suburbanjungle
Chirping
When I posted my welcome a month ago, I said I would be posting more about my chicks later. Well, I think it's about time. None of my girls are laying yet, but I'm expecting to see eggs sometime in the very near future.
As I posted in the welcome, I have purchased several in small flocks since May. I lost several in the first month or two, but as I've learned more in order to prevent accidents and predators, the flocks have thrived. I have also "fostered" chicks for a friend since I have a decent brooder setup. The foster chicks are rehomed once they have feathered. I live in a small suburban area with a fairly large backyard. Because of the area and because of the many hawks, my chicks are not freerange but have a nice covered run space to play in. It's always interesting that the girls that they grew up with remain their flock or gang as they move around the space and interact with the others.
I will list each by flock name/grouping.
Friends (20 weeks old)
2 Rhode Island Reds (Chanda and Rosa)
The Friends flock were my first six chicks, three Rhode Island Reds and three Ameraucanas which I purchased from a small feedstore. Since there were six of them, I named them after the characters of the TV show "Friends", turning the male names into female names. The Ameraucanas were Monica, Phoebe, and Rachel and the Rhode Island Reds were Chanda, Rosa, and Joanne. Sadly the Ameraucanas all died in an accident (crushed by feeder that fell over) and Joanne turned out to really be Joey, so he was rehomed. Only Chanda and Rosa remain.
This is Chanda. Rosa has a legband now so I can tell them apart. They are the oldest two I have. They aren't nearly as aggressive as the Leghorns, but they are still toward the top of the pecking order because of their size and age.
The Golden Girls (19 weeks)
2 White Leghorns (Beatrice and Betty)
I was pretty upset by the loss of the Ameraucanas, but I decided to replace them right away. Most of the feedstores didn't have any chicks in, but I found some at Tractor Supply. The only layers they had were White Leghorns and they required a purchase of a minimum of four, so I bought four little yellow chicks which I named after the actresses in the TV show "The Golden Girls:" Betty, Beatrice, Estelle, and Rue. Estelle and Rue were fostered for my friend, and I guess Rue laid her first egg this past week. I still have Betty and Beatrice, but I'm still waiting for them to lay. Betty and Beatrice are very aggressive and are at the top of the pecking order. Beatrice is very smart and is the first to check something out when it is introduced to their coop or enclosure.
This is Beatrice. She is very smart and aggressive and at the top of the pecking order. Betty also has a leg band so I can tell them apart.
My Americanas
All deceased
The next flock was met with tragedy. They were four Ameraucanas and a Barred Plymouth Rock. One of the Ameraucanas and the Barred Rock died shortly after I brought them home from the feedstore. The remaining three died when I had them out in a small enclosed space outside on a nice warm day, but they were attacked by a predator (I'm pretty sure it was my dogs). I named the flock after they all died because I have a spreadsheet tracking ages, dates outside, first egg, date died or rehomed, etc. I named the flock with an "i" because they weren't all Ameraucanas and the Plymouth Rock is an old standard.
Finding the mutilated bodies in the yard really traumatized me. I know some raise their chicks and have no attachment to them, but I'm not like that at all. I felt I had let them down and didn't do enough to protect them. After this I purchased a small coop to place inside the large run for the little ones to get used to being outside and to introduce them to the flocks.
Rainbow Gals (15 weeks)
1 Blue Fauvacana (Jasmine)
1 Silver Cuckoo Marans (Opal)
1 Olive Egger (Olive)
I decided to go a little more exotic with the next batch, and I placed a couple of orders with MyPetChicken (MPC). I ordered a Blue Fauvacana, a Silver Cuckoo Marans, a Partridge Olive Egger, and a Snowy Easter Egger. Unfortunately the Snowy Easter Egger died within 2 hours of arrival. I noticed she was sluggish and separated her from the others, and although I tried a few things to revive her, she didn't make it. The other three, though, have a lot of character and have been a lot of fun to raise. The Blue Fauvacana is Jasmine, the Silver Cuckoo Marans is Opal, and the Partidge Olive Egger is Olive. Jasmine loves to run around the pen, and with her little feathered feet, it seems she's waddling.
