Deryk
Songster
Quick intro. When I was young I raised chickens for meat and eggs in Montana. Then I grew up and had to get a job. That is why I say I am new again.
So I retired a year ago this month from 23 years in the Army. My wife has been with me the whole long journey. We retired to a 7 acre spread in Middle Tennessee and it came with 2 chickens, a rooster and a hen. Unfortunately they didn't make it long as something got them both, they were free range.
Fast forward to today, I ordered some chicks from Ideal in TX and started with 12 mixed chickens, 8 layers (red, black, brown sex-links and 2 white leghorns) and 4 straight run polish. The polish turned out to be 3 roosters and one hen, all different color varieties. We started out letting them free range and at first it went well. Then came more predators, lost 2 to hawks, and lost a few to coyotes. I shot one coyote with one of the leghorn hens in it's mouth running across the back yard. It didn't kill the coyote and the chicken actually lived after much healing and regrowing of feathers. That is another story. We have also had 2 broody hens during this time and had some mixed breed additions. Starting with our original 12 and 2 hatches of 10 and 4 (total of 26) we are actually down to 10. We sold 4 that were half polish roosters that were just way to aggressive so they had to go.
What remains are 2 roosters (1 white crested black polish, and 1 half polish and white leghorn), 2 white leg horns, 2 red sexlinks, and 4 half-breeds from the white crested black polish rooster and a red polish hen. 2 of the half-breeds are roos and 2 hens. The rooster are quite good looking in my opinion and we plan to breed them and see what the next generation will look like.
We are also planning to get more polish in the spring when we can find them. My wife really likes that they seem to be friendlier.
Anyway, I don't post much but I do read a lot.
So I retired a year ago this month from 23 years in the Army. My wife has been with me the whole long journey. We retired to a 7 acre spread in Middle Tennessee and it came with 2 chickens, a rooster and a hen. Unfortunately they didn't make it long as something got them both, they were free range.
Fast forward to today, I ordered some chicks from Ideal in TX and started with 12 mixed chickens, 8 layers (red, black, brown sex-links and 2 white leghorns) and 4 straight run polish. The polish turned out to be 3 roosters and one hen, all different color varieties. We started out letting them free range and at first it went well. Then came more predators, lost 2 to hawks, and lost a few to coyotes. I shot one coyote with one of the leghorn hens in it's mouth running across the back yard. It didn't kill the coyote and the chicken actually lived after much healing and regrowing of feathers. That is another story. We have also had 2 broody hens during this time and had some mixed breed additions. Starting with our original 12 and 2 hatches of 10 and 4 (total of 26) we are actually down to 10. We sold 4 that were half polish roosters that were just way to aggressive so they had to go.
What remains are 2 roosters (1 white crested black polish, and 1 half polish and white leghorn), 2 white leg horns, 2 red sexlinks, and 4 half-breeds from the white crested black polish rooster and a red polish hen. 2 of the half-breeds are roos and 2 hens. The rooster are quite good looking in my opinion and we plan to breed them and see what the next generation will look like.
We are also planning to get more polish in the spring when we can find them. My wife really likes that they seem to be friendlier.
Anyway, I don't post much but I do read a lot.
Happy
to have you join the family. Enjoy your time here at BYC! 
