Been Lurking and now have chicks!

Hi everyone-
I've been lurking here for a few months and have taken the plunge and bought some 4-5 week old chicks locally. I just hope we didn't end up with too many boys...if so we may have a few go to freezer camp. Here is a rundown of what I bought:
5 Easter Eggers
4 Silver Laced Wyandotte
4 Partridge Rock
4 Rhode Island Reds
2 Blue Laced Wyandotte
2 Salmon Faverolle
Hope these links work to the pics:
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o230/titanRX-8/chicks/chicks1.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o230/titanRX-8/chicks/chicks2.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o230/titanRX-8/chicks/chicks3.jpg
We also have some wild friends (sometimes including my son) here too:
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o230/titanRX-8/chicks/son_goose.jpg - This poor goose is all boogered up - On wing missing, no tail, and a bum foot
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o230/titanRX-8/chicks/geese2.jpg - There are a few flightless and some healthy ones here. The flightless came from a rescue organization and the healthy ones just showed up one day.
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o230/titanRX-8/chicks/ducks-1.jpg - The ducks are healthy and won't let me get too close.

This message was edited Apr 30, 2011 10:06 PM

This message was edited Apr 30, 2011 10:31 PM

WOW!! You've found breeds I've been trying to get for years, and you can't be that far away...Nonononono no more chickens. I have too many as it is...

Anyway, welcome, and all the best of Chicken Happiness:)

I'll do the Let Them Be Hens dance for you, I'm sure doing it for me...

Congratulations Titanium, and welcome to chicken heaven!!! You'll enjoy your new flock; you've been promoted to head-rooster! :) lol Keep us posted on how things are going and make sure to post lots of pictures!! ~:>

Thanks for the welcome...
Catmad- I found these chicks through craigslist so I got lucky with finding the ones I liked looking through the hatchery catalogs. If you decide you 'need' a couple new babies I can give you the contact I found just send me a d-mail. The fella had quite the set-up of chicks week old up to about 6 weeks. He talked us into the Faverolls and the blue laced Wyandottes. He also said that he was going to have some Welsummers soon too. I like those, but they would be to young to put in with these I got - so I'll have to put those on the back burner for a bit.

Glenda- Thanks for the hen dance! I hope it works. I think I have figured out I have at least 3 boys because they have a little more of a comb than some of the others. Its a little hard to observe too much because they won't be still.


Danielle

Whoo Hoo another Chicken head!!! Happy to have ya Danielle! I know the Chickies will really make your day, No.... make your life more complete! Nothing can be more relaxing than Sweet Chickie talk and watching them grow! Welcome Welcome ,E.

Welcome Danielle!! I know by the looks of your list, you are one of us! LOL

I've wanted some Partridge Rocks for a long time.. One of the few breeds I haven't had yet. :)

Sure glad to see ya!! A picture a day, that's all I ask.. :)

ZZ- I really liked the partrige rock by all the pictures in the catalogs - so I was glad when the local guy had them. The only worry I have with them is that they are younger/smaller than the rest so they look like they are being picked on a bit. I know in time they will be as big as the others. I will keep a close watch and make sure they don't draw blood.
I also really like the silver laced wyandottes. I just wish I could find a few silkies just for the fun of them and also their fluffy soft feathers. I'll probably wait on those too. Twenty-one chickies is a big bunch for a newbie to look after so I'll try o keep my self control in check. Hopefully, as the chickens get older and are able to get out and roam they will have the geese to be the early warning alarms for the hawks and owls roaming about the woods and pond.

I will try to update with pics as they change...Right now they are in that gangly teenager stage...not quite pretty as little babies or the nice coloring of adults.

Here is one more pic from this winter. Picture of the geese and a blue heron that visited.

Geese are so cool! One of these days I will need to add them to my zoo.

Glenda I think you should post a video of the "Hen Dance" so that we can all join in.

LOL Danielle, that wasn't me that offered the hen dance that was Catmad!!! And I'd pay good money to see of video of that!! Go Catmad, go!!! :-D lol

Porkpal- I think it looks a lot like the chicken dance you might see at a baseball game. LOL!

I've been watching my own chicken dance over the past few days. Lots of scratching, fluffing, and pine shaving/dirt baths going on. They are so funny. I think they had been cooped up in those brooder cages since they were born and had very little room to move around that they probably thought they died and went to chicken heaven.

