The red stars are the best!! I had one I got from the county fair (they ran out of goldfish) They are dogs in a chickens body. My hens name was charlotte, she would come when I called her and she would follow me everywhere. She loved bread and if the back door was left open, she would get into the kitchen, jump on the counter and sit at the bread box .... waiting. She got sick last spring and I lost her . It was like losing a best friend. Who says chickens are dumb?
Chickens??
So far, we really like our Red Stars, they are the first ones in the box to investigate when something is new, they were the first ones to roost, and they just aren't afraid of anything. I can't wait til they're bigger!
I think your coop will be just the perfect place for them, Melissa. They'll love it! (Glad to hear your Hubby is getting into it too!) Also looks like you have quite a good list of upcoming birds, too!
jslocum207, a HEARTY WELCOME TO DG! Come on in and set a spell!
Sorry to hear you lost your friend chicken; yes, they can be great friends/pets! (We had a half-blind rooster that would come to us and hang out w/us all the time. He really enjoyed going to several children's birthday parties, and they loved him too!)
Shoe
(still grinnin' about the Shoe Phone, Melissa. My DD recently set my cell phone up to say "The Shoe Phone" on the little screen thing.) (Maybe I am Maxwell Smart reincarnated? Or, uhh...does the give away my age?) :>)
Is your shoe unlisted shoe?
:-)
Yes, jslocum207, welcome, welcome welcome. We are just embarking on our Chicken journey, and as shoe said, we're already hooked (lined and sinkered too I think)
I'm glad hubby is getting into them too, it makes it a lot easier on me! LOL I pulled up the pictures last night of some of the crested ones, and he just laughed and laughed... said all we'll need to do for a good laugh is go to the barn! :-)
Here is the almost finished coop.... whaddaya think Shoe? I think hubby did pretty good for a "city boy" he even ran electic, complete with a switch and outlet outside the door for me. :-)
He put in 16 nest boxes total, and can add another 8 easily if need be.
He built the nest boxes on top of the hay manger that was there. He still has some finish work to do, but here is the chick door.
Fantastic! It really looks great.
Where will you be selling eggs? Farmer's market?
Can tell this used to be a foaling stall. :-) I think he did good. :-)
Zeppy, I think our friends and family will be the biggest beneficiaries of the eggs. But, what are sold will probably be sold at hubby's work. He's already got orders! LOL
My step daughter called last night, and her mom and her uncle are saving egg cartons for us.... LOL in exchange for eggs.
Melissa:
Your coop looks great, looks like hubby did a good job. Keep us posted on how your flock is doing.
Keith
Thanks Keith... my "flock" is a LOT bigger than I ever anticipated it would be when I first started trying to talk hubby into this. Just a "few" turned into just a few more.... LOL
Hubby is enjoying them as much as me and the kids are though!
Could someone take pictures of their roosts. Hubby doesn't want to do what we did at home, which was tobacco sticks on a 2x4, he wants to make longer/wider roosts out of 2x4's. The storey's book we have does say they prefer a 2 inch roosting spot.
If you don't have any, don't worry, he's making them out of 2x4's as I type this. LOL
This message was edited Apr 7, 2006 12:41 PM
Melissa_Ohio
I am sooooo glad SOMEBODY likes the Polish!!!!
McMurray is how I got started with them kinda
After a barn fire years ago all my Agway chicken were killed
I decieded that as long as I was going to feed chicken why not have some interesting chickens
So I ordered the rare and exotic mixture from McMurrays
It was great,all those chicks and watching them evolve from fluffs to all these awesome birds
I fell in love with the Polish......
After going to a show and seeing exhibition birds,then going home and looking at my McMurray birds compared to real exhibition poultry I decied to geting into showing and got rid of most of my McMurray birds,except for some favorite pets(one of my favorites was a dark brahma ,she lived 7 years and I loved her to death)
the rest I guess they say is history
I now raise Polish,Sumatras(which, if anyone is looking for a great freerange bird that requred little or no care and are excellent mothers and hardy) Lafleche,White Houdan,and I have a few large Fowl Cochins for pets(love their temperment)
You guys that live in Ohio have a great area with shows like the Ohio National (Columbus in November) ,and Lucasville and in November there will be a huge National in Indiana...
big shows ,lots of breeders,lots of choices
My favorite is still the polish
This is one of my birds that was in the December issue of Vogue
CC, I wanted a couple of Sumatra's, but McMurray was out of them. I am loving these little guys! LOL
I'm trying to convince my 9 year old to take some of the chickens at the fair.... LOL
Where/how/ would I find birds that were for sale in Ohio? Lucasville or C'Bus isn't really"that" far... either one is a couple of hours away.
depends on what breed
off the top of my head I know of 2 polish breeders in Ohio
if you want a different breed tell me what you are looking for
I may be able to tell you who to contact
I'm not even sure what breeds I want. LOL I just think they are the neatest looking things!! I probably have enough for right now, we just have to get Chele hooked on them too. :-)
Next year, I'll probably be ready to add more!
