Where did our story begin? About four years ago I was visiting one of my favorite places for all things vintage and the owner had a few hens that she let free range in her yard. The girls would come up to greet you as you got out of the car and they would cluck and 'talk' as if they enjoyed visitors. On this particular day when I went up on the porch to enter the shop something caught my eye and in a planter beside the entry door snuggled down beside the plant was the prettiest hen. I spoke to her and she turned her head and gazed at me and clucked and cooed and I just fell in love with her. I came home and told my hubby Wade that we should get a few chicks to raise. Well I didn't have to say that twice! He went to tractor supply that very day and got ten little chicks and ordered two roosters. The latter was a mistake but we're making the best of that situation! More on that later.
He brought a cardboard box in with the cutest little fuzzy peeping chicks. They won my heart right away. We started with 4 buff orpingtons, 3 aracaunas and 3 barred rock. We kept them in Wade's shop in a big wire crate that he built and we had heat lights for them at night to keep them warm. We touched and held them daily and they all became very friendly girls. A couple of weeks later I picked up the roosters while Wade was on a birdwatching trip and I took them down and added them to the crate with the girls. I stayed and watched them for a while to make sure they were going to get along ok. Even though the girls were only a couple of weeks older they were already much bigger and I wanted to make sure they weren't going to peck the little guys. The next morning as soon as it got daylight I went down to the shop to check on them and couldn't find the little roos anywhere. I searched high and low and could not imagine what had happened to them. There was no way they could get out of the crate and there was no feathers or fluff to indicate a catastrophe. I just didn't know what to think. Just as I was starting to close up the crate I noticed some tiny little feet sticking out from under one of the girls. Sure enough she had her wings spread over the little guys trying to mother them and keep them warm. She was only a couple weeks older than them but already she had the mothering instinct. Shew! I was so glad that turned out well. I didn't know how I was going to explain to the hubby that I had lost the roos. Looking back over the last couple of years maybe it wouldn't have been so bad after all!!!! Shhhhhh don't tell anyone I said that! Those darn roosters don't like me. I do everything in my power to treat them right but they are downright mean to me. They make me say words that I normally don't say and they put me in such a tizzy sometimes I could just pinch their heads off. But they are beautiful and I love to hear them crow. They are almost 4 years old now. I guess I'll let them stay. I just carry a big stick!
We have enjoyed the chickens a great deal. Almost 4 years later and we still have 5 of the originals. Last year we added 16 more to our flock (that made those Roosters happy!) and enlarged their outdoor run. I never dreamed I would enjoy being a chicken keeper but I really do. Wade had had chickens before and he was familiar with what they needed as far as food and housing. I like to 'girlie' up things a little. I haven't made them curtains for their nesting boxes yet though. That may be on the agenda soon. I do enjoy making them treats and watching them devour it. My favorite thing is to watch them free range in the evenings. They love to kick leaves and mulch and mosey around all over our property looking for goodies. It brings me great joy to keep chickens. Just call me the Crazy Chicken Lady. I don't care one bit!
He brought a cardboard box in with the cutest little fuzzy peeping chicks. They won my heart right away. We started with 4 buff orpingtons, 3 aracaunas and 3 barred rock. We kept them in Wade's shop in a big wire crate that he built and we had heat lights for them at night to keep them warm. We touched and held them daily and they all became very friendly girls. A couple of weeks later I picked up the roosters while Wade was on a birdwatching trip and I took them down and added them to the crate with the girls. I stayed and watched them for a while to make sure they were going to get along ok. Even though the girls were only a couple of weeks older they were already much bigger and I wanted to make sure they weren't going to peck the little guys. The next morning as soon as it got daylight I went down to the shop to check on them and couldn't find the little roos anywhere. I searched high and low and could not imagine what had happened to them. There was no way they could get out of the crate and there was no feathers or fluff to indicate a catastrophe. I just didn't know what to think. Just as I was starting to close up the crate I noticed some tiny little feet sticking out from under one of the girls. Sure enough she had her wings spread over the little guys trying to mother them and keep them warm. She was only a couple weeks older than them but already she had the mothering instinct. Shew! I was so glad that turned out well. I didn't know how I was going to explain to the hubby that I had lost the roos. Looking back over the last couple of years maybe it wouldn't have been so bad after all!!!! Shhhhhh don't tell anyone I said that! Those darn roosters don't like me. I do everything in my power to treat them right but they are downright mean to me. They make me say words that I normally don't say and they put me in such a tizzy sometimes I could just pinch their heads off. But they are beautiful and I love to hear them crow. They are almost 4 years old now. I guess I'll let them stay. I just carry a big stick!
We have enjoyed the chickens a great deal. Almost 4 years later and we still have 5 of the originals. Last year we added 16 more to our flock (that made those Roosters happy!) and enlarged their outdoor run. I never dreamed I would enjoy being a chicken keeper but I really do. Wade had had chickens before and he was familiar with what they needed as far as food and housing. I like to 'girlie' up things a little. I haven't made them curtains for their nesting boxes yet though. That may be on the agenda soon. I do enjoy making them treats and watching them devour it. My favorite thing is to watch them free range in the evenings. They love to kick leaves and mulch and mosey around all over our property looking for goodies. It brings me great joy to keep chickens. Just call me the Crazy Chicken Lady. I don't care one bit!
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