I'm hoping they also stop doing the dog pile in the far-corner of the building we have them in ... I guess it is a normal thing for them when they go to sleep. I'm going to have to figure out how I am going to build some roosts and boxes for them to hang out in/on. I think I have a few weeks to work that out. Soon I think we need to get the building they are in partitioned a little better so we can still use part of it for our gardening tools and such. Right not we just have some OSB nailed up to give them half of our shed. We (hubby and I) also need to add some hardware cloth around the posts of the overhang and add a screen door so we can let them out on the real ground soon. I'll have to take a picture so you guys can see what I'm talking about. I think it will be good to have that as a first line of defense for predators. We have a little of everything running around here. Got 6.5 acres of woods and part of a pond so that attracts a lot of wild life. I'll have to tell you the story about hubby and the raccoons tomorrow. Alright, I guess have rambled on enough...

Welcome, TitaniumRX8, and Congrats on your new babies! You have a really nice assortment of chickens.

Posts more pics when you can!

Danielle, do you have a light in with them? Chicks usually pile when they're cold, I think, and it's still chilly for such young ones. Mine are older, and still seem to huddle around the light at night.

Funny, the Faverolles and the BL Wyandottes are the ones I've been looking for. I do have Salmon Faverolles ordered, but they've never actually been shipped to me, despite ordereing them more than once. I'd like some dark eggers, too. But, while I thank you, I don't _need_ any more chickens *G*.

Glenda, you had to say it. didn't ya??

But, the Let Them Be Hens dance is very private. There is much ritual and mumbo-jumbo involved. It is something that May Not Be Seen, if it's gonna work. And ya want it ta work, don'tcha??

I just had my son say that I was calling one type we have the wrong thing. The RIR are actually New Hampshires...Ah what the heck i was in close proximity of getting the name right.

As far as lighting I have a nice big light in there with them so if they are cold you would think the would huddle underneath. Since they are 4-5 weeks I don't think they are getting too cold - it has not been below 40 at night here. I guess they have their own crazy reason for going over there. I think mostly because that is where the 4 Partridge Rocks are chased to by the Ameraucanas. The Rocks are smaller and as I watch them I think some of the other ones that are lower on the pecking order go over there too; then after awhile they are all congregating over there when they start get sleepy. I don't know what to make of it...

So far the Faverolles have been pretty quiet compared to the others. One just likes to kinda sit around and let the others throw shavings all over it. It doesn't seem sick, because it will get up and move around for a while when one of the others steps on its head. Its also eating and drinking like the others. The other one just digs around every once in a while and is pretty quiet too. So they may be the most laid back of all of them.

Now to the story of the raccoons.... Hubby was down in the basement the other night - that is where he has his computer set up - and decided to go stretch his legs after a playing his Zombies game. He goes out the sliding glass door and hears this awful racket coming from the inside of our rubbermaid storage unit (that is where we keep our fishing stuff and some fish/goose food). All the sudden here comes two raccoons tearing out of there and hubby jumps back out of their way not knowing what it was...He said it scared the bejeebus out of him.... hahaha... As I was laughing at him as he told me that and then he said its not funny because they may have rabies or something. He told me one was huge and the other one looked like a baby. Anyway that is my funny story of the day. I'm sure we will have many more antics of wildlife getting into stuff and causing mayhem.

I'm just hope some of the deer come back that we saw just as we were moving in. It was a mamma and two babies that were meandering around the pond. I kept seeing their tracks for a while, but lately haven't seen much of anything. My brother who is a hunter was walking around showing us antler rub marks - so I know they are still around. Probably scared of all the noise the dogs make - I'm sure 'people' noises are a bit to blame too.

OK, peeps - yes pun intended.

New pictures of the boys and girls.

First one I'll just add of a gang of them.

Here is a couple of my Silver Laced Wyandottes

Couple of my Patridge Plymouth Rocks.

Those are my youngest ones that get picked on the most.

Here is one with my Blue Laced Red Wyandottes - the ones to the left and right

The silver laced(top) and new hampshire(bottom) snuck in there too.

Here is my faverolls...the 2 right in the middle. They are real funky colored. One is kinda blondish/red all over - the one closest to the wyandotte....the other one is all different colors right in the middle. Their little legs have the little fuzzies on them...so cute. I hope they get the beards like the pics I've seen of them online.

Here is a pick of a couple of New Hampshires - in the middle of the pic.

