I have been reading posts on the BYC forum for some time and have been really impressed with how well the members here share information and how there is no drama on this forum. Kudos to the members for that.
We started breeding finches some number of years ago and started Fairest Finches & Supply. After all of the years of raising finches and buying eggs to make egg food for breading birds I finally decided to see if it would be more economical to keep our own chickens for egg production. I have also been interested in keeping chickens for the needs of our family.
After alot of research for the right kind of chicken for us and the finches I settled on Australorps. Last July my wife Michele gave me the green light to order some chickens and build them a coop. Well, she didn't say how many chickens I could get so I ordered 14 Australorp pullets.
We lost one at around 14 weeks from fright when it got out of the run and my lab mix pinned her down for me to catch her. The poor chicken must have thought it was dead meat and expired instantly.
Since then the other 13 hens have been busy getting big and started laying. On Christmas day I got the best present since my big wheel when I was a kid. . . One of my hens layed her first egg. My mother in law didn't find it to amusing when I stated that I was considering replacing baby Jesus in our nativity with the egg.
Since getting our chickens I have found myself spending more time than I should observing them and enjoying their antics. I never thought that I would get so much enjoyment out of them. Michele just rolls her eyes at me when I tell her chicken stories, but she secretly enjoys them as much as I do.
I'll be posting photos and pictures of our coop and of the girls as time permits.
Thanks for all who have posted and all of those that will post in the future.
Sean
We started breeding finches some number of years ago and started Fairest Finches & Supply. After all of the years of raising finches and buying eggs to make egg food for breading birds I finally decided to see if it would be more economical to keep our own chickens for egg production. I have also been interested in keeping chickens for the needs of our family.
After alot of research for the right kind of chicken for us and the finches I settled on Australorps. Last July my wife Michele gave me the green light to order some chickens and build them a coop. Well, she didn't say how many chickens I could get so I ordered 14 Australorp pullets.
We lost one at around 14 weeks from fright when it got out of the run and my lab mix pinned her down for me to catch her. The poor chicken must have thought it was dead meat and expired instantly.
Since then the other 13 hens have been busy getting big and started laying. On Christmas day I got the best present since my big wheel when I was a kid. . . One of my hens layed her first egg. My mother in law didn't find it to amusing when I stated that I was considering replacing baby Jesus in our nativity with the egg.
Since getting our chickens I have found myself spending more time than I should observing them and enjoying their antics. I never thought that I would get so much enjoyment out of them. Michele just rolls her eyes at me when I tell her chicken stories, but she secretly enjoys them as much as I do.
I'll be posting photos and pictures of our coop and of the girls as time permits.
Thanks for all who have posted and all of those that will post in the future.
Sean
