When Will It Stop?

[Reyvaughn]

The obsession, that is.

I plan my weeks around chickens now days. Monday's I call 4 different TSCs to see what the breed of the week is. Wednesdays are Pullet deliveries. Today was the first day for chicks at the not so local Agway, so I had to go there. The ad said assorted chicks, straight run for $1. I got up there and the lady said they were pullets but no idea the breeds, so I was definitely sure I was talking to a non-chicken person. Just in case they are pullets, I only got 10, 5 of two different breeds that I am assuming are RIRs and BRs. If they aren't pullets, I am sure with my luck I picked out 8 roos. I go on to TSC and see they got a Bantie delivery... Silkies and porcelain D'uccles. I helped another lady pick them out and very grudgingly walked away from them. According to the signs, they got in more Tetra Tints (yellow with black spots and yellow with reddish faces). The red pullet bin was full of red sex-links. I was tempted to get a few more TTs, since these had spots and some had brown faces! Again, I grudgingly told myself I wanted Delawares and Wyandottes now. There was none, walk away.

I still got 10 new chicks! Which brings my total to 53. I know 2 are roos for sure. I have 29 I have no clue (straight run) and only 22 I know for sure are supposed to be pullets. That means I have at least 17 more roos and I need to replace them with 2 more chickens each, right? My husband is going to kill me. I have a 9 day BA on the ropes with an impacted crop and I think he's realizing that chickens aren't totally self sufficient.

Oh, by the way, is there anyone near Bloomsburg, PA that would split a TSC chicken order with me? -evil cackle- I want to order 10-15 chicks, not the whole 25.

Here's 2 of the new chicks:

Barred Rock? If so, this one's more than likely a male. It has a lot of frosting. I have two with a lot of frost, three more black than frosted.

Rhodes Island Red? Well, I didn't want Rhodies. I was hoping they were New Hampshires.

So, when does the obsession go away?
I honestly don't think it's going to any time soon...

=

 

[clairabean]

So, when does the obsession go away?

Hopefully never.​

 

[KWAK]

the last one looks like my new hamp.

 

[hennyannie]

That first picture does not look like my BRs, but mine are pullets. The second looks a little bit lighter than RIR, Maybe it is NH? Anyway I feel better knowing they are running your life too. I am staying home all the time now to look after the 27 chicks and 30+ hens I have. My family thinks I'm looney!

 

[Reyvaughn]

Quote:
The pic is kind of deceiving, the chick is much more red. I am hoping they aren't RIRs, but I honestly am not totally biased. Alive is what I want. And eggs. Or freezer filler.

 

[gryeyes]

Just imagine my small bathroom: 12 six week, almost 7 week old chicks in one brooder but free to wander around the bathroom (no lids on any of my brooders). 9 four-week-old chicks in another, with a little hardware cloth fence around it so they are contained. 12 two week old chicks in another. 3 week old ducklings in another, on top of the dresser-brooder of the 4 week olds.

Bathrooms are easy to clean and the wandering oldsters will go outside this weekend. Right now, they are interacting with the middle group, through the hardware cloth fence. The youngest are just now discovering they might be able to perch on the brooder walls and look around. The middles haven't figured out how to get over the "fence" but they jump in and out of their drawer in the dresser to the floor to get to their feeder and face off to the larger chicks which may be out of their brooder. The ducklngs are experiencing the zoomies in their brooder and splashing water out of their special waterer, then flapping their worthless little wings and standing tall, then zooming off to another place in their brooder.

I am insane, though. Don't emulate me unless you don't mind a total bathroom cleanout when each batch gets put outside.

 

[Aemelia]

That doesn't look anything like my two RIR's.

 

[Reyvaughn]

I have an injured chicken in my arms right now... I just cleaned both brooders and everyone was fine. I heard some commotion in the outside brooder and find one TT with a bloody butt. -sigh- Bad children that don't want to play nice with each other. I was letting these older one run on my enclosed porch but Hubby had a fit about the poop. The ones on the porch range from 3-4wks (4-5wks on Friday) and I am moving them to the coop this weekend (heated). I can't handle their smell anymore. It's bad enough I have the other 39 in ht eliving room right behind me. I am going to build a bigger, reusable brooder out of plywood this weekend. It will go on the porch after the larger ones are put outside.

All I talk about or care about are my chickens right now. I have breeding plans (no show birds), coop plans, egg and meat plans... I was hoping to get out of horses and into chickens.

I'll get this TT taken care of and fish out the new chicks. Oh, and I discovered today that one of my Banties should be a Seabright! Yay!