Our introduction to keeping chickens, the high's, the lows and pics of our journey.

[Wrightsx4]

You absolutely crack me up...the funniest part is I can see all those things with my own flock. Haven't had dual broodies yet. Definately had a ninja rapist rooster. He's gone now but my poor hens are still growing back their head feathers. Oh - and my Ee/SF cockerel Salomon (Baby's baby) is 13 weeks now and is QUITE a dancer for the ladies already - he's so funny. He was trying to entice one of the pullets with a wood chip today. (Not interested!) My young cockerels are doing everything early- crowing, dancing, finding gifts for the girls - maybe because of having grown up Roos around to watch. I find my buff orps are loudest hens when it comes to announcing anything - laying an egg, someone else layed an egg, get out of my nest, and anything else that needs announcing.
Oh! ...I DO have only one female faverolle. The other 6 are boys. I talked to FancyFavie, who I got eggs from, and she has both light and dark boys just like mine that are the same age. I'll have some pretty sf boys available if anyone near me is interested!

 

[NovaAman]

Wait until they are fully or near to fully colored out before you chose which to keep. If you get rid of them too early, some one else may get the looker that you want to keep.

Fancy sure does have some nice quality birds. I mean heck, she won at the show with her girls. Nice snowy white chests, pretty uniform salmon color.

 

[Wrightsx4]

Right - I plan to get some opinions on the boys before choosing my keeper. She has beautiful favs. She packaged the eggs really well - and it saved 7 of them since the postal service smashed the box I bought 6, she sent extras, so I ended up with 7 hatching out of the 7 that survived the shipment - that's better than 100% . I asked her to send me all girl eggs next time. Lol.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Right - I plan to get some opinions on the boys before choosing my keeper. She has beautiful favs. She packaged the eggs really well - and it saved 7 of them since the postal service smashed the box

I bought 6, she sent extras, so I ended up with 7 hatching out of the 7 that survived the shipment - that's better than 100%

. I asked her to send me all girl eggs next time. Lol.

Wow, even after a smashed box, you can't complain after hatching 7, when you paid for 6 hahaha

I like those odds, male - female odds could do with a tweet though.

Big day yesterday, but I did manage to line the night box with the washed and dried second hand carpet. Seems to have made a very large difference to the sound levels.

Just need to find a good long term spot for it now and we are done!

As for eggs, even buying a dozen has not tipped any of our girls over the layer line yet. Still waiting.

 

[NovaAman]

In the event of ninja rapists who need to still be out of the coop, but need to be confined... I know totally crap drawing, but I did it with a track ball mouse... Also great for keeping smaller birds safe.. not so much chicks if they can fit through the 2x4 holes. HOWEVER, you could wire cloth screen to it, or that green plastic poutlry fence with zip ties... No wood invovled here so you can move it around the yard, cover one end with a tarp or an old towel, or a something for a shade area if you don't have one. Can put those rabbit feeder cups to hang off the fence too...

Here is Pat the Rat in his.. I am using it right now for when I let Little Pretty out so she can get some air and exersize...

 

[Wrightsx4]

Thanks for sharing that. I could use that even within the pen during the day. Do you keep your ninjas in a separate coop at night then?

Is Little Pretty healing up?

 

[NovaAman]

Yeah she's good. My ninja boy is behaving. I let them al range all day. When I have boys get ninja style now, Rod usually handles it. Great head roo. BUT I have pens built into my run, so, when necessary, they are locked up that way to keep the peace. We are fast approaching that now with 3 of the boys, but they are destined for DIY colonel Sanders.

 

[ozexpat]

Greetings from across the Pacific or across the equator.

I will be putting eggs into lockdown tonight. They are from the chicks we hatched in December/January. Our first non-shipped generation.

The Muscovy are now sausages. We had duck sausage in a ratatouille with risotto for lunch.

We have a fence to build and 4-6 coops to finish this week so it will be busy.

 

[EmSteele]

The "roo" was an early Bloomer with the comb and wattles (waddles?) And at 15 weeks they have just stopped growing and not anywhere close to as red as my definite roos...no crowing or egg laying yet. I'm horrible ay waiting patiently and I'm pretty sure they know and are using it against me! Anyway, I can't post pics here but Brad from Indiana thread posted screen shots of my 2 mystery chickens on the big sex link thread from my instagram.
while I'm rambling, it's 5:30 am the perfect time to ramble, if you us instagram I'm @moleysteele
Lots of my animal pics..few of my kids since it's public. My Facebook is a little different since my friends aren't really into chickens.....weirdos.....

 

[Bens-Hens]

In the event of ninja rapists who need to still be out of the coop, but need to be confined... I know totally crap drawing, but I did it with a track ball mouse... Also great for keeping smaller birds safe.. not so much chicks if they can fit through the 2x4 holes. HOWEVER, you could wire cloth screen to it, or that green plastic poutlry fence with zip ties... No wood invovled here so you can move it around the yard, cover one end with a tarp or an old towel, or a something for a shade area if you don't have one. Can put those rabbit feeder cups to hang off the fence too...

Here is Pat the Rat in his.. I am using it right now for when I let Little Pretty out so she can get some air and exersize...

I love it, light, portable yet safe.

Is Pat the Rat on of those splash silkied breeds I saw someone accidentally made here?

Yeah she's good. My ninja boy is behaving. I let them al range all day. When I have boys get ninja style now, Rod usually handles it. Great head roo. BUT I have pens built into my run, so, when necessary, they are locked up that way to keep the peace. We are fast approaching that now with 3 of the boys, but they are destined for DIY colonel Sanders.

DIY Colonel Sander, Bwhahahaha...I mean, poor naughty rooster.

Greetings from across the Pacific or across the equator.

I will be putting eggs into lockdown tonight. They are from the chicks we hatched in December/January. Our first non-shipped generation.

The Muscovy are now sausages. We had duck sausage in a ratatouille with risotto for lunch.

We have a fence to build and 4-6 coops to finish this week so it will be busy.

Greetings back! Wow, you have almost accomplished 'the full circle' Hatched, grown, bred, ate and hatched again. A mission, and something to be proud of especially since your doing it spanning two very different countries!