This is Jasmine. She's a funny little gal. And very talkative. If I hear chirping throughout the day, most of the time it's Jasmine chatting away about something.
This is Opal. She's becoming pretty aggressive and has established herself in the upper half of the pecking order below the older gals.
And this is Olive. She's a pretty little one and very independent. She is the most standoffish of all of the girls.
First Ladies (9 weeks)
1 Blue Laced Red Wyandotte (Jackie)
1 Partridge Cochin (Rosalyn)
1 Salmon Favorelle (Eleanor)
The next batch was a lark. I had an outstanding order due in from MPC in a couple of weeks, but my friend I fostered for was excited when I told her there were a lot of new chicks at the local feedstore, so we went back and decided to get a few. They were in a bin they called a "grab bag" of unknown breeds, so it was just a guessing game. It turns out it was a good game as they all have turned out to be pretty exotic. I named the flock as the "First Ladies" because we had just watched the conventions. The fostered chicks were an Ameraucana named Frances, a Lavender Orpington named Lady Bird or "Baby", an amazingly feathered Black Cochin I called Bess but has been renamed "Elvira," and a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte named Grace. That left me with a matching Blue Laced Red Wyandotte named Jackie, a Partridge Cochin named Rosalyn, and another gal that at first I thought was a Cochin but today confirmed she is likely a Salmon Favorelle named Eleanor. (Note that the breeds are simply guesses based on what we've observed.) Because I was going to have a little trouble with the schedule of brooder to outside, I ordered a second little coop for inside the run.
This is Jackie. She's a fairly independent gal. I'm looking forward to seeing how she looks as she matures. These can be simply stunning girls.
This is Rosalyn. She's pretty camera shy. She and Eleanor are at the bottom of the pecking order, so they are often running away from something or someone.
This is Eleanor. She's a sweet little gal at the very bottom of the pecking order. Straight on, her beard is full and her leg feathers almost entirely cover her feet.
The Little Entertainers (7 weeks)
1 Gold Laced Wyandotte (Tammy)
2 Mille Fleur d'Uccle Bantams (Angelina and Jolie)
These little ones were another order from MPC. I ordered another Olive Egger named Olivia for my friend and a Gold Laced Wyandotte named Tammy Wyandotte and two Mille Fleur d'Uccle Bantams named Angelina and Jolie for myself. When I opened the order, I only saw three little chicks in the box. After I moved the three into the brooder, I searched the box expecting to find a dead chick but when I pulled some of the packing material aside, I was surprised to see a tiny little bantam staring up at me. She had somehow gotten over the top of the material and was stuck between the material and the box. Luckily she didn't get too cold there and she has survived just fine. When I started drafting this post, I didn't have any recent photos because I'm trying to socialize them by opening up their small coop doors, and they were hiding in the rafters of their little coop. I just went out to check on them, though, and I found they were running around and enjoying themselves.
Beatrice is coming to check out the new girls. From the front are Jolie, then Angelina, and then Tammy. The three are the same age, but the bantams, of course, are still quite small.
The Environment
The main run is a 10'x10' metal pen from Tractor Supply called the Producer's Pride Defender. The big coop is part of the package. I really like this pen because it was easy to put together, it's tall enough for me to stand in, plenty of space for the girls to run and fly, and it has an excellent metal top. I've added solar to the coop and run lights and a fan. I also have a wireless camera inside the big coop and a wireless camera/floodlight in the run. Inside the run I had placed a "tree" made of a 4x4 pole with varying height "branch" platforms sticking out. A stabilizer bar doubles as a high perch. Next to the tree I've placed a bale of straw which the girls love to jump on or peck at. On the two sides of the run are the two smaller coops. Above one of the small coops is a diagonal rod also used as a perch. I've also installed misters for hot California days.
