Well I'm trying....(Lost and Found cont)...

[Barnyard Dawg]

Mr.Dad :

Thanks everyone.....it dosen't look pretty but it does the job for now......I'm going to dust the top with hay when I get back to the feed store Saturday......they don't seem to use the roosting pole and prefer to snug up together in the back....probably got use to that while using bushes I guess.......

I tried finding what type they are but couldn't...the white rock buff o makes sense cause even the hens have a very slight bronze tint on their necks....and 'King' is white/bronze.....there was also a bronze hen with them when they first stayed......

They seem like they are getting use to us.....the rooster is much more relaxed but I still keep my kids at a distance from him....the more time goes on the calmer they seem......

I have a neewbee question:

Can these guys have chicks the natural way in the Spring?

Even though it hasn’t got that cold here in California where I am at, my chickens don’t use the perches as much as they do during spring and summer. They also like to cuddle up on the floor in the thick wood shavings.​

 

[SandraChick]

GOOD JOB Mr. Dad!

Freebie and Mr. Dad--

when considering wether to hatch your own chicks or let the hens do it, there are another few things to consider---all play part in the descision to go either way (or to do both).

Letting the hens do it:
--don't know when a hen will go broody if ever
--easy if the hen naturally broods/raises the young
--most likely won't be able to get too close to the chicks (hen protects them)
--unless you have the ability to separate the young ones from the old--the "teenage" months will include the young ones being kept outside the flock until they get old enough to be accepted--this means you'll see a lot of pecking and such (totally natural by the way- but not the way some folks like to start off)
--never know how many cockerels you'll get (do you have a plan for that? find homes, build bacherlor pad, eat them, sell them knowing they might be eaten etc. need to discuss options before with the realization that your family will get VERY attached to every chick-including cockerels)

Doing it yourself:
-- you'll need more equipment (hatcher, brooder, etc)
--more time consuming
--you'll get more one on one interaction with the chicks
--you'll still have the "teenage" months issue, but the chicks will continue to run to you!
--unless you buy sexed chicks- same question about cockerels as above.

I'm sure there are more things to consider, but these are the first few that come to mind. I myself let the hens do all the work. I have enough space that I let the chickens deal with the "teenage" months, we eat the cockerels and some of the hens if we have too many (but that was discussed with DH before we even got chickens). I miss the having fun with the chicks, but I realize I don't have the time to give them proper care and that the hen can do it all. I also buy pullets, either already laying or soon to be laying.

Just some things to ponder
Sandra