Hello everyone!
Obviously I am new to the chicken forum here. I have been a member of the DG website for quite a while but never did any searching beyond the plant forums. This is so wonderful! There are chickie people to chat with.
I live in Florida with my little flock. I have silkies (bearded and non), RIRs, Barred Rocks, Ameracaunas and a big beautiful black (Cochin?) Rooster. He was sold to be as a Jersey Giant but after having him for 2 years and looking at photos there is no way. If I post a photo can you all help me out on that?
Anyway, I am a homeshool mom with 3 kids. We have about 20 chickens, 6 dogs, 2 cats and my son has a tarantula. (He wants to be an entomologist someday).
I look foward to getting to know everyone.
Blessings,
Nancy
A Chicken Forum! Hello :)
Here is my boy.
Hi and welcome! I think you may be right about the rooster. I have some Jersey chicks and they don't have the feathers on their feet. I have a real mixed bag here, Americaunas, Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks and a Rode Island Red in the hen house. Then I have 4 silkies running around the yard. One is sitting on 14 duck eggs, one is raising 4 ducks and the other silkie hen is sitting on about a dozen silkie eggs. (I can't keep themn from stealing the ducks nests). I also have 10 turkey poults in with my black Jersey and Brahma chicks. On top of all that are three ducks a peacock and a pair of Narraganesett turkeys with a nest in the playhouse.
That's just the fowl. This place is a literal zoo as I rehabilitate wildlife and other odds and ends.
No tarantulas though. EWWWWWW! Way too hairy for me.
Your rooster is a real beauty. I come to the forum to look because I don't have any chicks at this time.
What a beautiful rooster! I think the next type of get next will be some cochins.
Hi, Queenie! Welcome to our little world! I just love
a menagerie. We have 26 chickens, Crested Polish,
Cochins and Ameraucanas and some mutts, 2 dogs,
2 cats, 2 goats, 1 horse and 1 big fat goldfish, plus
50 quail (at this time) and 4 Mountain Quail eggs in the bator.
What took you so long to find us?
Makshi- you must get some chickens soon!
Hello Nancy! It's very nice to meet you. Welcome to the Poultry forum! I don't post nearly enough but I do try to read and check in when I have some down time. I have 6 daughters, 40 something chickens, 5 rabbits, 2 dogs and a cat. ;) Definitely no creepy crawlers here except the ones outside.
Makshi, you need to move up here by me! You could share my chickens and help eat some of these eggs. LOL
Hi, Badseed, hopefully your chickens can help
with the creepy crawlies!
They are doing a great job. Ticks are out already so I hope they are eating those! They love that I am digging holes and darn near sit in my shovel to grab the fresh worms. They are getting spoiled!
We don't have as many worms as I would like.
The fireants attack them when they can- I do my
best to keep the fireant numbers down. Then, I'll
import some more worms and I will be doing just
what you are-spoiling the chickies with them!
I have found there is one drawback to gardening with chickens! They don't bother my big metal plant markers, but they sure do pop out the smaller ones! Okay all you "gardening with chickens" people, how do you let them run free during the day and keep all your plant tags? LOL
On a good note, they do a very good job of keeping the soil loose. ;)
I haven't yet let them in places that I have tags to
worry about, but I bet a twisty tie run thru a hole in
a flexible tag would work. here's what came on my
daylily..
Ummm, you don't know how many plants and gardens I have. LOL We are planning to fence off an area for them but haven't had the funds. Grrr.
Hi, Queenie Bee!
I'm not anywhere near the expert most of these folks are, but I'm learning from this forum. We have 6 indoor cats, 1 barn cat, 2 dogs, 2 horses, 8 Guineas, 1 Polish rooster, 1 Rock Barred rooster, 2 ducks, 4 hens of various heritage and 24 5 1/2 week old chicks. I have no idea what breeds the chicks are. I guess they would be called pullets at this time, right?
Oh,
and I will be picking up two baby angora goats next Sunday and another 3 at the end of the month.
Your big rooster looks kinda like one of my big hens. Of course, since I have no idea what Helga is, I can't help you much - LOL,
Welcome, these are really nice people here.
Beth
Hi Beth. Your new chicks may be pullets and cockerels.
Unless some knowing person sexed them before you
got them.
I hear you on the grrr, Badseed. My one roo knows
how to get in my front yard, and he can do a lot of
damage with just one dust bath near my baby plants.
Truest - they are all supposed to be pullets - there was one pen with all pullets mixed, layers - but I'm not so sure about one of them. I'll have to get a picture and post it.
I have some with fuzzy cheeks - does that mean anything?
those have "muffs", which would likely make them Aracaunas, green egg layers!
All of my ameraucanas have muffs, and most
have muffs and beards. I look forward to tinted
eggs in the fall, if the days are long enough for them
to lay then.
Faverolles have muffs too--but they are a more uncommon breed.
I haven't yet seen a bird with the big eye tufts in
person, but I think they are just crazy looking!