- This topic has 14 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 13 years, 6 months ago by .
-
Posts
-
Guys I have chickens. I am so excited to have chickens finally, after years of research, saving and waiting. I wanted to get them right after we purchased our home, but that would have been irresponsible. So for a few years I waited, researched, saved my pennies.
They came Wednesday! I ordered them over a month ago, and so waited for the eggs to incubate and hatch. Then they were shipped to me. I decided not to get them locally because I wanted them sexed (which is an art, not a science, and few people can do it when they are first hatched), and I could get them vaccinated and the place I ordered from was NPIP certified (essentially they test free of disease). Plus they had the breeds I wanted.
I chose breeds based on cold tolerance (gets mighty cold here), personality, and size (all large fowl). These are all either egg-laying breeds or “ornamental” though they will all lay eggs. They will be ‘pets’– not food– with the best lives I can possibly give them. Any eggs they give will be a gift and a bonus. When I was researching chicken keeping over the years I learned a lot about how industry egg and meat chickens are kept. It upset me so greatly that I have sworn off grocery store eggs (I’ve been sworn off of grocery chicken meat for a while). Production egg hens are possibly treated worse than meat birds.
These chicks are all supposed to be hens. There is a 10% margin for error so there is a small chance one won’t be, but for now I am calling them girls! I will name them once we learn their personalities.
Onto the photos!
These chicks are 3 days old in these photos! These photos aren’t the best. I didn’t want to stress the chicks so I took quick snapshots with not-so-good lighting!The Partridge Cochin, she is such a butterball! I adore her.
That butt! Notice her feathered legs and feet. Awwww.
Partridge Rock
Golden Buff (golden comet, red star, etc etc)
Black Australorp
Barred Rock #1. She is extremely friendly and will already hop into our hands.
Barred Rock #2
Salmon Faverolles #1 .. She is the most rowdy and crazy of the lot! Notice the giant muff/cheeks and her extra toe! That is a trait of this breed.
Salmon Faverolles #1 again… she is a ham. The extra toe… it does nothing!
Salmon Faverolles #2.
Yay!
Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
My art: featherdust.comomg… SQUEEE! So cute!! I want chickens so bad, but apartment living is just not appropriate. 🙁 …plus I have 3 big psycho dogs who would nom them. XD LOL
yeah! congrats, Jen! :bigsmile:
Congratulations, Jennifer! They are all so sweet! I like how you put a number after the breeds of some. Makes them seem like limited edition Windstone chickies ^_^ My favorite one is the Black Australorp.
I didn’t think chickens were all that great until a friend of mine and his (girlfriend? wife?) brought their 3 pet chickens over in a cage once. (They were taking them from Houston, back to their home in Austin) They made the sweetest cooing noises, and seemed like such peaceful creatures. I was really surprised as I thought chickens were loud, destructive and crazy. These birds were so sweet! I love living in the city, but I guess my inner child wants a farm. After seeing my friend’s chickens, I’d really love to have one or two-but I know nothing about them, and, like bayoudragon, I live in an apartment. Not so productive for chicken keeping.
Please keep us updated as they grow with more pictures! 🙂 And let us know when you get names for them. Thanks for sharing these pictures. A good dose of fluffy is always good in the morning ^_^
Wolfen,
Several people thought I was NUTS for wanting chickens! The common misconception is that they are mean, noisy, dirty, stupid and disease-ridden. With chickens it is definitely ‘you reap what you sew’… keep them clean, treat them sweetly and give them a good life and you will be rewarded with happy, friendly birds. They are also a lot smarter than we give them credit for! 🙂
Each is an individual but if you teach them to trust you, some will learn to hop into your lap and sit there like a cat, just to be petted.
I’m not saying that you can’t get a mean one if you are nice to them. They are individuals. But there is a lot to be said for being sweet to them vs. just keeping them outside and dumping food for them once in a while.
You are right though; I’d never attempt to keep them in an apartment! Fresh air, bugs and grass for chickens. 😀
Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
My art: featherdust.comThey are adorable!!! Just little cotton fluffs. Hmmmm…do I see paintings of chickens in your future??!!! Maybe Melody could scuplt some chicks for the store. Congrats on your new babies. So happy for you!! I also look forward to pics when they start growing.
so cute! i bet they will be a joy to have around. i’m not sure if i would ever have chickens but it seems like its getting more popular lately. i know of several people in my neighborhood (and we are NOT in a rural area!) who are starting to keep them. personally if i had a lot of acreage i would build a cat sanctuary (much to my husband’s disapproval, haha)
and of course, i admire your thoughts on industry raised birds 😀
Aww… cute little fuzzballs
Congrats on your chicken. I hope you continue to post pics as they grow 🙂My Aunt raised all kinds of fowl when she lived on her farm. Assorted chickens (evil roosters), pheasants, turkeys, geese (evil geese), ducks, doves, guinea fowl peacocks, etc. And it was mostly fun to visit, until you got chased by some goose or rooster. I think I had the most fun cuddling chicks.
OMG soooo cute!! The Black Australorp definitely has my favorite coloring so far 😀 Will you be taking pictures of them while they grow? I know I for one would love to see growing pictures of these beauties!!
The pictures of the yellow guys remind me of when my elementary school had an incubator so that we could see the chicks hatch! I remember since my mother was a tutor at the school there they asked her if she would take the baby chicks home over a weekend to care for them, and they were sooo much fun to have in the house! So friendly, and so fluffy!
Every single one of them is ADORABLE right now!! I love that you got a bunch of different breeds 🙂 Congratulations Jennifer!!
Commission spots are currently closed! Please message me for details.
Please visit My Webpage to see my art and PYO's that I've done in the past!Congratulations! They are completely adorable! They are extremely fortunate birds to have found such a great forever home. I can’t wait to see more pictures as they grow up.
Way cute! We hope to get chickens someday too. (gotta build a roofed yard for them though, the eagles would like chicken dinner a little too well I think)
Aw, they’re so darn cute! 🙂
When I was 9 years old my grandparents down the street gave my sisters and I the choice of having bunnies or chickens out in the hutch in the backyard. Being little girls, we chose the fluffy bunnies over the chickens, but this makes me think that maybe we should have gone with the birds instead.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