I have tried to talk 'Chele into going to a show
That is the absolute best way of choosing breeds
If you know anyone with a Standard of Perfection it has pictures of every breed and a description
I'm pretty sure I'm going to the show in Indiana in November instead of the one in Columbus, otherwise I'd tell you guys to meet me there
I'll check with a freind who lives in Ohio
He lives in Cridersville
He would know where and when the shows are in your state
bantam sumatra
Oh isn't he a pretty boy!!
Depending on what part of Indiana, it might be closer to me than C'Bus. :-) Chele's kinda in the middle now since her move.
Here is the scene from the chicken coop last Saturday: A full house and two waiting to get in a nest box! I guess when you gotta go.....you gotta go!
LOL!
"move over huney, it's MY TURN!"
That's a great, great picture.
My girls will go two to a nest when they're impatient.
Keith, you should consider sending that in to Backyard Poultry Magazine for their contest, seriously!
Zeppy, so nice that they share!
tf
Tamara:
I just recently found that magazine at Tractor Supply Co. It has lots of great info, I may have to get a regular subscription. I just might send them a copy of this pic too, thanks.
Keith
I can't wait til mine are big enough to get in the nest boxes!!
We got the girls moved into their "permanent digs" We left the cage in for a few days, and just took it out yesterday. We left one of the "used" priority boxes in there they seem to like to peck at the colors, and hubby closed off their door with another priorty box (used of course) to make that corner seem more familiar. We had the cage lined with them so they couldn't get out through the bars when they were little.
They seem to be adjusting just fine. Of course, hubby took a radio out for them.... he said they were used to "hearing noise" constantly in the house, so he thought the radio would give them background noise and be a comfort to them. Besides, it helps to block out the "strange" sounds in the barn. :-)
Here is the roost hubby made.
One customer...
It's unbelieveable how quick they grow. :-)
lovley looking birds there! yes, they grow FAST!
my buckeyes are just over three weeks old. some days i come home, and look at them funny, then realize they didn't have those feathers when i left LOL
i am ready to move them out to their new home, as soon as it is ready...
tf
How are your Guineas doing TF??
Melissa:
Looks like your birds are off to a great start.
Keith
you mean the two that weren't killed, and joined the nieghbor's flock? she has agreed that after my fence it up, IF they roost in the henhouse, i may come early to TRY to catch them.
then after i sue the pants off the other nirghbor whose dog ate the other two, i will order some new ones. can't decide between lavendar and violet.
the whole household is still pretty sad about the guineas, we miss them a lot. and then i get mad everytime i see a tick, or see the nieghbors flock eating in the other neighbors yard. i guess we are too far out for them to come over, sigh...
i only wanted a few guineas, but since i have to order 30, i may as well keep them all! seems small flocks are attracted to larger ones... i would just hate to buy my neighbor 30 more guineas, she has too many as it is!
tf
Oh wow, I missed that the two you had left had joined the neighbors flock! Wow, I'm so sorry! You must have really yucky neighbors! I'm so sorry!
you know, some days, you just GOTTA hate the neighbors...
Eenie and Moe are now blended in with her flock and don't even speak to one another anymore. Maybe they just don't like thinking about what happened to Meanie and Bloomer...
on the other hand, she CAN:T WAIT for mine ot start laying eggs, so she can hatch out some lavendars!!! she says if she has to feed them, she's keeping hte eggs LOL i honeslyt don't think it's funny ;-( adn the reason i am leaning toward the violet. as far as i can tell she doesn't have any that color...
my chicks are calling, need to go check their temperatures....
tf
i am still really new to this forum stuff, we read a lot of articles and this is our fifth year with chickens, we started out with 10, the next year we added 25, we have just order from mcmurray 100 birds, adding on to the coop and pen. we let them pasture range during th day and at night they go into their house and enclosed pen.
love my birds
boy, you are gonna be busy with 100 chicks LOL...
sounds great! i just finished my first yard and already have plans for htree more...
what breeds you got?
;-)
tf