Chillin' with my peeps....

13 years ago

I am raising a bunch of bantam chicks. Here are a couple of pictures of some of them. Do any of you also have chickens?

I have two big hens and a rooster. The hens are supposed to be Ameracuanas, but they are called "Easter Eggers" because they lay blue or green eggs, and are probably not pure Ameracuanas since they came from the feed store. My two hens lay aqua colored eggs, and seldom miss a day. My rooster isn't a very good rooster. He is a White Leghorn, but was one of those dyed Easter chicks, and came from the Humane society. He is mean and tries to flog me every time he can get close enough.

The black one in the middle in the upper part of the picture is called a "Frizzle"...the feathers turn out like a pine cone. It's a Cochin, as are several of the others, black, the red one, the brown "checked" one and the one with the silver lacing around her neck is called a "silver penciled Cochin."

This picture is Pip, the duck, also from the Humane society. He was a day or so old when I got him, and so little he slept under the other Bantam chicks' wing. The reason his neck looks red, he had been eating watermelon. ;) The beige chick is a D'uccle, and the sandy one is a Silkie.

They are in the cage where I pen them up at night, to keep them safe from the raccoons. During the day they go out in pens called "chicken tractors", which can be moved about and they can forage a little and still be safe.

They're a lot of fun to watch. I've enjoyed them.

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Comments (7)

dotmom
13 years ago
How very interesting... I didn't realize there were so many kinds of them. I always thought a chicken was a chicken. Its interesting, too, that they have different personalities. Thanks for posting. Dottie
marlingardener
13 years ago
What a lovely flock! You have a good mix of poultry, but do keep the ducks separate from the chickens. Ducks require and generate humidity that can be detrimental to chickens.
We have Black Australorps--a great laying hen, very gentle, big, and can take the Texas heat. Each has a name and a personality (although I seem to be the only one that can tell them apart) and are pets that give eggs, big eggs!
Your leghorn will be aggressive--it's in the breed. He will not only be aggressive to you, but will be hard on the hens. He will develop spurs as he matures, and he can really do damage with spurs and beak. You may want to keep him isolated and penned.
Chicken tractors are great! I have a three-hen tractor that I carry my girls to and let them forage in the morning. It's hard to remember which girls went yesterday and which ones get the tractor today! I may have to resort to post-it notes.
Chickens are a stitch to watch. Try giving them cherry tomatoes--they end up looking like Boppo the Clown with a big red nose!
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I will take some pictures when they are all done hatching. They have been hatching for two days. We'll give it a couple more days and see how many more we get. So far the neighbors white eggs are ahead of our brown and green eggs. His are all yellow chicks and ours are all weird mixed colors with some crazy markings! I saw the ugly rooster limping across the yard today. I bet he has a sand bur stuck in one of his toes. I'd remove it for him but I don't think he'd let me get near him with a pair of tweezers. He might be hard to get a pic of. He generally hangs out under the boats or the tractors where it's damp and the bugs are plentiful. But I'll try, I just have to remember to take my camera out with me when I go to the garden. MeMo
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glenda_al
13 years ago
Love your peeps!
izzie
13 years ago
I was at the Mn State Fair one year and they were having the 4H chicken competition. I was amazed at all the different sizes, colors and feathers. Some are very beautiful. I have heard we can have up to 3 in our yard here in the city but just don't want to bother.

Here is a link that might be useful: found a bunch of pictures here
jemdandy
13 years ago
If you can, replace the leghorn rooster with a Bantam rooster. If you plan to hatch any of the eggs, choose a rooster that is as colorful as you can find. This increases the range of color in the chicks.

A rooster that is keeping his harem happy can get feisty. However, you have to show him early on who is top chick in the chicken yard. Be agressive toward him. Be the first to chase him, rather than to act timid and allow him to mount an attack. He will pick up on timid behavior.

You do not have to be 'mean', not should you toward the rooster. You do have to be the "top mother hen" though. If he attacks, catch and hold him. Hold his wings next to his body, and if he begins to relax a bit, offer a bit food and gently release him. You are his dominant 'mother' and will not stand to be bullied.
minnie_tx
13 years ago
love your peeps and am gald they are on your doorstep and not mine!! It is surprising how many people do have chickens.
marilyn_c
Original Author
13 years ago
The rooster is a dud and when I have another rooster to replace him with...which I do, in this bunch, I am sending him to the wildlife center to be put down. He never breeds the hens....amazing. He hardly stays with them. He has spurred me many times and he already has long spurs.

I had a white leghorn that belonged to my mother, spur me right in the quick of my thumb nail and I lost my nail...and the pain was excrutiating.

I have a lot of roosters in this bunch...including an EE'er named Choctaw, and I am going to turn him out with the hens,
when he is older, and a little hen just like him in this bunch named Grady.

All of my chickens are named. A bunch of them are named after people on my favorite tv show....The Office.

Chillin' with my peeps....

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dotmom

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Chillin' with my peeps....

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dotmom

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