Leave a CommentShare: |
Subscribe
I want this.
I called our neighbor down the way who has a chicken farm and asked her if we could come out to see the chickens. Then I called Georgia and told her about it. “Do you want to come with us?” Of course! An outing! Georgia loves an outing. Below, that’s my chicken lady there on the left, with her husband, Georgia, and Princess on their chicken farm.
They also raise ducks, geese, and guineas–which are often in the road. She is a true chickens in the road inspiration. They have two daughters who are both enthusiastically involved with the chicken operation. Their oldest will be selling their farm-fresh eggs at the local farmers market this year.
She told me she got her chickens from ordering “rainbow” mixes, so she raises an assortment. If you recognize any of the breeds in her flock, please, fill me with your knowledge!
I love this gorgeous Golden Buff rooster. I believe the black one is an Araucana. She has brown and black Araucanas (which make the green and blue eggs), though she said she also has some slimmer-appearing black roosters that are Anconas. She also has some red-headed black roosters she called Black Stars.
And this speckled one, which she said was a Barred Rock.
They seem to have a lot of roosters….. (She said quite a few of the roosters are headed for new homes soon.)
Everything comes running when one daughter heads to the food barn.
Can you see ducks running and not be happy?
I’ve had ducks and geese before, but this is my first time with chickens. In the background, below, is the hen house on their farm.
I filled up a box with eggs right out of her nesting boxes inside the hen house.
Sometimes her chickens misbehave and won’t come into the hen house at night. This is Cell Block A, where several naughty banties were being held for psychological reconditioning. She says three days in lockdown next to the henhouse and they learn to come back to the right place at night.
She showed me where rats have been digging into the geese’s nesting house and dragging eggs down a hole.
Her chickens are free range during the day and they range all over the farm and up the hills and into the woods. Do you see the chickens up the hill?
She has several month-old babies in a large metal trough with a light, feeder, and waterer. She says a red light prevents fighting.
I came away with a “rainbow” mix dozen myself. The little white ones are banties. The others will be a surprise!
I have a Little Giant still air incubator. I used it several years ago when I lived by a lake and raised ducks. I had good success hatching ducks with this incubator. We’ll see how I do with chickens.
I worked on stabilizing the temperature to around 100, added water to the wells under the tray, and added the eggs. I marked a X on one side and an O on the other. They’ll need to be turned three times a day.
Since I’ve had success using this incubator before, I would be optimistic, but I’m a bit worried because I haven’t used it in a while, plus I had to take the eggs down our bumpy, rocky road home. I put them in the egg carton, drove slowly, and held them against my stomach with one hand while driving with the other. Still, I’m concerned about the jostling they took. But, I had to get them home….. I set the incubator in a room where I could shut the door and shut out cats, who I’ve found in the past enjoy batting at the incubator and upsetting the eggs. (Not to mention snacking down on babies.) Unfortunately, my lack of recent incubating experience and newness to this house left me unprepared to walk in and find sunlight streaming down on my incubator, raising the temperature over 107, which can kill the eggs. I taped cardboard over the window and quickly got the temperature back in line. I’d been checking the incubator frequently–but did they get too hot, for too long? I don’t know, but I think so. I called my chicken lady. She said, “You might have cooked your eggs.” How fast can I screw up?
I’ll try candling in a week to see what I’ve got….but I’m going back for a second batch of eggs tomorrow.
There’s nothing to do now but turn and hope, watch the temperature and humidity, and get some more eggs. And maybe, just maybe, if something miraculous happens, I’ll be holding some of these beauties in my hands in 21 days. Or a restarted batch in 23 days. Or a re-restarted batch in however many more days. This could be a long chicken watch, people!
Wish me luck?
5:51
am
7:03
am
We always had white chickens. I don’t know if they were a more hardy variety or if my mother just liked them better.
7:08
am
My favourite is that golden rooster — very pretty!
Of course, silly me thought you were collecting the eggs to eat, and I envisioned breakfast, until I read further. I didn’t realize you were set to go *now* for egg-incubating and hatching.
Good luck!
-Kim
7:37
am
7:42
am
7:52
am
Good luck with your eggs….
I am fairly certain the black and white chickens are not barred rocks. They look more like silver laced wyandottes. The buff coloured ones may be buff orpingtons. To me, the golden buff chickens look like hens not roosters. They seem to lack the associated feathering in the tail and neck.
…so much fun, and so many to choose from!
7:52
am
My guesses on the chickens would have been buff orpington, guineas of course, black australorps (probably spelled wrong, but it’s something like that) and silver-laced wyandottes. I’ve had barred rocks (or Domineckers as they’re called here) and they did not look like the chicken in your photo. And I would have guessed the chicken held by the little girl to be the Araucana. It looks very like the Araucanas I’m raising right now.
