- Mar 5, 2014
- 22
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- 64
I felt sorry for a woman who couldn't find an 'appropriate' home for her 2 girls. She didn't want them just absorbed in some backyard flock--after all, these were her pets! She and her husband are going RVing and didn't have a way to care for them when they went away for a day. So, I took them in. She fed them organic boiled eggs and shells, organic white and black rice, special gravel and oyster shells, only gave them well water and brought plenty of these supplies to me with the chickens. She told me they sat on her and her husbands laps at night and watched tv, and went to sleep, tucked their heads under an arm. She even (for goodness sake!!) gave them baths! Well, I love the girls, but they are acclimating to being chickens. They live on my patio, and today I let them out to the yard--and Lucy caught a small lizard! I don't know, am I doing this right? Getting them to be 'real' chickens. . . . I can't feed them all organic stuff--I do not use medicated feed but they look at it, and me, like I've given them dirt! It rained the other day and they stood looking up, and then fussing at me to "turn it off!!" They are Americana's, one lays an olive egg, the other one green. Not real regular yet, they just started. That's chapter one!
Chapter 2: a friend saw baby ducks and chickens at Tractor Supply. Of course I had to go look!! We came home with 6 ducks, of which I've never raised any. Cute, but MESSY. I built them a little house on the patio, and gave them a plastic plant saucer full of water to paddle in. I've estimated they are now about 3 weeks old. We aren't sure what we've got: there's one we're pretty sure is a Swedish; two which are Rouens; three that we don't know--they're light buffy colored on their backs, yellow on front and we think they may be Pekins. I guess we'll find out more as they grow--and if they are drakes or hens. I read that you can tell drakes by their tails that curl up. Is that true? And, does that happen before they morph into dinner at 10 weeks--so we know whether or not they're dinner?
Chapter 3: And that's not all. We also came home with 8 bantam chickens. These really have us stumped. I guess we'll have to wait to see what they turn into. Some have feathered legs, some smooth. Three look like chipmonks with the markings on top of their heads. They are getting spotted wing feathers. Three are mostly dark/black on their heads and backs, and have white fuzzy wings--they seem the most placid of the lot. One is mostly yellow except for white feathers sticking out like bad hair from both wings. The other one is yellow and light brown--the tiniest one of the lot. We expect that there will probably be some roo dinners from the lot.
After we got all these home I discovered that it is illegal to have ducks in our city limits--I have no idea why. And, that the limit is 6 hens; no roosters. I'd love to keep a bantam roo, and a drake duck, but I guess we'll have to see what I can get away with!!
Any comments, suggestions, advice, or other wisdom, welcome! (I've already learned stuff on this site and am glad to finally be a member.)
Chapter 2: a friend saw baby ducks and chickens at Tractor Supply. Of course I had to go look!! We came home with 6 ducks, of which I've never raised any. Cute, but MESSY. I built them a little house on the patio, and gave them a plastic plant saucer full of water to paddle in. I've estimated they are now about 3 weeks old. We aren't sure what we've got: there's one we're pretty sure is a Swedish; two which are Rouens; three that we don't know--they're light buffy colored on their backs, yellow on front and we think they may be Pekins. I guess we'll find out more as they grow--and if they are drakes or hens. I read that you can tell drakes by their tails that curl up. Is that true? And, does that happen before they morph into dinner at 10 weeks--so we know whether or not they're dinner?
Chapter 3: And that's not all. We also came home with 8 bantam chickens. These really have us stumped. I guess we'll have to wait to see what they turn into. Some have feathered legs, some smooth. Three look like chipmonks with the markings on top of their heads. They are getting spotted wing feathers. Three are mostly dark/black on their heads and backs, and have white fuzzy wings--they seem the most placid of the lot. One is mostly yellow except for white feathers sticking out like bad hair from both wings. The other one is yellow and light brown--the tiniest one of the lot. We expect that there will probably be some roo dinners from the lot.
After we got all these home I discovered that it is illegal to have ducks in our city limits--I have no idea why. And, that the limit is 6 hens; no roosters. I'd love to keep a bantam roo, and a drake duck, but I guess we'll have to see what I can get away with!!
Any comments, suggestions, advice, or other wisdom, welcome! (I've already learned stuff on this site and am glad to finally be a member.)
and Welcome To BYC! Sounds like the two spoiled girls are leaning to be chickens, bet they will be happy when they learn how much fun it can be chasing bugs and taking dust baths. Check out the BYC Duck forum 
