New From Ohio

Hello!

I've ended up here so many times after doing internet searches for chicken information that I finally decided to join.

The fam and I started our very first flock of chickens last year. Right now, we've got 21 hens that are about one year old (Barred Rock, Buckeye, Jersey Giant, Speckled Sussex, Rhode Island Red, Welsummer, and Silver-laced Wyandotte), and seven teenagers that are about eight weeks old (Barnvelder, Cuckoo Maran, and more Welsummers). We decided to add a rooster this year (Barnvelder).




No particular misadventures this past year, though we did get a chuckle out of a couple of the hens once they went broody and puffed themselves up anytime we came near, or when they would wallow around dust bathing.




We also have twelve guineas (both cocks and hens). They are the "Royal Purple" type and are about a year old as well. -This summer, they started making nests and going broody. We took some eggs from a poorly hidden nest, and they are currently under a broody Jersey Giant hen for safe hatching.



Let's see, what else? Housing consists of two rectangular sections of our barn (one for guineas, one for chickens). Below you can see the uber-high-tech, fancy, stylin' nest boxes we set up for them:



The little chick feeders have either grit or oyster shell in them. I do offer grit just to make sure they always have it, but our birds are entirely free-range. We kept them shut in during the absolute worst of last winter, but that's really it. So far, there have been no issues with frostbite.



There have been eggs a-plenty, and our relatives and neighbors are sick of the sight of them delighted. Actually, it's been great to have them to give to people. It's funny how something like a tasty free-range egg can trigger memories in people. If I give people eggs, they will say things like "Those brown eggs you gave me were great. I used to go to my Grandpa/Grandma/Uncle/Aunt's farm and they remind me of the eggs they always used to have." -Apparently a bit of nostalgia goes great with breakfast, because they'll often ask for more.

So there you go. There's more info on my blog if you like the way I ramble on. Otherwise, I'll see you in the forums!