But I might be completely off target. There are so many different breeds and now with cross-breeding it’s even more confusing.
Usually one rooster is all you want. They fight, sometimes to the death of one or the other–it can get pretty war-like, even in a chicken house!
7:53
am
7:59
am
8:11
am
8:13
am
8:16
am
8:34
am
One site has details on 60 different breed chickens
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html
the other is a Rare Breed Hatchery where you can order chicks, supplies, etc.
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/
8:41
am
8:45
am
Elcie, I’m going to do the turning marks for the new ones tomorrow differently so I can tell the batches apart.
9:16
am
I have a few links posted on my site from all the research I did before I got chickens of my own ~ you are welcome to check it out: http://theworldofjenotopia.com/cmsjoomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=5&id=18&Itemid=27
9:25
am
9:28
am
9:32
am
Happy chicken hatching! :clap:
9:32
am
9:34
am
9:35
am
9:38
am
9:41
am
9:51
am
9:57
am
Mrs: http://www.bitchypoo.com
Mr: http://www.vituperation.com
10:04
am
I have a small flock now, but I keep them at our farmhouse down the road instead of here where we live. I’ve developed a low tolerance for chicken poo.
10:16
am
10:17
am
I’m with SC above on the breeds — the ‘golden buff’ looks like a Buff Orpington hen, the black one looks to be an Austrolorp or Black Jersey Giant, and the black/white one is a silver-laced Wyandotte (you can see a couple of barred rocks in the middle of this picture, as well as two Buff Orpingtons and an Ameraucana).
The chicken the little girl is holding is an Ameraucana.
Good luck with your eggs — I’m about to try hatching my first batch, too.
(Yay! Some of my chicken learnin’ finally paid off!
)
11:26
am
11:56
am
Hugs on having possibly cooked your eggs (there’s a sentence you don’t get to say too often when not referring to breakfast). I’m living my country life vicariously trough you, so I’m on chicken watch, too!
12:08
pm
I peek in on you daily and am looking forward to the progress with the chickens.
I am curious about the difference between raising chickens and having chickens for the eggs (i.e. to eat). Is it true that if you just want the eggs you wouldn’t have a rooster around to fertilize them?
Linda~
12:24
pm
1:04
pm
This is just a guess of course, but I think the four darkest brown eggs are Barred Rocks and the three softer beige colored at the front of the incubator are Buff Orpingtons. Or that’s who the mommas are, hard telling who’s the daddy with that many roosters running around.
1:42
pm
2:34
pm
2:58
pm
Bantys tend to hide their eggs at nesting time—they seem to multiply like rabbits.
3:09
pm
Wishing you only good luck with the chicks!
3:12
pm
3:32
pm
:-)
3:34
pm
http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/poultry/g08353.htm
5:53
pm
11:39
pm
9:21
am
Chickens!
One of my current “addictions!” I’ve had chickens for a few years now, but this year I began dabbling into buying hatching eggs off eBay and hatching out some new breeds! I’m now a chicken hatching freak! As for the breeds in your pictures… The black one doesn’t look like a black australorp – the comb’s too big, but I’m not sure what it is. Lots of options there. The golden one may be a buff orpington or some various mix related to the buff orp. The one you were told is a barred rock is actually a silver-laced wyandotte. I have several of both barred rocks and SLWs. Nice birds, both. The last picture looks like an Araucana/Americauna. I have to tell you, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE having chickens. The satisfaction of gathering your own eggs is beyond thrilling! When I started, I ordered a batch of chicks. But it takes a good 5-6 months before they will start laying eggs, so I couldn’t stand the wait. While they were maturing, I ran out and found someone willing to part with a few Araucana hens that were already laying. Farm fresh eggs! Nothing better! If you want info, info, info on chickens, check out the forum and other information on http://backyardchickens.com . I visit that site daily – just as I do this one! :rockon:
10:14
pm
BW
8:12
am
I raise chickens and have some new biddies that are being raised with their mother but I have not ever tried the incubator route. I am considering this in the near future as I expand my flock.
9:00
pm
5:12
pm
2:13
pm
The last picture of the black and brown chicken with the earmuffs…that looks just like my Skywalker! She is part Wyandotte and part Araucauna and lays green eggs! What a great site!
2:15
pm
I’ve just become obsessed with backyardchickens.com! Holy moly! There are other chicken crazed people out there just like me! I can’t believe it!
6:11
pm
10:33
pm
7:48
pm
9:01
pm