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I'm tired of this whole chicken thing being a fad. I see too many people getting chickens and not taking care of them. Our neighbor has 12+ chickens in an outdoor dog kennel... and their "coop" is a couple cat cages.... :he And one of my hubby's friends asked to buy just one of our chickens.... to keep in the house as a pet... all by itself?! :mad: I don't want to know how many animals suffered due to this fad.

I love my chickens to death, I do everything I can to make them happy. Even if that includes free-ranging. I fell to the ground bawling my eyes out yesterday because one of our speckled sussex was hit by a car. Now the only other SS I have is sulking around, not eating. :hit That, plus the culling of our mean roo, takes our total chicken number down to 14. You bet I'll be getting more in the spring...
 
I shutdown the last incubator for the season last week. Kind of sad to not be hatching any more for a while, but I need a break. I'm considering setting December eggs in order to breed from hens that are still laying then for next year's breeders. I see egg production drop off a lot in the fall, until I start adding daylight hours artificially. I think I might try to select for winter laying ability in my Legbars and Welbars. In the Legbars, the only traits I am breeding for is small combs and non-aggressive roos. They are pretty much perfect in every other way, so breeding for year round laying seems like a good idea.
 
FluffyButt789 said:
I'm tired of this whole chicken thing being a fad. I see too many people getting chickens and not taking care of them. Our neighbor has 12+ chickens in an outdoor dog kennel... and their "coop" is a couple cat cages.... :he And one of my hubby's friends asked to buy just one of our chickens.... to keep in the house as a pet... all by itself?! :mad: I don't want to know how many animals suffered due to this fad.

I love my chickens to death, I do everything I can to make them happy. Even if that includes free-ranging. I fell to the ground bawling my eyes out yesterday because one of our speckled sussex was hit by a car. Now the only other SS I have is sulking around, not eating. :hit That, plus the culling of our mean roo, takes our total chicken number down to 14. You bet I'll be getting more in the spring...
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I am so sorry to hear that you lost a Feathered Family member!
 
FluffyButt789 said:
I'm tired of this whole chicken thing being a fad. I see too many people getting chickens and not taking care of them. Our neighbor has 12+ chickens in an outdoor dog kennel... and their "coop" is a couple cat cages.... :he And one of my hubby's friends asked to buy just one of our chickens.... to keep in the house as a pet... all by itself?! :mad: I don't want to know how many animals suffered due to this fad.

I love my chickens to death, I do everything I can to make them happy. Even if that includes free-ranging. I fell to the ground bawling my eyes out yesterday because one of our speckled sussex was hit by a car. Now the only other SS I have is sulking around, not eating. :hit That, plus the culling of our mean roo, takes our total chicken number down to 14. You bet I'll be getting more in the spring...
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Just throwing this out there but the little old English hen your hubby noticed while he was here has 3 little girls following her around lol. Sorry about your girl! I just lost the sweetest dark Brahma girl.

Haven't been on this thread in forever! We butchered our first chicken!! And my meat birds are getting big. Have a bunch of pictures to post later. Glad everyone is doing well!
 
fisherlady said:
Congrats on the buys...
As far as the broody, as many others here we let the mama raise with the flock, however your situation will require much more care. Your new broody is new to the flock also, so just letting them mingle will be a recipe for tragedy. She will fight with any other birds who come near and may be ganged up on by the original flock. I am not just saying it won't work, it will just need a lot of monitoring and caution.
I would suggest making a 'safe pen' in the yard where the flock hangs out, it can be a 10x10 dog kennel or as simple as a circle of 4ft high chicken wire. Just make sure the fencing used is small enough that the chicks can't get through it. Then put mama and chicks out in it each day so the other flock can see them. It would be even easier on you if you were able to make this part of their broody hut so you didn't need to move them each day.
After a couple of days I would let 2 or 3 of your original flock out of the coop but keep the rest penned up, then let broody and her chicks out and watch to see how they interact. There may be a bit of squabbling, but that is normal and they should be allowed to hash it out with minimal interference (just make sure chicks are at a safe distance). Once those hens seem comfortable you can add more of the original flock, but play it by ear and make sure the broody and chicks always have a safe spot to return to.
Good luck and enjoy the broody!
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Very nice fishing pics. Are you on Chesapeake Bay? What find of fish are They?
 

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