Howdy all! Yet another newbie here!

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Crossing the Road
9 Years
Apr 23, 2015
9,394
30,829
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Sunny SoCal
Morning everyone! Just thought I'd do a quick introduction...disclaimer this is the first time I've had chickens.

I've got a flock of 8 right now, two sexlinks, two amuricanas (though based on feather patterns we're thinking one may be a roo...oh no!), two marans and two barred rocks.

They're still pretty young - the rocks are the babies based on feathers and stuff from my uneducated looking but honestly I'm not sure how old any of them are.

Trying to handle them and get them used to me - at least they're getting more used to eating out of my hand! Yay! Have one of the rocks just likes to hop up into my hand when I'm doing that too. Small things make me happy haha. I've only had them for four days. Have to say though. The marans are the bold ones. They're always first to check out when I come up or put my hand down with some feed.

Right now they're living in a repurposed rabbit hutch the mother in law donated as a brooder pen in the garage. (Hey, it works.). By the time they're big enough to have outgrown the hutch and be living outside hubs and I will have a coop built. (He at least has some experience with the chickens. His mom has a fair sized flock too)

Other pets...I have a dog of questionable breeding (border collie/shepherd/lab/God knows) who is very watchful of the girls (and possible guy). We're making sure to keep her access supervised!

Hubs is wanting to let them do some supervised free range soon but...I think they need a bit more time to get used to me. Don't want them going their own ways and getting lost/run over/eaten/etc. course it's kind of overcast and not so chick happy right now in our neck of SoCal, so it may not be til next week anyway. We'll play that by ear.

I confess I came here after doing a Google search on treats for chicks - thinking come on a way to a chicks heart is through its stomach...and after finding out spaghetti noodles seemed to be a good treat...made spaghetti for us for dinner, saved some noodle bits for them and hubs and I had some chuckles watching them dash about and play with that. Who needs TV we have chicks!

So, before I ramble too much further, just wanted to say hi, and I look forward to learning and watching my chickies grow!

-Kat


(When we first got them home)


...not sure if yay squeak toys or must guard flock...
 
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Hi Kat, nice to meet you. Glad you joined the Backyard Chickens flock. The Learning Center is a great place to start a chicken education, then you can toss poultry words at your husband , and amaze him.

You have some beautiful chicks, one looks blue. You dog is laying peacefully yet, alert. Much better than digging at the bars and barking at them. Shows promise.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Aww...your babies are adorable! Hard to say what the dog is actually thinking. LOL Many dogs see chickens as dinner. So just be careful. Definitely stop by our learning center. Lots of good articles on all the aspects of keeping poultry... https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Make yourself at home here! Ask any questions you may have. And enjoy those babies!! Very nice brooder you have for them.
 
She paces around and circles a bit but doesn't bark or charge the hutch - guess she must remember when she was a pup I had guinea pigs too.

Though she has come with me to do feelings when I hen-sit for the mother in law. Generally content to hang out outside the fence and watch - but she has altered and started the run once when one of the hens did some kefuffle. Lucky the hen was still on the other side of the fence and she listened to her hold command. I still wouldn't trust her unsupervised.
 
Thanks for all the welcomes all :) my next issue is just figuring out what to name them! My sister named one of my amuricanas Sam (after Sam the eagle - he was giving the serious stink eye in a picture she saw lol), I have one I must name one burrito (despicable me 2), one of my marans is a very bold girl, I'm flipping between Merida (brave) and egwene (a book series called wheel of time). The rest...oh crumbs! They'll come I hope.
 
Well a week has gone by and my goodness how quick they grow! Blows my mind...all eight are still doing well :) they've started bravely exploring the garage from time to time when hubs or I lets them...we're suckers like that...may need to look into a method of transport to get them in the yard...yes it's been warm enough out here! My only holdback is...well there's a couple! I could use peach's crate but it's a *big* crate...rather awkward to handle solo! And herding them back into it when playtime is done....so far when they explore they stick together so that's good...so playtime may just be a weekend thing when I have hubs around.

Peach was out with us when they were exploring the garage. She was intrigued but still listened to me and held her "hold" (lie down and don't move) so that's a good sign. She also snuck in when I was doing laundry the other day and was in the garage for a while alone with them - just chilling though don't think she was actively harassing them since when I went to find her she wasn't right by the cage and the chicks didn't seem stressed. Still keeping things supervised - especially free ranging!

Nacho and Burrito (red sexlinks. Named to be the "attack" chickens (burrito was from despicable me 2) cause when they eat out of my hand they are vicious!) just spotted a fly...my oh my.

My cuckoo marans have been named Merida and Egwene (Merida after the character in the Disney brave movie cause she's a bold one, and Egwene after a wheel of time character who is pretty awesome)

The amuricana that there is debate if he is a she or she is a he...is Sam. Named by my sibling after the muppets Sam the eagle.

Leaving one Brown Betty amuricana (hey there we go. Brown Betty. Done.) and my two barred rocks to be named. Ah well. Maybe once they get some feathers going. It's amazing how quick they come. One of my sexlinks already has a bit of a dorsal stripe of feathers coming in...the other one is just slightly puffy back there...

Anyway. That's enough rambling while staring at my chickies ;) just wanted to give the update!
 

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