Hello! A quick background, my husband came home this past spring and said, "guess what I ordered on the internet?!". Of course, the answer was 25 chickens, due to arrive 6/9/08. We had briefly discussed chickens, I thought it was just a phase. I wasn't happy. Well, the little guys and gals arrived a few days early. They were hatched on 6/6 and were mailed out. They arrived at the post office on 6/7 - during the huge flood here in Indiana (and elsewhere of course). We were not able to get to them until Monday. All of them survived! We received 26 Buff Orpingtons and a little Polish surprise. I now love my little flock. I even have one hen that insists on being carried to "bed" each night. I think she wants in the house, that she is just too cute for the barn. We lost the polish and 2 hens to what we assume was a pack of coyotes - since they dissappeared on the same afternoon. I have another coyote encounter to tell about another time. We also have a dog and a cat that tolerate the chickens quite well and two little boys. One likes to hold a hen in his lap while he is on the swings. Oops, almost forgot about my sweet Suzie Q. She survived to about 7 weeks but was never quite right. Some type of "birth trauma" maybe? She died in late August.
You will become addicted to the chickens and this place in no time at all. Welcome - everyone here is so fun and nice and INFORMATIVE.
