Meet the chickens

[REP]

Buff Naked (the Orpington) and Chick Jagger (the Rhode Island Red). Eggs fall out of their butts.

[Bertha Venation]

1. I love the chickens, REP!

They're beautiful. How long does it take a chick to become a big chicken? Did you have these from chicks?

[REP]

7. Our friends had to rehome their chickens

Our yard is a little over 1/2 acre, so even with Buff crowing like a rooster, she won't bother anyone I think it takes six months for them to become chicken-sized.

[love_katz]

2. Beautiful goils.

The only chickens I've had were Barred Rocks. That was long ago. Loved them.

Yummy, fresh eggs. Nothing like the real thing...free range, natural diet.

Wishing you and the goils eggsellent success.

[REP]

10. They're a lot of fun. The RIR likes to sit on us; they both like to follow us around

And they like to talk to us!

The eggs are like a bonus

[love_katz]

12. I used to follow mine around until I could manage to pick them up.

They weren't too sure, at first, about being picked up and stroked, but eventually they seemed to like it.

And they also would follow me around the garden while I was working out there. I enjoyed their company, and loved watching how keen-eyed they were at finding bugs, weed seeds and weed flower buds to eat.

[elleng]

3. My daughter received 7 chicks, including the varieties you mention,

from her future in-laws, for her 25th birthday, today! She/they'll be building a coop.

[hibbing]

4. Love them

Hey,
Thanks for posting these, I love chickens. I had a neighbor who had some in the past. Not sure if I have the commitment to get any.

Peace

[REP]

9. They are very easy to care for

Especially if you can let them free-range. Change their bedding once a week; make sure their water and feeder are filled; check for eggs and lock the coop at night (they put themselves to bed). They're pretty smart and lots of fun!

[bluesbassman]

5. Hate to break it to ya REP, but those aren't eggs...

Good looking birds, and I love the names!

[REP]

6. Not ALL eggs, but some are

Left to right: one of Buff's; store egg; one of CJ's

[bluesbassman]

8. Nice!

I'll be over for omelettes this Sunday!

[Locut0s]

11. Nice shots! I'm chickened out after Hawaii though ;)...

So many roosters on Kauai it's nuts!

[REP]

15. Buff crows, even though she's a hen

She's a bad-ass; she chased off a deer the other day. Hilarious!

[Bertha Venation]

13. kicking because they're so beautiful

[REP]

14. Thanks!

They're molting now, so they should be even prettier soon.

They are so funny! They run towards us full tilt when we come out, and they keep dropping by the greenhouse where I am to say, "S'up?"

[4_TN_TITANS]

16. We've got chicks almost big enough to head out to the coop.

After a couple of years break, my girls are raising more chickens. There's almost too many benefits to having them around to list them all. From eggs with lower fat & cholesterol, to keeping the bugs cleaned out of the yard, I highly recommend a backyard flock. Although it can be heartbreaking because everything in the world is out to get a chicken. As many years as we've had birds I think we've only had one or two die of old age. Something always finds a way to get them.

This year we got an assortment of breeds instead of going with just one. They even threw in a free "exotic" chick! He's going to be some sort of crested/crowned breed.

[REP]

17. I have predator patrol: skunks

The skunks have been out with the chickens - neither creature was too interested in the other (the Orpington runs off deer), so I'm hoping the local bob cats and mountain lions will contain to steer clear. My house has historically been a skunk habitat/wildcat-free zone, according to long-time residents. Their coop and sleep house is predator proof and visible from our bedroom window (our yard is only 1/2 acre or so).

Congrats on your new flock! We're new to chickens, but the pest control, eggs and fertilizer now seems to be added bonuses to how much fun they are to watch and interact with. Plus, between them, the skunk and the (house) cats, no food ever goes to waste!

[csziggy]

18. Predators are why we don't have chickens

I'd love to have some, but the red shouldered hawks have lived here for generations, the gray fox is a regular visitor, and I'm not all that sure the coyotes in the neighborhood have all been shot.

I have some 16' x 4' stock panels and thought about making a run out of those with a hen house and nesting boxes at one end - one of those things that can be dragged around from spot to spot. I think I have enough to even make a "floor" for it so nothing can dig under the sides on our uneven ground.

Maybe once my husband retires.

[LWolf]

19. My flock is almost gone.

When my senior hen got old and quit setting 3 summers ago, the new chicks stopped coming. Old age and predators have pared the flock away, until the last 2 hens disappeared last week. The rooster is all on his own.

Eventually, I'll get some more, but I'll have to redo the coop set up so I can keep them in a protected area most of the time.