Update

One Flew Over the Fence

 

Today my neighbor came over to inform me that my white rooster had flown the coop and was wandering around across the street in another neighbor's yard.

Sure enough, the hens weren't with him so that was a 'good thing'. I chased him back home and the hens were in the driveway patiently awaiting his return.

 I had a couple of hens disappear a couple of weeks ago. and I think my new neighbors next door had them for dinner. I think the black Astrolorp rooster that Whitey was harassing also, he was here one day and gone the next.

When I was informed of my wayward rooster's antics I was afraid he would be headed for the stew pot too so I gave the people a dozen eggs in appreciation for not eating him.

Chickens is fun but you got to clip their wings real short.

The Babies are HERE!

4 New babies

I have new babies, 2 black and 2 yellow. Hungry as a Kirby vacuum. I am having a hard time keeping track of the black ones as they hide in the shadows and under mom who is a dark gray.
I just checked and the 4 or more eggs that hadn't hatched are gone. No shells, no nothing. I guess they were cannibalized. Nothing goes to waste around chickens. I was hoping to have a couple more hatch. No such luck. The roosters are having a field day though.
4 roosters to service 9 hens means there's plenty of nooky to go around.  As long as they keep laying I'm happy.

New Arrivals

The babies are here!

Yes, I have 4 new babies, 2 little black ones and 2 little yellow ones. They eat like full grown chickens though. I left them with their mother this year and kept an hourly check on them to see that she took care of them and the other hens didn't do anything to harm them.
She abandoned the other eggs that hadn't hatched but another hen moved in and I'm hoping that she incubates them so I get some more.
Wish me luck, these chickens cost $5 or more to buy them now so I figure letting some hatch would save me money. I forgot about 'baby' food. lol

Updated Chickens

It was an interesting Christmas. We got approximately 8 inches of the soft fluffy stuff. The lower picture is of the tree branch that fell across my chicken fence and clothes line. The top is between the patio and the coop.

I have a whole new crop of chickens. A cat got into the coop and decimated most of the original birds. I now have 4 roosters, one I raised from an egg and believes I'm his mother. 2 others I bought as 'hens' from the county fair. Another was given to me when all I wanted was the hen. The lady wouldn't let me have her unless I took him too. Seemed she thought they were kissing kin or something. As soon as he saw all the other hens he lost interest in her right away.

I have a total of 13 chickens. I'm getting between 3 and 6 eggs a day. 

I have a light on them from midnight to 7 every day. I understand extending the daylight hours is all it takes to kick up production during the winter.

Chickens, Everywhere Chickens

I took Red's picture in the chicken coop because otherwise he wouldn't let me get close enough to get a good shot of him.
He's healthier now and back to his old rooster ways, chasing hens and having a gay old time. The speckled rock hens are so different from what I expected, they remind me of the dinasaurs that chased Sam Neil et al across that open field in Jurassic Park. They are the long leggiest chickens with these big loopy tails almost like Red's. (I'll have to post some pictures of them soon.) His was green though and theirs are speckled of course. His tail still hasn't recovered.
They are more pets than barn animals. They let me pet them and reach under and grab eggs without raising a feather.
I'm getting a lot of eggs from them now that the "specks" are producing. Keeping them and the wild birds fed is not cheap. Red keeps them home for the most part, although he does have his 'favorite'. I have no idea what makes one hen more attractive over another. They all look like little fat hens of all kinds of breeds. Fancy is not a factor. I have the Americanas and he treats them just like the others he's not so hot on.

Update June 9, 2010

A lot has happened since I last posted to this blog. A cat killed 7 of my chickens by just wringing their necks. It almost killed Red but I got to him and saved his butt by taking him into the kitchen, washing as much blood off as possible and putting him on a heating pad and covering him with towels.
I really thought I might lose him. He didn't move for 2 days. I felt him to see if he was responsive and breathing. He finally woke up and then it took a couple more days before he left the confines of the plastic trunk I'd borrowed to put him in. It was pretty funny having a big ol' Red rooster walking around the house. I had to finally take him outside (although I really didn't want to) but the house started to smell like a barn.
2 1/2 months later after being successuflly returned to the pen, he crowed for the first time. What a beautiful sound.
A friend bought 6 speckled rock chicks 9 days old to replace the 7 that were killed. I think they are starting to lay now. I got a little pullet egg out of the nest today. Production is coming back.
Been busy with the election here in Hot Springs and haven't spent as much time doing this as I wanted to so maybe now that it's over (until November !)...
More later

My Araucauna pullets

I bought 3 new Auraucana (sp) pullets to bring my production back up and reduce the average age of my hens. I wasn't getting the numbers that I had been getting. I talked to a guy at the county fair that just ended and he said hens best production is only about 18 months. My hens are well over the hill by that standard. My leghorn lays very infrequently and she's the only one that I'm sure of as far as age is concerned. She was my first so she's well over 3 years. Anyway, I tried buying some Rhode Island red hens but the kids showing them didn't seem interested in selling this year.
I don't know if the economy is causing the lack of participation or kids aren't as excited about raising animals as previous generations. I know the rainy weather we've been having the last 3 weeks put a damper on the people showing up at the fair.
Oh well, I have new "Easter egg" layers. Got my first blue eggs the day after I brought them home.