Chickens are an idea that my husband could not understand eight or so years ago when I got the great idea to keep them, yet he still supported it and went as far as building me two different coops (with a third one to be completed soon) He picked up the pieces(literally and figuratively) when we learned, the hard way, that raccoons enjoy chickens for dinner and so he was out early the next morning putting on a secure roof on the chicken coop. Today I think he enjoys them as much as I do and I hear him bragging to his friends about our flock.
Other chicken experiences have included my then four year old son who went out early in the morning when I was in the shower because he heard "the dogs that wanted to play with the chickens." When I heard the story and went to investigate I found we were short one chicken, further investigation found a neighbor who saw a pack of coyotes running down the street with one of my chickens in their mouth. Or the time I built a custom feed so the chickens would get feed every where, only to pick it up and find a dozen rats had built their next under it and didn't even have to leave for food and water.
So chickens have been a learning experience and it still continues. Now I am willing to take in chicks that others do not want, but I am also picky about getting different chickens according to their egg colors, others I know find the look of the chicken to be more important. I have learned a lot of pecking order and that chicks must be separated until big enough to fight back, and no I don't have a rooster because unlike popular belief you don't have to have a rooster to get eggs.
Can you tell I love my chickens and the joy and eggs they bring to my family........... Here let me share them with you.
Gladys named after my grandmother who also loved chickens.
Gladys is my sweetest chicken and was always at the bottom of the pecking order in her flock. I just introduced some new adolescent chickens and she jumped flock and went to be head of the new one.
Mabel is named after my Aunt Jerry's sister who was a pain and so is this MabelShe lays white eggs and is bossy and loud and usually cracks her eggs after she lays them.
Buffy is a dependable layer and lays light brown eggs.
Not fully grown Goldie (due to her leg color) was a chick I inherited when her owner was trying to give her back at the feed and fuel. I already had two her age and she fit right in.
I have two Americana's that lay color eggs although they are not old enough to lay yet (they are replacing the two that our chocolate lab puppy "retrieved" and have since put locks on the coop doors. I think this one, Millie, will lay the avocado green eggs.
The other Americana, Sheba, is only the second white headed one I have had, the other one laid turquoise blue eggs and I'm hoping this one does too.
These three new chicks were given to me by a friend who knew I wanted dark chocolate colored eggs. This one is a Welsummer and her name is Summer.
Another Welsummer, we named Chicklette, because she is the smallest of them all.
This is supposedly a French Marran who lays the darkest chocolate colored egg. She is very pretty and I call her Marran.
Another picture of Gladys.
I'll keep posting as the new chicken coop gets built and as the chicks start laying.
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