- May 27, 2011
- 11
- 0
- 22
Hi All,
I have been wanting chickens for a while now, but never had the house or space to have them. I just bought and moved into my new dream home with 2.4 acres and space to have the veggie garden and chickens I wanted. I thought in a couple months after I settle in and could set up the coop etc the way I wanted, that I would take the plunge and get some chickens.
Well, my lovely realtor gave me 6 chickens as a housewarming gift yesterday!! She knew I wanted them and it was very sweet of her, but I was not really mentally prepared for them yet and now I am trying to learn fast. Normally I would have spent months researching before I jumped in feet first and I haven't had the chance to do that. The reason she thought it would be ok is that we have a shed with a fenced in run already on the property. The run is concrete and the shed is heated, so hopefully it should be ok for the chickens. She said they were Americana's and they are pullets, but I'm not sure how old. She said they should start laying by the end of the summer.
Given that I didn't know they were coming, I just put down some crumpled up paper for them last night, as that was all I had. Our realtor gave us food, a food dispenser and a water dispenser, so they had food and water. I will try and stop on my way home tonight to get some straw or hay and some wood shavings/saw dust to put down on the concrete run and wooden floor of the shed. I will try and make some nesting boxes out of the moving boxes we have lying around and put up some roosts this weekend. Eventually I want to have a chicken tractor that I can rotate through my vegetable gardens when they don't have crops in them, but that may be a ways off yet. I haven't even unpacked from the move yet!!
I am very excited to have the chickens but I want make sure I do right by them and I hope they will be ok in their new home. I think they are frightened of me because I had a hard time getting them in the shed last night and couldn't get them to go in without the help of a broom. This morning when they saw me, they all ran into the corner like they were trying to find an escape route. I hope I haven't made them permanently afraid of me!!!
I am looking forward to geing part of the backyard chicken community, even though it was sooner than I anticipated!!! I also hope my chickens can learn to love me and are not too traumatized!
I have been wanting chickens for a while now, but never had the house or space to have them. I just bought and moved into my new dream home with 2.4 acres and space to have the veggie garden and chickens I wanted. I thought in a couple months after I settle in and could set up the coop etc the way I wanted, that I would take the plunge and get some chickens.
Well, my lovely realtor gave me 6 chickens as a housewarming gift yesterday!! She knew I wanted them and it was very sweet of her, but I was not really mentally prepared for them yet and now I am trying to learn fast. Normally I would have spent months researching before I jumped in feet first and I haven't had the chance to do that. The reason she thought it would be ok is that we have a shed with a fenced in run already on the property. The run is concrete and the shed is heated, so hopefully it should be ok for the chickens. She said they were Americana's and they are pullets, but I'm not sure how old. She said they should start laying by the end of the summer.
Given that I didn't know they were coming, I just put down some crumpled up paper for them last night, as that was all I had. Our realtor gave us food, a food dispenser and a water dispenser, so they had food and water. I will try and stop on my way home tonight to get some straw or hay and some wood shavings/saw dust to put down on the concrete run and wooden floor of the shed. I will try and make some nesting boxes out of the moving boxes we have lying around and put up some roosts this weekend. Eventually I want to have a chicken tractor that I can rotate through my vegetable gardens when they don't have crops in them, but that may be a ways off yet. I haven't even unpacked from the move yet!!
I am very excited to have the chickens but I want make sure I do right by them and I hope they will be ok in their new home. I think they are frightened of me because I had a hard time getting them in the shed last night and couldn't get them to go in without the help of a broom. This morning when they saw me, they all ran into the corner like they were trying to find an escape route. I hope I haven't made them permanently afraid of me!!!
I am looking forward to geing part of the backyard chicken community, even though it was sooner than I anticipated!!! I also hope my chickens can learn to love me and are not too traumatized!
