New Older Chickens

[SAZLife]

The LW and I have wanted chickens for a while now, but with my biodiesel project on hold, my cistern project on hold, and a big chunk of money recently spent on the house, we/she decided that one project at a time is the best way. Well, that all went out the window yesterday. A family member was at lunch with some folks who wanted out of an old 4-H project and had a coop, two hens, and a duck to give away.

We're gettin' chickens! We didn't know what we were getting, but it's alright with us. This thing's an adventure right?

This morning we went and picked everything up. They had one leghorn and one that they didn't know about the breed (Silver Lakenvelder maybe?). The duck looks like a mallard drake without the white neck ring, but they kept calling it "her". Anyway, the coop almost fit in the truck and was rather Clampettesque teetering across Tucson strapped to the bed rails of my truck. The girls fit into two 3M tubs with wire tops. It was a short drive and then they were home free. They took off into the garden and started scratching away.

I put a new roof on the coop while the LW kept them herded out of the veggies. Soon they were inside and I had time to put up a small fence. It's wire and rebar, but it's simple and best of all it works. We were able to let them out later this afternoon and they really enjoyed scratching around the yard as the cats watched. When the sun started setting they all moved into the coop and the LW and I set up chairs just outside and watched them. Our daughter absolutely loves watching them and it's one of the few things that keeps her still.

 

[AccidentalFarm]

Quote:
Too funny!!

Welcome to BYC!

 

[CarriBrown]

OMG Your daughter is SO CUTE! I want one!!!

%*($# husband.... un

 

[SAZLife]

AF, it was pretty funny alright. Thanks for the welcome. All we needed was an old lady in a rocking chair with a shootin' iron. We had to figure which streets we could get away with going 25mph on. Luckily, we've both ridden bicycles around town enough to know where to go. I still had to stop and cinch the thing down a few times.

Thanks CB. She's our pride and joy....and while cute...she makes the hour hand on a clock spin like a fan. Yes, the hour hand - the minute hand seems to go so fast that it leaps into another dimension altogether. After 11 months, we're almost accustomed to being on each other's nerves constantly, not getting enough sleep, etc...etc. Sometimes, when she's napping, we sit and think of the times when we could go where we wanted to go and do what we wanted to do.....

We have friends who are deciding right now and we encourage extended babysitting.

I'm sure that I'll be lurking on here searching quite a bit. It's a great resource!

Andy

 

[johnny_smith09]

ahhh i love lakenvelders---they just have the coolest pattern to me (even though its just black and white lol)

 

[SpottedCrow]

The all white one is too heavy looking to be a Leghorn...she might be a white rock or a cross.

I loved the Beverly Hillbillies movie with Jim Verney and Cloris Leachman...
You DD is cute too...
One thing about the coop. Chicken wire is good only for keeping the chickens in, but nothing else out...Hardware cloth or welded wire is much better for predator proofing.

 

[SAZLife]

The LW came in this morning with TWO EGGS!! Two of 'em on our first day with adopted chickens. One has a light blue tint and the other is white. Breakfast is lookin' up around here.

Thanks for the info SC. There aren't too many predators outside of Harris' Hawks here in T-Town though. The pack of coyotes that used to roam in the wash are gone now even. We keep catnip in the yard, so there are a steady stream of cats around at night in addition to our two during the day, so not too many predator types of any kind slip by unmolested. That 5' fence in the pic encloses the entire yard.

Yah, I hear ya about the breed. The chickens were originally picked up at a local feed store, so there's no telling exactly what they are. Sarah (white and tall), Lemon Duck, and Veronica (Lakenfelder) are here to stay though.

Andy