My sweet Lily is actually a Lionel...

[007Sean]

Howdy and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

 

[MROO]

I am a new chicken mama and have three chicks I have raised from "chickhood" and one a chicken that my boyfriend already had and then we recently adopted and older hen from a neighbour who is changing from egg layers to meat chickens.

Two of the ones I am raising are Chanteclers, the other is a Feather-footed Bantam. We also have a Leghorn and a Brown Chicken that we adopted.

Raising them is so much fun. I am a city girl who has never even gardened before and I am starting a new life with my guy who lives in a rural area and has a huge yard and lots of small gardens. So raising chicks was rather daunting at first. But I love it and I love them. Of course we named them all...Henrietta, Lily, Willamina and the other two are Lucy and R2 (named because she is the second brown chicken for my boyfriend who lost his first chicken named Roberta to a minx attack. She she is Roberta Two but R2 for short).

I cuddle with them every day when I can. The older two are not into it but since I raised the three chicks from wee they like to have a one on one visit each day. I make a soothing noise with my mouth that they like and it calms them right down. When I put them in the yard outside the run they follow me around they yard. And come to the edge of the run whenever I am outside.

We knew that it was hard to tell the sex of the chicks when they were young but we started to wonder if Lily might just be a Lionel...and from the info on this wonderful and helpful site, we have determined that we do indeed have a rooster! But we are still calling her/him Lily. What I really need to find out about it whether I can keep Lily the Rooster with the hens we have, etc. So I will be delving into many of the forums and wonderful information here to find out all I need to know about this situation we are in.

I joined BYC at the suggestion of my boyfriend who has had egg-layers for years. So I joined and have found it a great resource. So, Thank You!

Hi! And Welcome Aboard! Lily (or Lil' Bub, Lil' Boy, Lil' something or other!) should be fine with four hens, although ideally he should have a few more hens, to keep him from over-mating the four he'll have. Not to start enabling too soon (what? BYCers encouraging more chickens? NEVER!) but, hey ... what a great excuse to pick up a few more pullets! The easiest way to learn about Chicken Math is to start off wanting more ... and the battle never ends!

 

[veggiebe]

@veggiebe - We're so happy to have you!

It's so awesome you've adopted in some chickens! Also, congrats on making the move to a more rural lifestyle. I'm going to include some basic links to BYC's sister sites that may appeal to you:

• BackYard Herds - The folks know herd animals. Cows, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, rabbits, bees you name it. For herd animal help if you expand at any point, check this place out.
• The Easy Garden - If you want some more info on gardening, this is the go to place. If you need help identifying a plant, suggestions for plants for your area, or information about keeping up with soil, sign up to TEG.
• Sufficient Self - This site is all about self sufficiency and DIY projects. Recycling, canning, and homestead living are abundant here.

It's so cute that your chickens follow you around considering you raised them. We have a hen just like that- she was the only surviving chick and became attached and I've even clicker trained her to do cool things (pictured below in welcome image)! She's since joined the main flock, but still loves attention.

So glad to have you as I mentioned- you're part of a community of helpful and experienced people who are more than happy to lend advice or a listening ear. Have a great day!

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Thank you so much for such a lovely, warm welcome to this great community

 

[veggiebe]

Welcome to this very helpful community. You are wondering if you can keep a cockerel among the pullets/hens? Generally, probably yes. It depends on his temperament and how he behaves toward the girls. If the Bantam is the boy, there probably won't be much trouble, since his size will limit him somewhat. You will just have to wait and observe. He could be so "randy" that he bothers the girls too much, and makes life miserable for them. Just be prepared to remove him if he gets to that point. Expect an obnoxious teen age period before he matures.
Enjoy your time on here, and show pics when you can. We love pics!

Thank you so much this is really helpful. My Lily is a Lionel but I still call her Lily! Just took her for a walk to the mail box...in my arms

 

[veggiebe]

Hi! And Welcome Aboard! Lily (or Lil' Bub, Lil' Boy, Lil' something or other!) should be fine with four hens, although ideally he should have a few more hens, to keep him from over-mating the four he'll have. Not to start enabling too soon (what? BYCers encouraging more chickens? NEVER!) but, hey ... what a great excuse to pick up a few more pullets! The easiest way to learn about Chicken Math is to start off wanting more ... and the battle never ends!

Thank you so much for your note and advice. I still call him Lily and he seems fine with that. He likes to cuddle and be carried to the mailbox and back.