Also, a easter egger jumped in there too. Those guys are the ones being mean to the Rocks. They are also really active and won't be too still for me to take a pic of them.

Here is the building I am keeping them in. The plan is to put up wiring all around the overhang to allow them to roam outside. It will be in the high 90's to 100 here before we know it. So we need to get them out of the building soon, then can at least feel a breeze. Once they are old enough they will get to roam out in the yard too.

It looks like that will be a nice shady pen for the summer heat.

Great pictures!

Lovely! Those Silver laced Wyandottes look just like my Dark Brahma babies except that mine have feathered legs and feet!
Love the building!

Eufaula- The outbuilding was there already when we bought so we had a ready made spot for them. We got super lucky to find and buy this place. If the RE market would have been better we wouldn't have been able to get this place. Unfortunately, that also makes it difficult to sell the one we were in before...so we have to rent it until things get better.

I thank the good Lord for letting us find and able to buy it when we did. The house is older than the one we had, but it is more the size we need. What makes up for the older house is the 6.5 acres and the pond out back...almost paradise for us. Just have to get things tidied up...lots of downed trees and brush around from it sitting empty for about a year. The old owners wanted too much and it took a while for the price to make its way down to what it was really worth (in my opinion - I'm sure they didn't think so).

One thing I did today is put in a red light in their half of the building and that seems to have settled them down a bit. Not as much picking going on it seems. I was a little hesitant to put in a lower wattage light since they are still small. I hope they don't get cold at night, but they have each other to keep warm.

I have two standard faverolles,both are girl,the darker one looks like it might be a rooster.;The faverolle roosters are beautiful

More chicken fun tonight. I was checking on the kiddos and tidying up the building. Wood shavings seem to flying everywhere so I was throwing shavings back into their half. I after a bit noticed that the chicks we staring at something and then pecking at something dark. Lo and behold there were June bugs in there probably 4 of them altogether...that is when the fun started. One by one they picked them up and then the others saw a goodie in their beak and decided to try and get it....let the chase begin. LOL! Those bugs were way to big for any of them to swallow whole - some of them got yanked apart during the chase and others got smashed into pieces when one of them was able to sneak away to eat. What fun they they had and what fun I had watching them!

Isn't chick watching fun? The "goodie" chases are so comical, and are often involving some completely inedible treasure. Grown up hens continue to participate - no dignity at all!

Hi all,
Have just been reading this thread.... You guys are all more fun than the funny papers!! I laughed out loud at times, reading your lines....like the comments about the "Let Them Be Hens Dance!" You guys are a treasure!

I'm just getting ready to break into Chickendom, so am reading all I can find to learn more in preparation. I'd sure like to learn how to do that dance! Does the inventor if it give lessons?? Do let me know when and where!

We asked for a video of the dance, but apparently it is quite magical and publicity would break the spell.

No video. I shall be honored to Dance for all those who wish hens to be, but the stars and planets must be correctly aligned, and the moon in the seventh house.....

I'll let y'all know

I think it must also be a blue moon too... Its such a closely guarded ritual and I have only heard hints of how its done.

Oh, Dear. Don't let _too_ many secrets out....

I'm told that some attempts made without the proper rituals have resulted in Roosters Being.....

Yes, best left to the experts.

Okay, it begins...

http://www.space.com/11509-skywatching-tips-6-planets-visible-dawn.html

I shall prepare for The Dancing. I'm afraid it won't work for chicks that are already Becoming Roosters, but I will do my best.

Oh, is there anyone who WANTS roosters? I'd hate to screw up a breeding program inadvertantly.

I'm wondering if it works long distance, and how I should direct my energies. I have some straight run Blue Cochins coming, which should be set about now. It will be tricky, as I actually do want some roos, I like Cochin Roos, they are so sweet. I'll be working for 3 Hs, 2 Rs.

We'll see :)

Good luck! Be sure to eat right to keep your strength up.

Somebody must have told me a fib about the blue moon part...or maybe there are many different universe/orbital type cycles that one can pick from to do the 'dance'. You know now that I think of it blue moons don't come around very often; next one isn't til Aug 2012. That would make it very difficult for one to do the dance to get hens.

Catmad- I will wish you good luck that you get what your dancing for. I will be most glad to have hens for eggs, but if I have roosters we still won't go hungry. From what Green said above I have at least one rooster in the bunch, but it sounds like he will be a sweetheart since it is one of my faverolls.

Welcome. Nice chicks.