Post your first chicken stories?

[magicpigeon]

I thought this might be an interesting thread

Anyway, if I've accidentally "stolen" this for someone else I'll delete it. I don't honestly believe nobody would have thought of this before.
My first hen was a mutt who I got for free from one of my father's colleagues. She was the smallest chick in the flock and he told us we could have it- one more day and it would have been condemned by it's huge brothers and sisters. Initially I didn't want a chicken. I already had a multitude of pigeons, doves and quails. "I don't even like chickens," I thought. Stupid me. "They have hideous red things on their heads- unlike quail-, they are noisy, and quite ugly. And besides, where will I keep my chicken? In a rabbit hutch?!"
Anyway, we brought her home and put her in the quail pen. She was only the size of the length of my hand and was already 2 months old. So when I introduced her to Melon and Cheese (my 2 pioneer quails at the time) she was easily dominated by the smaller, albeit feistier male quail. Even when she was a beautiful, fully grown hen, she cowered in Cheese's presence. I still attribute it to the time he tried to, ahem, mount her

After about a month of eating quail food, with some greens and worms, she was too big to fit in the hutch. I usually let my quails free-range in the afternoon (who ever heard of that ?!

), so she got to stay out, too. She slept on top of the dove cage at night and would sometimes also roost on top of the quail pen. Of course, at the time I didn't know the importance of keeping chickens in coops at night. On the 12th of February, 2010 she was attacked by the neighbours cat. I'm sad to say I got there too late. There wasn't much blood but it was evident she'd died in pain. I later found that cat and gave it a good whack to the head. It has yet to come back for any of my other chickens. After Morbo (named after the news reporter in Futurama), I got into silkies, and later sussex and australorps. And that's how I got on here, and addicted to chickens

Now it's YOUR turn! Can you still remember your first chicken? Or have you had too many already?

Here is Morbo outside with Melon (brown) and Cheese (yellow). I don't have many pictures of her as at the time I didn't have more than a phone camera

 

[equinehugger3]

I hatched my first chickens. I remember I had them in the incubator, and they were due on Mothers Day, 2010. I was taking that literally, for some reason... I had just got home from school, and I was tired, and all of the sudden, he screamed that there was a chick in the incubator. I was thinking 'Yeah,right' because they weren't "supposed" to hatch for 3 more days. I checked anyway, and there was a fluffy little chick in there

We stayed up until 11 that night, fussing over that chick (dubbed Peep by my little bro

) we only got one more pip that night, and he hatched in the morning... I had picked out one egg, and she lipped at about 7, and I had to leave at 7:20 for school... Man, was I angry when my parents made me go to school

I've had tons of adventures with those 3 chicks... We eventually had to get rid of the second pip, named Pip; he turned out to be a rooster... I still have the two hens, + 2 more... I love them!

 

[GammaPoppyLilyFlutter]

I actually recovered my love for chickens when my dad showed me an ad in his magazine for manure. The title was "Your Lawn and a Chicken's Butt- a Match Made in Heaven" and it had a picture of a pullet by it. I'd always wanted chickens, but now I wanted them even more. I already had 2 parakeets but they kinda hated me... And they still do. Kinda.

Anyway, I talked to my parents about it and eventually they told me I could get 2 females to ease my depression (yes I have depression). We decided to order from McMurray until we found out that the minimum order for chickies was 25. So I researched more hatcheries and found Meyer. Dad called and asked what the minimum order was for shipping chicks. They told him it was 3. So instead of 2, I got to have 3. But then they came in the mail, and there was an extra that was sent in case one died. But they were all alive. Four precious gold sexlinks. Turns out 1+1=4

When they were settled in I took them into the backyard for about 15 minutes (it was really warm outside, as it was late May). My friend was with me, as was my brother. I named the lightest chick Poppy (who is now the darkest girl) and the one that possessed leadership qualities Gamma. (Alpha, Beta, Gamma... but I didn't like the names Alpha or Beta). The next one my brother and my friend started calling Tigerlily (because of the stripes on her downy back) and the name stuck, so I'm like "What the heck, let's name her Tigerlily and call her Lily". The last one I had no idea what to name, so I dubbed her "Flutter".


That's my flock. They have middle names too- Gamma Artemis (my friend wanted to name her Artemis but I didn't want to), Tigerlily Brianna (my friend's name is Lily and another friend is names Brianna), Flutter Cookie (I got the chicks right after my grandmother passed away from cancer. Her nickname was Cookie), and Poppy Louise/Alexa (It was Louise at first but then I changed it)

Well, that was detailed. Here are some pictures.

These pictures are a little old- the flock is now 7 1/2 months old

 

[magicpigeon]

Quote:

Amazing pics

They are all adorable!

 

[GammaPoppyLilyFlutter]

Quote:

Amazing pics

They are all adorable!

Thanks! The pictures are kinda old- their wattles are much bigger and redder now. Especially Poppy. It's so funny to see her move her head

 

[Simplethrift]

Our first chicks were given to me by a reader of a column I used to write. I have 6 kids, I figured how hard could raising some chickens be?

Answer is not hard at all. In the beginning we delighted in posing our chicks and playing with them. Our first bath is now almost 2 years old and we still delight in them everyday.

 

[awesomefowl]

I first decided I wanted chickens this past spring after wanting a horse. My dad said no horse, so I decided it might be better to start with something smaller. I looked up chicken books in our library's catalog and loaned several; the first that came was "Keep Chickens!" by Barbara Kilarski. Reading it got me very excited, but I read a few more books about raising chickens and got the McMurray catalog to ogle before I finally called all our local feed stores and ordered the chicks: 2 Golden Comets, 1 RIR, 1 Black Sex-Link, and 2 Barred Rocks.

You have to understand something about me: I get very obsessed about things. Animals, mostly, now, though before we moved upstate I was never an "animal person."

In those months before and after I ordered the chicks it was chickens ALL the time. I nearly drove my family bonkers, unfortunately.

I debated names for all the birds, and finally settled on some. My little sister wanted one so I said she could pick out a chick and name it "Rosalynn" or Rosie for short.

Finally, on Thursday, April 15, we were up in Chenango (about 45 minutes away from our house) at a catechism class with our church's vicar and pastor. During the class, I got a call from my dad on his cell phone. THE CHICKS WERE IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Daddy was at the feed store picking them up. But there was a problem: they didn't have Golden Comets. Would I take Silver Laced Wyandottes instead? I sure would, since I liked their color better anyway.
so, Daddy and my sister Molly picked up the 6 chicks and a bag of medicated chick starter. I had gotten the feeder and fount already when I had ordered the chicks.
Daddy said Molly's face was all lighted up as she carried those chicks out.

Rosie, the Rhode island red, died of unknown causes at eight weeks. the other girls lived and flourished, and now are about 8 months old. They lay pretty well, and are very funny and spoiled and fat and happy. Even my mom likes to watch them. We call them the Mafia girls because they bully the other chickens.

Anyway, I got hooked, and now have quite a collection of chickens!

 

[GammaPoppyLilyFlutter]

Quote:
Awwww that picture is ADORABLE!

 

[awesomefowl]

Anybody else have any great first chicken stories?