Only the four oldest girls sleep in the large coop. The younger ones all sleep in the small coops. I tried to force the issue to get the Rainbow Gals into the big coop, but they just weren't ready and the older girls were not very accommodating. I have several weeks before I need them to find the brooder boxes, so I'm not in a rush right now.
This is the pen and the big coop right after I installed it. As I said, it was very easy to assemble. Originally I had shade from the neighbor's trees, but they cut them down a few weeks ago, so I have an umbrella shade over on that side.
This is an early shot of the pen and coop when the older girls were just a few weeks old. This is before the stray bale and the smaller coops were added. The dogs are fascinated by the chickens, but I've learned they are not to be trusted around them. My little chihuahua terrier (not shown) is likely the one who killed my Ameraucanas this summer.
This is the first of the small coops. I painted it from the original brown and added two perches inside. If you add an additional small coop, I highly recommend LOTS of doors. I added the open one on the end and I added hinges to the flat top, but when I need to grab little chicks, there is just too much space for them to run and hide and unless you have two people, you'll just run from end to end repeatedly. Also, the flat top attracts the chickens who then poop through the mesh to the chickens or food/water below. Currently the Little Entertainers sleep here at night. Because two of them are bantams, I've taken a little more time to socialize them with the others by opening the doors during the day. That started today.
This was the second small coop I added. I like this one much better. It doesn't have a hingeable top, but it also isn't flat for the girls to sit on an poop into it like the other one. It also has a LOT of doors. I also added two perches inside the coop area. The Rainbow Gals and the First Ladies all sleep in this coop at night for now. It's their choice. It's a little tight with six of them, but it's just where they end up at night. I open two of the doors and let them move around during the day but I close the doors at night. Even thought they are in a relatively safe enclosure, I have found mice and squirrels still get into the pen at night.
Here are Jasmine, Opal, and Olive resting on the lower perch.
Here are Jasmine, Opal, and Olive again, but this time they are enjoying the straw bale. You can see the "tree" behind them and the stabilizer bar/perch. (As well as the dust bath bin in the back.) The girls love jumping up onto the straw bale and jumping/flying from the top of each of the smaller coops over to the upper perch.
As I posted in the welcome, I have purchased several in small flocks since May. I lost several in the first month or two, but as I've learned more in order to prevent accidents and predators, the flocks have thrived. I have also "fostered" chicks for a friend since I have a decent brooder setup. The foster chicks are rehomed once they have feathered. I live in a small suburban area with a fairly large backyard. Because of the area and because of the many hawks, my chicks are not freerange but have a nice covered run space to play in. It's always interesting that the girls that they grew up with remain their flock or gang as they move around the space and interact with the others.
I will list each by flock name/grouping.
Friends (20 weeks old)
2 Rhode Island Reds (Chanda and Rosa)
The Friends flock were my first six chicks, three Rhode Island Reds and three Ameraucanas which I purchased from a small feedstore. Since there were six of them, I named them after the characters of the TV show "Friends", turning the male names into female names. The Ameraucanas were Monica, Phoebe, and Rachel and the Rhode Island Reds were Chanda, Rosa, and Joanne. Sadly the Ameraucanas all died in an accident (crushed by feeder that fell over) and Joanne turned out to really be Joey, so he was rehomed. Only Chanda and Rosa remain.
This is Chanda. Rosa has a legband now so I can tell them apart. They are the oldest two I have. They aren't nearly as aggressive as the Leghorns, but they are still toward the top of the pecking order because of their size and age.
The Golden Girls (19 weeks)
2 White Leghorns (Beatrice and Betty)
I was pretty upset by the loss of the Ameraucanas, but I decided to replace them right away. Most of the feedstores didn't have any chicks in, but I found some at Tractor Supply. The only layers they had were White Leghorns and they required a purchase of a minimum of four, so I bought four little yellow chicks which I named after the actresses in the TV show "The Golden Girls:" Betty, Beatrice, Estelle, and Rue. Estelle and Rue were fostered for my friend, and I guess Rue laid her first egg this past week. I still have Betty and Beatrice, but I'm still waiting for them to lay. Betty and Beatrice are very aggressive and are at the top of the pecking order. Beatrice is very smart and is the first to check something out when it is introduced to their coop or enclosure.
