Hi there,
I've been lurking here over this past week because a friend referred me here when I said I wanted chickens. I've found lots of great information! I've wanted chickens for awhile because I wanted access to fresh eggs from bug eating birds. Unfortunately, I lived in a community that did not allow chickens. Luckily, my family just moved to an area that is on the border of city and country, and has pretty liberal chicken rules for this county.
This last weekend, the family and I took ourselves to the feed store and picked up two australorp and two speckled sussex chicks. We picked out chicks with feathers, because I felt they would be more tolerant of newbie mistakes than younger chicks. Then, because I am completely and irredeemably nuts, we got two guinea keets. They're about eight weeks. One of them already got away, but decided she liked the neighbors yard, and he caught her for us. I can tell it's going to be a real love/hate thing, because I love the gawky loudmouthed things, but I can see that there's no such thing as "tame" there. After getting caught up in some chicken websites, I then found a bird I really wanted -- a black copper marans. I found someone with some chicks about the same age as the ones we have, and I went to pick one up -- and came home with two. I got to see his chicken farm and freshly laid eggs, so I know that they are real marans laying dark eggs (See? I've already learned a few things-- except how to resist buying extras).
So that's us. Me, my extremely long suffering husband (who got to spend a day chasing a guinea), my nine-year old daughter, six chicks and two obnoxious guineas. Oh, and lots and lots of tortoises, which has been our passion for a long time. I'm going to stick to eight birds though. I swear.
Ren
I've been lurking here over this past week because a friend referred me here when I said I wanted chickens. I've found lots of great information! I've wanted chickens for awhile because I wanted access to fresh eggs from bug eating birds. Unfortunately, I lived in a community that did not allow chickens. Luckily, my family just moved to an area that is on the border of city and country, and has pretty liberal chicken rules for this county.
This last weekend, the family and I took ourselves to the feed store and picked up two australorp and two speckled sussex chicks. We picked out chicks with feathers, because I felt they would be more tolerant of newbie mistakes than younger chicks. Then, because I am completely and irredeemably nuts, we got two guinea keets. They're about eight weeks. One of them already got away, but decided she liked the neighbors yard, and he caught her for us. I can tell it's going to be a real love/hate thing, because I love the gawky loudmouthed things, but I can see that there's no such thing as "tame" there. After getting caught up in some chicken websites, I then found a bird I really wanted -- a black copper marans. I found someone with some chicks about the same age as the ones we have, and I went to pick one up -- and came home with two. I got to see his chicken farm and freshly laid eggs, so I know that they are real marans laying dark eggs (See? I've already learned a few things-- except how to resist buying extras).
So that's us. Me, my extremely long suffering husband (who got to spend a day chasing a guinea), my nine-year old daughter, six chicks and two obnoxious guineas. Oh, and lots and lots of tortoises, which has been our passion for a long time. I'm going to stick to eight birds though. I swear.
Ren
