Here Be Chickens

Our chickens have arrived! Six ISA browns have taken up residence in our backyard, and I'm completely smitten..





And before anyone asks, no, they're not for meat, just for eggs and to do a little gardening for us..

They look delicious.

Great looking broads. Look a lot like Rhode Island Reds (I've had those in the past).

Carl, stop it.

Chef, they're a cross between Rhode Island reds and Rhode Island whites!

Our little bantams looked a lot like these. We only have one left and she is too old to lay eggs now.

Bantams.jpg

They are beautiful Celia...what do you feed them?

[Jenise]

I'm so jealous! I can't have chickens in my neighborhood, but we were at the farm supply store yesterday and I picked up one of the baby chicks and just lost my heart.

Have the boys named them?

Karen, they've only been here a few days, so we're still figuring that out! They don't like apple cores, but the seem to love nasturtium leaves and oregano. We give them grain mix once a day as well, and they're happily foraging on our onion weed bulbs and garden worms.

Jenise, no we haven't named them yet - still trying to tell them apart, to be honest. Four eggs so far!

Karen, they've only been here a few days, so we're still figuring that out! They don't like apple cores, but the seem to love nasturtium leaves and oregano. We give them grain mix once a day as well, and they're happily foraging on our onion weed bulbs and garden worms.

Jenise, no we haven't named them yet - still trying to tell them apart, to be honest. Four eggs so far!

Maybe this will help you, C.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/to ... u-chicken/

I'm with Carl! Congratulations.

Chef, that was hysterically funny, thank you! In just the few days we've had them, you can already see their personalities coming out. One is very clever, she's figured out how to scratch for worms, and how to hold the stems of the leaves down to strip them. One is completely bonkers, and spends all her time pecking at a steel bolt on the laying box. Sigh. I'm starting to obsess over them already...

Jo, keep that hatchet away from my girls!

I'm so jealous! I can't have chickens in my neighborhood, but we were at the farm supply store yesterday and I picked up one of the baby chicks and just lost my heart.

Have the boys named them?

When we finally get moved to our acreage, Gail wants some laying hens.

I'm so jealous! I can't have chickens in my neighborhood, but we were at the farm supply store yesterday and I picked up one of the baby chicks and just lost my heart.

Have the boys named them?

We can't have chickens in our neighborhood, either, but that didn't stop us. We had two of them. Unfortunately, although they were both "guaranteed" to be female, one was not. Once the crowing-at-dawn starts, the jig is up. Checkers and Buttercup were ultimately sent off to a rural location where they could socialize with many more of their kind.

Karen, they've only been here a few days, so we're still figuring that out! They don't like apple cores, but the seem to love nasturtium leaves and oregano. We give them grain mix once a day as well, and they're happily foraging on our onion weed bulbs and garden worms.

Jenise, no we haven't named them yet - still trying to tell them apart, to be honest. Four eggs so far!

Have they figured out who is Top Chook yet?

Neil, I think so. They've certainly been trying to sort out rank. Pete left an old milk crate in there, and they were all fighting to stand on top of it, so they could be taller than each other.

They are so cute! Have you seen those furry-legged chickens? I can't remember the exact name of the breed, but a friend's mom raises them and they are impossibly cute and silly. I would love to have a couple laying hens, but my yard is far too small - and my cat is far too vicious. Plus they haven't passed the "backyard livestock" bill in my corner of the world yet, though it has been a hot topic as of late.

Here is a link for anyone interested: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Backyard+chickens+likely+raise+stink/2904836/story

Handsome chickens, Celia. How many eggs do you anticipate per bird, per day when they get settled in?

Haven't seen furry-legged ones, Melissa! The rule here is you're allowed to have hens only - no roosters.

Linda, the ISA browns are a crossbreed, bred specifically for laying. They're supposed to be less broody too. When they get settled, they should hopefully lay up to 300 eggs a year each.

[Jenise]

They are so cute! Have you seen those furry-legged chickens? I can't remember the exact name of the breed, but a friend's mom raises them and they are impossibly cute and silly. I would love to have a couple laying hens, but my yard is far too small - and my cat is far too vicious. Plus they haven't passed the "backyard livestock" bill in my corner of the world yet, though it has been a hot topic as of late.

Here is a link for anyone interested: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Backyard+chickens+likely+raise+stink/2904836/story

Melissa, I was listening to a very interesting guy on CBC radio discussing that the other day. A resident of Calgary, apparently, he's going to refuse to remove his chickens. He mentioned that even in crowded places like New York and Los Angeles it's legal, so why should Calgary--with so much space--be any different? He made good points about the planetary advantages of personally making as much of our own food as we can.

Oh my Celia, they are beautiful. I've already talked to my husband about building a wheeled chicken gazebo so we can move a small flock around our small housing development yard. I think it could be sufficiently disguised to keep the neighbors off track. It would have to be wired for sound so the CD of rooster sounds could be played at low volume.....one can dream, no ?

Haven't seen furry-legged ones, Melissa! The rule here is you're allowed to have hens only - no roosters.

Linda, the ISA browns are a crossbreed, bred specifically for laying. They're supposed to be less broody too. When they get settled, they should hopefully lay up to 300 eggs a year each.

Can you use that many eggs, or will you sell some?

Haven't seen furry-legged ones, Melissa! The rule here is you're allowed to have hens only - no roosters.

Linda, the ISA browns are a crossbreed, bred specifically for laying. They're supposed to be less broody too. When they get settled, they should hopefully lay up to 300 eggs a year each.

Can you use that many eggs, or will you sell some?

Linda, do you suppose "C" is saying 300 each per year? Or as I am taking it as 300 total per year. If I am right, it is less than one per day.

Bobby, they're supposed to lay up to 300 eggs each chicken per year, for the first year or two, then less after that. I'm not sure ours will lay that many - we're not feeding them "laying mash" or special feeds, they just have to forage for worms and eat our scraps!

Linda, we have lots of people to share eggs with if we have a surplus! The neighbours have all put their hands up..

Christina, not sure why you'd need the rooster sounds? The hens will lay without it. The chicken tractors are a big thing over here - you wheel them around the yard so the chickens get to eat from all over.

Christina, not sure why you'd need the rooster sounds? The hens will lay without it.

I remember my mom explaining to me that you don't need roosters for hens to lay eggs. And yes, I was grown.