This is Beatrice. She is very smart and aggressive and at the top of the pecking order. Betty also has a leg band so I can tell them apart.
My Americanas
All deceased
The next flock was met with tragedy. They were four Ameraucanas and a Barred Plymouth Rock. One of the Ameraucanas and the Barred Rock died shortly after I brought them home from the feedstore. The remaining three died when I had them out in a small enclosed space outside on a nice warm day, but they were attacked by a predator (I'm pretty sure it was my dogs). I named the flock after they all died because I have a spreadsheet tracking ages, dates outside, first egg, date died or rehomed, etc. I named the flock with an "i" because they weren't all Ameraucanas and the Plymouth Rock is an old standard.
Finding the mutilated bodies in the yard really traumatized me. I know some raise their chicks and have no attachment to them, but I'm not like that at all. I felt I had let them down and didn't do enough to protect them. After this I purchased a small coop to place inside the large run for the little ones to get used to being outside and to introduce them to the flocks.
Rainbow Gals (15 weeks)
1 Blue Fauvacana (Jasmine)
1 Silver Cuckoo Marans (Opal)
1 Olive Egger (Olive)
I decided to go a little more exotic with the next batch, and I placed a couple of orders with MyPetChicken (MPC). I ordered a Blue Fauvacana, a Silver Cuckoo Marans, a Partridge Olive Egger, and a Snowy Easter Egger. Unfortunately the Snowy Easter Egger died within 2 hours of arrival. I noticed she was sluggish and separated her from the others, and although I tried a few things to revive her, she didn't make it. The other three, though, have a lot of character and have been a lot of fun to raise. The Blue Fauvacana is Jasmine, the Silver Cuckoo Marans is Opal, and the Partidge Olive Egger is Olive. Jasmine loves to run around the pen, and with her little feathered feet, it seems she's waddling.
This is Jasmine. She's a funny little gal. And very talkative. If I hear chirping throughout the day, most of the time it's Jasmine chatting away about something.
This is Opal. She's becoming pretty aggressive and has established herself in the upper half of the pecking order below the older gals.
And this is Olive. She's a pretty little one and very independent. She is the most standoffish of all of the girls.
First Ladies (9 weeks)
1 Blue Laced Red Wyandotte (Jackie)
1 Partridge Cochin (Rosalyn)
1 Salmon Favorelle (Eleanor)
The next batch was a lark. I had an outstanding order due in from MPC in a couple of weeks, but my friend I fostered for was excited when I told her there were a lot of new chicks at the local feedstore, so we went back and decided to get a few. They were in a bin they called a "grab bag" of unknown breeds, so it was just a guessing game. It turns out it was a good game as they all have turned out to be pretty exotic. I named the flock as the "First Ladies" because we had just watched the conventions. The fostered chicks were an Ameraucana named Frances, a Lavender Orpington named Lady Bird or "Baby", an amazingly feathered Black Cochin I called Bess but has been renamed "Elvira," and a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte named Grace. That left me with a matching Blue Laced Red Wyandotte named Jackie, a Partridge Cochin named Rosalyn, and another gal that at first I thought was a Cochin but today confirmed she is likely a Salmon Favorelle named Eleanor. (Note that the breeds are simply guesses based on what we've observed.) Because I was going to have a little trouble with the schedule of brooder to outside, I ordered a second little coop for inside the run.
This is Jackie. She's a fairly independent gal. I'm looking forward to seeing how she looks as she matures. These can be simply stunning girls.
This is Rosalyn. She's pretty camera shy. She and Eleanor are at the bottom of the pecking order, so they are often running away from something or someone.
This is Eleanor. She's a sweet little gal at the very bottom of the pecking order. Straight on, her beard is full and her leg feathers almost entirely cover her feet.
