too!

 

[TTracy]

Mine started laying in July,I bought mine in March,I had 8 and lost 1,she was so sweet her name was Dots.She was a buff too.I do not cull either if its meant to be than God can handle that but until then I do not intervene.Glad you are getting eggs and I hope they keep laying through the winter months,I am sure your winters are a tougher,I am In North Carolina.I have family that live in Midland Michigan and I have heard the winter can be brutal.Have yours started Molting?

yep, they are molting! The girls had bare backs from the rooster, Big Red. He is such a horndog!! We had finally moved him to the goat pen, cause I felt my girls needed a break! They share a fence line so he can still keep an eye on them and once or twice a week I let him out with the girls. Now that they have molted and are getting their new feathers they look so much better!!
Last winter my 4 Isa Browns wouldnt go out at all. I shoveled the snow, I even put down straw outside, but nope they wouldnt go out. We dont have a roof over the outside part of the run, so we are thinking of putting together a solarium off the side of their coop. I saw a pic of one in one of the forums here.

 

[TTracy]

My girls are spoiled. It is a cake of cornbread I fixed just for them with garlic and red pepper flakes in it. They loved it! I will probably fix another cake with raisins over the weekend. They love anything that I bring them and make the funniest noises like ooohhhh thank you. Lol... but they can be little drama queens too!

That is so sweet!
You know, when I first got chickens they got the leftovers, but as time as gone on, I find if I am making somthing they really like, say mashed potatoes, I will actually spoon them some in a bowl BEFORE we eat. My husband laughs at me, "so the rest is ours?"

 

[Cbell1536]

LOL.Yeah I have 2 roos and seems like they stay on top of one of my hens.I noticed yesterday that their feathers looked somewhat different.The lows here are low 50s at night.Days are mid 70s.My whole coop is enclosed with the chicken wire.I just put a tarp over the top.I leave the door to the coop open so they come and go as they please.My rooster has attacked all the neighborhood dogs so they pretty much stay around the house without fear of predators.The solarium would be great and keep them warm to.i might check that out too.I need to have my sister check into that solarium.I thought I had a pic of my coop ,I will have to go snap one to show you.

 

[TTracy]

Heres the one we were thinking of trying. We have an old shower door we could use for the top and someone said that they used bales of straw/hay for the sides