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Last week we took a trip into town and returned with six little fuzzballs. After last year’s rooster fiasco {remember we had FIVE out of eight chicks turn out to be roosters}, we opted to skip our local chicken swap and work with a company that sexes their chicks. Math is one area that we can figure out easily enough and know that 8 – 5 = not enough eggs.
Although we didn’t plan on getting quite so many, apparently there is a state law that requires a minimum purchase of six. A few chickens may need to find a new home in the coming months.
Apparently our bunny wasn’t even distraction and now the kids are playing with chicks as often as they can. Cuddling. Making them pets as much as possible.
Inside they stay until the weather allows them to join their chicken friends in the coop outdoors. For now the chicks’ home is a giant Rubbermaid tub and a nice warming lamp. There they sleep, peeping away and keeping four children occupied in the afternoons.
If you need some tips on chicks, my post introducing our chicks last year generated some great suggestions. :) We also decided that names are important and picked names that could not be shortened to any form of a boy’s name {just in case} ~ like Henrietta. All of our chicks with those names last year were the roosters {no kidding}.
Any new animals in your life lately?
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Sooo cute!! I just want to squeeze them! So we need to hear the names when they are decided upon!
No squeezing allowed!! :) haha ~ these are the names for this flock: Angelina, Amanda, Caroline, Peep, Chestnut and Ginger
No squeezing allowed!! :) haha ~ these are the names for this flock: Angelina, Amanda, Caroline, Peep, Chestnut and Ginger
We started one year ago with 25 hens and 3 “mystery chicks.” (Read: roosters.) After predators and the 4-H auction, we now have 15 hens, 1 rooster, and a chick hatched in January. :o) We’re getting a dozen eggs a day. Enough for us and a few to share/sell. The Backyard Chickens website is our go-to resource for info.
Enjoy your little fuzzballs!
Last year a raccoon broke into our coop and killed all of our hens ~ a VERY sad day in our house. We have four hens now that have survived the wild and the reinforced coop, so hopefully this year will be much better. Our first flock was SO much fun. They used to follow me around the yard and come running when I called their names. :)
adorable!! This is so cool:)
AHH MAN! My husband has been trying to talk me into getting chickens since we go through eggs so fast and have land for them. I’ve been putting it off until last night when he dropped the line he knew I’d bite, “I think it would be really educational for the kids!” And now this post has put me over the edge!
Did you build a coop? Are they a lot of work? I need to find some resources to figure out what we are doing…
I’ll have to post some pictures of our finished coop ~ maybe AFTER the kids clean it out this afternoon!! :) My hubby went to town on it last year and did a fabulous job on it!
What breeds did you get? By the looks: a couple of Buff Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, and Black Astralorps?
We did the chicken math, started off with 9, in order to end up with 6. Then one turned out to be a rooster, too. And after hatching a batch in the fall, we have 10 hens and 1 rooster. And our hen went broody again, and we’re scheduled to hatch 10 chicks Easter weekend!
I love chicks! Congratulations. Would love to see more about your chickens/coop, etc!
In all honesty, I only remember the 2 Rhode Island Reds and 2 New Hampshire Reds…and the other 2, I cannot recall. The kids each insisted on picking out a specific chick as their own and between the chirping and chasing, I completely lost track of what was what. :) We already have two Buff Orpingtons at home, so I know we didn’t get any more of those.
One of our hens has gone broody, but it’s a lost cause since we don’t have a rooster. We’ve had to go in with oven mitts at times to shoo her off!
We were temporary custodians of 9 baby chicks a couple of weeks ago. My son’s kindergarten had 10 eggs in an incubator in their classroom. After they hatched, they needed someone to take them home and care for them over the weekend and we were the lucky family! We all grew very attached in two short days. They were lovely.
Our chicks are grown enough now to know their sex – 3 out of the 6 we bought are Roosters!!! We wanted Hens. Funny because we have been told that 1 out of 100 are hens – why are we so unlucky??
(I live in an area where we are not allowed to have roosters).
That’s funny about all the chicks with the “shortenable” names turning out to be roosters. Love the new look of your site! It turned out great!
Do you think it is better to get chicks (not knowing their sex and having to wait for them to get old enough to lay eggs) or to get them when they are old enough to lay?
One of the benefits to raising them from chicks is that they have been so very friendly. :) When I would go outside and call them {we let our chickens free-range} they would all come running. The kids were really sad when the chickens that we got full-grown run away from them, and they definitely aren’t very nice. :) Last year we bought our chickens at a chicken swap where the couple didn’t know how to sex the chickens. This year we bought them from a store in town that does sex them. There are also several companies online that will guarantee {to a certain %} that they are hens or roosters. The flock of chicks that we raised took between 3-4 months til we started getting eggs, but the kids have really enjoyed ‘training’ them and spending time with them.
We got chickens two weeks ago, 3 months old. I didn’t want baby chicks. I have a 10 month old and a 3 year old. We can’t wait for eggs.