The Little Entertainers (7 weeks)
1 Gold Laced Wyandotte (Tammy)
2 Mille Fleur d'Uccle Bantams (Angelina and Jolie)
These little ones were another order from MPC. I ordered another Olive Egger named Olivia for my friend and a Gold Laced Wyandotte named Tammy Wyandotte and two Mille Fleur d'Uccle Bantams named Angelina and Jolie for myself. When I opened the order, I only saw three little chicks in the box. After I moved the three into the brooder, I searched the box expecting to find a dead chick but when I pulled some of the packing material aside, I was surprised to see a tiny little bantam staring up at me. She had somehow gotten over the top of the material and was stuck between the material and the box. Luckily she didn't get too cold there and she has survived just fine. When I started drafting this post, I didn't have any recent photos because I'm trying to socialize them by opening up their small coop doors, and they were hiding in the rafters of their little coop. I just went out to check on them, though, and I found they were running around and enjoying themselves.
Beatrice is coming to check out the new girls. From the front are Jolie, then Angelina, and then Tammy. The three are the same age, but the bantams, of course, are still quite small.
The Environment
The main run is a 10'x10' metal pen from Tractor Supply called the Producer's Pride Defender. The big coop is part of the package. I really like this pen because it was easy to put together, it's tall enough for me to stand in, plenty of space for the girls to run and fly, and it has an excellent metal top. I've added solar to the coop and run lights and a fan. I also have a wireless camera inside the big coop and a wireless camera/floodlight in the run. Inside the run I had placed a "tree" made of a 4x4 pole with varying height "branch" platforms sticking out. A stabilizer bar doubles as a high perch. Next to the tree I've placed a bale of straw which the girls love to jump on or peck at. On the two sides of the run are the two smaller coops. Above one of the small coops is a diagonal rod also used as a perch. I've also installed misters for hot California days.
Only the four oldest girls sleep in the large coop. The younger ones all sleep in the small coops. I tried to force the issue to get the Rainbow Gals into the big coop, but they just weren't ready and the older girls were not very accommodating. I have several weeks before I need them to find the brooder boxes, so I'm not in a rush right now.
This is the pen and the big coop right after I installed it. As I said, it was very easy to assemble. Originally I had shade from the neighbor's trees, but they cut them down a few weeks ago, so I have an umbrella shade over on that side.
This is an early shot of the pen and coop when the older girls were just a few weeks old. This is before the stray bale and the smaller coops were added. The dogs are fascinated by the chickens, but I've learned they are not to be trusted around them. My little chihuahua terrier (not shown) is likely the one who killed my Ameraucanas this summer.
This is the first of the small coops. I painted it from the original brown and added two perches inside. If you add an additional small coop, I highly recommend LOTS of doors. I added the open one on the end and I added hinges to the flat top, but when I need to grab little chicks, there is just too much space for them to run and hide and unless you have two people, you'll just run from end to end repeatedly. Also, the flat top attracts the chickens who then poop through the mesh to the chickens or food/water below. Currently the Little Entertainers sleep here at night. Because two of them are bantams, I've taken a little more time to socialize them with the others by opening the doors during the day. That started today.
This was the second small coop I added. I like this one much better. It doesn't have a hingeable top, but it also isn't flat for the girls to sit on an poop into it like the other one. It also has a LOT of doors. I also added two perches inside the coop area. The Rainbow Gals and the First Ladies all sleep in this coop at night for now. It's their choice. It's a little tight with six of them, but it's just where they end up at night. I open two of the doors and let them move around during the day but I close the doors at night. Even thought they are in a relatively safe enclosure, I have found mice and squirrels still get into the pen at night.
Here are Jasmine, Opal, and Olive resting on the lower perch.
Here are Jasmine, Opal, and Olive again, but this time they are enjoying the straw bale. You can see the "tree" behind them and the stabilizer bar/perch. (As well as the dust bath bin in the back.) The girls love jumping up onto the straw bale and jumping/flying from the top of each of the smaller coops over to the upper perch.
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your flock is gorgeous! So sorry for your losses however. 
Its always traumatic on the heart to lose them especially to predators. Thanks for sharing your birds with us!! 
