I grew up on a farm where goats, cows and chickens were a plenty. We never went a day without having fresh eggs. So as i got older and started my own family I missed that feeling of raising your own food.
Recently we decided to start our journey back to my roots. We went to Tractor Supply to get dog and cat food and there they were..... they had their chicks there on display. Me and my husband had had a rough start to the year already and it was now April. We are both lovers of animals, he knew i had been wanting some chickens. He said the magic words and i was sold, "do you want to get some chicks?"
YES! we decided to get all of the stuff we would need to raise those little fluffy butts, and come back after we got it all put out for them and got them something safe built to grow into bigger chicks. When we came back he told me i needed to remember the surviving/dying ratio (because apparently all of your flock will not always make it to adulthood.) We came out of Tractor Supply with 20 sweet little chicks. We were sure to get a variety, because he wanted some too
As the weeks went on my chickens grew and seemed very healthy, i would get them out and let my 3 year old interact with them so when they were in the coop and she came with me they would be used to her. We fell in love with them (so did the boxer, which was a huge concern of mine.) Let me put it this way my husband thought we would end up with maybe 10 or 15 chickens after it was all said and done. NOPE, not this chicken whisperer. I still have 19, i would have had 20 had one of our cats not chewed up my poor little chicken (i'm still not speaking to her.)
Lets just fast forward to the coop day Oh how my heart was full, we began turning them out and they were in love. Wings flapping, joyful noises of them seeing a bug and chasing it and even the rooster trying his hardest to crow. Now here is the thing with these 19 chicks, turns out we ended up with four roosters. I had always spent more time with them to get them used to the fact i was their human, I fed them. I watered them. and to say the least I loved them. As we introduced them to the large amazing coop one of them decided he was smaller and he needed to let the others know he wasn't weak (i understood this.) But he got a little carried away with it. He wouldn't stay off of my two little chickens that well they had a growth stint, they weren't growing as well as the others. Their poor tail feathers just wouldn't grow. Well this didn't go over good with Conway (he is my large and beautiful boy.) Conway began defending his ladies, my husband could tell he was hurt so he grabbed Conway up and tossed him behind me while trying to get Waylon (meanie.) Conway calmly jumped on my shoulder and just sat there as my husband took Waylon out of the flock.
We knew it would be a problem so we thought we can let him free range, he can protect the outside of the coop and Conway can cover the inside. Since then this has been working just fine, the dogs don't bother him (he actually hangs out with the dogs and sleeps on the porch at night.) We are still awaiting the eggs and i'm so excited for that.
So that's where we are at, i'm sure you guys will find this a strange introduction
Recently we decided to start our journey back to my roots. We went to Tractor Supply to get dog and cat food and there they were..... they had their chicks there on display. Me and my husband had had a rough start to the year already and it was now April. We are both lovers of animals, he knew i had been wanting some chickens. He said the magic words and i was sold, "do you want to get some chicks?"
YES! we decided to get all of the stuff we would need to raise those little fluffy butts, and come back after we got it all put out for them and got them something safe built to grow into bigger chicks. When we came back he told me i needed to remember the surviving/dying ratio (because apparently all of your flock will not always make it to adulthood.) We came out of Tractor Supply with 20 sweet little chicks. We were sure to get a variety, because he wanted some too
As the weeks went on my chickens grew and seemed very healthy, i would get them out and let my 3 year old interact with them so when they were in the coop and she came with me they would be used to her. We fell in love with them (so did the boxer, which was a huge concern of mine.) Let me put it this way my husband thought we would end up with maybe 10 or 15 chickens after it was all said and done. NOPE, not this chicken whisperer. I still have 19, i would have had 20 had one of our cats not chewed up my poor little chicken (i'm still not speaking to her.)
Lets just fast forward to the coop day
Oh how my heart was full, we began turning them out and they were in love. Wings flapping, joyful noises of them seeing a bug and chasing it and even the rooster trying his hardest to crow. Now here is the thing with these 19 chicks, turns out we ended up with four roosters. I had always spent more time with them to get them used to the fact i was their human, I fed them. I watered them. and to say the least I loved them. As we introduced them to the large amazing coop one of them decided he was smaller and he needed to let the others know he wasn't weak (i understood this.) But he got a little carried away with it. He wouldn't stay off of my two little chickens that well they had a growth stint, they weren't growing as well as the others. Their poor tail feathers just wouldn't grow. Well this didn't go over good with Conway (he is my large and beautiful boy.) Conway began defending his ladies, my husband could tell he was hurt so he grabbed Conway up and tossed him behind me while trying to get Waylon (meanie.) Conway calmly jumped on my shoulder and just sat there as my husband took Waylon out of the flock. We knew it would be a problem so we thought we can let him free range, he can protect the outside of the coop and Conway can cover the inside. Since then this has been working just fine, the dogs don't bother him (he actually hangs out with the dogs and sleeps on the porch at night.) We are still awaiting the eggs and i'm so excited for that.
So that's where we are at, i'm sure you guys will find this a strange introduction
